Spectre Bk. 02 Ch. 13

A/N - Australian / British standard English. There is a good chance of reading the following: lots of profanity, characters drinking, typos, and bad grammar at times.

Proofreading and editing suggestions provided by OhDave1. Any mistakes are still mine.

Comments are appreciated as always.

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Shepard is diverted to Tuchanka to deal with personal issues.

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Waking up with a body pressed against me wasn't unusual. And to be honest, feeling a second body to my other side was growing more and more usual as time passed by. The only unusual thing about this current morning was the fact that Tali was snuggled to one side, still in her suit, and Kasumi was next to me... And she was naked.

It had all started when Kelly walked into the cabin a couple of nights earlier, sitting down next to me on the couch. She made sure that I was facing her before she said, "We need to talk, Shepard. And before you worry, I'm not ending things or anything that stupid. Trust me, I'm not giving you up."

"Okay, but I can only guess that you've got something on your mind."

"I've been selfish, Shepard. Incredibly selfish. I'm up here most nights and I know there are women below us who would love to share time with you in private. Jack... Jack needs you, Shepard. She's a strong girl, and you've helped with her past, but she still needs your strength. I know you haven't made love with Miranda, but I hope you will soon. The night that you finally succumb, I think it'll change her life. Georgia adores you, Shepard. And I know she'd love to be up here more often. Tali just loves you. Kasumi... She's a little quiet about it, but I don't miss how she looks at you. Amelie is interested in some intimacy. I think she's intrigued to see if rumour matches reality. Triss wants something fun and physical. I don't think she'll be expecting romance. Leliana... I can only guess at the moment since she's new to the ship, but there is no doubt an attraction is already there."

"And what about you, Kelly? Where do you fit in all of this?"

"I love you. I love spending time with you. I love working beside you. I'm not expecting us to fall in love. I know who you really belong to."

"You're not being fair to yourself, Kelly. I wouldn't spend nearly every night with you if I didn't love you in return."

That made her smile. "There are a lot of women and asari that love you, Shepard. The fact you can feel the same level of love for all of us is a wonderful thing. But I can admit that I'm selfish being up here nearly every night. From now on, I'm going to make sure that other girls get their chance to spend a night up here. And I know it won't just be about sex. I know you'll just want to spend time with women and asari that you enjoy being with, that you respect, but that you also find attractive."

"You'll stay tonight?"

"I plan on walking into the mess tomorrow morning limping from how hard you fuck me tonight, Shepard."

Kelly kept her word about one thing. The next night, I was relaxing in the cabin by myself as I did appreciate the time that I could spend alone. There was a vidscreen on which I could watch the news, and I was still catching up on all the things that I'd missed for two years. Jack didn't knock or have EDI announce her, she just strolled in with a smile and didn't waste time straddling my lap.

"Kelly sat us all down and told us what she told you," she explained, "She said it's up to us about how it'll work. Sometimes, it'll be first here is the winner unless we don't mind a threesome. Other times, we'll have to discuss it, particularly if one of us has a bad day or something."

"Did you get here first?"

Jack laughed before kissing me softly. "Hell no. I told them bluntly that you're mine tonight and I'll fight anyone who tries to get here before me."

"And what do you want tonight, Jack?" I asked softly. That's when she blushed and turned her head away. I gently placed a hand on her cheek and made sure she was looking at me. "Be honest with me. What do you want tonight?"

"Cuddles..."

"We can do cuddles. Anything else?"

"A repeat of our first night. Gentle... You made me feel so... I've never felt anything like it, Shepard. I want to feel it again."

When I woke up early like usual the next morning, Jack was snuggled against me, and it was in those moments that she felt and looked so tiny in comparison to many of the women on the ship. She was still quite slim though I knew she did exercise every day. She was incredibly fit. Although I could have gotten up, I rolled onto my side and gently pulled her a little closer. She murmured something as I gently stroked her back. Although I didn't go back to sleep, I was happy to lie with her for hours. I knew she would love it when waking up and realising that I was still there with her.

Tali and Kasumi arrived together the next evening. I was immediately wondering how it was going to work. I knew the pair had grown very close rather quickly. Tali was unseen due to her suit, and Kasumi was already known on the ship for rarely if ever showing her face. The only other person similar to them on the ship was Leliana. She'd often wander around in her cloak and hood. When I asked about it, she said it was natural due to how she had lived her life.

Once they were sitting to either side of me, Kasumi explained that she wasn't there to have sex. She didn't want to do that in front of Tali, and she wasn't ready for that sort of relationship with me anyway. Tali then made us chuckle by suggesting that Kasumi did eventually want to have sex. As for Tali, she was talking to Mordin and Karin about a physical relationship and was even contemplating making changes to her suit. If she couldn't get naked, she was hoping to get a part of her body exposed so we could have fun together.

To my amusement, they still wanted me naked, and although Kasumi wasn't ready to have sex, she was very ready to get naked with me. She had a wonderfully tight little body on her. Her breasts were not particularly large though were incredibly perky. And she was one of the few women that I'd been with who still retained pubic hair, a well-trimmed triangle of black hair above her pussy. To be honest, I admitted that it was incredibly arousing. It looked good against her pale skin.

When we ended up in bed together, we kept things calm. Tali just enjoyed cuddling with me. Feeling Kasumi's warm, naked body against me aroused me even further. They both noticed my erection and that's when Kasumi did spring a surprise.

"Tali would love to do something for you, Shepard," she said softly, "She knows that doing anything for her is impossible right now. She's thought about how it could be possible, but she wants to wait until she can feel skin against skin."

"I've read about handjobs, Shepard," Tali added, "Would you like one?"

"Lube," I replied, "Just make sure you use lube."

And that's how I ended up lying back with an arm around Kasumi, her fingers caressing my chest, while Tali was kneeling between my legs, applying lube to my cock before she started to give her very first handjob. She was incredibly nervous at first though when she had it all figured out, she was having the time of her life. And I made sure to moan when it felt good to let her know that I was enjoying it.

"This is so hot," Kasumi whispered, "The innocent little quarian giving her human love interest a handjob. And I bet she just loves your big dick."

"Definitely going to figure out how to get naked, even if it's only my pussy. I really want to make love now!" Tali exclaimed with a chuckle.

While Tali was stroking me, I talked dirty to her in return, and I knew it was arousing her something fierce. I told her that I wanted her in the same position on her knees though with me standing as she pleasured me with her mouth. That I would lie her back, spread her legs wide, and return the favour by eating her sweet little pussy for hours. And when it came to making love, I would be ever so gentle for our first few times though eventually get her used to being fucked nice and hard. And when it came to her arse, I was going to take that as well.

I could hear the arousal in her voice when she asked if I was close. I assured her that I was doing all I could to hold my orgasm back, but if she wanted me to cum, I would. When I asked where, she rather excitedly asked me if I would be willing to cum on her.

