Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/7444825.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      F/M
  Fandom:
      Mass_Effect
  Relationship:
      Female_Shepard/Garrus_Vakarian
  Character:
      Female_Shepard_(Mass_Effect), Original_Batarian_Character(s), Miranda
      Lawson, Garrus_Vakarian, Original_Human_Character(s), Armando-Owen
      Bailey, Venari_Pallin, Original_Turian_Character(s)
  Additional Tags:
      Slavery, Sexual_Slavery, Trigger_Heavy, Alternate_Universe_-_Canon
      Divergence, Eventual_Relationships, Gore, Misuse_of_Biotics, Cerberus_are
      evil_assholes, Bailey_being_a_cool_dad_figure, Skyllian_Five, finally
      some_shakarian, C-Sec_(Mass_Effect)
  Stats:
      Published: 2016-07-10 Updated: 2016-10-08 Chapters: 9/? Words: 34711
****** Blood Irons ******
by Aradellia_(CurtusPatronus)
Summary
     Shepard has always been known to escape Mindoir thanks to the
     Alliance, but what if she hadn't been so fortunate and was taken from
     Mindoir and pulled into the deadly horrors of the batarian slave
     trade? What if that fateful patrol had never come?
     What would become of our hero as she enters the stage as a slave?
     This is the tale of Katherine Shepard, and her bloodied experiences
     through the batarian slave trade, and how she must live with the
     horrifying, scarring experiences at the hands of the batarian slavers
     who will use her, and her new masters who wish to experiment on her.
Notes
     This is going to be a very experimental fanfiction, and a
     controversial one as it contains, like the warning tags state, rape,
     non-con, and underage individuals being subjected to such. Since this
     takes place during the raid of Mindoir, Shepard is 16, so she will be
     sixteen at the beginning.
     This is the uncensored version of Blood Irons, meaning it will have
     graphic sex scenes, and graphic violence/gore in the future. If you
     wish to read Blood Irons without these instances, you can find it on
     FF.net under the same title.
***** The Mark of the Biotic Slave *****
Chapter Notes
     Edit 9/24: Edited a few spelling mistakes and added a few descriptive
     things!
Her head hurt, and she knew that trying to help herself would result in more
pain. Using her biotics would result in death. Using her voice without being
spoke to first and ordered to answer would result in pain and punishment.
Trying to move into a better position or place would result in punishment. If
she remained a good girl, a doll for them to play with, she would be rewarded.
Eventually.
How did she get here again, among the screams for freedom and pain, chained to
the inside of a cage, a dog crate, among the woman pulled into a cruel world of
slavery, and abuse? How in everything great did she end up as another human
whisked into the batarian's horrible slave trade as nothing more than a pretty
face someone could hurt and command and mark as theirs?
She remembered vague, but large details. The screams of her friends and family
in the markets as the batarians came down in droves, barely hesitating in
beginning to kill everyone they didn't deem good human meat for the slave
trade, or good bodies to fuck into mindless fuck bags. Using horrible tech to
take control of helpless colonists as they decimated her home, her planet.
Family, friends, neighbors fell to the wild spray of bullets as people were
slaughtered around her, a man's chest bursting into bloody chunks as he died
violently behind her. A few woman vomited in disgust before being dragged away.
Her friend, Vera, executed a few feet from her with a shotgun. Grey brain
matter covered her legs as she watched her friend's head come clean off in a
terrifying spray of bone and brains and blood. She remembered running, barely
breathing through the fields, fleeing the few who came after her.
Fire. Horrible fires, the smell of burning flesh. Her sister dying before her
as batarians beheaded her for being difficult. Her dead parents. The clink of
dog tags in her hands, the beautiful blue of biotics fluttering around her as
she defended herself, shooting wildly, trying to stay safe. Pain splintering
from her legs, the painful crack of a gun against her temple.
Their praise of her power and beauty. The heavy and never-ending ring of her
cuffs coming together around her wrists as they dragged her from her burning
home, the bodies of her dead family bleeding out in their garden.
Slavers had attacked and ripped apart Mindoir, pillaged their homes and lives,
burned down their colony, kidnapped and stole children and woman, slaughtered
all they could, raped the few who fought back in their cages, and left the
colony burning as they got away without a shot taken at them by the Alliance.
She is a slave. A woman prize taken by batarians. She had struggled, she had
fought back, and always wondered why she wasn't killed on the spot. She never
would get an answer, but she was smart enough to think it was because of her
biotics. She would sell for top dollar, especially with her high tech implant,
and her raw but immense power. Even with the tattooed mark in the middle of her
back, the symbol of the batarian slaver ring that owned her, she would not lose
any value on the market.
She kept her eyes down, knowing that the masters didn't like their slaves
looking at them. She was a quick learner, but this was a lesson that took
beatings to put into her. Beatings, lashes...
Assault.
Her hair had been cut instead of shaved, probably to show off her implant, to
keep some of her appeal in her looks, the extremely short haircut making her
look more silly then sexy but the batarians didn't care in the slightest. As
long as she was controlled, and behaved, and followed rules, she was a good
girl. She would be a good girl. Batarians of all shapes and colors walked past
her cage, past the other cages and girls whimpering, but never crying. Screams
would follow tears and cries. The masters didn't like the girls crying. They
were making sure all their precious slaves were good girls, the control chips
being passed around like drugs on the streets of Earth, or at least she assumed
like they were. She had one too, if she was correct, but she wouldn't know at
that instance. There wasn't a point in thinking about it, because any sort of
rebellious thought in ripping it out would be met with the loss of one's free
will as a person.
More cries, and more haunting screams of girls behind hurt because of their
emotions. She would keep it together for them, follow their code to the dot.
She would be the good slave girl for the batarians.
As much as she was terrified to be touched and assaulted by them, she had to
learn to accept the pain and attacks of her possible future buyers. She bore
wounds in many places, some already becoming scars, bitter ones that made her
ache and want to cry. She had to keep it together. She had to survive, she had
to live through this somehow.
Her cage opened, her eyes glued to the blood stained steel beneath her knees.
Sweaty hands grabbed her shoulders, demanding her to come out. She crawled out
as they pulled her violently forward, coming out awkwardly onto the ground,
pulled up onto her feet, her wrists twisting in the wrong way at their
violence. She did not look at them, stood with her bound hands before her. She
shivered as the taller males circled her, lifting her chin so they could look
at her face. She looked the batarian before her in the eyes as they looked for
her, haunted but bright grey eyes looking into his hauntingly dark ones.
"Pretty eyes for a slave." he admitted, "She's still all there as well.
Impressive willpower for a young little slave girl."
"Brought in from the Mindoir raid a month ago, sir," the other batarian beside
her commented, "Surprisingly willing now. She was a feisty one when we got her,
throwing biotic attacks at us. She's a powerful little bitch, but she knows her
place."
"A biotic? How special." the older male purred, making her shake in fear. He
could feel it and chuckled, "This girl may be willing, but put her in real
chains and let us have our way with her, she'll squeal and cry like we want her
to. Though, breaking this one would waste a great number of things for this
little whelp."
She kept as still as she could despite shaking in fear, faced with the reality
before her, outside of her safe cage. She would be appraised, abused, used,
sold, and repeat the scarring steps. The batarian rounded her, poking and
touching her nude skin, looking for marks or anything special. He paused behind
her, running a finger down her spine, down the middle of her slave mark,
drawing a long shiver. He chuckled coldly, groping her behind. She froze,
drawing his attention to her reaction.
"Is she pure?"
The other batarian grinned wickedly, forcing her to bite her lip in fear of
making a noise. "We don't know yet, Halek. Are you offering the credits to be
the first taste tester?"
The man named Halek continued his circle, his hands running down her left
shoulder and arm, her chin curled down just a smudge, her action rendered
fruitless as he lifted her chin gently. Something suddenly shined in his eyes
as he met hers. Was it hope? Warmth? It was a different emotion then the others
flashed her coldly. It was just the little spark of possible hope she wished
for, and held it close even if it was a farce. She was going to be loaned out
regardless, and had to get her heart and mind ready for the implications of
what was going to happen to her.
"How much is the price for first taste?"
"Good man!" her seller cheered, pulling out a datapad. She lowered her eyes
again. "It'll be ten thousand credits to do it simply in one of the available
rooms, or if you'd prefer, a fifty thousand credit charge to take your prize
privately."
"Eyes up, whelp."
The words were surprisingly gentle. She couldn't tell if he realized screaming
would do nothing or if he was being nice. Her eyes came back up to him, that
same oddly warm but strangely gentle look was back in his eyes. She did not
speak, or move any more then needed to look upon her first 'taker'. She
memorized this batarian's face, this so called Halek man. She would remember
him forever, immortalize his face and his words, the whisper of kindness before
he truly showed his black soul. She would never forget her first loaner. His
copper skin, those hauntingly kind dark eyes. A batarian in the depths of the
horrendous batarian slaver trade going by the name Halek.
The one to rape her.
"She'll be worth the fifty thousand."
Her seller, one of many masters, couldn't have grinned more.
"We'll get her ready for you. Credit chit first, Halek, if you could."
She pulled her eyes back down as she was moved once more along the long path
lined with cages and batarian guards as the exchange for her dignity, her last
moments untouched by cruel hands slipped away on a transaction of credits. She
kept her head fixed, her eyes down, following the rules now that she was being
whored out for the first time. She had heard horrible stories about the girls
who went through this process as a slave. A heavy metal door opened, and she
was shoved inside, slammed to her knees. She slowly started to get up before
more hands took her, dragging her across the floor and to a bloodied platform.
She couldn't imagine what had happened in this room, the faint scent of piss
and blood lingering. Her cuffs were taken off, her scarring wrists taking the
comfort as brief as it was until she was put into wrought irons.
And raised up like a pig on a meat hook.
She was raised a few inches up, her toes still on the ground, facing the door.
She could only think of her position similar to how the supposed son of God had
been on the cross. She was being displayed for her buyer, like a cheap
decoration to be ripped apart for fun. The men who had positioned her touched
and prodded, despite the risks of their actions. Hands took hold of her
breasts, the bruises on her ribs being hit as his clumsy hands slid around. She
dared not say a word as they touched and groped her, refusing to give them the
satisfaction. She knew her face would show that effort and at it they howled in
laughter before leaving in the cold, dark torture chamber. Darkness surrounded
her despite the few lanterns flickering around the tables lining the walls.
The door opened once more, bathing her suspended body in light for the new
arrival. She did not look up to see if it was Halek, or simply another master.
She was meat to be bitten into, devoured until nothing but the shattered bones
remained. She was a slave; a pretty face to be sold to the best bidder. The
heavy door closed, sealing her fate with it. She steadied her breath.
"They don't have cameras in these rooms. This is why I paid extra, you know."
Halek's voice broke through the darkness.
No cameras, meaning her masters would not know if she broke the rules. She
hesitated in raising her eyes, or her voice.
"I don't care for their rules, and here you are safe from their attacks. Speak
your mind, girl."
"...Are you going to waste the credits by speaking to me the entire time you
have me?" Her voice was rough and scratchy, a month lacking in its use taking
some toll on her.
The batarian scoffed, and she finally raised her eyes to meet his again. They
were still the same oddly gentle eyes.
"I have no real interest in raping you, human."
Her surprise showed, and he had to grin a little as she sputtered on her words,
struggling just a little in her chains to try to look forward at the batarian
who wouldn't be a batarian in this instance. She whimpered at the wrought irons
dug into the wounds on her wrists.
"Y-you just wasted fifty thousand credits then... to just stare and talk with
me?" she asked.
"I'm saving you from an even worse fate at the hands of these stains on our
people. I would have bought you outright, but they want you softened up for
when they put you on the market. The only thing I could do was buy a time with
you."
"So... w-what are you going to do to me?"
Halek approached quietly, keeping his eyes on her face and not on her body. She
shook in fear as he approached, unable to stop the fear instilled in her
through the beatings, the chains, and the countless abuse in its many shades.
Her chains clanged as she gently wiggled, biting her bottom lip until she bit
deep into the flesh, blood dripping down her chin.
"I'm going to help you. The man in charge of this camp takes every girl who
aren't bought for their bodies before they're sold. They come out of his rooms
broken and empty and worthless, and it's nothing but a waste of life and a
horrendous and greedy action to take against your people and it’s in no means
an acceptable action. I'm ensuring you don't have that same fate."
She shook, realizing what his words implied. "S-So you're going to..."
"I told you already," he snapped firmly, "I have no intention to rape you.
We're going to fake it, however, there is one thing I will have to do to make
it look like I did."
He went for the bag he had brought in, making her squirm as he pulled out a
phallic object. She whimpered in fear, and he immediately looked to her with
his gentle eyes, setting the bag on the platform she tiptoed on. He held it up
for her to see, despite the fearful shaking and her whimpers, her eyes
beginning to close.
"It's not what you wish, but if you come out of this dungeon without a mark on
you, or blood, they'll make sure you have it on you. We're going to stage this,
so I need to make it genuine-looking."
She took a shuddering breath, steadying herself as she pushed her fear back for
a moment. "So... you're going to make it look like you raped me... by using a
toy on me and other things?"
"It’s the only way. I'm sorry. I realize you'd never consent to something like
this, but it'll save you trouble elsewhere if it's done."
She sighed and closed her eyes, tightening her fists as tears slipped down her
face. She would be raped but not violently, though it would save her from
future horrors, at least in theory. She sobbed softly, shaking her head before
looking up to the ceiling. She took a shuddering breath before looking to
Halek. She had to face the music of this dark play, and it called for her
defilement. She thanked the air at least her 'first time' would be with a human
sympathizer. 
"J-just get it done, please. I don't want to be in these chains anymore,
please."
Halek nodded gently. "I will try to be gentle, but I may have to get rough to
make things look real, alright miss...?"
She had to think, so used to simply being called 'that biotic bitch'. She took
a breath as he spread her legs, their plan to help her escape ruinous sexual
assault ready to begin. She shivered as the plain toy pressed against her inner
thigh. He was trying to get her used to its feeling without diving in first.
For a batarian, unlike his brethren beyond the door, he was gentle and
considerate, his rough palms trying to calm her shivering and shaking. She
wouldn't ever stop, but it would help her just enough for what was to come. The
head of the plastic toy poked between her between her thighs at her entrance,
and she flinched. She had to get the words out before they were lost to the
pain.
"S-Shepard... Katherine Shepard."
"Miss Shepard. I'm Halek Var'harren."
"A-as much as this is the worst time for introductions," she chuckled,
sniffling as her tears fell once more, "It's nice to m-meet you, Halek."
"The feeling is mutual. Perhaps if I can gather the needed credits, I can get
you out of here, but for now... forgive my next actions, Shepard. Take a deep
breath."
She held onto her chains as best she could as she sucked in a hasty breath,
Halek pushing the toy into her untouched entrance, stretching her opening
painfully. Her toes curled as she cried out in pain as he pushed the toy
further into her body, pausing to gauge her hysterical state, gently pulling
out, and pushing it back into her. She gave another torturous cry as he
suddenly plunged it deep inside her, ripping through something inside of her.
She gasped for its end, sobbing as he continued to push it into her. She was
shaking enough to rattle her chains. Blood dripped down her right thigh, her
hymen torn through like paper. He hissed, almost in frustration, and stalled
the toy. She cried brokenly as he thrusted the toy in and out of her a few
times before stopping once more.
"H-Hal...ek...”
"The worst part is done. It's going to hurt for a while, but it'll save you a
tremendous amount of even worse pain."
He was slow in pulling it out of her body, crying out as it bumped into places
within her, crying for it to end, for her to be ended, anything to stop the
horrendous pain ripping through her stomach and chest. It came out with a
sickly wet 'pop', her tight entrance leaking clear fluid and blood. She
whimpered and sobbed in despair, her cries calming as he tried to rub the
tension and pain out of her hips, considerate hands pushing against her muscles
in an attempt to massage her pains away. She whimpered his name once more, her
pain only ebbing with his efforts.
"Forgive me, Shepard."
She nodded weakly, knowing this batarian was trustworthy, that this man was not
like the others. She still scared her, as all batarians would for a while, but
she trusted this one. He had to hurt her for the purpose of saving her from
future disaster. He pulled a jar out of his bag, dipping a brush into it first,
and then his fingers.
"W-what are you doing?" she questioned as he knelt down, pushing her right
thigh out farther to see it.
"Adding to the illusion. If one of those men had taken you, it would have been
a much bloodier event. I'll have to add claw marks, so some pain is still
needed but otherwise it is over. Do not worry about your shaking, little biotic
girl. It'll help you."
This was the part where she simply hung there from her chains, an act she could
do. Pain struck her limbs and her heart, coping with the act just committed
against her body for her safety. She knew it would help, that it would save
her, and now she had to play the part of the abused, raped slave. She let
herself whimper in pain, let her voice be heard as Halek dripped blood down her
thighs, moving behind her to grip at her hips, digging his fingers into her
skin. She yelped and cried, her legs trying to thrash and kick. As blood
trickled down her sides, his kind hands soothed her irritated and pain-filled
muscles. Just a little more, and she would be out of the chains, back in her
cage, and out of Halek's hands forever. She looked like she had been viciously
beaten, her bruises from earlier making it seem more real.
"There we go. That should keep them sated." Halek announced. She gave a weak
smile, shaking still in fear, in pain, and in hope.
"Thank you..."
"Goodbye, little biotic girl."
She bowed her head once again, letting her tears run as he left, boasting to
the guards just outside of what he had just done. She knew his words were
false, the cover he would throw over their eyes to make their fake sexual
encounter look as real as any other. Two batarians came for her a few minutes
after, lowering her to her feet, before she fell to her knees. Dragged up and
out of the room, she was taken not to her cage but to a smaller room, with a
few stalls to the left, showerheads spraying water against dirty tile.
A bathroom.
"Clean yourself up. Blood and semen smells like shit."
She nodded gently, cooperating with them as she was set under one showerhead,
shrieking in surprise as hot water hit her head, soothing her hard muscles. She
sighed gently, ignoring the batarian's eyes as she washed herself of the blood,
and dirt and grime she had accumulated in the past month. It felt like a dream,
and it was a great relief. She didn't get too long under the wonderful spray of
water as she was lifted from its kind touch, and handed a surprisingly nice
towel and told to dry off. She did as ordered of course, towel drying her hair
as they thrusted a pair of shorts, and what she assumed was a sports bra, and
told to dress.
Actual clothes... it meant she was going out on market. She had to look
presentable, like the shining little precious doll she was. She tried her best
with her hair in terms of drying it, and stepped into her shorts, wiggling in
them briefly before slowly tugging her shirt onto her slightly damp skin. The
batarian masters did nothing to rush her, or force her, drawing confused eyes
to their chests before lowering them again and finishing the task ordered.
Eyes down, her hands once again bound in cuffs, though these were fresh, clean
ones. She was led out with other woman dressed in a similar fashion. Some were
clean, and others were not. She did not know where they were being led, but it
had a crowd-like roar coming from its large open doors. As darkness blazed into
light, she struggled to look through the blinding lights, adjusting for a
moment before opening her eyes to a horror scene.
The large room was lit in blinding lights, a platform rising above the ravenous
crowd of batarians, humans, and various mercenary groups, lines of slaves being
dragged in from different areas, all piled onto the various platforms to be
displayed. As her group was led out, the crowd turned their excitement to the
woman, all hollering and screaming for them, some shouting their desires, their
needs. She was glad that she had not eaten recently, as she would have hurled
them. The lingering scent of semen stuck in the air, and she quickly realized
what was about to happen to the woman surrounding her, lining up beside her as
they were shown off like antique wares.
They were going to be sold into the worst kind of slavery.
Shepard kept her eyes open while many closed them, knowing she was safe now.
The batarians around her were announcing the sale, and how some were obviously
tagged to be sold at a later date, for astronomical prices due to their rarity,
their value. They had the girls turn their backs to their customers, describing
the markings on their backs, and how they ID'd the girls not for sale but for
show, as a tease. Her master came to her, and asked to her to turn. Her mark
was special, a rarely used one as she was among the few biotic humans the
slavers had ever had their hands on. Many annoyed cries came when they
announced she would not be for sale.
She grimaced as she looked at the crowd that originally had her back, and hid
her shaking at the horrible sights before her.
Men were sharing their previously bought slaves, sharing the woman as they
passed the gagged woman around like a bowl of popcorn, grunts and screams dying
behind the roar of coming buyers who wished for their own passable sex slaves.
This is what the smell of semen started from, where the horror stories had
originated that haunted the in-waiting woman who would face the music of this
haunting sale. Woman being passed around, never letting her feet hit the floor
as they was shoved from one man's member, to another, like they was reusable
condom. She closed her eyes then, trying to stop the smell from entering,
avoiding the horrible sight of the public rape fest happening before her eyes.
"Your time will come, your biotic bitch," her master whispered in her ear as
the girls around her, save for the others saved for the better sale time,
disappeared, "Your new owner will use you like an omni tool endlessly, I know
it."
***** Would death be better then surviving? *****
Chapter Summary
     The mantra echoes in her head.
     "I want to die, I want to die, I want to die, but I don't want to
     die..."
Chapter Notes
     Edit 9/25: Edited out the spelling errors and such, and added a few
     little things!
She never did see Halek again. She had been touched and saved by an angel with
four eyes, a batarian with a sympathetic heart, one who didn't want the slave
trade to be so dirty. She lost counts of the days, of the rise of the
unfamiliar sun and the falls of the colored moon. She lost all sense of time
and direction with the planet she was on, moved from place to place, and
displayed one way or another. Pulled from her cage, punished from time to time
for letting her emotions flow, her hurt showing only for it to triple. It was
odd that she hadn't been officially sold yet, a curious thing for such a rare
buy. Were they waiting for a bidder among the crowds? Was she already slated to
be sold somewhere else, and it would only be a matter of time?
She did not ponder any longer. She opened her eyes as the batarian between her
legs finished his work, his cruel smile the only thing she saw as he pushed her
upon her back, barely regarding her as her spread her legs once more. Her eyes
closed once more, blocking out the sight of the batarian loaner who had bought
her body once more, a man with no name, no rank, nothing but the growing fear
and anger in her gut to mark him as a normal customer. She had learned to
control her face, her lungs, her entire body by now, and did not react as he
violently entered her once again, tightening in response to the invasion,
earning nothing but a wicked laugh. He seemed to always think that the
tightness of her insides as he fucked her raw until she bled meant she was
enjoying it.
They enjoyed raping her even if she gave not a whisper to them. It was
enjoyable when they simply accepted it, almost more so it seemed. A screaming,
resistant slave got tiring after a while, but one that would never shove, and
would always be open for the next man to come and empty himself inside her, was
truly good.
The gush of warmth through her lower stomach told her this time in the slave
rooms was complete, and the man would leave her be once again. Her body shook
softly, her biotics flaring up around her as her body softly released its own
pleasure, causing the man to gasp out in surprise. As he pulled out of her, she
slowly sat up, wincing as her back protested. The loaner helped her sit up
completely, drawing confused eyes to his face before she lowered them. She had
looked at him without his permission.
"For a human biotic, you are well behaved.... ah, you may speak, girl."
"....I am a slave. I would like to live a little longer, so I do not fight."
"A good idea. Say, girl, how old are you? Many don't know and it's been
impossible to pinpoint without infiltrating the Alliance for the damned
information."
"...w-what’s the date today? B-by human standards?"
The batarian grumbled and cursed at her, swearing off the human way of telling
the time and the flow of time, of the months and seasons. He let his omni tool
light up, scanning through information quickly before turning back to her.
"This thing says today for humans it's... I hate your stupid language. It’s
April 11th, 2171."
"April.... 11th?"
"Yeah, why? Is it important to you girl?"
It was then her temporary buyer noticed she was crying, staring at the wall
behind him, a haunting look on her face. Her bloodied hands to cover her mouth,
holding back her tears as she cried. The batarian, caught off guard by her
emotions, did not move to strike her as he should.
"T-today is my birthday..." she finally admitted, looking to the batarian as he
flinched.
"R-Really?" he sounded genuinely surprised. She nodded, lowering her hands.
"Yeah.... today... I turn 17 years old."
===============================================================================
 
