Spectre Bk. 02 Ch. 19

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.

Feedback by email is always welcome. Enjoy chatting with anyone who likes my work.

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Shepard helps two crew members deal with batarian bastards.

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It's fair to say that Tali was now wandering about the ship whenever she wasn't busy in engineering completely loved up. The rest of the crew found it rather amusing and rather endearing. Chakwas was looking after her health as Tali was feeling the effects of our time together for several days afterwards. She was running a fever though it was nothing that Tali didn't expect. She assured me that she certainly wasn't going to drop dead on me.

Thankfully, she stated that with humour, so my heart didn't exactly leap out of my chest when he mentioned that.

I thought things would have been difficult for her in the days afterwards, but Tali took everything in her stride, aware that things would go back to normal. I knew Kasumi was full of questions about our time being intimate. Kasumi still gave no interest in wanting that herself. I knew she was still going over everything in her mind after the mission to retrieve the graybox.

Waking up alone a couple of days later, the Normandy floating through space without any clear objective as I was waiting for further information from the Illusive Man about a way of getting through the Omega Four relay, I smiled to myself as I planned on restarting something that had stopped for the past few weeks.

Stepping off the elevator on the crew deck, I walked towards Miranda's door. It was unlocked as always, slowly strolling in I found she was already awake. Her eyes met mine and she smiled as I quickly disrobed and joined her on the bed. She spread her legs for me, her pussy glistening as she had been lying back and masturbating.

"Been a while, Miranda," I stated, "I thought that it would be fun to restart having fun in the mornings."

"I'll be on my knees tomorrow morning, ready and waiting for you, Shepard."

Pleasuring Miranda would always make me smile. I loved the sounds that escaped her while my tongue was busy at work. Moans and whimpers spoke volumes about how much she was enjoying it. I wrapped my hands around her toned thighs and buried my tongue. She was playing with her breasts at the same time, gently pulling at her nipples and that only aroused herself further.

"Shepard," she whimpered.

Her eyes gazed down at me as I smiled up at her. Moving my tongue up to touch her clit, her back immediately arched and I knew an orgasm was imminent. She released a longer moan as she pressed her pussy into my mouth. I worked her clit exactly how she loved it, and that sent her over the edge.

"Oh fuck!" she moaned softly, "Oh fuck, Shepard... I love it... So much..."

If she thought that I would stop there, she already knew that I was relentless. And she also knew how much I enjoyed going down on her. I slid a pair of fingers inside her and found that special spot all my lovers had. Miranda gazed down at me; her eyes filled with unadulterated lust. I teased her by bringing her to the brink of orgasm more than once. Some would find that frustrating. I knew she loved it.

But when I did finally make her climax again, she had to cry enough as it was more powerful than I expected. I removed my fingers and slowly kissed up her body until we were meeting eye to eye. The smile that appeared on her face had me grinning like an idiot in return.

"I love you, Shepard," she whispered, caressing my cheek at the same time.

"You doing okay?" I asked once she was spooned back against me.

"It's difficult keeping up the act with him," she replied, "I'm still slightly torn. He has done so much for me, Shepard. Turning my back... Despite everything, I still feel some personal loyalty to him."

"And I understand. I'm still loyal to the Alliance yet I know they'd probably prefer it if I just went away."

"You want to wear the uniform again?"

"It was the first place where I truly felt at home." I pulled Miranda tighter to my chest. "You can stay with me as long as you want and need. You will always be under my protection."

"I know that. And to be honest, there are few places in the galaxy where I'd feel safer. Kelly won't leave your side. I'm sure you've figured that out already."

"Considering the reaction that I expect once I tell him to fuck off, I would hope that you would all feel the same way and want to remain by my side."

Walking out of her quarters when the rest of the crew was already sitting for breakfast wasn't any real surprise. Most of the women always looked on and approved. I found myself sitting between Georgia and Miranda, the former immediately leaning up to my ear and wondering when I was going to come and give her another service. The way she said that made me chuckle.

"All I've ever wanted is for you to fuck me, Shepard," she added, "We're good together, honey. We both know that."

She wasn't wrong. And I invited her to join me in bed that night. What amused me was that she followed me downstairs the next morning after we spent hours the previous night fucking each other senseless. Georgia had always proven insatiable. Miranda's face broke out into a grin when Georgia followed me into her quarters. When her lips wrapped around my cock again, Miranda tasted Georgia on it and moaned.

"He fucked me all night, Miri," Georgia told her, "I lost count of how many times he dumped a massive load in my pussy. And you will definitely taste my pussy on his cock this morning."

Miranda moaned again, her eyes focused on me, earning a groan of satisfaction as I felt my cock slide down her throat. Georgia joined Miranda on her knees, sitting behind her and immediately started to fondle her breasts.

"You want to worship him, don't you?" Georgia teased. Miranda nodded eagerly as her head continued to bob up and down. "And you should worship him. I certainly did last night when I was down on my knees, savouring his big cock down my throat. I swallowed every drop of cum he rewarded me with. You're a good girl..." Miranda shuddered and that made Georgia laugh. "I knew it... You are completely devoted to him. You know I'm gone when this is done, Miranda. And I think you are too. You're going to follow him like we all are."