"Totally hot," Kasumi stated next to me, "Your cum on her black suit would look really naughty."

We repositioned so Tali was lying back and I was stroking myself. I glanced at Kasumi as she spread her legs to give me a wonderful view of her glistening pussy. When she started to fondle herself, that was pretty much it. I glanced back at Tali to see her glowing eyes behind the purple glass. I warned her when I was about to cum, aiming my cock so each streak of cum would be visible on her suit.

"Holy shit!" Kasumi exclaimed, "You cum so much, Shepard!"

Tali giggled as I chuckled at the same time. "Kelly usually tells me that it's still leaking out of her when standing at her terminal the next morning after we make love."

I then had the pleasure of sitting back and watching Kasumi masturbate as she couldn't hold back any longer. I would have offered to go down on her, but I knew she wasn't ready for that yet. Tali keyed her omni-tool and quickly did the same thing. Both were soon moaning softly and nearly orgasmed at the same time. Neither wanted only the one, ending up lying between them as I heard them whimper and moan as they enjoyed themselves. I did clean up Tali's suit although she told me that she didn't really mind. As for Kasumi, we shared a soft kiss and her eyes spoke volumes. She was crushing on me hard, but something was holding her back. I'd let her divulge what it was when she was comfortable.

Waking up the next morning with them cuddled against me, what had me up and out of bed rather quickly was EDI telling me that something was up with Grunt. Kasumi and Tali woke up enough to suggest that I be careful when dealing with the krogan. I got dressed and grabbed my sidearm before heading downstairs. I found Grunt in his quarters. He'd destroyed nearly everything, and he was pacing, his body language one of... Well, he was rather placid most of the time, to be completely honest. The anger only came when we were in the middle of a fight.

He knew something was up though and asked if it was possible to take him to Tuchanka as soon as possible. He knew that Urdnot Wrex was a friend of mine and hoped that he might have answers. Considering that I didn't particularly want Grunt destroying the ship and possibly trying to fight all of us, I wasn't particularly happy about having to divert from Omega, but I agreed that we'd head there immediately.

As I made my way upstairs, I asked if EDI had any ideas, but she admitted to lacking any real details about krogan medical records. I wandered in to see Mordin and ask if he had any ideas. He flatly refused to do any checks on Grunt, thinking the krogan would sooner kill him than allow Mordin to check him over. I was going to suggest Karin, but I think Mordin would have considered that an even stupider idea.

"Actually, Shepard. If heading to Tuchanka, two birds, one stone. Received disturbing report. One of my proteges, Maelon, has apparently been captured and is being held prisoner. Was going to alert STG as this could be a security risk considering work on genophage."

"Want to see if the rumours are true?"

"Yes. My only concern is that as a salarian... I do have contacts on Tuchanka, but I'm not entirely sure..."

"Urdnot Wrex is a friend. If you're there with me, you'll be fine."

Miranda was at her desk when I walked into her quarters. She seemed to realise that I was much later than I usually was. I explained what was going on and that we were now heading straight to Tuchanka. I explained the issue with Grunt and that I wanted him sorted out immediately. I also added the news about Mordin and that we'd at least investigate the rumour. If it was true, we'd help him sort it out.

"It'll be a little while until we get there," I suggested, "A little annoying as I would have liked to get to Omega and recruit this last person."

"How will you deal with the turian patrol fleets?" she asked, "Krogan space is demilitarised."

"I'll invoke my Spectre status. If I have to bullshit them, I will."

She stood up and motioned for me to follow her over to the couch. It was still half an hour or so before breakfast would be served in the mess. She sat close to my side, placing her bare legs over mine and I made her smile again as my fingers were immediately stroking the smooth flesh on offer.

"How was your night with Jack?" she asked lightly. I gave her a look that had her chuckling. "Just curious, Shepard. I'm still a little surprised that Kelly was willing to give up so much of her time with you. You ruin her pussy or something?"

"It was a bombshell, but it was her decision only. As for Jack... You must know that she feels safe with me. And I make her feel special."

"Good. I'm glad." That had me slowly turning to meet her eyes. She chuckled at my reaction. "I won't say that we talk or anything, but I have been out to the lounge once or twice and she's been present. She doesn't exactly stare at me with hatred any longer. It's mostly just indifference. I can handle that."

"Probably helps that you've seen each other naked."

"She did have a tight little body on her."

"Ah... You liked it?"

"I can appreciate the female form... And she complimented me too, which I did like."

"Well, as I've said more than once, you have an absolutely cracking body, Miranda. But that's not the only wonderful thing about you."

She quickly straddled my lap, and my hands moved up her thighs underneath the skirt she was wearing, smiling to myself as I knew she wasn't wearing any panties. She kissed me softly as there was no missing the tent that quickly appeared in my trousers, feeling her press down on it, moaning softly into my mouth as we continued to make out.

Her blouse ended up on the floor along with her bra as I got my mouth busy working on her breasts. I licked and sucked at her nipples, feeling her fingers caress the back of my head as she moaned softly and released more than one whimper. Her skirt was ripped off and she smiled down at me as she was now naked on my lap. I pulled back enough so our mouths could meet again, my fingers moving down her back towards her arse, giving each firm cheek a good squeeze, Miranda continuing to grind on the tent in my trousers.

"I fucking love it when you tease me," she whispered, her forehead resting against mine.

I made her squeal when I moved one hand to her front and she felt them near her pussy. She lifted herself up just enough so I could slide a couple of fingers inside her. She rode them slowly as we continued to make out, and what had me smiling was that she couldn't stop smiling. I think we both knew that we'd finally bite the bullet and make love sooner rather than later. But I enjoyed the constant flirting and teasing.

When we walked out of her quarters a little later, Miranda's cheeks were definitely glowing as I led her towards the breakfast bar. When we sat down, side by side, it didn't take long until there were one or two comments about the look on her face. Jack was the first to comment. To the surprise of nearly everyone, all Miranda did was look her way and smile.

I kept myself busy during the journey to Tuchanka. Keeping busy meant keeping Grunt busy and his mind occupied. Garrus did earn a few chuckles when suggesting that we just take him to Omega and get him laid. Even Grunt seemed to realise it was something more than that. He was fully grown though I had taken a guess and figured he was going through puberty.

Aware that having a restless krogan on the ship growing ever more agitated with each passing hour, Joker got us to the Aralakh system by the early evening of the same day. I made sure that we were not flying silent. As soon as we saw Tuchanka in the distance, we were immediately hailed by at least three turian vessels. Recognising that we were a Cerberus craft, it's fair to say that they were hostile.

"Guess I should let them know that a Spectre is on board, eh?" I suggested as Joker had brought the ship to a halt as the three turian ships had us locked and I knew wouldn't hesitate in opening fire.

"They do have communication channels open, Commander," he replied, "I guess they're waiting to hear from us."

"Very well. Open it up and I'll let them know the deal."