 After another bath, and a new pair of shorts of crop top were given to her,
she was put back into her cleaned cage, curling her knees to her chest. It
seems she had done something good with telling her masters her age, and her
birthday. They were satisfied, and would not fight her for the information. She
got some time alone, listening to the chatter of slavers and buyers, the girls
around her calming from their once hysterical states. It must have been months
or years since they were taken from Mindoir, or wherever these girls were from.
What horrors could they have seen during these months? Several of the cages
near her were empty, originally filled with familiar faces.
A few may be in the arms and at the mercy of loaners, but several, she knew,
had been sold to new masters. Cruel men with twisted expressions, and heavy
pockets.
One of her masters came quietly to her cage, and her eyes lowered as he peered
inside. He was silently watching her, judging her as she sat in submission.
"I'd suggest getting some sleep, girl. We're expecting important clients
tomorrow, and you will need to look like you actually have slept decently in
the past months. You may answer."
"May I ask who this client is?" she quietly asked.
"I've never heard much on them, but our boss got a huge offer for several of
you yesterday. They're coming to collect, and appraise, apparently. Get some
sleep now."
"Yes, master."
Like many of her regular loaners who come for her body and the odd pleasure an
orgasming biotic can bring, her master had gotten the lesson that he did not
have to yell or be cruel to get her to listen and act as she should. She nodded
and curled up into herself on the chilled floor of her cage. Her door creaked
open silently, and soft fabric covered her partly nude form. She opened her
eyes, and touched the blanket draped over her. Was she being rewarded for her
good behavior, or were the batarians trying to clean up for this high profile
client? She could not ask, and no answer would come.
Her eyes drifted close to the sight of her master looking at her, his eyes
containing the oddest touch of compassion for a slaver.
When she awoke, the masters were moving quickly, cleaning up taken slaves,
ensuring their personal slaves were in the best shape they could be after
months of being put under their gruesome claws. She had been mostly taken care
of, but still she was pulled from her sleep from the opening of her cage door.
Hands pulled her carefully to her feet outside of the cold steel, keys rattling
on the hip of her master. They lead her into a dimly lit room, sitting her in
one of the chairs there. A batarian grabbed for what looked like pliers on the
tray table beside her chair.
"We did install a control chip inside you, but it was determined useless now.
We're going to remove it, and then get some medigel for your bruises on your
hips and spine." her master explained.
She nodded gently as the chair flipped her so her eyes were on the ground, the
back of her head open to the masters. She groaned as they dug into her head,
pulling out what felt like a flat rock out of her neck quickly. She sighed as
the chill of medigel hit the open wound. She was flipped right side up once
again.
"It'll leave a scar but it'll do."
He grabbed her bound wrists as she stood up, taking a key off his side and
unlocking her cuffs, letting them drop with a clank on the floor. She stood
there staring at her free hands as if the cuffs were still on, freshly strapped
to her wrists. She looked to her master, questioning him despite the break in
rules. He gently hit her face, reminding her quietly. She nodded and lowered
her eyes, flexing her hands, rubbing her raw and scarred wrists. She was handed
a small vial, and gently pushed against her back.
"Medigel. Apply it to your wrists while we walk. It won't remove the scars, but
it'll help the wounds from developing into new ones."
Another nod of acknowledgement, and she was moved once more. She was moved into
another room, a smaller one, where more medigel was handed to her master. The
silent batarian woman nodded and smiled at her before closing the door behind
her.
"Take your clothes off. I'm going to apply the medigel, and then you'll get
dressed in the new black clothes over there. Follow Verrek, the woman outside,
and she'll lead you. This is our last time together, girl."
She stripped quickly, throwing her old clothes into the furnace along the side
of the room. She stood still before him as he identified her bruises and
wounds, the gentle chill of medigel healing her.
"Am I being sold?"
"No. Zel decided to move you under a new master, a better area now that we've
sorted our backlog out, finally. No need to keep a valuable slave in the dirt
where she's squandered."
"Is that big client coming today? Another master told me last night about
them."
Her master was silent, almost nervous. He nodded, slathering the bruises on her
back with medigel once again.
"Exactly. That's why we're having you moved, so you're not nabbed by this trash
coming in."
"Trash?" she softly questioned, unaware that even the slave trade had
unfavorable customers. Her master grimaced, stalling his hands on her back.
"The Blue Suns... a mercenary group. They come and go in terms of slaves, so
they're not here often. But we don't want them here if it involves buying, at
least often."
The Blue Suns. She had heard of them. They were one of the three big
conglomerates that dominated the Terminus Systems and their gangs. They were
notorious for weapons testing and numerous other offenses, but she wouldn't
have been able to guess they meddled with slavery. Was her master... protecting
her from the gangs? She shivered gently as more medigel was applied, rubbing
her arms. His hands came off her as the gel cooled and sunk into her skin, and
she pulled on her new clothes. They were lighter, and softer.
"You will have no issues with this new group. You're a good slave, biotic
girl."
She smiled gently, bowing to him before turning to the door and stepping away
from her old cage and old laugh as a lowly slave into truly the more important
slave she was marked as in the beginning. The woman he mentions before, Verrek,
offered her the direction they would be going, and they were led into a cleaner
section of the cages. Girls were sleeping on the floors of their cages, some
with blankets, and some with little packets of food. She kept her eyes down as
she led to her new cage, and locked inside. Verrek slipped in her blanket given
to her before the move and left her once more.
New area, and from the looks of it, new rules. These were all humans with
something that made them valuable. Biotics, techs, who knows what exactly. The
old rules still applied though, it seemed. Masters were beginning to buzz and
pass, and eyes were on the floor, bowing gently in their own brand of
subservience. She kept her eyes down as a new batarian stopped before her cage,
kneeling down. He was a shade lighter then her old master, with eyes that were
haunted in ice and gently burned with fire.
"You must be the biotic girl. Turn around, I need to see your mark."
Turning on her bottom so her slaver's tattoo could be seen, she let the
batarian gaze upon it. He hummed in approval.
"A biotic human minor with one of the best amps I've seen in a long time. Tell
me, biotic girl, how is a farm girl like you outfitted like that?"
She cleared her throat momentarily. "My parents were decorated leaders in the
Alliance, and were able to get me the amp they felt I should have."
He was satisfied with her answer. "Turn back around, biotic girl."
She did as told, keeping her eyes down in respect. A hand moved through the
bars, resting on her short cropped hair. The others around her, they all had
shaved heads, or sere just starting to grow hair back on their heads.
"The Blue Suns won't get their hands on you anytime soon, biotic girl. You
won't be loaned out for sex here, however you may be put to work as your
biotics can help lift things we can't without extra bodies. You got today off,
since we have to deal with the Blue Suns and their ugly money. Food will be
around in about an hour for you."
With that her new master left. She smiled softly. It seemed like a much better
place. No more men buying her for the purpose of raping her for sport. She
would be safe and taken care of, a slave of importance who has earned her
rewards. She curled up with her blanket, a smile on her face, and once again
let herself drift off into a calm rest.
She woke up to the sounds of crying from the distance, to the chuckling of the
masters around them busying themselves with their treasured slaves. She rose
slowly, trying to make out what was causing the girls in the distance to cry so
much. She listened in on the master's words, her heart clenching.
"Ruthless barbarians. They barely get their hands on their slaves and they
decide to break them in front of everyone. A worthless master."
"Waste of a perfectly good human toilet, honestly. To think they paid for so
many, just to play with them here and not use them properly...."
She slid to the back of her cage, clutching her chest as the cries of those
being taken rung out brutally, their cries ignored by the slaves untouched, by
the slavers amused or disgusted by the noise. She looked to the others, seeing
that their reactions were horrified concealed to look tired. They were hiding
their emotions, as they should. She took a deep breath, calming her wildly
fluctuating emotions, her biotics starting to shimmer only to calm. Her master
came a few minutes later, opening her cage door and offering his hand to her.
She took it and helped herself up, keeping her eyes down.
"You don't need to keep your eyes on the floor, biotic girl. Simply shield your
eyes around the other masters."
She smiled softly, lifting her eyes to her master, grey-silver eyes looking to
his endless black ones. He seemed to smile back, leading her down the path of
cages and chairs, of laughing slavers and worried slaves.
"Have you eaten yet?" he asked, turning to her. She shook her head.
"Not yet."
"Let's get you something to eat then. Then you're being put to work. You can
still use your biotics well, yes?"
Shepard had to think. She hadn't used them since she had rebelled, which was
who knows how long ago, but she wouldn't be against trying. "I haven't used
them in a long time, but I can always test them if I was allowed."
Her master took a moment to think, passing her a packet of what she assumed was
freeze dried food, something she wouldn't deny. It tasted like pasta, with
mozzarella drizzled over. She hummed happily as her stomach took in the needed
fats and carbs, her body giving off a gentle biotic discharge much to the
surprise of her master, who stepped back cautiously.
"We can see if you can lift heavy objects and boxes, to make sure you're in
shape to use them."
During the next three months, or what felt like it, between servings of food to
keep her energy and body moving and long tasks and jobs to help the slavers,
she finally got the chance to test out her biotics once more, sending beautiful
blue spirals up around her, lifting objects without an issue, putting on a show
for her master, and soon a growing crowd of masters and their slaves. She
tested different attacks and abilities, never once stopping her beautiful show
of power and control. She bounced in the air as she floated effortlessly like a
butterfly, testing out her wildly untested and untouched abilities, showing
these men the beauty and danger that was Katherine Shepard, the little biotic
slave. As she returned to the ground, a round of applause was awarded for her
efforts.
Oh how foolish she was to have fun, to think that truly she was safe in the
world of slaves and slavers, of no talking and no eye contact. Of the world
that hated the Blue Suns for wasting their woman slaves.
Her master's face was the only one among the crowd that grew angry,
disappointed in her work over the weeks as they passed. What did he expect of
her? What did he want with her? His angry eyes followed her as she worked for
them, lifting boxes of heavy weapons and food, aiding in the movement of empty
cages needed to be cleaned before they were to be used once more. She couldn't
escape his anger, as confusing as it was.
She was told she would not be sold to loaners for sex, but he did not say that
he wasn't able to use her for his own pleasures.
He was violent and furious at her for being so powerful, at being such a
powerhouse despite being nothing but a puny, squishy, breakable human. She was
slammed to the ground behind the boxes she had just moved, pinned by his sweaty
right hand, a gag made of cloth jammed between her teeth. She cried out as she
felt his other hand pull down her shorts, stroking her backend as she tried to
squirm and get away, only to be slammed into the ground harder. Her head spun
at the impact, black blotting out parts of her vision. He growled in her ear,
something that didn't translate. 
She begged, and cried, for mercy for whatever she did wrong, but her words were
simply buried.
He forced himself inside her despite trying to keep as tight as she could to
see if it would deter him, but to no avail. She screamed pointlessly into her
gag as he pushed against her back, pinning her as he violently thrusted inside
her without a single stop, burying himself as deep as he could inside her. She
sobbed brokenly as he violated her, taking the crown as the worst experience
she ever had to endure during this time in hell. She closed her eyes as he let
him rape her against the ground, keeping still even as he flipped her onto her
back and grabbed her neck, continuing on with his sexual pleasure.
He finished as violently as he started, covering her in cum as he left her
there to clean up. She gasped for breath as she lay there abused, bruised, and
covered and filled with his essence. Her gasping must have caught the attention
of someone, because suddenly hands were grabbing her and gathering her up,
shouting for help, screaming for the culprit.
"Biotic girl! Where's her master? FIND HIM BEFORE-!"
She couldn't hear the batarian screaming anymore, his voice fading into static.
Someone was trying to keep her eyes open. She shook her head, reaching out in a
desperate attempt to stay above water, but could not hold on. She slipped under
the waves of unconsciousness, her body unable to hold under the weight of the
sexual assault on her. The batarians around here were yelling, and someone was
trying to move her. She could do nothing once again.
'Anyone... please save me....'
===============================================================================
 She woke to the sounds of machines breathing, the gentle sounds of a heart
monitor beeping and sounding off a person's heart. The room was bright white, a
glaring color from the muted browns and blacks of the rooms holding the fields
of cages and slaves. Blank eyes closed themselves from the false sight, unable
to believe she was somewhere without the touch of her masters, without the eyes
of the wardens, without the guidance of the batarians who owned her and her
body and her will.
"You won't have to worry about the slavers anymore, little biotic girl."
Her eyes attempted to open once more, whimpering and groaning at the
brightness. She moved to raise an arm to help her see, her eyes catching sight
of the IV in her arm. She couldn't be with her masters. Even if she was a
treasured slave, they would not go so far for someone like her.
A worthless, over-powerful human.
"W-where..." she attempted to say, swallowing the lump in her throat, lowering
her arm. The lights didn't hurt her eyes too much anymore, able to see more as
her eyes adjusted. She followed the source of the voice from earlier, letting
her tears flow as he caught his eyes.
"Halek.... w-what are you...?"
"You're free. I helped you escape from the slavers." he explained briefly.
"E-escape... but how? I-I remember... I remember my new master. I remember
blacking out after he raped me..."
The kind batarian with shining gentle eyes took her hand, gently squeezing it
even though his face filled with pain. He took a moment, simply sitting there
beside the bed-bound human he had saved, trying to think of how to explain what
had happened.
"I said, when we first met, I would have bought you outright if you weren't
still locked in there. I sought out another way to save you, because I knew you
weren't going to live long enough to be sold out. I found a group willing to do
anything to get you out safely. We worked together, and formed a plan to invade
the slaver outpost you were in, and get as many out as possible.
"When we found you, being carried away covered in blood and semen... I thought
they had broken you despite my efforts, but the batarian who hurt you, he had
damaged you, but not enough to break."
She was silent, speaking up after taking her hand back, resting it on her
chest.
"What did he do to me?"
"They tell me he did a lot of internal damages. You have bruises on your lower
stomach, and tearing in your vaginal walls. Otherwise you'll be sore for a
while. This place isn't outfitted to do what they need to do to help you, but
you'll be heading out soon. As soon as you're cleared to walk."
"Halek... who did you get help from?"
She asked just a second too late to get an answer from him as two humans walked
in, one female, and one male. Halek stood and spoke with them in a hushed,
quiet tone she couldn't make out enough to understand. He looked to her, and
bowed gently.
"I hope you stay safe, little biotic girl. This is our last meeting."
She waved goodbye to her batarian savior, before closing her eyes and letting
herself cry in silence, despite her audience. Once she had a handle on herself,
she opened her eyes to her voyeurs. They exchanged looks before stepping up to
her medical bed.
"Miss Shepard. It's good to see you awake," the woman said, pushing back her
black hair from her face. Her expression was tightly drawn over her flawless
features, "Your friend there has been a tremendous help to us and our
operations in saving human lives."
"Just humans....?" she silently murmured. The man cleared his throat before
pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his large nose.
"Miss Shepard. My name is Dr. Harrison, and this is Operative Miranda Lawson.
We'll be your help while you adjust to your life with us."
She tilted her head to the right, looking both of them in the eyes in confusion
and fear. "Who is 'us', exactly?"
Miranda smiled, something hiding a malicious glean.
"You're in the safe hands of Cerberus, Katherine Shepard. Do not worry. You've
spent nearly two years now under slavers, and it's time for you to make up for
that lost time."
***** Safety in the jaws of a beast *****
Chapter Summary
     She desperately asks as she bleeds in the darkness.
     "Am I safe? Is it safe?"
     A new voice joins in, opening her eyes to freedom.
     "Its safe. It's okay now."
Chapter Notes
     Edit 9/25: Finally fixed all those spelling errors! Also added a few
     details to some parts just to expand on things and give more
     clarification.
Growing up on a farming colony left her without the knowledge many would know
on Earth. She had barely heard whispers of a group named Cerberus, but nothing
she could remember clearly. They were kind enough to raid the slaver grounds to
free the slaves stuck within, so perhaps they have good intentions. They wished
her health would get better. They would be transporting her to the Citadel
where she would be given more expansive reconstructive surgeries so she would
be put on the path to heal and grow from the traumatic two years under batarian
slavers and the deplorable conditions.
Cerberus. The name alone was malicious with its history in mythology.
She continued to question the truth behind the smiles of Dr. Harrison and
Miranda Lawson, even as she dressed up for her departure to the Citadel for her
surgeries. Her shirt dipped low in the back, showing her slave tattoo in all
its black ink glory, and Cerberus didn't do much to help her hide her shame and
horror story. She had asked for a jacket, to cover the ink but Miranda has said
it would be easily mistaken for a special tattoo, and not a slaver's mark. Her
words didn't entirely calm her.
She would going to be before the world of the Citadel, a freed seventeen year
old slave girl with the marks to show she had gone through hell under the
batarian slavers. The scars on her wrists from the cuffs, chains, wrought
irons, and burning hot irons. The scars that littered her legs and back spoke
of her survival, the long scar down her face that went over her left eye
shouting of her determination to survive.
She paused as she finished putting on her new black boots, pushing around her
cropped hair. It still was short, and choppy, and had a long way to go before
it was grown out properly. She still couldn't completely comprehend just how
this had happened, how she was free of her masters, how she had escaped through
miraculous means. She rubbed her scarred wrists, poked at the wounded skin and
muscles. To think, not long ago, they were bound in bloodied wrought iron
cuffs. Now they were bare for the world to see, but the question remained:
would anyone recognize such scars and assume she were once a slave?
"Ready, Shepard?"
Miranda had poked her head in, a gentle, almost warm expression on her face.
She smiled gently, nodding as she stood. She adjusted her thin silver bracelet,
a brand new omni tool with her salvaged information, and gently touched her
father's dog tags.
Miranda had told her that story, of how they were retrieved. She had to
splatter the brains of several batarians, ripping through their necks to find
the dog tags that were embedded in a pile of flesh from slaughtered, unsold
humans they had kept hidden in one of the deep pits. It was nearly taken by the
fires that would incinerate the slaughtered bodies, but biotics were useful
when human reach couldn't be useful.
She was quiet as she followed Miranda, unintentionally looking to her feet,
fighting herself and her lessons as a slave girl. Normal people looked others
in the eyes, not the ground. Others spoke when spoken to, not when given strict
orders to speak. She took a shaky breath, calming her hammering heart. She
wasn't going to be in any more danger, inside any more cages. She was a free
girl, a free human. Even though she would bare her slave mark for her entire
life, she would never be a slave again. Worrying eyes scanned the shuttle as
she was allowed inside, taking a seat next to Dr. Harrison, a nervous smile on
her lips as the doors closed.
"S-so, where in the Citadel are we-"
She hadn't even seen him move, or even suspected that the two humans in the
shuttle were going to hurt her. She gave a strangled gasp one second too late
as a needle was pushed into her neck, the contents taking over her almost
instantly. She was trapped under her own mind, her eyes losing their shine and
luster, emptying like a tub of water. She swayed just the slightest as the drug
took her hostage, ripping her free will away and trapping her in a maze she
couldn't fight through. Gentle hands moved her so her head was rested on Dr.
Harrison's shoulder, his chuckle dark and filled with malice.
"I almost feel bad, but really, this is just stupidly fortunate." the doctor
said, smiling at the empty girl, "Don't worry, miss. It'll wear off by the time
we're done with our business."
"It's cruel, but we won't have another opportunity like this," Miranda stated,
looking to the blank girl, "Her biotics are absolutely impossible for a human,
and if can figure out how, or what exactly her amp is doing, we could help our
own troops. After that, she can be sent to Pragia with the others."
"Imagine though, once we have her completely, Miranda... this girl could be the
key to getting everything the Illusive Man wishes. She's the strongest human
biotic we've ever seen, save for the Subject Zero girl, but even this girl
blows her out of the water! She would be the greatest weapon for us."
Miranda nodded with a touch of a smile. This girl, Katherine, could be the key
to keep Cerberus afloat if they could get her under their control. The wounds
of her slavery years were still very fresh, so trying to do it now was
astonishingly risky, but there wouldn't be another time after this. It was now
or never if they wished to utilize the strongest biotic in human history and
make her theirs. Dig into her brain, her body's composition, find out just how
many element zero nodes she had embedded inside her. They wanted to know what
made her tick, what made her work, and they would go the lengths to make sure
this biotic would be theirs by the end, no matter what they must do to her.
The shuttle bounced slightly as they made their way through the Citadel,
landing discreetly within one of the deeper Zakera Wards, the hatch popping
open to a sparse crowd. Miranda did a quick sweep with her eyes, frowning
slightly.
"This is the best you could do?"
Dr. Harrison gave her a pointed look. "If you want to walk her around the
Citadel all day like this, please do. This is the closest we could get."
Shepard stumbled as she exited the shuttle, landing into Dr. Harrison's arms.
He gently calmed the shocked, drugged teen as she panicked for a brief moment.
She looked around for a moment before finding her center again, standing beside
him until he took her hand, and led her forward. Miranda led them, casually
talking with Dr. Harrison as a cover to the fact that they were smuggling a
drugged, and abused teenage human girl onto the station to experiment with her.
Shepard's eyes wandered as she was moved, blurry, unfocused, empty eyes gazing
at the watery world around her. Fog covered everything, rendering her blank as
a slate, unable to hold onto many of the memories being made now. She kept
walking, one step, and two steps, led like a young child.
Shocked blue eyes locked on hers, and for once drew the attention of the girl's
shady mind from the blurry world to those shockingly beautiful eyes.
The lines of his face, the plating across his next entire body, the flicker and
fall of mandibles. It was a turian. A little on the young side, perhaps. Fresh,
crisp blue uniform of the C-Sec uniform covered his body. Her eyes came back to
his shocked eyes, watching anger and rage roll into them next before gentle
warmth came to them. Could he see she wasn't herself? Did he think doing such
would help her?
Perhaps it would.
Dr. Harrison kept her moving, and Miranda kept it looking like they were moving
Shepard to a clinic to help with her sudden withdrawal from real interaction.
Hiding the true ugly face they had and their intention to destroy the girl they
dragged along, drugged and forced into absolute submission. She would be their
toy, their puppet. A lie wrapped in biotic power.
She was led into a small hidden doorway, told to lay on the operating table
just around the corner. Dr. Harrison was calm, his smile wicked as she lay on
her back. He grabbed tools, bags, anything he could search, pulling out
scalpels, scissors, knives of all sizes. Needles, hypodermic injectors,
tubes... the list of items he had around him and around her was terrifying,
especially in the context in which he wished to use them. Shepard lay there
motionless, emotionless. She, under the haze of his drugs, didn't care. Miranda
walked off a ways, her smile still visible as she turned in profile.
"Don't damage anything, Harrison." she warned.
He chuckled darkly, grabbing for a scalpel. The blade gently shimmered in the
low lights, reflecting the empty grey eyes of his subject. So willing, so
drugged out of her mind. The poor slaver girl, she was, but he didn't care
about her wellbeing.
She was a test subject. A toy for Cerberus to play and abuse for the sake of
humanity's rise to power.
"Even if I do, it won't be an issue to fix her up," he murmured, spinning the
scalpel in his fingers before poking it into her arm.
"Let's find where your nodules are, storing all that element zero in your body.
For someone so strong... well it's a miracle this slaver girl is alive at all.
So powerful... she should be dead, if she has that much element zero." 
A gentle line of crimson followed his blade as he began to slice into the skin
and muscles on her arm, being cautious not to damage the soft and delicate pink
tissues underneath her skin. Farther and farther he cut, sighing at the sight
of her body as if it was exhilarating for the scientist. The drugs hadn't
affected her bloodstream too much, the lines of blood spilling were nothing but
a tiny obstacle that could be cleaned up. He wasn't interested in the blood,
but the muscles. Nodules were normally embedded into the tissues and muscles
lining the shoulders, upper arms, and sometimes in patterns in a person's
wrists and fingers. Humans didn't, and most likely couldn't, have as many as
Asari, who had nodules covering most of their musculature, but it wasn't beyond
theory that humans over time could develop the ability to house such power in
their muscles.
"Her nodes are so bright. It's like sapphires embedded in red and pink rock!"
he exclaimed, "God, this girl is a marvel. She could be the start of a biotic
evolution in humanity. She has one perfect piece of her that you don't have,
Miranda."
The operative scoffed, keeping her eyes from the scientist's work as she sat
herself down in the small lounge around the corner, divided from the operating
section by frosted glass.
"It's not easy bio-engineering a child to be the world's strongest biotic
without risk of terminal cancer."
He widened his cuts, gently pulled back the skin with gloved fingers to look
closer at the glittering nodules within her muscles and tissues. Gently
twitching pink muscles glittered with the hidden gems of her eezo nodules,
lining near every single spot he could get his eyes on. He pulled away for a
moment, taking up a clipboard, making notes.
"Subject has not just singular nodules but what looks like a wired network of
them in her deltoid, tricep brachii, bicep brachii, and brachialis muscles in
her right arm. Each node is smaller compared to other subjects, notably Subject
0, along with current Subjects 3 and 5, while the pathways between each one
resemble somewhat of a network of neurons. Let it be noted that the pathways
seem to train onward up farther up her shoulder. The connecting lines also move
down her arm farther. It is possible for her to have nodes in her fingers and
hands, make note to explore later."
He set his clipboard down, gently wiping the small amount of blood falling down
her arms with a small cloth, his smile unnervingly satisfied. Shepard's eyes
shifted around, light coming back to them at a snail's pace. The fogs and
storms were beginning to clear and subside, and Dr. Harrison was nowhere close
to being done with his precious biotic. He lay the peeled back flaps of skin
back into place, applying a light coating of medigel along the cuts before
moving to her chest, making an incision and immediately adding smaller cuts to
the side so he could pull them back to gaze at the muscles and nodules within,
whistling in amazement.
Grabbing his clipboard again, he made more notes.
"Exquisite network of nodules on her pectoralis major! The pathways that
connect to the nodes are thinner here, however the nodes themselves are
slightly larger. They almost appear to form a pattern, like a constellation.
These nodules are also noticeably brighter than the ones along her arm, perhaps
due to the proximity to her heart, or her central nervous system. Should
investigate in greater depth later when better equipment is available."
He peeled it back farther, marveling at the beauty of her inner workings,
carefully poking the muscles, watching the nodes light up as she squirmed and
whimpered. He looked to her eyes, spying that she was awakening from her
drugged wonderland, causing him to frown. He would have a while until she truly
woke but it meant he had less time to experiment and explore. He repeated his
steps of cleaning and applying medigel before wiping his brow of sweat, his
evil, ecstatic smirk still upon his lips.
"If I had the time to map every single node you have in your body, I would have
so much fun in peeling your skin back to watch them light up inside your
muscles and tissues."
She twitched and whimpered once again, her eyes growing brighter, her body
burning the drug out of her body at a rate he couldn't control. He frowned more
and stabbed the scalpel beside her head, making her squirm and whimper more.
His smile turned malicious as he picked up one of his knives, running the flat
face across his palm.
"Little slaver girl... you should have died back there with your masters... but
you will enjoy now your life with us."
More life returned to her body. Her fingers twitched in fear, her eyes blinking
tears down her cheeks. She was awakening to what the doctor had planned for her
as he let the knife slide over her right cheek, flinching at the dangerous
cold. She blinked away the remaining pain and drug fog, her flight or fight
instinct firing like a chain gun. Miranda was slow to move as she seemed to
sense Shepard manipulating mass effect fields. Roaring out in fear and anger,
her biotics pushed out an isolated shockwave at Dr. Harrison, pushing the
doctor away from her as she surged upward and moved, pushing a barrier up as
Miranda drew a pistol, anger and fear and rage filling her glowing blue eyes.
Everything moved slowly and quickly, the scenery a blur around her attacks.
Shepard was scrambling atop the operation table as the door they had
entered through exploded out in smoke, men and woman in C-Sec uniforms rushing
in, about four of them. She blinked rapidly, trying to see through the heavy
smoke as the officers went for the groaning Dr. Harrison and the wildly glowing
Miranda, her eyes catching instead the blue eyes from before, a beacon once
again through heavy smoke and mirrors.
Gentle, warm, comforting blue eyes. Sharp but welcoming turian eyes.
"Over here!"
She didn't hesitate, rushing to the turian as she held onto his chest, the
fledgling officer aiming his M-6 Carnifex at the thrashing, struggling
operative, curling the shaking human girl to him, protecting her by shielding
her with his body. The other officers got hold of Miranda at last, knocking her
out for their safety and hauling Dr. Harrison off the floor, though they were
immediately calling for medics. Shepard didn't dare move from the turian's
side, just barely spotting the splatter of blood on the ground and the dented
wall that the doctor was slammed into with her attack. She shook and hid
herself in his protection, closing her eyes and focusing on the reverberation
through the turian's chest.
"Good job, Vakarian. A good tip off." one of the other turian officers
congratulated her savior, looking to the human that clung to him. She looked at
him
"Get her to the office. I think Bailey can help you with her. We're going to
haul these Cerberus freaks in."
Shepard kept close to the turian who saved her as the C-Sec officers dragged
the doctor and the operative out and away. A small crowd had gathered around
the small lab, and immediately she kept even closer to him. He was cautious,
just barely touching her shoulder as he put the safety back on his gun and led
her out. The crowd parted for them, but still hovered even as officers asked
for their dispersal. Reporters circled, looking at her, looking for answers.
She kept close to him as he moved them, trying not to let her breaking psyche
shatter as eyes looked at her.
"It's alright. They're wondering what happened. They won't do anything." his
voice was a calming, rumbling murmur. She shivered and nodded gently, trust
immediately attaching to his image.
"...am I safe?" her voice was horribly timid and quiet, but he seemed to hear
her. His gloved talons grabbed his shoulder, and the grip oddly felt
comfortable. She didn't flinch from him.
"You're safe. They can't touch you anymore."
"Thank you." her words were softly sobbed, leaning into the turian officer that
had pulled her out of the maws of a thresher maw and saved her life from the
terrors that had taken her.
His hand tightened somewhat, his expression easy to read, even though turian's
didn't exactly express emotions through their faces. His mandibles fluttered,
making sure she was close to him, protecting her from the unknown crowds, and
the new world around her.
===============================================================================
 