After my orgasm, Miranda turned to kiss Georgia. It was incredibly arousing and given they were both naked, I was left wondering if they would have a little fun together. They didn't as Georgia noticed my cock hadn't gone soft and wanted her own fun. Miranda remained on her knees, gazing up at me and whenever I cupped her cheek, her eyes closed, and her smile only broadened.

"I've never seen her so happy," Georgia stated while pleasuring me, "The Ice Queen is dead."

Garrus was laughing away when I walked out with Miranda and Georgia cuddling to either side of me. I tried my best not to look too smug as I eventually took a seat. After we finished eating, I was ready to just head upstairs to the CIC though Leliana cleared her throat and asked if I could speak to her later. When Aela mentioned that she would be part of the conversation, I was left wondering what they could both want. Maybe they had similar matters that needed sorting out.

I sat with them later that afternoon in one of the lounges. Leliana sat to my left, Aela to my right. There was attraction between the three of us though they understood like all my lovers that I was only one man. When I thought about it, I had only been intimate with some of the women a handful of times. Whether any of the women were fooling around with each other, I didn't know, and it was none of my business.

"Leliana and I have been talking about what we'd been doing before we joined up with you, Shepard," Aela started explaining, "Before I joined up, I told you about a contract that I had taken on about a batarian slaving operation that people in power wanted dealt with. When I was telling Leliana about it, we figured out that we could kill two birds with one stone."

"I received a contract to eliminate a batarian by the name of Solas," Leliana added, "And I've figured out with Aela that he is the one running the slaving operation that she's undertaken to wipe out."

"Where are we heading?" I asked.

"The batarian home cluster," Aela replied, "Specifically, the Vular System and the planet of Erszbat. It's a batarian colony world, one of their richest. But its riches come from all their usual slaving operations. But it's also one of their worlds which produces food, minerals and is a home of manufacturing."

"You know how I feel about batarians and slavery, so we'll head there straight away. The good news is that since we are a civilian craft and have no allegiance to the Alliance, any attack won't cause any sort of diplomatic incident as the Alliance will just disavow any knowledge of this operation. At the moment, I'm acting independently.'

"We'll send you everything that we have," Leliana suggested, "And we'll leave it to you to form a plan of attack. All I want is to find and deal with Solas."

"My benefactors want this slaving operation ended. And if we kill a lot of batarians doing it," Aela added, "Then it can only be a good thing, right?"

"The only concern is that we will have to pass through the Harsa System, which is where the batarian home world is," Leliana explained, "It's possible that the batarians will be watching the mass relay closely before we travel by FTL towards the Vular System."

"We can avoid them by arriving silent," I suggested, "We'll arrive, fly silent until we're clear, and then we'll engage FTL and get to Valur and then Erszbat as soon as possible."

I had everything that Leliana and Aela had within the hour, and I was soon putting a plan in place. If the planet was anything like I'd faced on Torfan, I would have rather arrived with a fleet of Alliance ships and thousands of soldiers. And being this far behind enemy lines was also incredibly dangerous. We'd have to attack, take care of business, and then somehow get back to the mass relay without being noticed.

EDI could at least send me plenty of information about Erszbat and what we might expect to face. Despite how militarised the Hegemony was, the slaving operation we were looking for was in an isolated region of the planet. Wealthy batarians didn't want to see such things from the windows of their mansions.

I pulled all my ground crew into the mess and explained what we would be doing. Once everything was gathered, I stood before them.

"We're currently heading towards Kite's Nest, the batarian home cluster. Leliana and Aela both have contracts that require us to head there. Our target is a major batarian slaving operation that is based on the planet of Erszbat. Due to the nature of this mission, all of you will be joining us on the ground. I won't lie to you, this will be perilous. We will be deep behind enemy lines.

There is a dual purpose to this mission. First is that we are after the head of the slaving operation, a batarian by the name of Solas. The mission parameter is to take him out. Second is that we end the slaving operation, kill as many batarians as we can, and rescue any slaves that we might come across.

As soon as we're through the relay, we run silently until we are well clear of batarian patrols and then head towards the required system. I will have EDI survey the slaving site before we hit the ground. While we're working on the ground, EDI will run interference, knocking out their communications and interrupting any technology that might be used against us.

Any questions?"

"Does the Illusive Man know?" Miranda asked.

"He would know about the contracts though is probably unaware of where this mission is taking place. Then again, I don't really care. You should all know me well enough by now. I'm called the Butcher for a reason. Pretty much based on an operation such as this one."

"Are we taking prisoners?" Garrus wondered.

"No. If you see a batarian with a weapon, kill them. Any non-batarians? If they're not wearing armour and not carrying a weapon, they are a non-combatant. If we can free even just a few slaves, I'll take it as a win."

There were a few more basic questions about the operation before I called the meeting to a close. I could feel the nervous tension now that everyone was informed about the operation. Heading towards the batarian home cluster in a Cerberus-registered vessel probably wasn't the smartest thing that I'd ever done. Better than an Alliance-registered vessel though...

Everyone was ready to go as I stood behind Joker as we approached the relay that would take us into Kite's Nest.