"You're on, Commander. The dreadnought ahead has taken point. It's the Indomitable."

"TSV Idomitable, this is Commander Shepard. Council Spectre. Commanding Officer of the Normandy. I have an urgent priority mission to Tuchanka."

"CSV Normandy, this is TSV Indomitable. You are speaking to Captain Aurelias. We have not been notified by the Council of any missions to Tuchanka. However, we recognise as you are a Council Spectre that we may not have been notified. Where is your intended landing zone?"

"We will be landing in the area where Clan Urdnot is based. Our intention is to shuttle to and from the surface."

"CSV Normandy, you are clear to proceed. One request. Please contact us before you leave the surface. Shipping from Tuchanka is heavily restricted and we would prefer to avoid an incident."

"I will reach out on this channel before we leave the surface. Normandy out."

Once I knew the line was cut, I had Joker take us into the orbit of Tuchanka. Heading down to the shuttle, I hadn't planned on taking everyone with me. Naturally, I would take Grunt and Mordin as we would be dealing with their issues. I would take Garrus and Tali as Wrex was an old friend. Despite their relationship which sometimes turned frosty when discussing the past, I knew Garrus and Wrex shared a bond of deep respect. Miranda asked if she could come along as she was simply curious to meet the big krogan as she had read most of my mission reports.

No one else particularly wanted to visit Tuchanka as the reputation of the planet was that of an irradiated hell hole. It had been entirely destroyed during the krogan rebellions. I'd done a little reading during our journey, and I was left thinking that we were going to land and walk out into a scene reminiscent of Tokyo or Nagasaki after the bombs were dropped in the middle of the twentieth.

The shuttle ride towards the surface had nearly all of us gasping at the sheer devastation. Nothing but ruins for miles and miles. There was also no colour. It was as if not a single thing lived on the surface of the planet except krogan and whatever had managed to survive, I was certain it could probably kill us.

Thankfully, there was a hatch open that allowed us to land in an underground bunker. It's pretty much where the krogan lived as it was almost impossible even for krogan to live on the surface. The greeting we received wasn't particularly friendly. When eyes fell upon Mordin, I was nearly reaching for my weapon as the few krogan were immediately menacing.

But they calmed enough to allow us passage, instructing us to speak to their clan chief. As we walked along, Grunt was left distinctly unimpressed by what we saw. It was obvious that his memories had been implanted while he was in the glass tank. I could see Wrex sitting upon a stone throne, looking rather bored as another krogan stood before him. A trio of guards saw us approaching and raised a hand for us to halt.

Then his eyes met mine and if you've ever seen a happy krogan, you know it's a good thing.

"Shepard!" he called out, rising quickly from his throne and pushing the other krogan out of the way.

"Wrex!" I called out in return, the guards standing aside.

"Shepard! My friend!" he stated, gripping my forearm as I gripped his. He looked me up and down and barked a laugh. "You look good for a dead man, Shepard. I should have known that the void couldn't hold you."

"You look like you're doing rather well for yourself too, Wrex. Clan Chief, I hear?"

"It was everything that we did together that helped the rise of Clan Urdnot become possible. And it's what happened on Virmire that changed the course of the krogan. Saren's genophage was nothing but a tool to manipulate us. Destroying it was right. But it was also the thing that helped me unite my clan and start the cause to unite the krogan as a whole."

He walked back to his throne and gestured to some stone piles nearby where we could sit. We spent a half an hour or so catching up. He knew that I'd died though not about losing my old ship. He was actually saddened to hear about the old Normandy though I showed him the specs of my new ship. He immediately approved. We discussed his plans for the krogan. Although he would unite through force if necessary, he was trying his hand at diplomacy. It worked... sometimes...

Wrex had plans and the major one was to grow krogan numbers. Not all krogan females were fertile, and even the fertile females might not give birth to large clutches of babies. He explained that the female clans had proposed the idea to ally with Clan Urdnot. They would be safe when it came to breeding.

There was no love involved. That ended long ago. It was now about the survival of the species. The only thing that mattered was pregnancy.

"Although I'm glad you're here, Shepard, I know that you'd only be here if there was something you need. You are my friend, and you will always be welcome, but no one comes to Tuchanka without a reason."

"I've got two reasons that I'm here. I've already noticed some of your guards looking at Mordin here..."

That made Wrex laugh. "You should be glad that he hasn't already been shot, Shepard. But he's with you, and I may have let slip over the past couple of years that Commander Shepard is not someone to be messed with. You are krantt. Anyway, what does Mordin want?"

"We're looking for another salarian. Goes by the name of Maelon. Apparently been kidnapped by the Blood Pack and brought here."

"I haven't received any information about that. Speak to one of my scouts. They might have seen something they might have written down. But a salarian in the company of the Blood Pack won't really matter to any of us. Probably just assume they were going to... have fun with him..."

"That'll work. We'll go speak to him. The second thing is... Well, Grunt here. He's a krogan and I'm not sure if he's sick, if he's going through puberty, or if we just need to get him laid."

Grunt stepped forward and Wrex eyed him carefully. "Where are you from, whelp? Was your clan destroyed before you could learn what is expected of you?"

"I have no clan. I was tank-bred by Warlord Okeer, my lines distilled from Kredak, Moro, Shiagur..."

The krogan that Wrex had been talking to stepped in and glared at Grunt. "You recite warlords, but you are the offspring of a syringe!" the other krogan bellowed.

Grunt glared menacingly at the krogan. "I am pure krogan. You should be in awe."

Wrex leaned forward on his throne, and I noticed the look in his eyes. "Okeer is a very old name. A very hated name," Wrex warned.

"He is dead," Grunt stated simply.

That made Wrex laugh, before he stood up and clapped me on the shoulder that nearly sent me flying. "Of course he's dead. You're with Shepard and very few people survive encounters with him."

"Okay, that's all well and good, but what's wrong with him?" I had to ask.

"Nothing. He's just becoming a full adult."

"I told you! Let's just take him to Omega," Garrus stated.

Wrex looked at Garrus and chuckled. "I'll be honest, turian. Some of these krogan could do with a dose of turian bravery. But as for Omega... Maybe after the Rite of Passage. All krogan undergo it to become part of a clan."

That's when the other krogan stepped in and I thought things were about to get ugly. Thankfully, the other krogan glared at Wrex, glared at Grunt then glared at me before he walked off, muttering under his breath.

"Better watch him," Miranda suggested quietly behind me, "I think he's not liking everything Wrex is doing."

Thankfully, Grunt was keen to undergo the Rite of Passage and Wrex suggested we get that out of the way first before we dealt with Mordin's protégé. He instructed us to speak with the clan shaman who would help us get everything organised. We found the shaman nearby and the krogan that had been around us earlier was there trying to prevent the right of passage.