C-Sec was quiet when she arrived with her savior turian, led to his small
office, allowed to sit in safety. She sighed heavily, taking a moment as he
rummaged through some papers before she sat in one of his spare chairs,
starting to take off her boots. She looked up briefly as she rubbed her sore
feet, seeing the first aid kit in his talons. She nodded and set her foot down,
moving so he could see her wounds. They were expert, surgical cuts into her
skin and upper muscles, and the medigel applied to it earlier was healing the
nearly invisible lines away. He reapplied a thin layer so the lines would
disappear, careful in touching her. Sensing her fear, the fearful twitches in
her muscles, a motion she couldn't stop after the years of abuse and
manipulation, he drew his hands away as quick as he could.
"Thank you."
He looked up at her, seeing exhaustion behind gentle grey eyes. Eyes that he
could tell had seen horrors despite her age, despite her ripped apart youth.
"It's my job." he said gently. She shook her head, "You were in danger, and I
could see it. I couldn't let them hurt you."
She smiled softly, absolutely happy and warm and surprising. His mandibles
fluttered for a moment, surprised by the brightness she shone in, as if the
past hour hadn't happened.
"You saved me from another life of enslavement." she admitted, and his
mandibles dropped in fear and disbelief.
She saw that expression, and closed her eyes, reaching to take one of his
hands. Tears streaked down her cheeks, shaking her head once again. He looked
up at this young human in curious and fearful wonder, wondering how she could
be smiling after everything.
"You saved me," she repeated, wiping her tears with her other hand, "and I
don't have to worry about being taken again. For the first time in years... I'm
safe."
He gave what he could call the equivalent of a human smile, his mandibles
fluttering for her as she looked at him, that ecstatic, freeing smile on her
lips. She held her hand tightly, glad to know that he had made such a
difference for her.
"I'm glad I got bored with my patrols then to look at you."
She chuckled a little, reveling in the comforting, friendly bubble already
surrounding them. She never did stop smiling.
"What's your name?" she asked, running that free hand through her short, choppy
hair.
"Garrus Vakarian. And yours?"
She seemed to hesitate, almost scared as her expression clouded before she
shook her head. Her smile came back as she let her other hand hold his.
"Katherine Shepard. Thanks for being a bad cop."
He chuckled slightly. "Just don't tell my bosses that this whole thing happened
is because I slacked off."
She raised a bruised finger to her lips, a gesture that initially confused
Garrus until she spoke, her voice like ringing bells, the magical crashing of a
waterfall on the rocks below.
"Your secret is safe with me, Garrus."
***** An ache hidden by scars and blankets *****
Chapter Summary
     She writes down the words as she finds happiness.
     "Inerasable pains. It's always there, right?"
Chapter Notes
     Edit 9/26: Finally got rid of some of the spelling errors and cleaned
     it up, added a few little details.
Shepard was content with the comfort of his office, awaiting the other C-Sec
officer named Bailey to arrive. Garrus claimed that the man was busy on his
rounds, and would be back within an hour or two, leaving her to find
entertainment as he filled out paperwork for his raid of what was originally
labeled a private botany lab, now discovered to be a Cerberus operation room.
She rubbed her arms gently, the slight chill getting to her. Her fingers ran
along her arm slowly, as if trying to figure out what lay on her skin,
realizing then what was wrong.
Her slave tattoo, on her back. It was visible in the shirt she wore.
"C-Can I get a blanket, o-or something, please?" Her voice shook, more in fear
then in the face of the cold air, but it caught his attention.
He looked up from his desk, his calming eyes locking on hers, but this time
they did not console her. Stuck in the wave of fear thanks to her masters, she
was chained down with it. He took a moment to look and watch her, as if trying
to figure out what spooked her.
"Are you cold?"
He could see through her thin veiled attempt to look cold, she knew it. She
shivered and curled into herself, leaning so her back wasn't exposed to him,
and instead faced the wall no matter what. She nodded, rubbing her arms once
again, hoping perhaps goosebumps would rise up on her skin to validate her need
for a blanket to hide under. Garrus stood quietly, walking over to her and
kneeling down so he wasn't hovering high above the curled up girl. His gaze was
gentle, accepting. He understood.
"I'll get you a blanket. Would you like something to eat as well? I'm sure
someone has levo food somewhere."
"I can eat dextro too."
He almost looked frightened at her statement, perhaps more bewildered. His
mandibles dropped slightly in shock, lifting once more as he pulled back his
composure, his eyes asking for an explanation before he could get the words out
without a stutter.
"It... my parents had me tested really early for the allergic reaction and I
never got one. The food just makes me a little tired, is all. Tastes a little
bland, upsets my stomach sometimes. I've had to eat it before just to survive,
so..."
He looked confused, and worried as well, but didn't seem to go against her
explanation. "That may be the case, but I don't think you'd want to have an
upset stomach with an empty one."
She gave just the tease of a smile, her limbs relaxing. "You're right there. M-
Maybe that Bailey man can get some?"
"It's possible. Besides, finding Bailey is a priority so we can help you out,
Shepard. He's my boss."
"So don't tell Bailey that you got bored and someone ended up busting a
Cerberus cell and saving a captured girl you just so happened to look at while
staying bored?" the sharp snarky remark slipped through her lips, curling into
a smile.
"Yes, please. I was lucky enough to get this job at my age."
She looked surprised, reaching out and poking at his carapace. Garrus didn't
seem to have any interest to stop her curious fingers.
"How old are you, Garrus?" she asked, her fingers withdrawing once she was
satisfied with her exploration. He groaned as he stood, taking the seat next to
her, finding it more fitting then kneeling on the rather hard ground of the
office.
"Closer to eighteen. Why?"
She was taken back, her eyes speaking for the gasp she suppressed. So young and
already working for C-Sec? He caught on, a curious trill responding to it.
"Do all turians start everything really young?"
"We all enter some sort of public service or military at the age of fifteen. I
entered the military for two years, and thanks to my father, got a job here on
the Citadel in C-Sec. He's retired to help sort out our clan back home, but he
put in a good word for me."
"Turians have a really big sense of public service and self-sacrifice, then?"
"Exactly," Garrus pointed out, "As much as C-Sec can be a mess of red tape...
well, let's just say I should have listened to my father's tips on getting
around it more than I did. Would have helped me out a lot."
She smiled, leaning back. They had forgotten that she had asked for a blanket,
that the human girl was hungry, enjoying their conversation. He hummed gently,
his subvocals reaching her translator without an issue. He was curious about
something. His eyes traveled her face, looking for any change, any fear, and in
finding none, he spoke once again.
"How old are you then, Shepard?"
"Seventeen, almost eighteen now. The military sounds cool, but we can't join up
with the Alliance until we're eighteen. The N7 program has my curiosity,
though."
"N7 program?"
She turned toward him, invested in her explanation. "It's the best the Alliance
can offer. Those that just get nominated to N1 training are revered, because
it's brutal. There's no shame in failing. It goes from N1 to N7. Its official
name is... is... what is it again? …Ah! Interplanetary Combatives Training,
that's it. Most people just call it N-School. Once you pass N6 training, you
become an N7. I think it would be amazing to go through it, though it's
absolutely brutal. Twenty hour training sessions, off-planet training... I want
to try to get to N7. My mom got to N5, but couldn't pass tests and training to
get to N6. I'm still... proud of her..."
Garrus watched as her face fell as the words of praise for her mother slipped
through her frowning lips, her happiness dropping into a pit as tears gathered
in her eyes, and rushed away by her arm. He waited there in his chair as she
tried to gather her fracturing mask of calm, unable to stop her shoulders and
body from shaking in her pain. He could piece together that the subject of her
mother was something very sensitive. He rested a hand on her shoulder, and she
immediately leaned into him as she let her tears slip, resting her head on his
shoulder.
"...if my parents were here, they could have helped me get into the program
much easier."
A loaded question built into his throat. "If you don't mind me asking... what
happened to them?"
Shepard was silent, her weeping as quiet as a sleeping bird in its nest. She
didn't twitch, didn't even seem to be breathing for a few minutes as silence
covered them. Her fingers would tighten, clawing into his uniform.
"They were... they were killed. They were murdered in a slaver raid."
He had just gotten out of the military, and was browsing through Palaven's
markets, when the news came in. Due to the tensions since the Relay 314
Incident, very few news networks would broadcast news pertaining to humans, but
the constant struggle against batarian slavers was newsworthy no matter who was
the target of their brutality. News blared through a bar as he passed that a
farming colony had been hit by slavers, raided empty, burned to the ground, the
rotted and mutilated corpses of the slain left for the Alliance to mop up. No
survivors were found there, the Alliance let the public know, and all missing
people were assumed taken by the slavers.
What was the colony?
"Did you see them get killed?"
She looked at him, her eyes pleading him not to speak, not to have her drag
such a painful memory out of her maw, but she knew that she could not hide it
forever. It could never be hidden, not with the slaver mark on her back and the
scars she hid under the clothing on her back.
"No. I was running from the town shops, fighting for my life... but I saw their
bodies once I hit my home. I watched my siblings die at the hands of the
batarians. I fought as best as I could."
His mandibles flickered, his eyes widening in disbelief, his thoughts a wild,
raging, fearful mess. 'Please don't say you were taken', he pleaded silently.
"Mindoir was burning when they got a hold of me..."
She had been a slave. She had been a fucking slave under the batarian slave
masters. An anger forbidden burned in his chest, imagining this girl under the
claws of slavers, treated like an animal, sold like livestock. It made him
angry for no reason he could imagine yet, and he had to rein himself in before
he started growling, and making her scared. She noticed his flash flood
emotions, sighing as she adjusted herself, moving closer to him.
"I got free though... thanks to Cerberus... though they were just like the
masters, just with different methods. Made me think I was safe, that they
actually cared about me. Giving me my freedom and just slapping new cuffs on my
wrists!"
His eyes held sorrow as she grew angry, only to curl her hands into fists. He
could see now the scars and healed wounds along the wrists, the marks of a girl
bound in chains for years on end, constantly rubbing her skin raw in them,
trying to get free. Some were deep, some were shallow, angry red and pink and
dusty brown lines against her lightly tanned skin. No one could mistake the
marks on her as anything else but scars made by something wrapped around her
wrists and dug into them constantly. She clenched her hands again and again
until he let a gloved hand take hers, drawing the girl's watering eyes to him
in surprise.
"You won't have to ever worry about that again."
"Huh?"
"I'll make sure... someway, somehow, you're never put in chains or bound
again." he paused, watching her face melt its anger and turn into sheer
amazement, coughing to break the silence, "I, uh... mm. That must sound weird,
with all that's happened and I didn't mean to make it sound weird at all."
She shook her head, her smile returning. "It didn't sound weird. It's what I
really needed to hear. Thank you, Garrus... for answering my prayers."
===============================================================================
 