"Remember, Joker. As soon as we're through, engage the silent driver and we'll hopefully avoid batarian patrols until we're out of the system. EDI, can you tell if the batarians are monitoring the relay on the other side?"

"I have no doubt they are, Shepard. As long as we go silent immediately, we should be safe. If we are noticed, I can interrupt their radar and other sensors to ensure we can slip away."

"Good. Take her in, Joker."

As soon as we were through, alarms started to go off. A batarian patrol was in the distance, EDI reporting in that they would have noticed our arrival. But they were far enough away that they wouldn't eyeball us. The Normandy went silent as Joker took us away from the batarian patrol, EDI using all her capabilities to confuse the batarian patrol.

By the time we made it into the Valur System, we were down in the hangar bay, waiting for EDI to do her thing and we'd take the shuttle to the ground. Joker reported in that there were no batarian ships in the area. Given how deep were in batarian space, I didn't think they'd be keeping ships in the area.

"All clear, Shepard," EDI reported, "Batarian communications have been knocked out though they won't be aware. Nothing will be leaving the systems. I am routing through the Normandy and faking responses."

Our fly past had allowed EDI to gather the lay of the land. Due to the slaving operation being where it was, the batarians had not kept everything underground away from prying eyes. There were a number of facilities and EDI made sure to point out on a map where she assumed the slave pens were. When it came to the enemy, she could only provide a guesstimate.

There were no air defences either, and the shuttle made it to the ground without a problem. But we were taking gunfire as soon as the door opened.

We knew that we'd be facing a large force of batarians. We split into smaller groups. I had Jack and Tali with me. I was all about brute force, Jack had her biotics, Tali would cause havoc with her technical skills and Leliana with her dual SMGs. Miranda ran her small team with Grunt, Amelie, Triss and Mordin. Then Garrus with Aela, Georgia, Samara and Kasumi.

Each team had its target. Garrus would escort Aela around to wipe out any batarians they could find. Miranda would be acting as support while looking for evidence of further slaving operations. Leliana and Aela both suggested that there were a number of black ops mercenary companies, primarily made up of humans, who loved taking out batarian operations.

EDI had indicated on the schematic I had on my Omni-tool the main facility where we would likely find Solas. It was deep within the slaving compound, the five of us working as a well-drilled unit as we made our way forward. EDI reported in that the batarians were desperately trying to send messages both to other areas around the planet and also off-world. She was intercepting every communication and continuing to play havoc with her cyber warfare. She was leaving the batarians completely in the dark.

"Slave pens," Jack muttered, gesturing to a nearby building. The door was open and we could see batarians flooding out.

"Miranda. At your four o'clock. Empty that place out and get any prisoners you can. Make sure the batarians don't start shooting them."

It was something they were notorious for doing. They'd done the same thing on Torfan. If they couldn't take them as slaves, they would kill them without a second thought. We held a line and waited for Miranda and her small team to hit the prison. Garrus and his team were further back, mopping up any batarians who might be trying to flank us.

The building we were aiming for was ahead and batarians were starting to dig in. I didn't usually carry heavy weapons on a mission as they were a bitch to carry on my back most of the time, and I was someone who relied on my agility. I carried a grenade launcher while Grunt was carrying something even better. It was an experimental weapon that Mordin had designed, built and tested. It was called the M-920 Cain. The damage the weapon causes is unreal. Almost like a mini tactical nuke. The reason Grunt carried it was due to the weight of it. Only a krogan was capable of carrying such a weapon with ease.

I wasn't the only one laughing when I had batarians flying through the air as I used my grenade launcher. They had their own heavy weapons, barriers, shields and armour taking a battering though we were all wise enough to remain in cover. Miranda and her team made their way to join our line, Grunt asking if he could use the heavy weapon he had.

"Fuck it," I stated, "Take out the front of the building with it."

Grunt was very eager to fire the weapon, all of us taking cover as he fired. The explosion was deafening. There were cries of dying batarians and the sounds of a building collapsing. Taking a look over the barrier that I was crouched behind, I started to laugh as at least half the building had collapsed in on itself.

"Garrus, what's your status?"

"Mopping up a few pockets of resistance. Was that the new weapon?"

"Affirmative. We're hitting the main facility now. When you're done, come take position at the entrance and watch our backs."

"Copy that, Shepard. We're also guiding any prisoners back to the shuttle. Looks like we're rescuing quite a few of them."

We entered the facility to find it was still infested with batarians. We knew there would be some sort of command centre. EDI was watching for any sign of retreat, Joker under instruction to blast any ship out of orbit should anyone attempt an escape. Leliana was now by my side as I knew she was eager to share words with Solas. She hadn't explained why just yet, but I was left thinking that this was personal.

Then again, I found any fight with a batarian personal. Ever since humanity had arrived on the galactic stage, they'd been a thorn in our side. The only reason we hadn't gone to war with the batarians is that we knew it would be costly in terms of credits, lives, ships and our standing in the galaxy.

Corridors were leading every which way, breaking up into smaller teams to start clearing rooms. Leliana remained with me and Jack, and the schematic I had suggested we head forward and upstairs. We kept in contact with the other groups, hearing them clearing out the enemy room by room. It wasn't easy and we were taking hits. My armour was scuffed to hell as my shields had failed more than once. Leliana had a fierce look of determination in her eyes and a new red scar on her cheek. Jack glistened with sweat from her heavy use of biotics.