"You go beyond yourself, Gatagog Uvenk! The rites of Urdnot are dominant!" the shaman stated. Uvenk tried to argue his case, but the shaman wasn't interested in his words. Instead, he approached Grunt, peered at him closely. Sniffed a couple of times. "This is the tank-bred? It is very lifelike. Smells correct as well. Your protests ring hollow, Uvenk."

"In other words, Uvenk, fuck off," I stated, "We stand with Grunt and Clan Urdnot. Point us at the enemy and it will die."

The shaman laughed and suggested that the aliens knew what it meant to be krogan. "Aliens don't know strength!" Uvenk stated, "My followers are true krogan. Everything about Grunt is a lie!"

I'd seen Wrex do something earlier, so I did the same. I stepped forward and headbutted Uvenk. It hurt like hell, and I knew that I'd have a stonking great headache later. But I stood still and glared at Uvenk as I heard a couple of chuckles behind me. Uvenk didn't know what to say while the shaman was impressed and said that Grunt had the right to undergo the test.

We were escorted to the traditional grounds of the rite in a vehicle with the shaman explaining vaguely what we would face. We were told that we had to activate a 'keystone' and that Grunt would face three trials. Considering he was krogan and we were on Tuchanka, naturally the keystone was going to bring things towards us that we had to fight and kill.

"What you get us to do sometimes, Shepard," Miranda muttered as we entered what looked like an arena.

"Hey, if we survive this, it's a good excuse to go back to Omega anyway. Might as well get him laid as well."

"You just want to see the pretty asari dancers," she teased.

I glanced at her and retorted, "I think you wouldn't mind seeing them as well."

"Hell yes. I know how much you love asari, Shepard. Trust me on this, I'm not blind to how beautiful they are. And I respect the fact they are so sexually liberated. We're not so bad nowadays. I find the turians incredibly prudish."

"Hey!" Garrus shouted before immediately falling silent, "Well, I guess a lot of us are still... What did Wrex say once? I have a massive stick up my arse. I like to think that I'm a little more relaxed nowadays."

We made last checks of armour and weapons before Grunt activated the first keystone.

First, the krogan conquered Tuchanka... and mastered a natural world only we are fit to hold.

As we broke into cover, it was amusing to see corpses around us. Some looked like they had been through similar trials and failed. Others were mere skeletons, suggesting they had died long ago. The first trial was varren. Many might laugh at the idea, but packs of varren could be as dangerous as any enemy a soldier might face. They are vicious little fuckers, and if they did gain an upper hand...

They didn't. Miranda kept them at bay with biotics. Garrus and I linked with assault rifles, while Tali's shotgun certainly sang its song. As for Grunt, it was his trial, and we let him take the lead. And his shotgun must have run hot.

Once we'd killed all the varren, and I don't think any of us would bother counting the corpses, we approached the keystone. Grunt had enjoyed the first trial though suggested it was a little easy. I think most of us probably agreed though knew not to tempt fate.

Then the krogan were lifted to the stars to destroy the fears of the galaxy, an enemy only we could chase to their lair.

Grunt knew what they were. He called them klixen. No one else had ever seen the horrific-looking creatures before. Not only were they unbelievably ugly, but they also breathed fire. I heard some not-so-subtle abuse sent in my direction from Garrus, Tali and Miranda. As for Grunt, he was having the time of his life, getting in close and leaving klixen dead on the ground.

At least they were susceptible to biotics, Miranda working hard at keeping them back from most of us. They were a tougher test than the varren. As for Grunt, he was just a typical krogan. No sense of self-preservation. He took a ball of flame to the armour more than once. All that did was infuriate him even further, and I did worry about the rage a krogan can experience in the midst of battle. They'd pretty much fight until most of their primary organs had shut down.

When the final klixen dropped dead to the ground, Grunt turned to look at us and I could see it in his eyes. The rage but also the joy. He was loving every second. I almost laughed as he was right about one thing. He was pure krogan. Born to fight and kill. War would be his home.

"Last keystone, Grunt. What do you think it'll be?" I asked.

"Hopefully something big. Worthy of battle."

Now all krogan beat the genophage, our reward, our curse. It is a fight where the only goal is survival!

The ground started to shake, and we all shared glances. Grunt instinctively knew what it was. I remembered being on more than one world where we'd dealt with them before. Garrus and Tali had been present on more than one occasion. Miranda... She had no idea what was about to happen.

Thresher Maw!

We got into cover as the monster immediately spat acid in our direction, hearing it bubbling away on the ground. It disappeared quickly, feeling the ground rumbling under our feet as the monster reappeared, wasting no time in opening fire in its direction. Grunt didn't care about cover. He got in close, his shotgun blasting away. And he was doing a mighty fine job of dealing damage. When it spat acid, he showed surprising agility when rolling out of the way.

Garrus and I peppered it with mass effect rounds, whittling away its natural armour. We focused on one specific area to draw blood before moving on. The monster continued to spit acid, Miranda now armed with her SMG instead of using biotics. I made sure Tali was covered as I didn't want her getting in close with her shotgun. She eventually switched to a pistol. It was better than nothing, allowing her to stay close to me.

Somehow, I'm not sure how, we brought the mighty monster down. I could feel that I was bathed in sweat by the time it roared its last. Miranda looked at me, strands of her dark hair plastered to her forehead. Even Garrus looked exhausted. As for Grunt, he walked up to the monster and deposited a few more blasts into it, just to make sure it was dead.

"Is that it?" Grunt asked, "What next?"

We found out rather quickly. And it was someone that I had been expecting to interfere. A shuttle appeared overhead and landed in an area next to the arena. It was Uvenk and some of his goons. Grunt looked prepared to fight. I knew that would happen in the end.

"You live, and you brought down the Tresher Maw," Uvenk stated, "No one has done that in generations. Urdnot Wrex was the last."

"My krantt gave me strength beyond my genes. Which are damned good."

Uvenk paused and I could sense he was assessing how to use this to his advantage. I'd picked up enough when talking to Wrex that Uvenk was a potential usurper. "This will cause discussion," he finally said, "I wonder... You say you are pure. No alien meddling in your construction? Just the warlord Okeer?"

"Bullshit," I retorted, "You're full of it, Uvenk. You're here for one of two reasons. You either want to recruit Grunt or you want to kill him. Well, I can guarantee you right now that option one is out."

"Despite what you may think, human, this need not end in bloodshed," Uvenk suggested, "He is powerful. He is a mistake, but his potential could tip the current balance of the clans."

"You spit on my clan's name! On Shepard's name!"

"But you could have a clan. With restrictions, of course. You could not breed. Or serve on an alien ship. But you'd be clan in name."

"Grunt..."

"Yes, Shepard."

"I think you know how to respond."

Grunt responded in the way that I would expect, and in a way that Wrex would no doubt approve of later. He whipped out his shotgun and shot Uvenk in the face. The rest of us opened fire on his guards. There were not many of them and we managed to get the drop on another couple of them. That's when we heard a roar, glancing to see Wrex leading the charge of numerous other krogan.