Bailey arrived to the sight of Shepard and Garrus playing Skyllian Five on the
floor, the girl laughing as she slammed down her winning hand, the turian
groaning and growling gently that she was cheating somehow handing over his
bets to her via omni transfer. She had somehow gotten a lucky streak, earning
about three hundred credits in total. He stood there with a smile, watching
them start to reshuffle the deck, beginning another round of Skyllian without a
care in the world. He had gotten the report on the girl, and what little he
could dig up on her record on the Citadel, waiting for the rest from the
Alliance.
Reported missing two years ago after the raid on Mindoir, she had seemingly
disappeared until now.
He stood there in the doorway, watching them play without a distraction in the
world until Shepard had turned to cheer, catching his eyes, and eventually
Garrus followed. He surged up and saluted, but the action was quickly ended as
Bailey gave him a gesture to end it.
"Sorry for making you two wait. I figured after getting the report, I'd pick up
everyone food. Took forever since no one had any decent turian food."
"You went out of your way to get me food, Bailey?" Garrus asked, his
subharmonics all confusion. He lifted one of the bags in his hands.
"I did. You did a hell of a job, spotting this girl and shutting down a
Cerberus science lab. You've earned it. Got you this stuff that looks like
noodles, but has like blue soy sauce on it. It's called... god, what was it...
Hareisha? I think that's it."
He trilled in all honestly, his eyes speaking for his happiness and excitement.
"You didn't, you're absolutely lying. No one on the Citadel makes Hai'erasha.
It's a Palaven specialty!"
"I'd be able to prove you wrong with the contents of the box inside this bag,
Garrus."
Shepard slowly got up from the floor, looking at Bailey curiously. Garrus took
the bag, looking into the contents with an excited trill, looking at her before
setting the bag aside.
"Shepard, this is Captain Bailey. He'll be helping you as well with everything
since he's one of the few humans in C-Sec with a decent rank."
"It's nice to meet you, sir." she said firmly, offering a hand, smiling as
Bailey accepted the shake.
"No need for the sir. Bailey is fine, especially considering the circumstances.
I was wondering if we could talk and eat, so we can get the full story and
figure things out from here."
"Absolutely. What'd you get for me? I... I haven't really had anything to
decently eat in a few days."
Bailey offered the other bag, smiling. "I read up on your available file,
though much of it is covered in black ink thanks to the Alliance. Preferences
included cheese ravioli and cheesy bread to help with calorie intake for biotic
use?"
"I could kiss you right now." She grabbed the bag, lifting it to her nose and
sighing in pleasure, smelling the hot food through the box within.
Garrus and Shepard looked to each other, smiling in their own ways, happy to
have good food with them now. Garrus was the first to look to Bailey,
encouraging him in with a tilt of his head.
"We can deal you in, Bailey. Food, Skyllian Five, and some talking. Not bad for
an originally boring day here."
Bailey chuckled, sitting down in their small circle as they took their spots
and opened their meals, both giving their respective excited hollers.
"This definitely beats paperwork, I know that."
It took some time for them to actually get to business, and speak of Shepard's
status and history, going through ten rounds of Skyllian Five while chowing
down on their meals. They would question each other's meals, and hands in the
game, laughing when Garrus made a weird look at the smell of her food. Though
the disgust didn't stop there, especially when Shepard tried a small sample of
Garrus' meal, proclaiming as she spat it out that it tasted sour. She found her
match with Bailey in terms of sheer luck, winning four rounds while Bailey and
Garrus took three. They all broke just about even, and their meals had filled
their empty bellies. Eventually they calmed and settled into a renewed,
relaxing new hand of Skyllian Five.
"Alright, let's get started. Introduce yourself." Bailey prompted. Shepard
nodded softly, setting a card down and pull another from the stack.
"My full name is Katherine Ari Shepard. My parents are Hannah and Darius
Shepard, Alliance Military. My father finished his military career as Staff
Commander, while my mother finished a Captain. They were important officers
during the First Contact War, or the Relay 314 Incident for you Garrus, but my
mother got in trouble after the war. Something about helping turians. I never
really learned about it. I was born on Mindoir on April 11, 2154, well into my
parent's early retirement."
She paused, their game coming to an end with an agreed upon victory to Garrus.
They gathered the cards, and looked to Shepard. She looked to Garrus, the
turian nodding for her to continue.
"I was on Mindoir when batarian slavers raided us. I was in the markets..." she
had to take a breath, her heart pounding as she recounted the memories of the
fires burning over dead bodies, the smell of smoke and burning flesh choking
her as she ran from them, "I was in the markets when they attacked, and I ran
for safety. I ended up at home, where I discovered my... m-my parent's had been
killed, and my brother and young sister were being executed. I... grabbed a
pistol, and fought for my life. Using that gun, my biotics... I held out as
long as I could before they got me, tired and nearly unconscious from the
constant biotic use. They dragged me off like the rest of the girls they took."
They were quiet, letting the wait of the confession settle. Garrus offered a
hand to her, letting her find comfort in his grasp as she had before. It was a
tale she didn't want to repeat, a scar on her forever that would never truly be
healed. She took a breath, tightened her hold on his hand, and continued.
"For the next year, almost two, I was just another slave in their trade. I was
special because I was a biotic, one with a priceless amp. They... t-they
tattooed my back and did with me what they wished."
Garrus' eyes widened, connecting the dots in the long narrative he had
witnessed with her. "That's why you wanted to have a blanket earlier? To hide
that tattoo?"
She nodded, wrapping her arms around her folded legs. "This outfit bares my
back enough to see it."
Bailey hummed softly, looking like he was thinking into something deep. She
watched his eyes, seeing the emotions reflect to her.
"How'd you end up with Cerberus, Shepard?" he asked.
"They broke me out. A batarian named Halek had loaned me and-"
"Loaned?" both men asked, confused by the term in its context. She took a deep
breath.
"The slave trade has its own vocabulary. Loaners were people who bought girls
for a short period of time, and returned them to their masters. It was used
most of the time to…,” she stalled, nervous about explaining it like this but
there was no other way to get them to understand, “…to try out the merchandise
before they bought them later."
Her words carried the implications, and both men inhaled sharply, their faces
contorted. They looked horrified, mortified, and terrified. She could see the
sadness in Garrus' eyes, hear it in the soft whine of his lower voice. She did
not confirm or deny the hidden allegations in her explanation. She closed her
hazy grey eyes, closing out their emotions, finding her broken self within her.
She had to hold on, keep it tight to her chest, and try to move on from the
actions pushed onto her body.
Continue the story.
"Halek helped me avoid a horrible fate early into my slavery, and he didn't
want me there. He must have known what would happen to me if I stayed. He
eventually contacted Cerberus, and made a deal with them after so many had
rejected his mission to get me out. They tore into the outpost, and saved me
and the others... though I don't know where they took the others. I was their
priority. They took me somewhere while I was unconscious. They told me they
didn't have what they needed to fix me up entirely, and needed to take me to
the Citadel to get more help.
"They drugged me on the shuttle. They had helped me, healed my wounds and
injuries. They wanted me for my biotics, just like the damn masters. They were
just willing to go much farther with it."
Bailey let out a sigh, moving closer to Shepard and offering his side. She took
the invitation and curled up next to him, finding comfort there. Garrus soon
followed, taking her other side, holding her hand, keeping his ever present
heat next to her body. These two, they had saved her. They gave her a new life.
A new chance.
"Seeing as technically, after we tie up this case with a pretty red ribbon
because things involving Cerberus can get tricky, you'd have to be relocated
and put into foster care until you're eighteen, this is gonna be difficult."
She knew she had immediately acted in terror at the thought, and Bailey was
quick to intercept it.
"However, I think I can find a way to avoid that. I wouldn't mind going through
the bull that involves adoption to get you to live with me."
"Really?"
"I already let that small dinosaur live with me, but I don't see any issue
letting you stay with me. Doesn't seem like you'd be comfortable anywhere else
anyway."
Her eyes practically sparkled, looking to Bailey and Garrus, tears building in
her eyes, ones burning bright in happiness. Garrus' hands tightened around
hers, his turian smile making her giggle. She had a home, a new future, and a
new chance at life. Her smiles and laughter gave Bailey her answer as he slowly
stood, Shepard leaning into Garrus instead, watching her soon to be guardian
stretch his bones.
"I'll get started on the paperwork now, so I don't get lazy later on it.
Garrus, take the rest of the day off. Get her home, get her settled. I'll be
there in a few hours. Oh, and make lots of coffee."
"You got it. Come on, Katherine."
He helped her to her feet, smiling as she bumped purposely into his side. Her
mandibles fluttered against his cheeks. She never let go of his hand as he led
her out of C-Sec and toward the transport shuttles, curious eyes wandering
around for a moment. He settled into the driver's seat, set in his address, and
helped her buckle in next to him.
"It may get a little bumpy, but don't worry. It's a short trip to our place."
Our place. It wasn't just his and Bailey's. The decision was prompted and made
without hesitation, and there would be nothing better for her now. She nodded,
settling into the leather seats, closing her eyes as it began its flight path.
Her hand still kept hold of his through it, never once loosening or letting go.
He kept a watchful eye on her, watching her face as it twitched with every
shake of the shuttle, the little twitch of her lips as they moved into a calm
lane. She was a curious human, a curious enigma among the populace. One that
had seen horrors and pain and fires before she truly would enter the universal
stage. He thought he would feel pity, but instead he found himself amazed and
saddened. Saddened that such an originally bright and fantastic person had been
rendered near dead and destroyed, irreplaceable pieces of her entire being
cracked and damaged and rotted.
At the same time he was amazed. This girl had gone through nearly two years of
slavery, shoved into cages, abused and used by batarians and who knows who
else, and still came out being able to smile. She held scars and tattoos she
could never get rid of and yet here she was, in a shuttle car with him, smiling
as they raced through the lanes of the Citadel to set up in her new home. She
was powerful and imaginative and strong-willed. Katherine Shepard was more than
just a freed human slave.
She was practically an icon for him. The proof to his fellow turian brothers
and sisters that humanity is not weak, nor wrong in their pursuit for a bigger
role in the universe. They had the ability to do great things, and if given the
chance, they could do it without fail.
"We're almost there."
She opened her eyes, looking around for a moment with the slightest dusting of
confusion before realization found its place. The shuttle was coming up on a
block of decent sized apartments. She closed her eyes again as the shuttle came
to the ground, opening them as the doors opened, getting up and out with some
difficulty. She looked around, cautious and firm in form. She was trained, even
though she had been broken. She would fight now. She did not fear death by the
hand of her masters, nor the punishments for acting out. She was free.
Garrus' hand came to her shoulder, calming her near rigid form. A slight
flutter of his mandibles and the gentle murmur of his subharmonics told her he
was worried.
"I'm okay. Just a little worried." she reassured him, "New place and
everything."
"I understand. Let's get to the apartment. You can eat more there."
"More food?!"
===============================================================================
 
By the time Bailey had returned to their apartment, Garrus and Shepard had
fallen asleep on their long couch, the two practically tangled around one
another in an attempt to find comfort for a human and a turian. He was honestly
surprised how Garrus could lay on his side on that couch with Shepard up
against him without hurting his spurs, or his fringe at all. It was a mystery
he would have to accept, moving inside silently as he set down papers on the
kitchen table, yawning loudly.
It was almost done. Most of the paperwork was easy and quick seeing as she had
a registered ID with the Citadel already, and seeing as her parents were
connected to high brass on the Alliance side, they could move through with the
process easy. They wanted to make sure Shepard wanted this, so she had some
things to fill out.
They also asked questions. Lots of them concerning her time off the grid
completely, and what happened to her during that time. He said they could
confirm all missing persons from the Mindoir raid were taken by batarian
slavers. He would fill them in once Shepard was truly willing to give out
details of what happened during her enslavement.
He looked over to the couch, hearing no stir or shift. A smile came to his
face. He was worried that the girl who have been scared of Garrus, or terrified
of being with someone, still trapped by her enslavement. She showed no signs so
far, but he had a feeling it would come up for a while, little bits of old
behavior that couldn't be so easily. He opened the fridge, poking around for a
moment before sighing and closing it, grabbing a water bottle in the cupboard.
"At least they didn't eat out the entire apartment..." he lamented, taking a
drink.
He looked over at the again, his smile growing. The more he looked upon how
they twisted and wrapped around one another, the more he found himself wanting
to laugh. It was ridiculous, and it befuddled him how it was comfortable. As
much as it was a marvel, he would have to wake them up to get them to their
actual bed. He made his way to the couch, gently poking both of them until she
got Garrus to crack an eye.
"Okay, as much as I'm enjoying your amazing feat of moving your limbs to sleep
on the couch, you have beds."
Garrus blinked a few times before he nodded, nudging the back of Shepard's head
until he groaned and whined, pushing up against him in protest before opening
her eyes, looking up at Bailey.
"Bedtime?"
"Bedtime, sweetie. Get your butt up and get back to bed."
He stepped back and watched Garrus and Shepard untangle, standing up with some
difficulty until she leaned into Garrus. He walked her quietly with a nod to
Bailey. The room he had was somewhat barren but it would work for now. She
looked to his bed, but Garrus had other plans, opening his closet.
"I have a cot in here you can use until we get a new bed for you. It may take
some time because it can get expensive-"
"Can I sleep with you tonight?"
He looked back at her, giving his turian smile once again. He closed the closet
and threw out his plan. She followed him to his bed, letting him get into his
best position, seeing that he had fringe and spurs to account for. Once he
looked to her, she joined him, quickly getting into a comfortable position
alongside him. Blankets were moved and adjusted, pillows were swapped and
eventually they had a comfortable sleeping position together.
He looked her over, the gentle lines of her face, the gentle rush of blush to
her cheeks as she shifted her head on her pillow. Her hands resting against his
carapace, her feet just gently touching his legs. Little movements and shifts
that made muscles move, expressions made.
He could start to hear her breathing even out as sleep took her, and he didn't
pause to do the same. They were safe in their new home.
"Goodnight, Katherine."
***** Breathless whispers toward a life of freedom *****
Chapter Summary
     The words were in her mind, her happiness building high.
     "Even if I stop breathing, I'm having so much fun."
Chapter Notes
     Edit 9/26: Fixed some major spelling errors, and grammar problems
     finally.
More slaves had rebelled in the dead of night, taking advantage of the master's
observance of a batarian holiday. They broke out of their restraints, and
attacked their masters, stealing weapons and meager tools, fighting for a
freedom they would never see again from the moment they disobeyed. It took less
than an hour for the masters to collect the rebellion, and ready for their
execution the following morning. They had done this three other times since she
joined the groups of slaves already there.
They liked it to be public, to persuade the other slaves never to break free,
to think for themselves, to think that the masters were wrong in owning and
hurting them. They sometimes made games out of it, pitting them against one
another, granting amnesty to the last surviving slave. Like the Romans with
their prisoners, they would hold them in arenas, be they real ones they were
flown into to compete or makeshift ones were the grounds themselves were as
dangerous as the fights themselves. They made a show out of it, recorded the
carnage as men and woman tore themselves and others apart to survive or be
executed.
This time they did not put an arena up, or schedule a time for the other
slavers to round up their prey. They weren't going to give amnesty to these
slaves, to these killers who sought to bring about an uprising against the
masters who held their lives by the length of their chains.
They were lined up, single file, to face the crowd of masters with their
slaves. She was near the front, as her master was one with prestige and rank
among them. They were stripped of their clothing, laid bare before the crowd
with their scars and brand new wounds after they were whipped and beaten for
their rebellion. They bled onto the steel below their feet, their eyes filled
with furious fire despite what would come to them. One of the rebels, a young
sixteen year old girl, had dirt rubbed into one of her wounds on her left
breast. It was already badly infected, puss and bloody crust ringing the ugly
red and yellow wound. The smell of sewage wafted from that wound as one master
came up and dug into it, causing her to whimper as fresh bright yellow puss
dripped down her marred breast and onto the steel, mixing into her blood
already fallen.
"These ignorant slaves thought themselves as mighty as the masters," Zel, the
slave warden, announced as he moved onstage, shooing the batarians already
there to the sides, "And wreaked havoc upon your controlled lives. They
selfishly took their chains off without permission, and attacked you all. They
shot at your masters, your family. They did not care for their own kind."
He walked across the steel stage, looking the rebels in the eyes, cold cruelty
reflecting in his deep black eyes.
"These horrible humans will not be given any chances. They have not earned the
right to fight for it. They threw away their rights the moment they agreed to
their plan to rebel against us. I call upon you, masters and slaves alike, what
do you say as their jury? Guilty or not guilty?"
There was no such thing as a not guilty rebel. She rose her voice with her
master, with the other masters and slaves. A horrible, booming rise of hundreds
of voices calling out their brethren for trying to get back to life, to
freedom. Her heart clenched, but she was a good slave unlike them.
"GUILTY!"
Zel hummed happily. "And what is the punishment for guilty slaves?"
"DEATH!"
"And what is our favorite method, my precious family?"
"EXECUTION!"
The rebels, five brave, fearless humans, faced their coming deaths without a
tear. Some of them flinched, some of them looked down at their feet, but they
did not beg for their lives as others did. They knew when they were recaptured
that it was the end. She watched in amazement as they awaited their executions
with the faces of soldiers, firm and unyielding. They were going to die, but
they left a powerful message. The masters didn't like their strength, and did
they try to bring it down in the most gruesome forms they could bring out.
One was stabbed, sliced, disemboweled on the stage. Her face was firm even
though she was stabbed again and again, only yielding a noise, a squeak, when
they sliced open her stomach, slashing violently into her body until her
intestines spilled out in a flood of blood, her stomach ripped from her body.
They continued to rip her apart even after she was dead, knives stabbing into
her dying heart, tearing through her half-inflated lungs. Blood sprayed with
their slashing blades, dripping and splashing on the steel, hitting her
neighboring rebel. They ripped her apart, the roar of the masters calling for
her blood making her head spin. Fresh, bloody organs were thrown out into the
crowd like prizes.
The others never flinched. They weren't going to yield and give the masters
what they wanted.
She watched for what seemed like hours as the masters disemboweled,
dismembered, raped, disfigured, hung, burned, broke, and murdered these five
slaves without remorse, turning it into a morale booster for the masters, and
an impossibly large warning to the slaves.
When she was allowed to speak, she asked for a bathroom. She puked into her
toilet before relieving herself, and promptly vomiting once again.
===============================================================================
 