"Shepard... Remember how I told you that I get horny when I fight," she joked.

Leliana giggled despite the situation. "Are you being rude?"

"I'm always rude. You should know that by now!"

There was no missing the ferocity with which Leliana was fighting. Her usual choice of weapons might have been wielding a couple of SMGs, but when she got in close, I didn't miss the use of a blade. Triss did the same thing though her weapon was usually her biotics. But I hadn't missed the delight she took in gutting the enemy.

We knew that we were closing in on the command centre as the resistance was now desperate, the batarians simply flinging themselves in our direction to stop our progress. Making our way towards an open set of doors, it was definitely the command centre as the last batarians were dug in. There was no negotiation, and there was no missing the batarian in charge, issuing orders and on appearance, his armour was different to everyone else.

"Solas!" Leliana shouted, "I'm here for you, Solas!"

It was definitely personal as we made our way into the command centre, feeling other groups arriving behind us. The batarians tried to surrender. I shared a glance with Leliana and ordered them to drop their weapons. Stupidly, all of them dead. As Leliana kept her weapon trained on who I assumed was Solas, we went around and shot the rest of them.

"On your knees," Leliana ordered. The batarian lowered himself down. "Are you who they call Solas?"

Aela walked past me, her weapon trained on Solas as she stood opposite Leliana. "You'll pay for this, human. You'll all pay for this," Solas warned.

Leliana smashed one of her SMGs across his face. "No one knows we're here. All they're going to find is a lot of empty slave pens, a lot more dead batarians, and they will have no idea that we were here," she retorted.

"My contract is done," Aela told her, "And your contract is to take care of this piece of shit. Was it dead or alive or just kill the bastard and confirm he's dead?"

Leliana crouched down and was eye to eye with Solas. "Ever heard of a little place called Mindoir?" Leliana asked him.

I wasn't the only one to tense up. Miranda. Jack. Kasumi. Georgia. Amelie. Triss. We all knew the name of Mindoir and the atrocity that was perpetrated by the batarians on the colony. I stepped forward next to Leliana. "Are you suggesting something here?"

"I survived what happened," Leliana replied, "I saw them slaughter hundreds of innocent people. My family... All of them were killed. Those that didn't die were taken away as slaves. I've been trying to find out what happened to them ever since. The man that gave me the contract... He was away at the time. He lost everyone. Wife. Children. Siblings. Other relatives. He swore vengeance. As did I."

"Humanity has no right..."

Aela clubbed the batarian on the back of his head. "Trust me on this one, batarian, a day of reckoning will come, and your species will be lucky to survive alone on Khar'shan as the rest of the galaxy finally deals with you."

"One day, the Hegemony will pay for all the crimes it has perpetrated. Not only against humanity but against every other species. The slaves that you've taken. The colonies that you've attacked and destroyed. The indiscriminate murder. The fact is you are just utter fucking scumbags. I promised myself that I would find the batarian responsible for what happened on Mindoir. That I would look into his four eyes and smile before I pulled the trigger. This is for all those I lost on that day. Though this isn't just for me. It's for all those families wiped out. All those slaves taken. This is but the start..."

Leliana placed the barrel of the SMG in her right hand to the head of the batarian and pulled the trigger.

"Shepard, I have been scanning the facility. There should be a terminal within that will allow you to overload the power supply and obliterate the area."

"Tali, reckon that you could handle that?"

"I'll get started immediately, Shepard. Shouldn't be too difficult."

Aela guided Leliana away and I don't think anyone missed her shoulders moving. Aela held her a few metres away as Tali worked. The rest of us gathered any information that we could find, particularly anything to do with other slaving operations. I'd send it all to the Alliance and hope that maybe, just maybe, they would go on the front foot. I knew they wouldn't head into Kite's Nest, but there was no reason why they couldn't carry out small operations elsewhere.

The destruction that we'd caused certainly brought a smile to my face as we made our way back towards the shuttle. The number of batarians on the ground wasn't even worth counting as I simply didn't care how many we'd killed. All that mattered was taking care of business. By the time we were back on the shuttle, it was disappointing that there were only a couple of dozen humans at most. They were all tearful and incredibly thankful for their rescue. We assured them that we would take them to safety.

Getting back to the relay was risky due to the patrolling batarian vessels, but EDI played her usual games while we ran silent, and we made it out of Kite's Nest without a shot being fired at the ship. As soon as we were free and clear in another cluster, I told Miranda that I needed to put in a call to the Alliance. They were the only people that I would trust with the civilians.

Getting in touch with Anderson, he took the matter very seriously once I had explained what I'd been up to. Although I assured him that my squad had left nothing behind that would incriminate any of us, we also knew that once the batarians were aware of the attack, they would likely start blaming the Alliance. But he was pleased to hear that we had rescued a few people and promised me that he'd get in touch with Admiral Hackett.

Hackett contacted me within the hour. He wasn't shy in congratulating me on taking such a risk and eliminating one of the numerous batarian slaver operations. We both knew that things happened in the shadows, the sort of operations that the Alliance would always have full deniability. He insinuated that once the batarians started to complain, the Alliance would claim ignorance and it would be up to Cerberus to either claim responsibility or not.