"Wipe them all out!" he roared, "Clan Gatagog ends today!"

There was no chance of surrender and the battle ended with any krogan wearing the Gatagog colours on the ground dead. The shaman approached Grunt once weapons were away and announced he was now of Clan Urdnot, explaining what that entailed, including that he could own property, and he would be allowed breeding rights. Given that he'd defeated the thresher maw, he would find himself hot property with the female clans.

It had been a long day, and it was agreed that we would deal with Mordin's request the next day. Miranda muttered about wanting a hot shower. To be honest, I think we could have all done with one. Grunt wanted to remain with Wrex and speak about what would happen once he returned to Tuchanka. He would remain with me until we defeated the Collectors. He would then return home to Tuchanka.

He liked the idea of having a home.

Returning to the Normandy, Garrus and Tali returned to their stations while I asked Miranda to wait on the elevator. We rode it in silence to my cabin, escorting her inside and towards the bathroom. Without a word, we started to undress, my armour clattering on the floor as she unzipped her suit to reveal that she only wore a bra and panties underneath.

Once we were naked, we stepped into the bathroom and eventually under the hot water. She turned around and pressed her back against my chest as my hands moved to caress her front. Lifting her head while turning, we made out as my hands moved down her toned tummy towards her pussy.

"You love pleasing me without wanting anything in return," she murmured.

"It's something that I've always done. Don't get me wrong, I've had women and asari both tell me they just want to fuck, but I enjoy pleasing women. I love making them smile. Making them laugh. And definitely enjoy earning moans and whimpers of pleasure."

"What if I wanted to return the favour?"

"I'd be stupid to say no."

And that's how Miranda ended up on her knees, her hand gently grasping the base of my cock while her tongue worked my shaft. She gazed up at me with such a look in her eyes that I couldn't stop smiling. When her soft lips wrapped around my cock, I grunted as I knew that I probably wasn't going to last long. The desire to please me was evident in her eyes. When I ran my fingers through her long, dark hair, it only urged her to bob faster on my cock.

"Fuck... Miranda..."

Miranda swallowed me to the base, feeling her nose lightly bump into my groin. She pulled all the way back and smiled up at me while slowly stroking my cock.

"I knew I could do it this time," she stated softly, "When you need to cum, just cum, Shepard."

"Did I turn you on or something?"

"God yes. You're as mad as Grunt. Yet I knew that I didn't have to worry about you for a second. You were in complete control the entire time."

Her head resumed bobbing up and down, her tongue working my shaft and head. When my hips started to move, her eyes lit up even more and although I thought she probably wouldn't mind me moving a whole lot more, the fact that I felt the tightness of her throat was more than enough for me. I looked down to see that she was fondling herself at the same time.

When I knew that I was ready to cum, I warned her that I was close. She moved her head back so only a third of my cock remained in her mouth, the movement of her tongue sending shivers up my spine, her right hand stroking the rest of my cock while her left hand continued to fondle her pussy.

Miranda swallowed everything that I had to give her. She moaned each time my cock spurted and filled her mouth. Her eyes remained locked to mine and I'd only rarely seen a woman or asari look so happy to swallow my cum. She used her tongue to clean up my cock before she sat back and simply smiled up at me.

"Damn..." I finally muttered, "You're staying up here tonight. You know that, right?"

"I'd love to snuggle with you all night, Shepard. Can you promise one thing?"

"Name it."

"That you won't get up in the morning. If you wake up, stay with me."

It wasn't late and I had plans of my own for her. Miranda learned just how much I loved going down on her over the next couple of hours. By the time I was done with her, my jaw was aching and I'd even managed to work up a sweat despite the fact only my tongue and fingers had been inside her. To amuse me, I had Miranda in a few positions. On her back to start before I had her ride my face before she ended up on her knees with arse in the air, head on a pillow, as I ate both her pussy and arse. And she definitely loved the latter.

Snuggling into me afterwards, we lay in contented silence, my fingers caressing her side as her hand rested on my chest.

"Shepard... When I talked to you while you were asleep... I would daydream about something like this," she stated softly.

"Being intimate together?"

"Not just that. I mean something like this. Just lying back together... I love the naked part, but the hope that I always had was how things have been. That you would accept me and Georgia. That you'd enjoy the company of the crew. That being with Cerberus wouldn't be too difficult to accept because the mission was important."

I turned to meet her eyes. "Well, the most important thing is that I trust you, Miranda. Completely."

I was rewarded with a million-watt smile and the sort of kiss that spoke of real, genuine feelings. We ended up making out like a pair of horny teenagers, Miranda giggling more than once as my cock poked her often. When she snuggled into me after yawning more than once, I knew that she was likely ready for sleep. It had been a tiring day for all of us.

We were back on the shuttle the next day. Having gone through Grunt's initiation the previous day and left feeling slightly underpowered, I decided to take at least two more people. Given we would be fighting Blood Pack, I assumed it would be krogan and vorcha. I decided to take Leliana, Amelie and Triss as they had always been part of a larger team during previous missions together. Being a smaller unit would allow me to truly assess how they operated.

Grunt was waiting for us with Wrex. The chief scout walked over and gave us the information we needed. Maelon was in the company of Clan Weyrloc. They were based in an old hospital. When Mordin asked why, the assumption was that Maelon was being forced to work on a cure for the genophage.

I already knew about Mordin's work. He'd been honest about his involvement and was still convinced it was the right thing to do though he accepted the salarians were to blame for uplifting them without comprehending the ramifications of such a decision. I was aware that Garrus has been a believer in the genophage and the fact it should continue though I knew his opinion had mellowed having spent time in the company of Wrex.

We were given directions to get to the hospital and the base of Clan Weyrloc. A truck similar to the one we had taken the previous day would transport us. It was a long trip, Miranda, Leliana and Triss making small talk. Grunt was nursing a sore head as he'd celebrated long into the night. Tali had remained on the Normandy as she had work to do though Garrus was with us again.

Our progress was halted due to the destruction wrought upon Tuchanka, needing to clamber out of the track and make the final few hundred metres on foot. Amelie and Garrus took the rear with their sniper rifles ready to cause trouble. Triss and Miranda would link up their biotic attacks. Leliana had her twin SMGs primed and ready to fire. Mordin would use all the tricks he had up his sleeve.

Grunt was on point with me. We were going to bring about their destruction.

I was surprised that we ran into klixen instead of varren. Not that it mattered as even packs of those barely slowed us down, slowly moving forward, leaving bodies piled behind us as the ruined hospital loomed ahead. Mordin made a statement when we approached the entrance that nearly all krogan buildings had been built rather sturdy to withstand punishment. It was just in their nature that they knew even a hospital would eventually be attacked.

The Blood Pack must have received word that we were coming as they were prepared for us. It was no surprise that vorcha were there in great numbers. I found it hilarious that those who had flamethrowers ended up in flames as Garrus and Amelie made sure to aim for the tanks. Watching vorcha explode in red mist would always be funny.