Shepard work as she was moved gently, spotting Garrus slip out of the bed they
had shared. She whined softly, his eyes coming to meet hers as he noticed her
waking state.
"Sorry I woke you up. Bailey just messaged me, our higher ups want me there to
give an in-person report."
"Am I going to be alone?"
He shook his head, moving the blanket back over her. "Not long. Bailey should
be here in a few minutes. You should get some sleep, let yourself rest after
all that's happened."
"When will you be back?"
Her eyes fluttered but she refused the allure of more rest. She eyes kept
locked on his face, looking over every feature she could memorize. He was
leaving for who knows how long, leaving her in an apartment under sheets that
smelled like him. She didn't want to lose him, and she knew it was possible no
matter where you were in the galaxy.
He picked up effortlessly on her distress, kneeling down and pushing her short
hair out of her face, mandibles lightly fluttering. His touch, the somewhat
rough skin of his fingers, it was a relief to feel. These hands had protected
her from Cerberus, shielded her from danger, held her shaking shoulders as they
walked, assured her fearful body and mind that all would be good now, and she
would never be harmed by them ever again. She nudged her head into his touch,
the fingers withdrawing for a moment before returning. His subvocals came out
strong as he watched her affectionately accept his touch.
"I promise, Katherine. I'll come back as quickly as I can for you. Don't worry.
Get some sleep for me, alright?"
She nodded, murmuring his name, admittedly sending shivers through him at the
soft, nearly inaudible sigh of affection. "Alright. I'll sleep. You work."
"I'll see if I can also bring home something for you to eat."
"Yay~" she cheered softly before yawning, settling her head on her pillow,
looking at Garrus with sleepy, warm eyes.
He gave her a turian smile before standing and waving her goodbye before
closing the door behind him, taking a breath as he adjusted his armor for a
moment before grabbing his key and moving out of the apartment toward C-Sec.
All the while, he replayed that look she gave him, the soft and alluring sound
of his name on her lips.
Shepard let her eyes slide close, sighing softly, twisting and turning before
settling into a singular spot of comfort, her smile bright as she entered the
comfort of sleep.
It had disappeared when Bailey came in to check up on her minutes later, and
just as he came to her side, her tears fell.
===============================================================================
 
Blood coated her right hip, the deep cut marks of her last loaner's hands still
letting her precious crimson lifeblood drip onto the dirt-streaked ground. He
was violent and assertive, and did not take kindly to her simple compliance.
His hands were sweaty and dirty, but it did not stop him from violently
fingering her and forcing himself inside her, taking his pleasure at her
expense. Violent thrusts left her thighs and hips bruised from the experience,
the deepest parts aching from his violent thrusts. She had been taken off her
hanging wrought irons, and rubbed her sore throat. He hadn't spared any part of
her body, pulling her down and thrusting into her mouth and throat, releasing
one of many orgasms into her. The sickly taste burned her tongue, and made her
stomach growl in protest to its entrance.
She rubbed her sore wrists, gently touching the marks on her throat. His
fingers had violently dug into her as he played with her and watched her cry
out and panic in pain and rejected pleasure. Choking her kept her quiet when he
wanted her quiet, dying there slowly at his hands until he finally decided to
let go of her and continue elsewhere.
White along with red painted the stone below her wobbling knees, her shaking
limbs. Her master came in and frowned at her state, barking at his assistants
to take her to the showers and get her clean, patch her up. The flash of his
odd kindness came as she was gathered by the two female batarians he had at his
side, wincing as she was dressed enough to get to the showers without question
or glance. As they left the stained room, stinking of release and blood, her
master dutifully followed behind her, his eyes ensuring her safe movement from
the torture chamber she had been hung inside.
They were gentle in cutting her clothes off, washing the wounds left on her,
careful of her hips and her teeth-marked breasts, washing away the loaner's
scent off her body. Blood and cum rushed down the drain in a pink swirl with
the gentle warm waters. She sighed softly as she leaned her head under the
spray, relaxing as the warm and hot calmed her tight muscles.
"Pass a note onto Kel, Feri," she heard him say to one of the assistants,
"She’s not to be loaned out anymore to Dirahk, or anyone. If he wants to break
and ruin the best shot he has of ever moving on from this pisspot of a slave
outpost, he'll reject my note of change."
===============================================================================
 
Shepard woke with her tears coming down harder, and two pairs of eyes
worryingly looking to her. She reached out and immediately Garrus took her
shaking hand, her sobs coming alive as she broke from her memories, her living
nightmares, and sobbed in pain. Bailey ran a hand up and down her back, the
boys letting her sob and cry out the pain and horror out of her body, as much
as she could get out.
Fifteen minutes later, Shepard was curled up in Garrus' arms as they faced
Bailey in another round of Skyllian Five. After her tears had somewhat dried,
and she had some fruit and ice cream in her belly, she had settled, though it
was obvious to her new family that whatever she had seen in her sleep was
haunting her, harming her. Her fingers shook as she pointed out cards to her
partner, helping him with his hand and his game.
The cards came down, Garrus finally winning a match, and Shepard let herself
speak.
"It hurts... remembering everything. Remembering the long days, the countless
wounds."
Bailey and Garrus exchanged a silent conversation before Garrus started to run
a hand through her hair, helping her find stable ground as she spoke.
"They liked to play games... with the ones that tried to rebel. Pit them
against each other, punish them publicly... execute them before the entire
place and let them squirm. They loved the master's reactions when they decided
to start disemboweling slaves. T-they... they would literally just throw organs
just cut from people into the crowd like candy."
Garrus' harmonics couldn't hide his horror and disgust, but it showed every
inch of worry he had for her, his arms tightening around her, and to which she
answered by moving closer to him. Her tears had begun to fall once more,
rubbing them with the back of her hand.
"They liked it best to throw it at the masters when they were still fresh, and
working, and dripping in blood. They liked it when they landed on slaves,
watching their horrified reactions. I won't lie... I had to catch my fair share
of them so they didn't hit me in the face, or use my biotics to throw it back
at them."
"Geez." Bailey remarked softly, "What the hell?"
She shook her head, stalling Garrus' efforts for only a moment before he
returned.
"They used a lot of methods, when punishing or executing rebel slaves.
Disembowelment was a favorite among the masters. Rape… rape was the favorite of
the warden of the slaves."
Bailey made a disturbing sound, something in-between a choke and a rise of bile
to his mouth. Garrus made an immediate distressed chirp before growling softly,
holding her even closer, tighter, protecting her from the horrors of that four
letter word. They knew that she had been subjected to it during her
enslavement, or at least suspected it to high hell.
"That was always the worst to stand and watch. It was more horrifying to watch
then the disembowelment and dismemberment. More haunting to listen to then
strangulation and slitting their throats. Out of everything they did to deter
us from rebelling, from stepping out of line, from being good slaves to the
masters... watching them rape the girls until they were dead was the worst."
She closed her eyes, simply letting her tears roll down her flushed cheeks,
trying to hide her shaking in Garrus' arms. Speaking on the unfathomable things
that happened during her slavery was difficult and made her choke on the words,
feeling like she was trying to talk clearly through a mouth full of cotton. She
wiggled, realizing she barely fit into Garrus' lap, but found comfort
regardless of the odd position, which was to help the turian to stay off his
spurs.
"I was always a good slave... so I never got punished, at least once I got over
the anger in me. I didn't rebel like them but... I fought back in the first
three days. After day, I wised up and became the good little biotic girl..."
"Not anymore you're not." Bailey asserted, "The good little biotic girl is no
more. There's only Katherine Shepard now."
"I know... but..."
Garrus reassured her once another tight squeeze. "We know it'll be hard to
adjust back into normal life, Shepard. Don't worry, we'll be here to help you
through everything."
"Thank you, Garrus. Thank you, Bailey."
===============================================================================
 
The masters always made sure their marks on their slaves were bold and bright,
never dulled or damaged. They went to great lengths to develop ink for their
human slaves that wouldn't harm them or make them ill, while also ensuring it
would not fade easily. It was the equivalent of a permanent marker on skin; no
matter what was done, it would not come out of human skin unless said slave had
their entire skin replaced with new ones. Skin grafts wouldn't do much either,
simply making it fade, but the masters re-inked immediately.
It had been over a year and a half, though she hadn't realized it at all. Time
had no name, or meaning here, in the master's dens. Her master was having her
tattoo retouched since her loaners liked to play with her back. He was gentle
as he led her to the familiar chair, somewhat rusted, covered with torn up
pillows. She laid on her chest, looking over her shoulder as he pulled down her
top to get to her tattoo between her shoulder blades.
It had begun to chip and fade at the edges, as if beginning the process of
ripping it off her skin. She relaxed, knowing the process wasn't at all
painful. The process was slow but almost relaxing, the continued pinch of the
nub pushing into her skin and muscles was relaxing her tight shoulders. She
even sighed as he worked on, closing her eyes peacefully.
"You may speak in here, girl."
She hesitated for a moment, clearing her throat for a moment. "Do most slaves
scream during this?"
"They do. Apparently, tattoos for humans are painful. You're an odd one. And I
thought the biotics made you odd."
"They both make me odd. Maybe I really am just that weird biotic girl."
"Keep that oddness, biotic girl. It's keeping you alive for now. You're too
valuable to break now. Just a little longer and we can get you moving on out."
She couldn't tell if he was actually looking out for her, or if he was tired of
her. Happy to know that soon he would be able to sell her and get rid of her.
She couldn't figure out the meanings behind his words, and she knew she never
would know. She rested her eyes as her master worked on her tattoo, taking in
the little sleep she could before she was thrust back into the darkness outside
the cold door.
===============================================================================
 
It was later into the evening, as they brought out dessert and relaxed away a
long day, that Shepard opened up on her tattoo, the mark of the slaver ring
that held her for nearly two years. It was the only thing stronger than her
memories that she could not erase. Memories would eventually fade into the dust
of the past, but her slave tattoo could never be removed no matter how many
credits she poured into ripping her back apart to remove it.
As she finished her ice cream, setting the bowl down, she looked toward the
door, and then to her hands, before looking to Bailey and Garrus.
"I want to show you it. The tattoo."
Both men nodded, setting their bowls and cups down, their eyes on her as she
took deep breaths as she turned her back to them. Her hands shook as they
grabbed the edges of her shirt, debating whether or not to back down now that
she had suggested it. She debated it, convincing herself it was safe to show it
to them. She originally just wanted to pull it up enough to show them, but
since she had changed clothes, these were much easier to remove, and so when
she pulled up, it slipped off with the amount of force she used. She was left
in her bra, but even with it on, it showed the shocking black tattoo sitting
untouched and unmarred in the middle of her shoulder blades.
"I don't recognize it..." Bailey hummed, "There's got to be something connected
to it. Maybe we could find out what ring took her."
"It's possible, but also dangerous." Garrus responded, "We don't want to make
them think we're going after them, especially with one of their former slave.
We can't put her at risk."
"Thank you." she returned to Garrus, pulling her loose shirt back on, "I'm not
interested in getting back at them. At getting revenge. I just want to move
on."
"Well if there's nothing on it, it could be dangerous to pinpoint who it was.
It's haunting to look at though, no offense."
"It's okay. It's supposed to be haunting. They dealt with the Blue Suns too."
Bailey stiffened. "You're telling me that the Blue Suns actually deal with
slave labor."
Shepard nods. "Right before I was moved to a different part of the facility
they held me in, they were getting a high paying client. I found out later it
was the Blue Suns. They bought a wide selection from them. Ten men, all with
prior training or experience with weapons or with the Alliance, and several
woman. Most of those woman were used for their purpose right on the spot."
"Disgusting. The Blue Suns were horrible enough, but knowing factions of them
support the batarian slave trade..." Garrus made a disgusted noise, shaking his
head, "To think some of own people join them makes me feel sick."
"Humans enslaving humans," Bailey said with a low rumble, his voice heavy and
dark, "How fucking perfect. They probably put it on the books as 'purchased
indentured servitude contracts'."
"I could tell you a million stories on the many clients that passed through.
Buyers, loaners, masters... as much as it hurts to remember, it's fresh and
vivid." Shepard explained, shaking her hair for a moment. "Many humans condemn
the batarian slave trade, but humanity isn't without its horrible people, its
wild cards. Humans came in too, most of them mercs or private companies looking
to pay short for slaves so they could get cheap labor. A lot of big names, back
door buyers, people hiding behind fake names, fake accounts, hidden
companies..."
Her eyes paused and looked around rapidly, painting the scenes before her in
memories of people, of cash trades, of screaming girls and boys as they were
dragged from cages to their new owners. Garrus rested a hand on her back,
pulling her from the vivid interactions, her breath heavy as she closed her
eyes and calmed down.
"Haribeck, Grenad, Liferious... Combine... there was one with the word Combine
in its name. They bought slaves under the table, under obvious fake names.
Hiding their slave labor under the pretense they were 'freeing' them, but they
were to be miners."
"Elkoss Combine? They're a big company settled in the Terminus," Bailey
explained, "Do you remember the dealer's fake name? Anything else? If Combine
is supporting the slave trade, it could be a big bust, and put them under a
spotlight. It could get them kicked out of stores."
"Friedreich Kirra. Male, maybe about 30. Bought three slaves for nearly 20,000
credits, all were female. Bought them for the 'Combine' who needed cheap
workers to help assemble test weapons and mine elements to help better build
parts and weapons. That's what I remember."
"Shepard, you may just help us break open another case. If you're alright with
recounting what you heard to the Executor and convince him to open a case, you
could help curb the underground trading of other slaves. I won't force you, but
it is something you could do to help others."
"As much as I hate these memories... I don't want the others to suffer then any
longer. I'll help."
"Alright. I'm going to find you some better clothes. Garrus, get us a meeting
with Pallin and make sure to mention Shepard."
Shepard stood with a prideful smile as Bailey grabbed his credit chit and stood
in the threshold of the open front door, grinning at Garrus and Shepard.
"We're going to help curb the slave trade."
***** The Mark of the Biotic Savior *****
Chapter Summary
     She looks to the mirror, her reflection bloody and frightened, bound
     in chains. She offers a hand to her.
     "It's time for the next chapter, Kat. It's finally time... to be
     free."
Chapter Notes
     Edit 9/26: Got rid of the nasty spelling mistakes!
Bailey knew bringing up such minimal evidence could be risky, and make both of
them look like fools, but it was hard to deny it from a girl who sat as a slave
in a cage for near two years. Years spent listening, observing, eavesdropping.
It had to merit some truth from the Executor. He knew his chances were slim,
especially if they were dealing with Pallin, a turian who didn't completely
trust or like humans. He claimed it for political reasons, but Bailey always
had a feeling it was deeper, especially with the First Contact War. He and
Garrus mentally prepared for the scolding and lectures they would receive if
Shepard didn't convince him of the threat that was being brought upon the
station.
He was caught off guard when the old turian looked almost horrified as Shepard,
dressed in new dull blue civvies, told him what she knew and what she had
heard.
"Are you sure it was Elkoss Combine mentioned?"
She nodded. "They kept calling it the Combine, but I'm certain it is. The
person who made the transaction used the name Friedreich Kirra."
"That name sounds somewhat familiar. If we have companies here on the Citadel
using slave labor, we can't allow it to continue. Bailey, I'm giving you and
Vakarian permission to open this inquiry up, but silently. Knowing slavers,
they'd want to keep it silent, so announcing a full blown investigation will
get us nothing."
"Yes, sir!"
Pallin looked to Shepard once more, standing and offering his hand. "Thank you,
Miss Shepard, for telling us this. I realize bringing up memories can be
painful, but your help is greatly appreciated in keeping the Citadel and its
people safe."
She looked more fearsome and complete then ever standing before the Executor,
her tale spun around years of abuse and slavery believed by a powerful man. For
that beautiful shining moment, Katherine Shepard was a proper human on her way
to greatness, a girl in uniform, readying herself to join the Alliance and
pursue a world of power. She took his hand, shaking it firmly.
"Of course, sir. It may hurt, but if it helps my former family from a continued
life of slavery, I'll do whatever I must."
"Former family?"
"We may have never talked, but you spend a long enough time in silence bound in
chains and cages, your eyes and your face are your ways of speaking. Friends
and neighbors from my colony are still in chains, and now they're family. I
won't leave them behind."
The Executor nodded, looking to Bailey and Garrus as she took her hand back.
"I'm giving you this one because Miss Shepard here is comfortable with you
enough to explain these events. Don't waste this opportunity. Give me results,
and catch them red handed. I'll file the official paperwork and pass on your
half so you can begin. You're technically going undercover, so be smart."
"Yes, sir!"
"And you, Miss Shepard..." he turned to the human, his subharmonics humming a
curious noise, "Let's see what you can bring."
She saluted, the human way at least, her face a firm expression of power. "Yes,
sir."
===============================================================================
 
Their investigation began as silently as it was told to be, digging through
information recorded by C-Sec, and comparing it to the databases of known
aliases of criminals and crime bosses, trying to find the loose end or mistake
to start the bigger trail toward pulling in reps from Elkoss to answer for the
backdoor slavery. The precinct on Zakera Ward allowed them the space to look
through it, digging through the deep archives and data they had collected over
the years to make sure they were flagged if they were ever used in Citadel
space. Tablets and pads were scattered around them as they split the work
between them, digging as thoroughly as they could.
After three days, two pots of coffee, three breaks, and an intervention from
some of the C-Sec officers to eat something and get some air, they were hitting
the last remaining databases.
"I think I found it!" Shepard shouted, standing up. Bailey and Garrus looked up
at her and moved over to her as she swiped through the info, pulling it up in a
larger format.
"Friedreich Kirra is a very old alias used by various men and woman in the
early days of the Citadel, but it was assumingly 'retired' after the last man
to use it was caught after the end of his serial killings. The man who last
used it also sold the rights to it to someone named Daren Telek. And after I
did a quick search of the other database here, Daren Telek, now known as Daren
Kirchen, is one of the noted managers for production of Elkoss weaponry with
the fringes of Citadel Space. They also outsource a lot of production in the
Terminus Systems but I know enough that the Citadel can't do anything about
that."
"This is almost too sloppy," Bailey noted, "More likely than not, Kirchen sold
the identity to another cohort to hide his illegal sales."
"If I can get a look at his face, I would be able to know if it was him or
not."
"Getting the hard evidence on him, though, would be tougher. Do you know the
girls he bought?"
Shepard shook her head. "No. Besides, most buyers and new masters give their
slaves new names upon being traded over. It's difficult, though if we could see
their backs, and see the tattoos, that would work."
"Assembly was one of the places they were put, right?"
She nodded again, looking over to Garrus as she passed along another datapad,
moving some between Bailey and Garrus.
"Yes. If I'm correct, it was confirmed one would be moved to another planet for
mining, and two would be moved to one of the assembly factories. He made sure
they weren't to be put in the Terminus to ensure their 'safety'. So we could
narrow it to here on the Citadel."
"The Factory Districts of each ward could give us answers, since we would have
to locate the Elkoss Combine factories here on the Citadel." Garrus added on,
smiling at Shepard as she flashed her own at him.
"So let's locate Elkoss' factories and sneak in to find the girls? We don't
want to make it seem weird that we're asking to talk with some of their
workers?"
Bailey hummed, typing something out quickly before opening up his omni tool.
"We could actually call our visit official business. Some of us help the
factories keep their standards up during patrols. We can ask our precinct to
approve our visit to confirm the safety of their workers after we got an
anonymous tip claiming their worker's rights and safety were being ignored and
abused."
"Perfect cover up. We could get Pallin to approve the search, and we could
submit the anonymous tip to ensure that if they do some digging, they won't
find out it was a lie."
Shepard looked worried, confused even. "Isn't that... you know, illegal? Making
a false claim of abuse?"
"It isn't if they're just buying slaves and 'freeing' them only to put them to
work for nothing but a place to sleep and a little food." Bailey asserted.
Shepard conceded with that logic quickly.
"So, back to Pallin before we get moving again?"
===============================================================================
 