"Shepard, you're aware that we cannot have a vessel registered and in the colour of Cerberus docking at Arcturus. And although your working relationship with them is now known, I don't think it would be wise for you to approach Alliance space. Remain in Exodus Cluster... Are you still there?"

"Aye. We made sure to escape Kite's Nest as soon as the operation was complete."

"Remain in the Exodus Cluster in the Utopia System. I will make sure an Alliance vessel meets you there and we can make the exchange."

"Copy that, sir. Time to the arrival of the vessel?"

"No more than six hours."

I ordered Joker to bring the ship to a halt and we'd wait for the Alliance vessel to start hailing us. I'd asked the civilians to move up to the mess as Chakwas and Mordin continued to provide medical assistance while most of my crew was talking to them. I asked Miranda and Georgia to gently get information out of them, particularly their details about where they were taken from.

An Alliance vessel was hailing us quicker than I expected, Joker manoeuvring the Normandy into position where the two ships could attach to each other. The civilians followed me up to the flight deck as pressure was equalised before the airlock was opened. I immediately saluted as Admiral Hackett himself was there to greet me. He returned the salute before we approached each other and shook hands.

"You've done a hell of a thing, Shepard," he stated, "A hell of a thing. And whatever you did must have really knocked them out as we haven't heard a peep from them."

We escorted the civilians across the docking bridge between our ships, a score of Alliance doctors ready to assist them. We all received handshakes and hugs from most of the civilians before they departed. Leliana made sure she was one of the last to say farewell and wish them luck. Once all the civilians were away, I stood with Hackett on the connecting bridge.

"How long until your mission is complete?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, sir. We're still looking for something that will allow us safe passage through the Omega Four relay. Once we have that installed on the ship, I believe we'll be able to make our way through."

"And your intention after the mission is complete is to cut ties?"

"Absolutely. And I believe that most of the people on the ship will be following me."

Hacket immediately grinned. "Earned their loyalty, Shepard?"

"It's partly that, and partly what we've all discovered the past few months. Remember all that data I kicked your way while we were after Saren?"

"I do as we spent months mopping up plenty of other illegal operations. Lieutenant Williams was involved in a couple of the operations. That's when we discovered exactly what Cerberus was up to."

"And that's why I will be cutting ties as quickly as possible."

"We are not monitoring everything that you're doing though word does cross my desk occasionally about certain matters. Sounds like I should be pinning more medals on your chest, Shepard."

That made him chuckle as I shook my head. "No medals necessary, sir. Just doing what I think is right, at least most of the time. Being serious for a moment, though, what the batarians are up to... The operation we found in Kite's Nest was enormous. And I'm firmly of the belief that they likely have similar operations elsewhere."

"And we are more than aware, but we must remain careful, Shepard. What we did on Torfan could have ignited a war, and although we are strong, the Hegemony would prove to be a tough nut to crack. And we would fight them without any support. Our Council friends might dislike the batarians as much as we do due to some of their activities, but they have no interest in going to war."

I glanced away for a moment before I met his eyes. "You know what we all saw on Torfan, sir. And what we found yesterday was no better. As soon as they knew they were being attacked, they started killing them. I knew that would be a possibility, but it was nothing but cold-blooded murder."

"Who led the operation?"

"Solas."

Hackett nodded. "His name has been of interest to us for a long time. Kill the bastard?"

"I didn't. A member of my squad... She mentioned that she was from Mindoir... I remember that name, sir. Before we attacked Torfan, we named each of our shuttles. I was in Elysium. But I heard people talking about Mindoir and what happened."

"If we'd been stronger at the time, we would have gone on the warpath. But we were still new on the galactic scene, barely over a decade since the Council had made contact with us. And we knew little about the batarians except they were slaving bastards."

"At least we knocked one of their operations out. Who knows how many more are out there?"

"We monitor where we can, Shepard. But as you know, we have to be careful when it comes to dealing with it. The batarians are itching for a fight. You and I know there is a much bigger fight on the horizon. Hell, we might even need the batarians if it's as bad as we assume it will be. Just taking down Sovereign had taken an entire fleet of ships."

"Liara is working on Illium in an effort to put together all the information possible. Any rumours about the Shadow Broker... No, she isn't working for him. She is an information broker though."

"I'm glad to hear that some of the rumours we've heard are false." He offered his hand and I accepted it. "We'll get the people back to Arcturus and, with any luck, we'll get them back to wherever they call home."

I stepped back onto the Normandy and waited for the docking arm to detach. EDI reported that the Alliance ship was immediately heading off towards the nearest relay. With no mission on the agenda, I didn't particularly want to dock the ship on Omega so had Joker take the ship towards Illium. Slowly, as we were in no real rush, but that would be our destination in the end.

Things were quieter than normal during the journey. Although we hadn't witnessed some of the horrors that I'd seen on Torfan, I knew that the groups that had entered the slave pens had found plenty of dead bodies.

It was later that evening, and I knew most people were keeping to themselves. Kelly had informed me that she'd take time to speak to each crew member about the previous mission. I was up in my cabin typing up an extensive report that I was going to send off at a later time while also nursing a stiff drink. I wasn't surprised when EDI told me that Leliana was heading up to my cabin, rising to my feet and waiting for her near my door.