Then we found a human body and I wasn't the only one left rather unsettled by the discovery. And quite pissed off. Mordin checked the body and rattled off what he could find. He suggested that the body had been used for experimentation, adding that humans were good test subjects as we were quite genetically diverse.

What he could categorically confirm was that whoever was responsible for the experiments was using humans as test subjects for a genophage cure.

I could sense the humans in our group were as pissed off as I was. Probably a good thing we didn't run into any more Blood Pack as we made our way through the ruined hospital. We entered a larger room that was deserted for a moment before a door above us opened and a krogan walked through, flanked by two more krogan and a pair of vorcha. I made a couple of subtle gestures for everyone to get ready though was curious as to what the krogan had to say as it appeared he was willing to parley.

"I am the speaker for Clan Weyrloc, offworlders. You have shed our blood. By rights, you should already be dead. But Weyrloc Guld, the Chief of Chiefs, has ordered that you be given leave to flee and spread the message of our coming."

"Okay, consider me Curious Commander Shepard. What has your Chief of Chiefs got planned?" I asked. I think the sarcasm went over the speaker's head.

"If you walk away now, you can tell your children that you saw Clan Weyrloc before our Blood Pack conquered the stars."

I didn't expect to hear laughter from behind me, and I think it wasn't only Garrus who found that comment rather amusing. Considering what we'd done to the Blood Pack on Omega, I was surprised that this krogan hadn't received the news.

"You think the Urdnot impressive? They are pitiful. Weyrloc Guld will destroy them! The salarian will cure the genophage and Clan Weyrloc will spread across the galaxy in a sea of blood!"

"Thanks for confirming what I needed to know," I stated.

Then I fired at the massive fuel tank underneath them. It blew up and the krogan and vorcha standing above it were sent flying, all of them doused in flames. More krogan and vorcha came running as they no doubt heard the explosion. We moved quickly, Grunt taking delight in fighting off any krogan in his path. I switched to my shotgun as the corridors meant it was close-quarters fighting. Triss and Miranda were running riot with their biotics while Leliana's twin SMGs left any vorcha she fired at riddled with bullet holes.

We found working terminals that provided more information and that's when Mordin explained his role. He was one of the many who helped modify the genophage. Over the centuries, the krogan had adapted and the genophage slowly stopped working. That's when Mordin was sent in to make sure the genophage didn't stop working. To my surprise, it wasn't just about stopping their numbers growing, it was to make sure that the krogan didn't die out completely. They could still replace their lost numbers, but it was to stop them from breeding out of control and causing more chaos.

I wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"So this was never about... wiping them out or anything?" Garrus asked.

"Never. It's always been about stability," Mordin replied, "Before genophage, krogan breeding patterns were out of control. Unstoppable force. Current genophage ensures stable population without numbers to threaten the galaxy."

I wasn't the only one to sense that Mordin was left conflicted and even guilt-ridden after his work on the genophage. It explained his role on Omega trying to solve the plague, and he admitted to other work around the galaxy in healing people. Whenever some sort of sickness was causing a devastating toll on a population, Mordin was always one of the first to arrive and help. It helped ease his conscience.

Then we found dead krogan. Specifically, dead krogan females. That's when it hit home for everyone. Despite the horrific experiments, Mordin surmised that the females had come to see if the genophage could be cured so they could raise large families again. Mordin confirmed each female was a volunteer.

What was obvious to the rest of us was the fact Mordin was affected by seeing the dead krogan. He'd worked in a lab and never seen the direct results of his work. Now that he was seeing it, he wasn't going to take the blame, but he still felt sorrow about the fact these females were willing to sacrifice themselves in an effort for a cure.

He raised a hand and took a deep breath. "Rest, young mother," he whispered, "Find your gods. Find some place better." He noticed my look and took another breath. "I came back yearly, Shepard. Small picture. My work. Saw results. Ego, humility, juxtaposition. Frailty of life. Size of universe. Studied many things, including religions from various species. No answers. More questions."

"You had a crisis of faith?"

He glanced at the krogan female. "Modified genophage project great in scope. Scientifically brilliant. But ethically difficult. Krogan reaction visceral, tragic. Not guilty, but responsible. Trained as doctor. Genophage effects fertility. Doesn't kill." He shook his head before continuing. "Stil caused this. Hard to see big picture behind pile of corpses."

"Come on. Let's find Maelon and hope that we can at least stop all these females sacrificing themselves."

I knew we were getting close to Maelon when the Blood Pack numbers seemed to increase significantly. We also found an Urdnot scout who seemed to be full of bad news though we eventually sent him back to Wrex with news of our progress. We'd probably have everything sorted if Wrex did come and see what happened.

We slowly moved forward, Grunt and I making a good team with our shotguns, and the one sound that made me smile was the constant crack of a sniper rifle. Okay, two sounds. The thump of biotics as Miranda and Triss worked in tandem, causing havoc in the Blood Pack defensive lines.

Urging on my team, I had a feeling we were nearly at our objective when we ran into krogan that were well armoured and Grunt confirmed they were the closest guards of the chief. The information of all the different clans was imprinted in his mind, and he could confirm that these were Weyrloc Guld's closest companions.

When it came to facing Weyrloc Guld himself, he was nothing particularly special. Just another krogan in good armour and a powerful weapon in hand. But although he was tough, and there was no missing his skill, he eventually died like the rest of his men. He ended up dying before many of his other Blood Pack members. They fought to the last. I wasn't sure if they were brave or stupid. Maybe a bit of both.

Only when we were sure that there was no enemy remaining did we walk through that final door. Receiving the all-clear, we approached cautiously, weapons still in hand. When the door opened, it revealed a quiet laboratory. I wouldn't have called it pristine and clean, but it was probably the closest that you'd find on Tuchanka.

Mordin was immediately confused by the fact the salarian in front of us appeared to be working of his own free will. He recognised Maelon immediately, and as I stored my weapon, Mordin's confusion was almost comical. The rest of us probably figured it out quickly. Maelon was on Tuchanka of his own free will. He wanted to cure the genophage.

"For such a smart man, Professor, you always had trouble seeing evidence that disagreed with your preconceptions. How long will it take you to admit that I'm here because I wish to be here?"

Maelon turned around and the glare he gave Mordin... I think it was as close to hate-filled as one could imagine.

"Mordin, I'm not going to say that I'm sorry because, well, it looks like he is here to help with the genophage cure."

Mordin was incensed at the thought. "Impossible. Whole team agreed! Project necessary!"

Maelon didn't bite back on his retort. "And how was I supposed to disagree with the great Professor Solus? I was your student! I looked up to you!"