They eventually found an Elkoss factory a few wards out from Zakera, and easily
routed their 'patrol' through with the local precinct, and off they were to the
factory without so much as a hitch. They had gotten Shepard a new pair of
clothes to disguise herself, fearing that she could be identified. She
carefully followed them, trying not to look nervous, attempting and somehow
succeeding to look powerful and attentive. A girl on a mission. She looked over
the factory, trying to figure out how she could do this.
She would be sneaking in, trying to find her while they were doing sweeps of
the facility, giving her updates as they did their 'jobs' in ensuring that the
wellbeing of their workers was kept. They were the distraction while she got
the hard evidence, unless of course they were able to find her first. She broke
off from them a while ago, climbing up through vents and pipes, as silent as an
assassin, moving like a bird through the air. The factory lacked high tech
security, and she easily slipped in through the vents, dropping out on top of
pipes, gazing down at the workers as they moved items from conveyor to
conveyor, assembling pieces of equipment, setting broken pieces aside. The
clockwork of the main floor as machines wheezed and spat out parts, conveyors
taking pieces and metals across miles of factory floors.
She dropped down another level using a ladder, scanning the faces, the worker's
tired expressions. She spotted Bailey and Garrus, and moved forward, turning
her omni tool on to film.
Her eyes scanned quickly, moving silently into the background, going through
the lesser traveled routes, trying to spot the girl. She could vaguely hear
voices, and moved in, gasping silently as she spotted her.
Her hair had grown just a smudge but she looked the same as she was when she
was sold. Bruises lined her neck leading down to her shoulders, her jaw set so
straight it looked glued shut. She moved down another level, watching,
observing, keeping track. She was moving slowly, pushing a trolley loaded with
boxes. She had a slight limp, a grimace on her face. A quick scan of her omni
tool confirmed her suspicions that there were no cameras, and she silently
moved closer.
Knowing the girl, and the history, the moment she dropped down she would be
spotted, and she knew it and accepted it. Shepard dropped down and the girl
turned to her, drawing a box cutter from her dirty work outfit until she saw
the face, the scars visible on her neck, her wrists.
"Y-Your... you... from the..." the girl stuttered. Shepard's eyes watered
immediately.
She remembered her, from the slaver camp.
"From the slaver compound, yes."
"Get me out of here!" the girl gasped, her tears cascading, dropping the
cutter. She was in hysterics, memories flooding, pain returning, "Are you here
for free me?!"
She raised her omni tool, continuing to record and gather her evidence. "I am.
I won't let these slavers keep you here. I'm working with C-Sec to get you
free."
"Thank you," she sobbed into her hands, "Thank you so much!"
She hugged the crying slave, clutching her to her chest. No more slavery, no
more sobbing for safety and freedom. She will get this girl free and get her a
new home and a new start.
"Now, I'm recording this. Can you tell me your name, and your boss, or who you
bought you?"
The girl calmed herself to speak, looking to the glowing omni tool. She wiped
her tears quickly with her sleeve, her face determined.
"M-My name is... my name is Ferien DeFranco. T-The person who bought me i-is
also my boss, Kieran Galloway. O-Oh! Wait I can... wait..."
She spun, going for the zipper of her uniform, pulling it down quickly, but
enough that Shepard could see the black ink on her back. Pulling the dirty
yellow suit back, the stark black tattoo of the slaver's ring symbol shone of
her dirt-covered skin. She nodded and zipped her back up.
"I have to go now, so I can get this evidence out. I promise you, Ferien,
you'll be free soon."
Ferien grabbed for her shoulders and pushed her into another tight hug, holding
her like a child desperate for care from their mother. Shepard held her close
as she wished, gently hushing her cries, rubbing her back to help calm her
shaking body. Ferien stepped back with a smile on her face.
"Thank you for finding me. For caring."
"We're family, Ferien. I won't let anyone own you again. My new…”
What would she call Bailey? She had to actually hesitate to just call him
‘dad’, remembering the tags around her neck.
“My new stepdad and best friend will get you out."
Ferien nodded, happiness coming to weary features. She returned to her trolley,
waving goodbye as Shepard once again disappeared with her evidence, looking for
Garrus and Bailey. They were coming close to Ferien, and her. She paused in the
shadows and watched as they talked with Ferien. She was afraid again, her eyes
confused by the C-Sec presence. Her wrists were hidden, her scars on her neck
just barely visible. Garrus was a sharpshooter and noticed them, asking her
what they were, immediately drawing the voice of their staff member following
them.
Ferien knew then who they were. The people the other slave girl had mentioned.
She rolled up her sleeves as she started crying again, and it sealed Elkoss'
fate. Shepard smiled and slipped out of the factory, meeting Garrus and Bailey
out front as C-Sec shuttles came in. Ferien was between them, and the girl ran
for Shepard and hugged her tightly.
"T-these are your new family members?" she asked.
"Yeah... yeah they are. You're free now, Ferien."
"Thank you so much."
===============================================================================
 
Following the discovery of Ferien DeFranco, whose real name is Jean DeFranco
Knightly, the Elkoss Combine Company came under horrendous fire for
participating in the act of buying and continuing slavery, as well as
benefiting from and supplying the largely disapproved and illegal act of
supporting the slave trade in any form. C-Sec swept through the higher ranks of
the company, and cut off the rotten roses from the bushes, ridding the company
of much of its highest bosses. The CEO for the large Citadel branch resigned as
the trials began for the workers who were found buying, selling, and using
slave labor within the company, but the departed CEO was not without guilt, and
ended up being brought up into the trials, after C-Sec discovered documents
that they had also been participating in the slave trade, and had direct
contact with the batarians who had come from Shepard's slave ring, conducting
secret deals and purchases under false companies and fake names.
Bailey, Garrus, and Shepard were all present for the proceedings and trials,
Shepard going up to testimony against the slavers and the company as she gave
her account of what happened. Executor Pallin backed her claims, as it was
impossible to verify her claims from the batarians. However, in a proud moment
of bravery, Ferien came up and testified against her buyers, and her bosses,
and how they treated her and used her.
The trials ended with guilty verdicts and heavy hits against the company, but
this huge slavery scandal would hurt Elkoss for a long time regardless of the
outcome.
Garrus and Bailey were praised and given accommodations for their amazing work
on the case, but Shepard was also given honors. She was recognized for her
bravery and power and ability to fight through her pain and fears to help
others. She was recognized by the asari Councilor for her abilities and gave
her a gift greater than anything possible.
Sponsorship to allow her to join C-Sec.
The trials and the proceedings and everything that happened after the
investigation had finished took up weeks, but it was worth it for Shepard. She
had freed slaves, and stopped people who continued to feed into the slave
trade. She looked to the messages on her omni tool, smiling at them. Messages
of thanks and stories of survival.
She was turning eighteen soon. She was a paragon for these people who had gone
through similar things.
She glanced to the datapad on the table before her. Her official notice of
sponsorship from Councilor Tevos to allow her the chance to join the Citadel
Security Services. It also gave her a list of things she would need, things she
would be provided, as well as tests and such that needed to be done. None were
evasive and allowed Garrus and or Bailey to join her if she felt uncomfortable.
She had spent hours just looking at the datapad, wondering how it could have
happened. Humans were finishing talks about getting an embassy, she learned,
but did not have an official embassy or ambassador yet, so she was left with
hoping that another ambassador or councilor would recognize her. She didn't
expect the Councilors to do anything, and she hadn't even asked for
sponsorship.
It was a good idea, a great thing she could do. Use her biotics, her knowledge,
her skills earned through escape attempts, fighting, surviving, slavery... use
everything she had to help the Citadel stay as great as it could be.
"Decided yet if you'll use it?"
She looked up from the datapad as Garrus came forward with a steaming bowl of
food. Shepard happily took the warm bowl of pasta, taking a hearty bite into it
before answering with some hesitation.
"Yes, no. Maybe. I mean, it's a really good idea, I just... god, Garrus, I
don't know if I could. I have... too many scars, open wounds... I just, I don't
want to waste it.”
Garrus took a spot next to her, placing a hand on her knees as she curled up,
sighing into her arms, looking into her lap.
"I don't want to disappoint people because I can't act normal. That I'm scarred
forever."
"There's no shame in waiting, Katherine. We can talk with Councilor Tevos and
see if she can hold the sponsorship for a time where you're better physically
and mentally. After everything you've gone through, it's understandable that
you need time."
Her smile at him was fleeting as it turned sour, and she hid her face once
again.
"They don't know what it’s like... to be a slave. To be told you are nothing
but an object. That your identity is worth nothing. They don't know what it’s
like to lose who they are, and be given a new identity as an item for sale."
Garrus' hand squeezed her knee as she slipped into herself, her eyes rising and
revealing their far off look.
"They wouldn't understand how painful it is to be ripped out of yourself.
Batarians stamping their marks on an empty shell, refilling the insides with a
husk of a girl, and telling it to keep moving lethargic limbs. Kicking the doll
into shape, while scarring its surface beyond repair. Demanding it to work with
no pay, no food, and no hope of safety. They will never know the pain of
slavery under the masters."
"Katherine..."
Shepard shook her head, rubbing her eyes to stop the coming tears. She took a
shaking breath before looking up at Garrus with a sad smile. It didn't convince
him in the slightest, and she knew it. She uncurled, and crawled into his
welcoming arms, resting herself against him as she let the pain in her chest
fall out on the broken sobs she released. He looked down at her shaking form,
letting her subvocals come free, trying to help calm her from this attack on
her senses, on her still weak psyche. He kept her close through it all until he
had noticed her form still.
She had cried herself to sleep.
He knew sleeping on the couch wouldn't work, and carefully gathered her into
his arms. As he moved her to their room, he took a moment to realize just how
thin she was compared to other humans of her age. How thin her arms were, just
how light she was. He had to haul his fair share of drunken teenagers from bars
before, and this... it was haunting to see the difference but to feel it put it
all into perspective. Just how broken she was, how damaged. Just how far she
had to go to get back into shape like her peers.
She looked like a starving eighteen year old. She felt like she was ten years
old.
He ended up curled up next to her again, his protective tick returning as she
squirmed in her restless sleep, hoping his presence would calm her as they
settled in for a mid-day deluge.
As he drifted off, she stilled, and then shifted into him. Her smile returned
as she rested close to him, her hands clinging to his carapace. He ever so
lightly purred, pushing hair from her face with a gentle swipe of his fingers,
watching her sleep calmly in his arms.
"I'll be here for you, Shepard. No matter what."
***** Don't touch the blue flames *****
Chapter Summary
     She snarls at her instinct to run.
     "Don't touch me! Just don't touch me!"
Chapter Notes
     Edit 9/27: Finally fixed some spelling and grammar errors and the
     whole mix up of pronouns.
Two months on the Citadel has done great things for Katherine Shepard. She
focused on herself, on all aspects of herself that needed work, so she could
get back on her feet stronger and healthier. She visited Jean frequently, the
visits helping her accept the pains of the past and of the time under the
masters, the two girls treating the visits more recently like a support group
meetup for therapy. It was relaxing and helped both continue forward to
brighter futures. Jean was going to be a pilot, she declared, and had already
begun talks with Alliance recruiters about what she could do to help her get
ready for flight school. Shepard was proud of her, but at the same time she was
sad. Jean had found a way to move on, to get her life going after it being
suspended for two years.
She still couldn't decide if she wanted to join C-Sec, or join the Alliance.
Two months of healing had passed, but some things stayed the same. She
struggled to keep going, to move her bones and limbs as night terrors and
flashbacks plagued her life, weeping her voice into silence as she recovered
and learned how to be human again, how to act in public again. There was only
so much Bailey and Garrus could do for her, and she was left with a burden of a
life burned into her skin and mind forever.
She stared at the recommendation from the asari councilor again, curled up in
her favorite blue blanket. It technically was Garrus' but the gentle scent of
the turian calmed her down, relaxed her. Speaking of said turian, he had pulled
her into his arms to help her calm down after they had returned home. She set
it down and relaxed into his arms, turning so she could look up him, a smile on
her lips as a hand held onto his carapace.
"Thank you, Garrus."
He gave a sort of rumble back, her mandibles fluttering in his normal smile.
More and more he would do this, speak more without words, the silent 'second
voice' he carried speaking for him. She couldn't truly understand the words
behind the sounds but she could interpret them almost perfectly. They were soft
now, calming and loving. They had started to take a more attractive tone, if
she could call it that, in recent days, and she did nothing to stop it. She
didn't know when things moved from brother and sister to something she couldn't
name. It wasn't exactly the easiest slide into a relationship ever, but it
wasn't exactly a friendship anymore. She had done her own research on turian
courting and things, to make sure she didn't make mistakes with something like
this if she was interpreting him correctly.
She closed her eyes for a moment, her biotics humming softly as his hands
wrapped around her waist, fingers touching uncovered skin for a moment. His
face came to gently nuzzle her neck, her head tilting to one side to give him
more room. The quiet rumble of his subvocals sent chills down her back,
relaxing her into his hands as she allowed him to touch her intimately.
"Katherine..."
"Garrus..."
He gently nipped at her neck, making her squirm softly. He chuckled softly
before going back to nuzzling her neck and shoulder once more, knowing to go
slow and gentle. She twisted gently, looking at him as she ran her hand over
the left side of his face, drawing his dazed gaze to her own.
"Is it alright, Katherine?" his voice was low, almost husky, the two-toned
syllables making it worse on her, "Is it okay if I do this?"
"You're... scenting me, right? Marking me with your scent?"
"Yes," he murmured, lowering his face and mouth plates to her shoulder again
for a moment, "I should have asked you if this was alright before I started
to."
"Garrus... there's no one else in the galaxy that I would want in my life right
now. You gave me my life, and have given me something I could never have."
"Something you couldn't have?"
She nodded. "I'll always be a used slave to some, but to you… you don't care,
do you, that I was... touched by batarians?"
"Shepard... just because you were a slave doesn't make you any lesser. If
anything, the lingering smell of those batarians makes me angry."
"Angry?"
"I'll make them pay for hurting someone as strong, and brave as you." he
growled, "I won't let you feel any lesser because of your time as a slave."
She was speechless, caught off guard by his possessiveness, his need to protect
her and everything she stood for. He wanted her to stand tall and he would do
all he could to help her do so. Tears dripped down her cheeks on the sound of
her soft sobs, drawing concerned eyes and a confused thrill. She shook her
head, caressing his cheek once more, careful of his mandible fluttering
underneath her palm.
"It's okay. Just hearing you say that... I know I've heard it before but... it
makes me happy, knowing I won't be thrown out for what happened during that
time."
Garrus grumbled something, his subvocals announcing his annoyance at such a
thing. "You're still strong, and smart... and beautiful to me. No matter what,
Katherine."
"It's only been two months, you know."
"Turians don't take long to find their mates if they're in the right place for
long enough."
Shepard chuckled softly, though the laughter faded into a soft gasp as he
nuzzled her neck again, her hand holding onto his face as carefully as she
could.
"Is this okay, Katherine? Do you want this?" he asked again, his words soft in
her ear, "When turians find their mate, they mate for life."
"I don't want a life without you... so yes. I want this." she spoke without
hesitation, without concern.
He had given her everything, and through their time together discovered this
turian was everything she needed, everything she wanted. Someone warm and
close, who cared regardless of her past. Someone who fumbled and got caught up
in their differences, but wasn't afraid to learn and understand. Someone who
would be there to catch her if she fell, someone who knew the pain of carrying
an unspeakable burden on their back.
He started to nuzzle again, another thought striking her mind. Her hand came to
touch his forehead, stopping him before he could continue.
"What does this include, Garrus? What comes first?"
He leaned back, ceasing his nuzzling, his subvocals gently humming to the beat
of her heart as it pounded in her chest. His hands were quick to help calm her
twitching muscles, locking her against his chest.
"Scenting first. It tells anyone with a sharp enough nose that you're claimed
by me. It's the first step, for turians anyway. Next is normally the bonding
marks. Turians normally have all of this happen during sex, but I know it'll
bring back bad memories right now. We can wait as long as you need for that
part."
"Thinking so far ahead already, are we?" she teased, curling up against him.
"I don't want to make you uncomfortable, or hurt you. We can make this work...
right?"
He sounded uncertain, almost scared. It would be a rocky road with her scars
and fears, but she knew deep down she could get past it all, but it would take
time for the wounds to heal before testing them again. She held his hands,
still tight against her skin, bringing one up to her lips, kissing the firm
plates, the small patches of soft skin. The softest purr left his throat.
"We'll make it work, of course. I don't want to lose you, even if it takes a
while for me to take that step. I'll stay here no matter what."
"No matter what." he repeated, "I'll be here, and support you no matter what."
"And I'll do the same for my mate."
He gave a happy hum at the words, chuckling softly. "One day."
She nodded. "One day, but for now... scent me all you want, Garrus."
He didn't give her an answer, immediately dipping his head so he could nuzzle
and mark her with his scent, nipping her skin gently ever so often. She melted
in his touch, trust and affection burning their bound souls bright as he
carefully caressed her arms, ensuring she was marked as a taken mate. Humans
couldn't pick it up with their noses, but he knew any turian, salarian, and
krogan would smell it immediately. He would mark her more permanently when the
time was right. She was nothing but beautiful blush and smiles when he
finished, turning in his grasp and bracing herself on his chest.
Her brilliant grey eyes locked onto his shining blue, lost in the emotions
flying through them as she found peace in a turbulent time of recovery. Garrus
leaned into her, and she closed her eyes. She remembered reading about this.
Turians didn't kiss normally, instead doing it in a touch, an intimate show of
affection done between family and those in relationships. She leaned in, her
forehead resting against his as he gave a small gasp, almost unheard by her
ears.
"Made you gasp." she breathed, chuckling ever so softly.
"It's... this is great. I was worried I was being too forward, or you didn't
even feel the same way about me. I didn't want to pressure you into anything...
and to know you feel the same... well, it's an ego booster."
"Ego boost? Because you did something no one ever could?"
"Perhaps."
She reaches up and gently holds his face in her hands, holding him there, their
foreheads pressed together. Eyes closed in bliss, reveling in the amazing
feeling of keeping him close and unlocking her heart with him. She needed the
affection and protection, and while they wouldn't really change much, being in
a closer relationship made her feel safer. It was simply a step toward a closer
relationship and she felt better about this.
His hands moved up her back, holding her close to him, his subvocals humming
and rising in volume, in a soft, constant purr. She nudged his forehead before
settling again, opening her eyes.
"You get to tell Bailey."
"As long as you're around to keep him from killing me."
"Deal."
===============================================================================
 