She raised a slight smile when she saw me waiting for her. I could see her trying to keep her face as blank as possible though her blue eyes spoke of the turmoil within. When she moulded herself into my body, she whispered her thanks as I held her tightly. I wasn't sure if she wanted to go into great detail about what happened to her, but she'd already said plenty in those last moments before she shot Solas.

"Want a drink?"

"Please. Got anything strong?"

"I have various liquors, liqueurs and also wine."

"Brandy?"

I made her grin as I nodded. "Karin loves brandy. She occasionally comes up of an evening to have a drink and a chat."

"Was that before or after you made love?" she teased.

"Both," I replied as I poured a brandy for her and a whiskey for me. "We developed a close bond during the mission to catch Saren. And ever since she joined me here to fight the Collectors, she's become a close confidant. Given that she's a little older than most of us, I go to her for advice from time to time."

Sitting side by side on one of my lounges, she sat close to me, sipping at her glass as she ran fingers through her red hair. I could sense that she wanted to get a lot of things off her chest though probably didn't know where to start.

"I don't know much about Mindoir. Only the basic details," I started, "I told Hackett about my involvement when we hit Torfan, the fact that one of the shuttle names was designated as 'Mindoir'."

"I never lied about the contract, Shepard," she replied, "But the person that offered the contract was a fellow survivor of Mindor. They were taken by the batarians though managed to escape. I served with the Alliance from the age of eighteen as I wanted to learn the skills required. Once they realised that I was from Mindoir, I was taken in by one of those organisations that the Alliance would deny ever existed. That's where they truly taught me how to kill."

"Have you ever been back?"

She sipped at her drink before nodding. "It's been rebuilt though it's nothing like it was. There's no one with my accent, for example. There was a large community of people with similar accents to mine. A large group emigrated from Earth together. I spent a few days there and although everyone was friendly, it just wasn't the same. I knew that I could never return after that."

"And how do you feel about finally getting Solas?"

That's when she smiled at me. "You sound like Kelly. She's been bombarding me and Aela with lots of questions. I do appreciate it though. It shows you both care. How am I feeling?" She sipped at her drink again, glancing away as I knew she was thinking about her answer. "Vindicated. I've spent over a decade waiting to find that bastard and kill him. I was never interested in taking him in to face court. My intention was always to find him and put a bullet in him. I had no interest in capturing and torturing him. Nothing like that. It would leave me as no better than he was. No, it was always find him, kill him. Ending his operation and rescuing slaves was simply a bonus."

"What will you do when we get back?"

"Well, if we do all make it back, I'll just return to what I was doing. My music. It's always calmed me. I'll still do my other work from time to time. I probably won't go looking to kill only batarians like Aela. Have you talked to her yet?"

"No."

"She didn't go through anything like me though I do wonder why she hates them so much."

We enjoyed another couple of drinks as we talked about other matters. She was thankful to everyone on the ship for helping. We'd all worked together on numerous missions now. Although friendships probably wouldn't form between everyone, there was definitely respect and appreciation for the talents of everyone else.

Leliana eventually moved closer as I wrapped an arm around her. She snuggled against my side and sighed. "I've been single a long time now, Shepard," she admitted.

"We don't have to do anything. I certainly don't expect anything just because I've helped you."

"I know. Kasumi was telling everyone that she likes you even more because you pretty much told her that you wouldn't do anything with her as it was obvious that she needed to work through more personal issues."

"Bingo. I'm certainly not saying never with Kasumi because there is an attraction..."

"And me, Shepard?"

"We were attracted immediately, right?"

"Definitely."

"Therefore, we can be attracted and take our time. But after what we've just dealt with... You can definitely stay the night though that's all we'll do. Sleep."

"Can I be honest about one thing?"

"Of course."

"Aela will probably be up here while we're flying to Illium and she'll want to fuck to celebrate. The only reason she's not here now instead of me is that I asked to be here tonight. I wanted to talk and explain everything."

"I'm glad you did. Thank you for trusting me."

"I know you're not Cerberus, Shepard. And the thing is, those that are or at least used to be Cerberus... I know they are now loyal to you too."

We both had a buzz by the time we slid into bed. I asked if she was comfortable with me sleeping naked. The answer was one hell of a kiss as although we said that we wouldn't do anything, I think she really needed to kiss me. And as we made out, I helped undress her until she was as naked as I was. She had a slim body with a pair of incredibly perky breasts. She was also rather pale. Very pink nipples that were incredibly hard from her obvious excitement. When she pressed her body into mine, she whimpered slightly as there was nothing that I could do about my erection.

Sliding into bed together, we continued to make out as I caressed her soft skin. I ended up on my back with Leliana straddling me, feeling the heat of her pussy resting on my cock. She broke the kiss and gazed into my eyes, smirking slightly. "All I need to do is move slightly and you'd be inside me," she whispered, "Part of me really wants to."

Caressing her cheek had her eyes closing and a soft smile forming. "We have plenty of time," I assured her, "Can you handle sharing me too?"

"Please. Most of the women on this ship would happily watch you with someone else as long as you were to be with them later."