I felt people shuffling behind me. I don't think any of us expected this. I could see Grunt getting rather antsy. He might have been tank-born, but he was now Clan Urdnot. He knew about the genophage. Knew that Wrex wanted a cure. But Wrex also knew that a cure would no doubt provoke one hell of a response from the Council. The turians would definitely not fuck around if they heard about a cure. They'd bomb Tuchanka without a second thought.

The two salarians then argued. I knew Mordin carried some guilt about what they did, but Maelon was on a whole other level. When he mentioned the blood of millions on his hands, I knew that he didn't just think it was a sterility plague. He felt that he had helped murder untold millions of krogan. That would be tough for anyone to deal with.

When Maelon pulled a weapon as the argument got rather personal between the pair, Mordin responded quickly with a fist to Maelon's face before pulling his own weapon.

"Enough!" I stated. Both salarians immediately looked at me. "Weapons away. Now." I think there was some amusement when both salarians complied immediately. "Mordin, you're no murderer despite what happened with the genophage. And Maelon, your heart is in the right place but some of your methods..."

"If Cerberus learn that you used humans," Miranda warned.

"What do we do with him?" I had to ask.

Mordin looked between his protégé and me. "We're heading to Omega after this?"

"Probably unless something else comes up."

"We'll take him to Omega. He can put his talents to good use there." Mordin turned towards Maelon. "Use this second chance wisely. If I hear of anything else like this, Shepard won't be here to save you next time."

"And what about all of this?" I had to ask, "Would you feel comfortable holding onto it?"

Mordin glanced at Maelon who refused to meet his eyes. I think Maelon was simply happy that he hadn't taken a bullet in the head. "What do you think?"

"I'll level with you, Mordin. I want to help the krogan. I'm not sure about a cure..." I felt Grunt glaring at me, meeting his eyes before I continued. "But what they need is hope. At the moment, they are stagnant. How could any of us possibly expect anything more from them if they know that the genophage is never-ending?"

That gave Mordin pause. I guess he never thought about it like that. Was the genophage meant to be an indefinite measure? From the literature that I'd read, it was the salarians that had invented the genophage though it was the turians who had unleashed it upon the krogan. To be honest, I had a feeling that the turians probably wouldn't have been too upset if the krogan had dwindled until their numbers meant nothing. Little wonder the krogan absolutely hated them.

"I'll keep a copy, Shepard. Methods barbaric. And still years from a viable cure. But might be worth holding onto. Just in case."

Maelon was jumpy the entire journey back to Clan Urdnot as I think he was expecting a bullet in his head. I had a private meeting with Wrex when we returned, and I let him know what was going on. He knew that I wanted to help him and trusted me when it came to letting Mordin keep a copy of the data that Maelon had built up. As for Maelon, I explained what I would do with him. Wrex thought it best that the salarian was taken off Tuchanka as quickly as possible.

We could have stayed in Tuchanka for another day, but Wrex was now a clan leader and incredibly important. He walked with our group to where our shuttle was waiting, everyone else boarding as I waited nearby with him.

"So... What are your chances, Shepard? Being honest. We survived Saren. I don't know much about these Collectors."

"The Illusive Man thinks this might be a one-way trip?"

"Yeah, that's him. What do you think? I know what you're like, Shepard."

"Well, I haven't come back from the dead just to die because of those fuckers. And I'm bringing back my team as well."

"Now that's the Shepard that I know. What about Liara?"

"She's on Illium. Works as an information broker now."

"Really? The innocent little asari now mixing it with all those fuckwits? I'm not sure if she's brilliant or stupid. And Ashley?"

"Promoted and doing work with the Alliance that I'm not privy to."

"Ah... Well, I'm sure you're not suffering considering some of the women you have at your side now."

We shook hands and shared that look a warrior would share with a fellow warrior. One of pride and respect. "When all this is over, Wrex..."

"Reapers?"

"They're coming. I just don't know when."

"When they do, you can rely on me. I can promise you that, old friend."

"I'll do my best to keep in touch."

I think the turian fleet around Tuchanka was glad when we finally left and flew towards the nearest mass relay. I didn't think we'd return to the system before the defeat of the Collectors, but I was happy to have seen Wrex again. He was doing well for himself, and although I wasn't sure if the genophage would ever be cured in my lifetime, he was certainly doing things that would give hope to his people that one day, things might be better.

Mordin returned to his lab once we were back on the ship. I wasn't exactly sure what to do with Maelon. I didn't think Mordin would want his company so eventually stuck him in one of the rooms on the engineering deck. I made sure we gave him somewhere to sleep and he was free to wander about. I didn't speak to him all that much. He didn't seem interested in talking anyway.

Joker had the ship heading towards Omega. Unless some other emergency popped up, I would finally get the last recruit on board and contemplated chatting with Aria again. I knew she carried considerable influence, and I had no problem having friends like her. Considering my current status, she would probably like having a Spectre as someone she could have a favour or two owed.

It was rather late in the day as I showered. It had been another long mission on Tuchanka and I was pleased to feel moderately clean as I stepped out of my bathroom with only a towel wrapped around my waist. I stepped down towards the lounge area to see Georgia sitting back without a stitch of clothing on her body. Her eyes gazed at me with a smile on her face otherwise.

"Shepard, I don't think you realise how good you look without a shirt on," she stated, "You simply look better with each passing day."

"I'm guessing you're here for a reason?"

"Kelly explained the new arrangement. I think Miranda was a little disappointed when I told her that I was here tonight, and I wasn't going to be argued with."

"I guess it has been a while."

She stood up, still a smile on her face, as she walked towards me, making sure that my towel hit the floor rather quickly. "You're only one man, Shepard. We all understand, but we are thankful to Kelly that some of us can come up here and at least spend an entire night from now on."

"Are you just here to snuggle or..." She gave me a look that had me chuckling. "Just asking."

"Shepard, I'm putting this bluntly. Your big cock is going to end up in my throat first, then it's going to find itself buried in my pussy after that."

"Speaking of pussy..."

"Oh honey, I know you love going down on me. I'd expect nothing less from you."

Before any of that, we sat back on the couch and talked. Although we were both naked and aroused, Georgia was incredibly easy to talk to. She was honest about everything, and I knew that a few of the things we'd been dealing with had caused her to rethink her life in general. It wasn't the longest chat we'd had since I woke up, but it was the first one that I could remember where Georgia expressed serious misgivings about Cerberus. I had a feeling that she'd received quite a few comments from others, and it was causing her to rethink her life.

We eventually gave into temptation and moved over to the bed to enjoy quite the make-out session before she made sure to spin around, her soft lips around my cock while my mouth got to work on her pussy. She was dripping wet and I made her moan constantly as I devoured her pussy. It didn't take long until we were both moaning as Georgia had already proved how much she loved sucking my cock. As for her pussy, I'd rarely enjoyed pussy that I didn't like. And Georgia knew how much I enjoyed going down on her.