Bailey took the news with some bitter feelings, scolding Garrus at first as if
the turian had been manipulating her before Shepard walked in on the attack,
immediately defending him and nearly sending Bailey into a wall with her
biotics in her flash rage. That alone convinced him that what was happening
between them was real, never seeing Shepard so protective of something before.
Once she was able to convince her rather panicked newfound boyfriend that her
adoptive father wasn't going to hurt him or kick him out of the apartment,
things returned to normal for them. Garrus and Shepard inseparable in private
as they went through the motions. They kept their relationship silent in public
as best as possible, but she knew everyone around her, at least turian and
salarian wise, could smell her. Many in C-Sec looked happy at the revelation,
and it wasn't long until the boys and girls found out that Garrus had found his
partner for life in the powerful human biotic girl.
She had to convince him to return to work once the news broke, and he had to
hide to stop their jeering and constant questions. She helped greatly once they
arrived back at their ward's main base of operations, not bothering then to
hide her relationship.
She made her decision on April 11, four months after starting to date Garrus,
on what to do. Her eighteenth birthday had come at last, celebrated with her
adoptive father, her best friend turned boyfriend, her best friend Jean, and
much of C-Sec, who had come to love having the girl around the offices after
the months of her shadowing Bailey and Garrus. She celebrated at the ward's C-
Sec main offices, cake and everything, and finally as the party hit its climax,
and Executor Pallin arrived, she did as she decided.
"Not bad, Shepard. Something special happening?"
"My eighteenth, sir. They planned it, not me."
Pallin looked at all of them, some shuddering in fear of punishment but the
once tight turian calmed, and the party continued to watch in building tension.
"So there's a reason you called for me, then?"
"Yes, sir."
She plucked the datapad she had stored on her side, and placed it in his hands,
her eyes reflecting the same power and defiance she had shown him during the
Elkoss investigation.
"Executor Pallin, if you would let me, on the recommendation of Councilor
Tevos, I would like to join the Citadel Security Service."
The station went up in cheers, and chants. Much of it was filled with the
harmonious subvocals of the majorly turian force here on the ward, but the
cries of the few humans and the two asari on the force filled in the small
gaps. Pallin held the pad for a moment, looking to the determined girl before
him. She had this ward’s respect, and was aware of the issues and hardships
ahead. She had great potential and a proud background.
"Welcome to the force, Shepard."
Celebrations ensued as they welcomed their new officer, many passing around
congratulations while also birthday congratulations were given. It was a dual
party and one she would never forget now. She looked over her shoulder,
spotting Garrus at last as he came back, turning her attention to him. Hoots
and hollers answered their brief show of affection with a forehead touch.
"What took you so long?" She asked. Garrus gave that same low frequency hum of
deep proportions that made her smile.
"Nothing you need to know."
"You're not going to tell me, are you?"
"Sorry, but I've been told to keep quiet."
"Meanie." She pouted, crossing her arms, "Not even going to give me any sort of
special treatment, are you?"
"Well..."
She side-eyed the lingering officers around as Garrus came forward and pulled
her close, her face heating up as he lifted her face up to his with a hand. He
voice was low and rolling, making her shiver.
"I have my first gift for you."
"Brave, aren't we?"
"Willing to take the burn of having this be watched."
"Go ahead, then."
The calls of their fellow coworkers started even as he leaned down into her,
holding her by the small of her back, lifting her up when even on her tiptoes
she couldn't reach him, and kissed her. Kissing was an odd feeling but nothing
less any normal kiss. His 'lips' may not be soft, but it was fun to kiss him,
just knowing that he would indulge her if she wished for a normal kiss. They
had tried this once before, and it was, as he described, a bit of an inter-
species awkwardness thing, but now, it seemed he got the basics down, and
showing his work off to not just the station, but his bosses.
Pallin didn't say a thing though, and if Bailey was right, he could almost see
the bastard smile before he gave his leave. Bailey knew the paperwork would
come within the hour. Garrus let Shepard back on the ground with a hand running
through her hair. It had grown out a little more over the months, reaching well
past her ears now.
"I think that'll work for a while." she giggled, happily leaning against his
carapace.
"Well, I'm glad it was alright this time."
"Alright? Garrus, that was perfect. You did amazing."
Her praise brought such the barest of blue flush up his neck, making her smile
as she stepped back and tried to calm the jeering crowd. She took one of
Garrus' hands, drawing his eyes, and a happy flicker of his mandibles.
"Thank you so much, Garrus. For being here, for being with me... for
everything."
"No need to thank me."
"I'm going to anyway."
Garrus shrugged, laughing for a moment. "If you say so."
===============================================================================
 
April came and went, and with it did Shepard's introduction into the world of
C-Sec, and its bothersome amount of rules. She was set in learning them and
spent much of the first month on patrols around the ward, and learning and
memorizing the rules, regulations, punishments, bonuses, and anything else she
thought valuable in the line of duty. Garrus and Bailey were her best study
guides and best help when it came to memorizing some of the more obscure and
difficult rules and things she had to follow and be able to recite at a
moment's notice. She worked hard, buried herself in her work, and pushed to
show herself and others that she wasn't just some human woman with the leverage
of a turian partner.
She was her own person, with her own power.
She set down her notepad with a sigh, running her hands over her face. She
still struggled with a lot of different rules, especially the ones considering
religion and its practices allowed in different areas. As she opened her eyes,
she was met with the sight of Garrus bringing her dinner, which she happily
accepted.
"You should take a break from that book, Shepard."
"I need to memorize it, so I don't mess up, Garrus. If I make one mistake...
even with the other's support, Pallin won't accept failure and you know it. Why
do you think Bailey's working long hours now?"
"And here I thought you have already proved yourself to Pallin." Garrus mused,
biting into the ration bar he had taken as a snack.
"I don't know, but I can't disappoint him now that I'm under him. I don't want
to fail, I can't fail."
Garrus' warm hand fell on her shoulder, gently speaking and moving her from her
notes. "You're not going to fail."
"I could."
"You won't," he quickly countered, "I know you second guess yourself, Shepard.
You can do this without studying for hours after each shift."
"I..."
She was silent, staring at the open pages of the book (page two hundred and
twenty five, paragraph four. The code on hanar rights to religion and the steps
to ensure lawful preaching to the masses, the steps needed to obtain a permit
for the hanar) and closing her eyes once more. She knew the book so well she
knew where each coffee ring was (pages four, sixteen, thirty six, ninety five,
one hundred and four, two hundred and three through two hundred and nine, and
four hundred and sixty five), where each spot where Bailey had drooled after
falling asleep studying were (pages one hundred, two hundred and fifteen, two
hundred and ninety five and page three hundred and six), and where Bailey had
folded page corners for the most important rules (pages ten through thirty, one
hundred and six, two hundred through two hundred and ten, and page three
hundred through four hundred, though those were clipped together).
This book was almost her religious text now, and she had devoted herself to
making sure she had everything in this book memorized so she wouldn't miss a
thing. The turians who created the C-Sec codes and regulations were nothing if
thorough and detail-focused, even with the addition of the rules for humanity
(pages three hundred through four hundred and sixty, to be precise).
"Do you know all of the rules?" she asked quietly, keeping her eyes on the
book.
Garrus didn't answer immediately, looking to the open page before answering
silently. "No, I don't. I know most of them. Some of them I don't think we'll
ever use. No need to study things we won't ever use."
She stared down at the words, reading through the passage her eyes caught,
before closing her eyes once again. There were many rules for odd, one-in-a-
billion situations, rules and regulations for the wild possibilities that could
happen.
"...did you know there are one hundred and thirty seven regulations that tell
us that we can't go up to the top of the Presidium?"
He chuckled. "Now those, I'm well aware of. Don't think I'll ever forgot them."
She chuckled softly. There were a lot of little things that added up to that
list.
"Two hundred and two regulations and rules that say you can't eat on top of the
Presidium, but there's a rule that also renders that all dead."
"Oh?"
"In the human section, it says if for any reason one must have a safe place to
eat and is danger of physical, mental or emotional pain from the other races,
one could request to eat on top of the Presidium, as no one can access it and
it would be safe."
"No way."
"Page 332, paragraph four, under section 'protection under harassment laws'."
She leaned back as he grabbed for the book, flipping through the pages and
unclipping the human rules and regulations section, dragging a finger down the
page as spotting the passage.
"The one time C-Sec slipped up, and it was with the human additions." Garrus
chuckled, "That's amazing."
"There's a lot of little mistakes. It's funny."
Garrus took a moment, moving from the book and looking to Shepard, to the smile
starting to move on her lips, to the exhausted eyes that carried a burden undue
to her. She caught his eyes, the gentle blue warming her from the outside in,
and softly blushed.
"If you can remember that, you have no worries about remembering these,
Katherine."
She smiled fully as he closed the book, clipping the section beforehand, and
pulled his girlfriend up to his chest. Sighing peacefully, she curled up
alongside him as they adjusted on the couch, cuddling up into him. The warmth
of his chest pushed against her skin and her tired muscles, lulling her into a
state of half-consciousness quickly. He gently moves his hand through her
growing locks, letting out a gentle purr-like vocalization for her, a single
instance he could let her listen to what he felt at that moment.
"Get some sleep. I'll get you up for our shifts."
===============================================================================
 