Leliana ended up spooning back against me, taking one of my hands and holding it against her, my other hand stroking her body in that space between her breasts and her groin. I could feel the tone of her body as there was no missing how fit she was.

"Thanks for everything, Shepard. It's been a long time since I've felt this close to anyone," she whispered.

Waking early the next morning, I stayed in bed with her as she'd turned around to snuggle into me. I caressed her back and watched her sleep. I almost started to chuckle as I knew that I'd found myself surrounded by beautiful women. The Illusive Man had certainly proven to know me well in one regard. Leliana finally woke up and lifted her eyes to mine. The smile on her face had me automatically returning a smile of my own before we shared a soft kiss.

Within a couple of minutes, Leliana was on her back with her knees bent back and resting against my torso as the head of my cock was teasing her. She broke the kiss and gasped as my mouth moved down to her neck. That earned a soft moan as I felt her shudder, moving back up to kiss her. I felt her growing arousal as I continued to tease her, meeting her eyes and she nodded eagerly.

"Mon dieu," she whispered as I ever so slowly slid my cock inside her, feeling her hands quickly move to my back and fingers start to dig in, "You're so big..."

"I'll be gentle."

"Merci," she said with a smile, "Though this is the perfect way to wake up."

Sinking my entire length inside her had me groaning as she was hot, wet and ever so tight. Leaving her legs pressed against my torso, our bodies started to move together as our mouths rarely parted, only breaking our kiss to either take a deep breath or whisper words to each other. Her eyes constantly gazed into mine as I started to move faster, and that's when she smiled and whispered for more.

Her legs eventually moved to wrap around me, feeling her ankles lock into place as I moved my mouth down to kiss her neck again, only my hands gently fondling a breast. Pinching one of her nipples earned a giggle and a soft moan, immediately suggesting that when we were intimate again, we'd definitely spend hours doing everything we could, but this was perfect for the morning.

Having not had an orgasm for a couple of days, I wasn't embarrassed that I needed to cum rather quickly. All Leliana did was tighten her legs around me and beg me to cum. She moaned even louder as I started to fuck her, kissing her again as I could feel my orgasm approaching. When I did finally cum, I buried my cock, and she smiled as she felt my cock throbbing.

"Been a long time since I felt that," she whispered as one of her hands stroked my back.

What Leliana learned is that I could stay hard, and when I grabbed her and rolled onto my back, she was smiling rather quickly as her body started to move. She placed a hand on my chest as she started to grind away, and I think even she was surprised at how quickly her first orgasm of the morning arrived. Her moans and whimpers of delight only aroused me further, pulling her down to kiss me as I moved my hands to her arse and our bodies again moved in unison.

"Thank you for waiting for me," she whispered, "But I went to sleep knowing that I wanted to make love in the morning."

"Definitely worth waiting for, Leliana."

She rode me through a couple of orgasms before we rolled again where she was on her back, spreading her legs wide and begging me to fuck her. Giving her what she wanted, we certainly built up a sweat as all she did was urge me on for more and more. I always worried about hurting my lover during those moments, but her hips were always moving, her fingers caressing my back, continuing to make out.

When I finally came again, we kissed softly a few times before I carefully pulled out and we snuggled for a little while. We needed a shower and dressed before heading downstairs to join everyone else. Aela noticed the look on Leliana's face, and soon all the women were asking her a few questions. Leliana blushed and although she didn't go into detail, she admitted that we'd made love that morning.

The Normandy was still on its way to Illium. I'd messaged Liara to know that we were coming though I added that I had no idea how long we'd be there for. She was excited to hear from me and assured me that I had a place to stay. She wasn't shy about adding that the place would be in her bed, and if necessary, she'd find ways to keep me there.

She then attached a series of very provocative pictures that she'd had taken. She confessed that she had Shiala take them specifically for me.

What made me smile was a message from Ashley. Anderson had been in touch with her, letting her know about what I'd been up to late. She admitted that she was missing me, and although she didn't regret not joining up with me after Horizon, she was pleased to hear that I was still doing a lot of good in the galaxy. And she was happy to hear that I was still kicking batarian arse.

I was pleased that the atmosphere had lightened after the events on Erszbat. I was working out downstairs to be joined by quite a few people, and smiles were on faces as jokes were shared, laughter was heard, and although none of us would forget what we'd seen, we were all experienced enough to file it away in our minds. We'd remember, but we could move on.

Leliana was right about one thing. I was relaxing in my cabin that evening when EDI told me that Aela was coming up. She came strolling in a couple of minutes later and was already undressing before I could even move. Her body was fantastic. Great set of firm tits. The sort of toned body that showed off her abs. Fantastic legs. A smooth pussy. She raised a hand for me not to move as she straddled my lap and kissed me hard. I could feel scars on her back as I caressed it, her eyes opening as we shared something unspoken.

"I take contracts because I fucking hate them, Shepard," she whispered, "I've spent years working in the Attican Traverse and the Terminus Systems. I've seen what they do. I used to be a cop. But after what I saw, I knew that dealing with criminals back on Earth was small change compared to the criminality around the galaxy."

"Where'd you train?"

"There are numerous small mercenary groups of humans operating. I found the right one that took the fight to the Hegemony. The only reason that I'm not working with them now is that most of them are dead."