She made me cum first which I think delighted her though all she did was lift herself up and made sure my entire focus was on her pussy. I loved the sounds she made when she orgasmed, and after lifting herself up and turning around, I'm sure that she saw the smile in my eyes as she straddled my face.

"You love my pussy, honey?" she cooed before her eyes closed and she shuddered. I would go out of my way to prove how much I loved her pussy.

Riding my face earned her more than one more orgasm before she had to lift herself away, eventually ending up straddling my lap though she laid down flat on my chest as she needed a cuddle. I stroked her back as she chuckled, admitting that she was feeling rather sensitive.

"You know, if you were up here with Miranda..."

"Milk chocolate and white chocolate?"

We both laughed as that wasn't exactly the way I would have put it, but the contrast would have been apparent. Miranda was quite pale. Georgia's roots were obvious. "Did you never even flirt or anything while at Lazarus?"

"Oh, honey, I flirted with her something fierce. But I think Miranda would only fool around with a woman if you were there."

"Why only me?" She lifted herself to meet my eyes, and the look suggested that I was an idiot. "My reputation?"

"She knows all about each lover you've had, Shepard. Liara? She'd eat asari pussy if it meant you'd fuck her. Hell, I reckon that she'd fool around with Tali, as long as you gave her some attention." She paused and left a soft kiss on my lips. "I'm sure you already know, but that woman... Shepard, you mean the world to her nowadays. She's the smartest, strongest woman I know, but then there is you... And you are one in a trillion."

Georgia was on her back a few minutes later, her eyes gazing into mine as I slid my cock inside her. She moaned softly as I felt her fingers digging into my back, immediately asking me to fuck her. I didn't want to disappoint, her legs wrapped around me and her heels were pressed into my arse as I started to pump her pussy. We made out as we coupled, her hips rolling in time to my thrusts. She was hot and wet, and I would never tire of how tight her pussy felt at the same time.

I loved hearing her urge me on, begging me to fuck her harder and faster. With Georgia, we both knew that although we did like each other, there would likely be no feelings of love. We had been brought together through circumstance. Perhaps that would be slightly unfair to her in the long run. She was a lovely woman, and I genuinely liked her. We'd been attracted rather quickly. But I think she was realistic about a few things. Liara. Ashley. Kira. Shiala. Even Benezia.

And then there were the women on our ship. And I had a feeling that Miranda loomed large. And Georgia wasn't willing to compete with her. Perhaps that was unfair to Georgia, but she wasn't the only one to suggest that Miranda was already... Well...

After an orgasm each, Georgia ended up riding my cock, one hand on my chest as I was mesmerised by her body. I would never tire of any woman or asari who took pleasure in riding my cock. Georgia was something else in that moment. A dark-skinned goddess, riding me for all that she was worth, and when she enjoyed one hell of an orgasm, I could see the emotion on her face for a few seconds before she gritted her teeth and kept going.

"Fucking. Best. Dick. Ever," she growled, "Don't you cum in me yet, Shepard."

Georgia rode me through more than one orgasm before I simply couldn't hold back and warned her that I was close. That's when she slid off my body and begged me to nail her from behind. I wasn't going to say no to that request as she had the perfect behind to really nail. With her arse in the air, I slid inside her pussy and didn't waste time fucking her hard. What earned more than one loud moan was the loud slap of my hand against one cheek and then the other.

"Fuck yes!" she cried out, "Fuck me, Shepard. Just nail me until you cum."

And that's why I enjoyed my time with Georgia. Yes, we liked each other immensely and had done since our first time together. But what we knew about each other very quickly is that we simply loved to fuck. And as I pounded Georgia from behind, feeling her push back against me each time I thrust forward, I eventually just grabbed a handful of hair and stopped caring about anything other than my next orgasm.

When I finally unloaded inside her, we collapsed onto the bed with my cock still buried inside her, barely able to keep myself from squashing her, resting on a forearm as she turned her head enough that I could nuzzle into her cheek.

"Shepard... This might seem weird considering your dick is currently buried inside my pussy, but when are you going to fuck Miranda?"

I didn't answer until we were snuggled together, Georgia on her side as her gorgeous eyes gazed into mine. The smile on her face probably wouldn't fade for the next couple of days.

"I know where I stand with most of the women on this ship. There might be feelings, but it's mostly about having a little bit of fun. The only one that worries me is Jack."

"Jack will be okay because she knows that she'll have your support. But Miranda... I don't think she's ever doubted anything until now."

"I just don't want to hurt her."

Georgia's face immediately softened. "Did you think the same way about Liara and Ashley?"

"Constantly. And I think the same about Kira, for example. I love her so much, but we're rarely together. And then there are our different roles..."

"Shepard... I see how Miranda looks at you when you're not looking. I'll never be jealous of her, and I don't think anyone else will, because we all know how much of herself that she put into getting you back to life."

"And that's why I adore her so much. I know how much she sacrificed for two years."

"Does she know that?"

"Yeah. I'm not shy in telling her what I'm thinking or feeling."

That seemed to settle Georgia. "Good, honey," she said softly, "I'm glad to hear that."

Georgia loved snuggling with me once I turned out the lights and we were lying together in darkness. She rolled over to spoon back against me, and my hands caressed most of her body as I heard her giggle to herself more than once. We both slept well though I still woke up at my usual time. Georgia woke up enough to whisper that she was okay to keep sleeping if I needed to get up.

I didn't and I stayed with her.

Georgia was still smiling when we walked into the mess a few hours later. There were a few glances and maybe one or two questions, but most of us had been together long enough that what I was up to didn't raise too many questions, and thankfully there was no jealousy between the women that I'd been with and the women that might have been interested in me.

The discussion was what would come next. I confirmed that our next destination was Omega. And that's when EDI decided to drop a bombshell on us.

Not only would I be finding our last recruit. But the AML Demeter was reported as departing Illium and arriving on Omega. I glanced at Samara and nothing needed to be said. I knew she would do the preliminary work and either ask for help or handle it herself.

"If you need help, all you need do is ask," I assured her.

"Thank you, Shepard. I do not think that I can approach her alone."

"Then I will help however I can. If your target is on Omega, I can speak to Aria about it. Maybe she will be able to provide information."

"And maybe you can fuck a cute asari or two while you're at it?" Kelly teased.

"Would you like to join in?" I retorted.

"Can I watch?" Tali asked, much to the amusement of nearly everyone though Tali took it in her stride.

"Let's wait and see what we find out on Omega. Samara, when we dock, find out what you can and let me know. My priority is finding the last recruit. Aria will hopefully have information, and we can go from there."

That was the hope. Best laid plans and all that...

*****

A/N - TSV - Turian Hierarchy Space Vehicle. CSV - Cerberus Space Vehicle.

I made those up as in Mass Effect, Shepard's ship is referred to as the SSV Normandy SR-1 - Systems Alliance Space Vehicle, Stealth Reconnaissance 1. In Mass Effect 3, it's pretty much the same except it's SR-2.