Shepard found, with great surprise, that the next morning brought no work. They
had scheduled too many officers and she was given a pardon for the day. She
gave her goodbye to Garrus, who sadly had to work, and took the day to take
care of herself. It had been a while since she simply explored and enjoyed her
day, taking the time to pop into shops, look over different weapon mods (now
that she owned and operated a variety of weapons including pistols and
shotguns), different snacks from around the galaxy, different outfits (even
though a majority of them were asari fashions), and restaurants. Credit chit in
hand, her C-Sec uniform switched out for similar pants, a firm pair of heeled
boots, and a sleeveless shirt resembling a turtleneck except in leather, she
took her time and explored.
She was in no way ready to drink once the evening cycle approached, but she
figured the food would be nice, ducking into a tucked away bar called the
Nebulus. Bouncing music, mixing new electronic rifts and using old earth beats
to remix them, Nebulus was a small outpost for those wishing for an off-the-
beaten-trail destination with decent drink. It wasn't small inside, and had a
decent crowd on the dancefloor. The bar was almost packed, and although she
would look like a fool ordering food there, it was all she could get.
"You drinkin' alcohol, or going virgin with food?" her human bartender asked,
his voice firm but not insulting.
"Virgin with food, please."
"Drink of choice?"
"If you can, a virgin mimosa. And something smothered in cheese for the food."
"You got it."
She leaned onto the bar, watching her bartender move toward the back, sighing
softly. It felt odd being without Garrus in such a place, but she was alright.
She had been scented, marked in a way, so she shouldn't run into trouble. She
looked around for a moment, catching a few turian eyes, a few salarians. They
could smell the scent of the turian who claimed her. She smiled before turning
back to her returning bartender, her smile growing at the sight of the two
virgin mimosas.
"Virgin marry mimosas. One's on the house."
"For what reason?"
"Turian that way 'bout it for ya'."
She looked over her shoulder, spotting the diamond in the rough. He had dirty
orange markings on his plates, somewhat geometric but somewhat freeform. A
small orange line ran up the plate covering his forehead, and curving lines
marked the beginnings of his fringe. An odd marking, and one not normally seen.
He caught her eyes, and for a moment she swore she could hear his subvocals
calling out to her.
Was he stupid? Could he not smell Garrus on her?
She turned back to her drinks, taking a good gulp of one before resting it
between her fingers, debating whether or not to continue, or leave if this
turian was going to buy her nonalcoholic drinks all night. She knew Garrus
would be working a late shift but this could get ridiculous quickly. The
bartender gave her a look, and she raised her glass. She had at least some
backup if need be.
Her food came, a beautiful pile of bar style human nachos, and she dug in
happily, though out of the corner of her eye she could see that turian come
toward her. She ignored him, slammed back her other virgin mimosa. He took the
spot next to her as she called out for another virgin mimosa, taking another
chip and plopping it in her mouth.
"I'm surprised you'd go out alone, girl."
"Excuse me?" she testily replied, looking to him. Up close now, he looked calm
and relaxed, despite his words and the smell of alcohol on his breath.
"Going around scented doesn't really do anything for you."
"It should give enough warning not to do anything. If you're a smart turian,
that is."
He mockingly looked hurt, resting a hand on his chest, laughing lightly. She
continued to eat, ignoring his eyes as they trailed over her. Her bartender
returned with her drink, giving him a smile as he moved on. The turian moved
closer, his hand on her shoulder.
"Hands off." she murmured, but his hand stayed. Her heart pounded in her chest.
"Unless he's around, you're fair game, girl."
"Hands off." she said firmly, but his hands continued to move, down her
shoulder, caressing her skin, making her crawl inside herself.
Harassment laws, sexual assault laws. If he went any further, any closer, she
could snap, she could run, she could do anything as long as he stopped touching
her.
His hand grabbed her backend. Fight or flight, she always flew, but she would
not let her claws stay sheathed now.
Her lips curled in a growl before she grabbed his hand, pulling him off the
stool and twisting his arm back hard enough to make it pop and snap, drawing
his cry of pain. Stools fell to the ground, her recent glass sent flying as she
moved with the turian. The club look to her as she twisted his turian to his
knees, her face full of unbridled anger as she pushed him to the ground.
"You just sexually harassed an off-duty C-Sec officer, you piece of shit." she
full blown snarled at him, "Move anymore and I'm breaking your arm."
It looks no less than ten minutes for more officers to arrive, bystanders of
the club watching, some recording on their omni-tools. Officers picked the
groaning, argumentative turian off the ground as Shepard separated herself from
him, trying to finish her food before her anger boiled.
He smirked at her, her anger firing all pistons. She stepped forward to slap
him, to hit that smirk off his face, but the hand on her shoulder stopped her
in time as she raised her hand over her shoulder.
Garrus.
At the sight of the turian who had scented her, the drunk turian sobered and
let C-Sec handle him. She rubbed her arms absently as Garrus held onto her
shoulder, keeping her close, staring daggers at the random turian doomed from
the start of his advances.
"What'd he do?" his voice was low, a dangerous rumble.
"Bought me a few virgin drinks at first, then got close. Ended when he grabbed
my ass."
She had a hand on his face as he started to growl low, just as angered at the
turian's attempts to take what he had finally claimed. She gently soothed him
with her voice, and her touch. He was still on the clock, so he couldn’t lose
him composure to protect his mate. He got it together, and let her step away,
running her hands through her hair. She was shaking still.
"I never thought I'd see a human break a turian's arm so easily."
She turned to an unfamiliar C-Sec officer, a turian. His clan markings were
white, very geometrical and clean.
"Captain Kiritus, Kithoi Ward."
She accepted his hand as he offered it, shaking it as best as she could. He
looked to Garrus for a moment before looking back at her.
"So I actually broke it?"
"Either that or you got so close we can't tell the difference. Any idea how?"
"He grabbed me, and I decided to fight instead of fly. Guess I got angry
enough."
"Right, the human 'fight or flight' instinct. Well, I don't know if you knew,
but the turian that you caught is named Darrius Felarian. He's wanted in Kithoi
for sexually harassing human and turian woman."
Shepard's eyes widened. She hadn't even realized, but she recognized the name.
The warrant for his arrest had come through a few days ago. How she didn't
recognize him, she didn't know, but she listened quietly.
"You did my job for me, and I don't know whether to thank you or hate for you
beating me and my men to the punch."
"I hope you won't hate me for accidentally acting as bait for your man,
Captain."
Kiritus brushed it off. "Either way, you got him off the streets. I'll be
sending the bonus your way. If you need anything, let me know. Kithoi Ward
appreciates your help."
"Thank you, Captain. Have a good night."
She followed the other officers out of the club, heaving a sigh as she turned
and headed for home, Garrus close behind. She looked over to him, reaching out
for his hand, and leaned into him as he took her digits in his.
"I'm going home, taking a scalding shower, and spending the rest of the night
with you."
Garrus softly chuckled as she hailed for a transit cab, looking over to her.
"Make sure to scrub. His scent is still all over."
"Good to know. If I still smell like him after the shower, help me get it off.
Then make sure yours is the only scent on me besides my own."
As they climbed into the cab, he leaned into her, Shepard moving quickly so he
could easily nip at her shoulder, aiding in the new placement of his scent.
"I won't miss a spot this time."
***** The fires of the past smolder kindly *****
Shepard stared down at the journal entry she had in started to write, the
gentle pages of real paper still felt unreal and fake under sensitive fingers.
It had been a gift, of course, as no one really used real paper anymore to
write down things. It was a commodity very few could keep on hand and ever more
rare for the common man. It was a surprise when Bailey walked in and handed her
it, telling her to write down her thoughts. It was am miracle such paper still
existed, but she would accept it no matter what.
Ink, paper... Mindoir was a haven for old Earth artifacts brought over by
arriving colonists who sought more away from Earth. She didn't remember Earth
well, never actually stepping on the planet in her life. Her parents were part
of the First Contact Wars when she was born, and the first few years were spent
in hiding with other family on Mindoir to ensure her safety while her mom and
dad fought the turians. Of course, her mother seemed to see the usefulness of
being their allies, even if she went against orders and the entire idea of this
war. She never did learn why her mother had gone against orders to instead save
non-human lives and try to form trust.
Perhaps her mother was smiling down on her now, seeing her baby girl not just
working and trusting aliens, especially turians, but she was bonded to one now.
Her fingers found purchase on her father's tags around her neck. Her smile
softened, disappearing for a moment.
She never found her mother's tags.
"Katherine! What are you doing now?" her mother called out to the glowing blue
girl in their grove of trees in the backyard.
The young girl giggled, moving from branch to branch like a monkey, the fruits
hanging off their branches glowing the same blue as she passed them. For a
moment, she looked afraid before leaping to the ground, hovering before making
impact. With her touchdown, the fruits came falling, and she quickly moved to
catch them in her basket she had readied. Her mother stood amazed, clapping at
the amazing feat performed.
"Yes! After bruising sixteen, I got them!" she cheered, her mother coming up
behind her and kissing her on the cheek.
"Look at my little biotic baby go. I'm proud of you."
"I figured biotically pulling them was better then shooting them off."
Her mother made a face. "Did Dad offer that advice?"
"Yes, yes he did. I tried that once... well I learned after exploding one."
Her mother sighed before rubbing her head, messing up her hair. "I'm going to
kill him, I swear. Now come on, now that we have apples, we can start making
desserts."
"Yes! I call making an apple pie!"
She hugged her journal to her chest, her smile bittersweet. She couldn't help
the tears silently falling down her cheeks. Her mother was her role model, the
person she hoped to be one day. She loved listening to her war stories, her
feats of bravery and defeat, and how she grew not just as a person but as a
member of the galactic community. Partaking in the First Contact war put her at
odds with many turians, however the few who knew of what she had done in the
war, the mission that doomed her to be slapped with a traitor sticker, were
happy to see her. She had done something to save turian lives, surely.
Something about her mother reaching out, hoping for peace with an enemy who
wouldn't give them a chance made her happy. Things have widely changed since
they made peace and joined the galactic community, even though the old
animosity still lingered between those of older age, the veterans of the war.
Her hands grabbed for her dog tags, the last relic of her life before the
horrors of slavery. Life on Mindoir, with her family. Mom, Dad, her sister
Cera. The times on the farm, learning from her parent's military roots,
training with her older sister to get ready for the world of military. The calm
that was life in the colony.
She wondered what Mindoir looked like now.
These clinking tags felt like a vice, a rope around her neck ready to break her
last gasps of air, the last mark from the past dyed in blood and assault, and
yet it was the last thing holding her together, tying herself to her own body,
keeping her grounded. She looked to her journal once again.
To think... she was romantically involved with Garrus.
"I just realized something, Garrus."
The turian hummed curiously as they stared out at the busy shipyard, watching
ships dock and leave, moving through the glittering space between the arms,
graceful and loud as the sirens.
"We're acting like a bunch of lovesick teens. So adamant on showing affection
in front of everyone..."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"No, it's... I guess it's just a little awkward, I guess. No one really acts
like that, or maybe we're that desperate."
Garrus paused, looking like he was actually thinking for a moment. He passed
her her drink a few feet away, picking his up with a silent click of his talons
on the glass bottle.
"We did change weirdly quick when you said yes to my proposition."
"That's what I noticed too... think we let it go a little too far."
"Now that you do mention it... we did take it a little to the extreme. What can
I say, it's not everyday you figure out the person you want to be with for the
rest of your life was someone you could have lost."
"Garrus..."
"It's been a thought," he explained softly, his eyes turning to the ships,
"that if I hadn't looked at you, if I didn't follow you... I would have lost
you. We would have lost a lot. It's feels weird to think of what would have
happened if things changed... it's also terrifying."
"Hey.."
She curled up into his side, feeling his carapace and chest rumble softly as he
seemed to star purring.
"You got me. Don't scare yourself."
"It comes around ever so often."
"I understand. If you need anything to help... I got you."
They were silent for a moment before Shepard spoke up, taking another sip of
her drink.
"Take it easy now?"
"Now by taking it easy, you mean..."
"Take it easy. Kinda like how we were before we decided to start dating."
"No problem, then."
She sighed happily, clutching the pad to her chest. The days she's had with
Garrus were her happiest. She couldn't believe that they had simply slipped
into a romance so easily. From saviors to friends to romantic partners, they
had an amazing run together and it was still in progress. She couldn't go
farther, still holding onto pains and memories, the scars keeping her from ever
approaching sex, but Garrus was accepting and accommodating. He understood that
she wouldn't be able to do things of that nature until she was ready, and she
couldn't appreciate his understanding more.
The Citadel was entirely welcoming, even if people stared at her and Garrus
when they went out. Human and Turian relationships, while not taboo anymore,
were highly uncommon. She didn't mind the people's looks, because she was
happy. She had a turian boyfriend, and a blooming career at C-Sec. The people
of Zakera knew her now as the kind biotic girl, a C-Sec officer who had faced
horror and come out alive and smiling, even if sometimes her smile couldn't
stay. She helped the community and kept it safe, went out of her way to help
the 'duct rats' of the station, children afraid of the foster care system or
unable to join the few orphanages due to being tied to abusive parents or
simply being unable to join them due to other circumstances.
A few flipped pages, a happy smile.
Children from around the local section of the wards came to the C-Sec Academy
once again for the monthly showing of C-Sec power and pride, most coming for a
single girl on the squad. A human biotic from the colonies, a survivor of the
batarian slave trade. It was the celebration of C-Sec excellence, and all of
their work to keep the Citadel safe. They would host the children and show them
an inside look into how an officer was trained, and how things ran smoothly.
It came time for the training rooms, and many ran in front of their instructor
to gaze upon the woman they had hoped to see and meet that day. Beyond the
glass were several officers, encircling and watching a match between two
combatants, training officers looking to sharpen their skills.
They gazed upon Shepard and Garrus as they rounded one another, preparing for
another sparring match. One they knew Garrus would win physically, but from the
gentle shimmer of blue, they knew she would win instantly with biotics. He
didn't seem to catch it, charging immediately. The surrounding officers broke
away with grins as Shepard let her biotics flare, capturing the turian in its
wild spiral, sending him to the mats with a gasp.
"Cheater!"
Shepard chuckled, "Do you want me to throw you up into the air and hit the
ground harder or down simply into the ground?"
"This is supposed to be hand to hand fighting!"
"We never said no biotics. Also, everyone else was in on it."
"I can see that." he growled softly, "you still cheated."
"And you call yourself an officer, Garrus. Gotta be prepared for anything out
there!"
He grumbled, but sat up now that the pain of the embarrassing loss settled into
him. His eyes came to the children watching through the glass and groaned,
drawing Shepard's eyes then. The tour group jumped and clapped for the girl,
making the mint officer to blush.
The children were allowed in as the officers moved away the more dangerous
equipment, all asking Shepard is she could lift them with biotics, wanting to
see her do something cool for them, as she had done the year previous.
Chuckling, she let her harmless blue fire burn around her hands, gently
stretching them to one of the children, lifting her a few inches off the
ground, drawing the cheers of her peers.
This was a moment of peace, something many of the officers never truly saw on
her face. They knew she was haunted by the ghosts of her past, of the pain and
marks on her skin never to be removed. She would smile, but many would only see
the cracks beyond the mask.
This one instance, showing kids what it was like to float with biotics... she
never looked more peaceful and beautiful then in a moment where the past didn't
exist, and all there was for her was the future.
"Shepard! We got a call from Kithoi Ward!"
She smiled, setting down her aged journal, grabbing her gun and shoving it into
one of her holsters, checking her knives for a moment as she rushed out,
throwing back her ponytail as she met Garrus out of the door, the two of them
rushing out of their apartment and toward their called hovercar.
"This is Captain Kiritus. I need any Special Response officers to respond!"
"This is SR Staff Lieutenant Shepard, Zakera Ward. I'm en route with Officer
Zakarian. What am I looking for?"
"Shepard, thank goodness. You're looking for a black and yellow skycar. There's
two armed men inside, along with one hostage, an Asari named Filera. I need you
to get her out of the car, and get those goons out of my sky."
"Yes, sir!"
She set her alarm off, racing the skycar as quickly as she could through the
airs of the Citadel, seeing the speeding car, her target, as they neared the
border of Zakera and Kithoi. Garrus steered the car into position, and as the
car raced passed, she pushed her door open, and aimed her sniper at the back fo
the cab. Trigger down, the bullets flew, sending the car reeling. Garrus sped
off as Shepard hung out of the door, aiming for the shuttle as she attempted to
ground it safety. Another shot, a scream from within the car. She hissed and
aimed again, watching the buildings around her for a moment.
A shot rang out and the car careened toward an empty platform, landing roughly
before hitting a sign. Garrus shouted for assistance to secure the area as she
jumped out, securing her sniper and pulling out her pistol, approaching the
down skycar gun raised.
"C-Sec! Open the doors and step out of the car now!"
The door busted open as the Asari stumbled out, grabbed by one of the human
men, slamming a gun into the back of her head. The other man, a turian, stepped
out, pointing his gun at her.
"We stepped out. Now, gun down or her brains are hitting your pretty shoes."
the turian growled, "Now!"
Shepard held her form, looking to the trembling asari and to her assailants.
They wouldn't cooperate, or negotiate. She lowered her gun, earning a cruel
chuckle from the human man.
"Smart girl. Now, give us your toy gun, and we'll be leaving kindly."
"Sorry, sweetie," Shepard bitterly hissed at him, the broken pieces of the
platform glowing softly, "but that's not happening."
She snapped her arms out and back into her body as the pieces flew, the asari
sending up a barrier around her as the man tried to fire his gun, only hitting
a barrier as it ricocheted off and hit his shoulder, the flying shards of metal
hitting the turian and man, sending them screaming to the ground. Filera rushed
to her as backup arrived, holding onto her shirt. Setting her safety back on,
she tried her best to soothe the weeping asari as fellow officers came to
collect the groaning bodies of the men, Garrus coming up quickly alongside
Kiritus.
"Are you alright?" Garrus demanded, as Kiritus slowed his pace.
Shepard panted softly, looking to Filera as she stopped her sobbing, brushing
her tears away as she stepped out of the girl's embrace. Shepard brushed some
of her tears away, happy to see her unharmed.
"I'm alright, and so is Filera. Did I nick you when I was shooting at the car,
ma'am?"
Filera shooked her head. "No. Y-you were close that one time, but no."
"Hell of a show, Shepard," Kiritus commented, looking to Filera, "I'm glad
you're safe, Ms. T'Hera. We hadn't expected hired arms to find you."
"At least you have good people to help me after my kidnapping, Mr. Hartaeus.
Thank you so much."
Shepard nodded, happy to help. "Of course, Ms. T'Hera."
===============================================================================
It took nearly two years for Shepard to move through the ranks of C-Sec,
joining the Special Response Division, as well as keeping a hand in the
Investigations. Garrus joined in earlier then her, by almost five months, but
she didn't care. They were 'partners' on the force, more in the professional
sense then their real relationship outside of work.
Back at her division, she stretched in their large break room. She glanced at
her omni tool as it flashed, notifying her of a transfer of credits to her
account. A bonus in aiding in the recovery of Filera T'Hera, a prominent
merchant as well as a powerful figure in the omni toll business. Men who
considered her a threat for possibly taking backroom money had targeted her
falsely, as it was later found out her assistant was stealing from her, a
salarian named Fedor. She glanced at her calendar.
March 14th, 2176. It didn't feel like she had spent so long here on the
Citadel, but it was the truth.
And it made her smile.
Grabbing a bottle of water, she left the station with little fanfare, deciding
to walk home instead, diving into a store to pick up additional meals for
Garrus, her, and Bailey. Walking with a steady gait, and a formidable aura, she
moved through the station confidently. People smiled and nodded toward her,
recognizing her. It didn't take long to return to her home, though the
elevators being packed in tight wasn't a fun experience. The door opened to the
sight of Bailey flopping on the couch, exhausted. She set down a bottle before
him, as well as a meal.
"I brought home food." she called out.
Garrus came out a few moments later, toweling off water from his body, a towel
wrapped around his waist. She smiled gently at his arrival, kissing a mandible
as he gently nuzzled her face, taking the offered meal in one hand.
"You didn't need to, Shepard." Bailey told her, sitting up to look at the meal,
"and this fancy, damn. What spurred this on?"
She grinned. "Bonus."
Bailey grinned back, raising his glass to her. "Love you, sweetie."
"You're welcome, Dad. Now, eat up. I also brought home sweets."
Garrus chuckled, "You only just got paid, Katherine..."
"Relax, relax. I got enough. You got a bonus too, right?"
"Of course."
Shepard stepped around him, throwing her meal into the microwave, smiling at
her two men before relaxing against the counter, waiting for her meal to heat
up slowly. Garrus and Bailey always ate the cold meals, and watched them dig in
as they turned on their screen, settling into the couch, leaving a spot on the
separate couch for her. She hopped over and settled in with her meal as the
Alliance symbol flashed on screen, the large font spelling 'URGENT NEWS' making
her sit up.
"This is an emergency broadcast to all subscribers to the Systems Alliance
Newsnet and humans of the Systems Alliance. Reports are coming in that the
colony of Elysium has been attacked by a coordinated band of mercenaries and
pirates in what many are calling the worst assault on local colonies following
the raids on Mindoir. Alliance ships are in bound but the planet is now in
lockdown, surrounded by enemy forces determined to take the planet for
themselves.
"This channel will be updated as soon as soon as we get more information. If
you believe in such things, pray for the lives on Elysium, and their survival
of this horrible attack."
"Dear god..." Bailey whispered, watching the images coming in. Shepard
shuddered, knowing what those people were going through then. This was a
horrible tragedy for humanity, another colony hit.
The channel faded away once again, leaving the nightly news reel to run. It was
silent in the apartment until Shepard broke the silence.
"To Elysium."
Bailey raised his cup. "To Elysium."
Garrus lifted his cup as well, giving a nod to the human's colony. "To
Elysium."
***** A step toward a new door *****
Chapter Notes
     I'm so sorry this chapter is shorter then normal but I've been
     hitting a roadblock in just how long I want to make this next part.
     It's going to be long and have just so many elements, it overwhelmed
     me a little. So, have this special update.
     Because we about to start the chapters with the good shit :3c
It was the gentlest of shifts in the way the air smelled that alerted her that
Garrus was close. She smiled gently, knowingly, and set down her now finished
paperwork as his talons touched her shoulder, spinning her in her chair until
somewhat softish plates connected with her lips. She happily kissed him,
humming softly as she drew away, caressing a mandible with a fingertip, earning
a happy purr from him.
"Come to steal me away from my office?"
"If I could. You've been working nonstop for the last few days."
"With reason," she defended, just the tad bit reserved, "I like to work."
"You hate paperwork, don't you? Especially if it keeps you here."
She was at a loss for a moment, clearing her throat for a moment before shaking
her head. He was worried about her and for good reason. She had been working as
much as possible, completely consumed by her work seemingly. She hid the reason
for such a passionate streak of work well, but she knew she was worrying her
family, and her boyfriend. She sighed softly, gently touching his mouth plates,
her eyes downcast. The hauntings of her past made it difficult to do anything
recently, and she only knew a few ways to drown out the pain in her mind, the
horrifying ache in her body as memories played back on her skin.
"They're coming back." Her voice was a whisper, but she knew he would pick up
on it, on the warbling of her weak voice. "I don't want to think."
"Katherine..."
"It helps. It really does. There hasn't been much happening for Special
Response agents to be used. So I'm filing orders, helping get captains around
the ward their orders, things like that. It's keeping my mind busy. I don't
need to think when I'm working like this."
Garrus wasn't budging to her half-baked attempt to explain why she was drowning
herself in paperwork. She rested her head on her desk for a moment before
Garrus took her up onto her feet, nuzzling her head gently, pressing his lip
plates to her forehead.
"Come on. Let's go home. I'll help you."
She couldn't find her voice to say thank you, simply nodding mutely before
letting him lead her away. She didn't have the heart to look to her colleagues,
who smiled in pity and understanding. They probably gave Garrus the news that
she had been always there in her office, working, filing, doing anything to
stop her thoughts from coming alive. Even with Garrus right there, his hands
just skirting over her skin, she couldn't stop her thoughts from opening up
wide like a thresher maw. She had found a way to hide her emotions when she had
flashbacks, cover herself if she started having an attack during he middle of
the day. She was stone when they hit her, quietly sinking in the seat of the
skycar as Garrus took her home.
The apartment was open as she let herself in, beginning to unclip her belt
before his hands met hers.
"Let me."
Her hands moved slowly as he undid the buckle and set the heavy utility belt on
the table, pistol and all. Her limbs were heavier then steel as she moved,
taking a single step before turning and burying her face into Garrus' carapace,
her tears falling from their perches. His hands didn't hesitate to hold her
close, his subharmonics trying to tell her it would be alright even as she
shook in what he could almost call terror. It had been a long time since the
last big breakdown, at least a few months, and it was always hard to watch her
suffer from the past.
"I hate this," she sobbed, her voice shuddering, "I hate it so much."
He gently ran his hands through her fingers, vocalizing for her so she could
find some peace in the rumble of his subvocals. Even now, as a grown woman and
decorated C-Sec officer, she was a child stuck in the bloody cages, touched and
violated by her master. She would never be free of the pain, as much as he
wished he could help her better. Her fingers dug into his sides, clinging to
him as the worst of the pain and emotions flowed.
"Make the pain go away."
"I will."
He knew they had the apartment to themselves for the day because Bailey was
temporarily transferred to another ward due to the lack of coverage, so they
would have no issue doing whatever anywhere in the apartment, however he knew
privacy was sacred so they moved into their bedroom.
She curled up into him as they rest in their bed, silently watching vids
together to get her mind off of the storm raging within. It allowed for some
relief, but the imprinted pain continued to burn in her chest, a constant mark
burning into her without remorse. Eventually she twisted around in his arms and
rested her cheek against his carapace, pausing there. Garrus adjusted for her,
his hand carefully holding her at the small of her back.
"Not helping much?"
She shook her head, looking up at him with pathetic eyes she couldn't stop. She
was a grown woman, or at least the very beginnings of one, and she couldn't
even get passed something like this. The world around her, the past she clung
to, told her she had to be stronger, and she could barely do anything anymore
without her memories haunting her. The vid turned off with a tap of his talon,
drawing her close. He could easily see she was thinking, brow knitting together
for a moment.
"Garrus?"
"Hm?"
She moved herself once again, pulling herself against him, almost moving up to
meet him face to face.
"I think I know how to make it stop hurting for now."
He was patient, nodding so she could explain what she hoped would be the answer
to stopping her pain. She leaned in and kissed him softly, moving as she closed
her eyes, watching his shut until she rested in his lap, draped across his
chest, gently holding onto one side of his face. His hand hesitated to hold her
waist, questioning what she was doing until it hit him.
Was she trying to convince herself to go another step?
"I want you to show me..."
He almost lost his breath then, staring into weak and fierce eyes as she shook
off her fear, the years of abuse clinging to her. She knew she wouldn't ever be
able to stop the pain, but she could find ways to accept it and grow off of it
instead of letting it hurt her. She had been scarred for life, but she couldn't
let it change her completely. She wanted to live and continue to explore. She
wanted to start healing and making new memories.
"I think I can do it now."
"Are you sure?" he asked, moving falling tendrils of her hair out of her face,
"I don't want to hurt you, and I don't want you to force yourself to do this."
She nods again, taking a deep breath. She was about to take a leap she had been
fearing for a long time and she had no idea what awaited on the other side. It
was a leap of faith she knew would be taken eventually. She didn't fear it
entirely, however, because he was there for her. He would catch her and help
her up if this jump failed. He would be there to catch her if it succeeded. He
would always be there for her.
"I want to try."
"Alright, but don't hesitate to tell me if I'm crossing a line or if you're
uncomfortable or in pain, okay?"
"I'll let you know."
Her smile seemed to melt his fears, smiling back at her as he rested his other
hand on her waist. She was going to try this now, so she could beat the demons
whispering in her ear that she would be nothing but a batarian's sex toy for
the rest of her life. She had a semblance of what sex should actually be, but
it was weak and it made her feel like she was sixteen again and asking her mom
about it. She didn't know if Garrus had the same dilemma.
"W-what should we do first?" she sheepishly asked, making Garrus laugh softly
before sitting them both up.
"Getting out of our clothes should be first."
Undressing and baring her scars for him to see. She nervously looked to her
hands and then to him, begging with her eyes for him to go first. The look was
all he needed before he gently moved her so he could undo the fasteners of his
tunic. She marveled at the array of silver plates revealed, curious as to how
he was shaped. Turians were made up of hard plates and hard muscles, a trait
gained to protect themselves from Palaven's radiation issue. A ridge ran up his
chest vertically, marking where his carapace began. It ended eventually to the
opening in his cowl that wrapped around his neck. Hard corded muscle hid under
impressive but thin plates along his shoulders, his arms covered in the same
dusty silver plates that revealed his unguarded light brown skin.
"Enjoying the show?"
His voice drew her eyes to his face, blushing softly as he hands reached out to
touch. He peeled away the rest of his tunic and set it aside, watching her
hands touch and move across his carapace, tracing the sharp plates up his
chest. There was no need to rush, or quickly get into the heat of things. This
was a moment of exploration and new leaps, and he would give her as much time
as she needed to get comfortable and ready.
It was a night of explorations for both of them.
"You're a lot thinner then I thought. Maybe you should stay out of your armor
more often."
"It's a uniform, for your information." Garrus corrected, watching her fingers
move to his cowl.
"It's armor."
Garrus chuckled softly, "If you say so, Katherine."
He went silent as her fingers traced up his cowl, skipping over parts before
dipping down to his neck. She traced a line of muscles up his neck, earning a
soft purr as she explored and traced his neck. She giggled softly, drawing his
eyes just before they had closed in comfort.
"Looks like a bird, purrs like a cat."
He arched a brow plate. "I'm assuming that's a good thing?"
She paused her fingers, resting them on both sides of his neck before gently
kissing his lips. "It's amusing and good. I'll explain what a cat is later."
"What is it with humans comparing us to animals? Are we that close to animals
you're used to?"
Shepard hummed curiously for a moment. "Well you have some traits we recognize
in animals. Your carapace, your mandibles, and your fringe are good examples."
"Interesting," Garrus murmured.
She chuckled softly, moving her hands again and gently moving across his skin
and muscles. Her fingers move toward the back of his head, the place cloaked in
the shadow of his fringe. She could feel Garrus stiffen for a moment, his
mandibles moving for a moment in an odd fashion. She was curious by the skip in
his calm and continued to see what she had found. Her fingers ghosted over
softer skin then she had felt before, and gently pressed her fingertips against
it.
The reaction is near instantaneous. Garrus makes a thrill noise before groaning
softly. The softest of blue started to roll through his neck. She drew her
fingers away, concerned of what she had just touched, but Garrus' hands grabbed
her wrists gently before she could withdraw completely in fear.
"I-It's okay. That's one of our most sensitive spots. It's, ah, rather nice to
feel."
"Oh." she paused, surprised that it was something of an erogenous zone. She
blushed after a moment. "So it felt good?"
"Yeah, yeah, of course."
She smiled proudly. "Okay so I'll remember that for later."
"Don't abuse it." he softly growled, making her gap for a moment before
smirking and leaning in to his face, her fingers teasing the skin just around
the soft hide under his fringe.
"What will you do if I do?"
He grinned, flashing his teeth as he did. "Punishment will come when I think
you can take it."
She smiled softly, warm enough to break the teasing air and make him pause just
to watch her light up in happiness. She poked his nose, sitting up so she was
above him, straddling him.
"So I get off without punishment, then."
"For now," he murmured, his subvocals making it come out deeper then normal,
"It's just you and me and a hopefully glorious night of figuring eachother's
alien bodies out."
She laughed again, gently kissing the side of his face, his mandible fluttering
out to meet her gentle lips.
"We're going to mess up a lot, I think."
"Interspecies awkwardness thing, then? Nothing amazing and romantic like old
human novels?"
She made a confused face. "Since when do you read old human literature?"
He smirked, "I don't. I just know from a lot of gossiping asari that your
people had a huge tendency to make a first time look like a porn vid."
"I don't think we'll get anywhere close to stuff like that tonight, Garrus."
"That's a relief." he sighed, making Shepard laugh again before she silenced
his chuckle with her lips, her hands travelling once again.
Moving down his chest, and moving back up, pausing at the opening of his
carapace. Her warm hands moving across him brought out another gentle purr, a
reumble through his chest that he hoped she could feel. Her smile gave him his
answer. She looked up at him with half-lidded eyes.
"I.. think it's about time we moved a little lower."
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