"Lose anyone close?"

She shook her head. "I don't get close, Shepard. I'm here now because I really want you to fuck me. I wanted you that first night. I'd have taken you back to my place and jumped you there. I know how much the asari love you, Shepard. I won't say that I love you, but I certainly respect the fuck out of you. And the fact you're the Butcher only arouses me further. I know how that might sound..."

"Aela, the fact you admit to hating them as much as I do... Yeah, I like the sound of it."

I easily lifted her up and carried her over to my bed, undressing while she helped with my trousers and underwear. As soon as my cock sprang free, her eyes lit up and she eagerly took it in her mouth. I ran my fingers through her dark red hair as she was ever so eager, gazing up at me with lust-filled eyes.

"Fuck..." I growled, "I'm guessing this is just no holds barred tonight?"

She stopped for a moment and smiled. "You're pounding me all night, Shepard. I want to be sore in the morning. But that doesn't mean that I don't want you to cuddle me afterwards. Because I've also dealt with a lot of shit, and to know that the Butcher is..." She stopped and glanced away for a moment.

I leaned down and kissed her softly. "We both wear armour," I whispered, "And not all of it is seen."

She resumed her blowjob and the feeling of her tongue working my shaft made me shudder. When she swallowed my entire length, I couldn't hold back the groan as she was soon bobbing her head quickly, ever so eager to make me cum. I knew why. I knew all my other lovers had likely told her about how much I loved going down on a woman. I knew I owed Leliana that although I think she had enjoyed just making love.

Aela constantly gazed up at me and she seemed rather thrilled to finally have her chance with me. I continued to run my fingers through her long hair. She was making plenty of noise with my cock buried in her mouth. I always loved it when a woman moaned while blowing me. I wasn't always sure it was completely genuine at times but Aela's eyes spoke volumes.

"Fuck," I grunted.

She knew that I was close, her tongue working wonders as she bobbed even faster in her near desperation to make me cum. I tightened my fingers in her hair as I felt my orgasm arriving. When that first spurt fired from my cock, Aela moaned loudly and her eyes filled with joy. Despite the fact I was climaxing, I managed to grin.

"Like that?" I teased. She moaned softly and I heard her swallowing each spurt of cum that filled her mouth. When I was empty, she removed her mouth though that was only to lick up and down my shaft.

"Shepard, I've been wanting to do that since the day we met... But given the number of women..."

"I wouldn't have said no, Aela."

She smiled as she rose to her feet. "I know, but I was happy to wait for a real chance. And after what we did on Erszbat, I feel... closer to you. And also to Leliana in a way. I think the three of us have real history with those bastards."

Aela ended up on the bed a few minutes later with her legs spread. And while I normally enjoy giving a woman's entire body lots of attention, Aela's scent and the sight of her glistening pussy had my mouth attached to it rather quickly. And what had me smiling rather quickly was the fact her first orgasm arrived very quickly. I revelled in her taste as her hips gyrated, and the way her back arched as her excitement increased even further.

"Right there," she whimpered, "Just like that, Shepard. Fuck... They weren't lying, were they?"

"I could do this all night."

That comment made her snort. "Not a fucking chance. You are fucking me very soon."

I had a feeling that Aela and I would not be 'making love'. We'd be fucking. Just hard, sweat-inducing, no holds barred fucking. The sort of fun that we could have for hours and it would leave us completely exhausted by the time we were finished.

Aela enjoyed more than one climax thanks to my tongue and fingers. Just her scent alone was intoxicating though I guess it's fair to say that I was obsessed with pussy. If I thought back to my time on the ship, I had rarely gone to bed alone. And then there were all the other women that I met. Or I would have fun elsewhere around the ship.

Leaving her pussy behind as I left a trail of kisses up her body, I gave her breasts a little attention before we shared an incredibly passionate kiss, both of us smiling as I felt her fingers grasp my cock and guide it towards her pussy. I rubbed it against her a few times as the smiles on our faces didn't fade. Her eyes spoke volumes. Not of love... But there were genuine feelings being exchanged in a simple look at each other.

Sinking my cock inside her, the smile on her face only broadened before she released a groan when I was completely inside her. She was quickly begging me to fuck her. As I started to pump her, I felt her legs move, bending back at the knee with one against my side, the other around my hip. It was obvious that Aela was absolutely loving it, and she was always begging me for more and more. We were quickly fucking up a storm, feeling her hips bucking in an effort to make sure that my entire length slammed inside her with each thrust.

"Fuck me," she moaned into my ear, "Just nail me, Shepard. I want to walk funny tomorrow."

"You're going to need a cushion tomorrow," I growled into her ear.

"Fuck yes," she stated, "Such a fucking big dick, Shepard. Bet all your girls say that."

Given that she's already made me cum once, I was ready to fuck her for a while. Lifting myself up enough to rest on my hands, hers moved up and down my arms as I watched her face, a picture of lust and joy as I pumped her harder and harder. We glistened with sweat as Aela was an active participant, just what a man wanted with a lover.

"Harder!" she cried, "Faster! I can feel it... I want to cum with you..."

The sound of my cock slamming into her pussy almost had me wincing for her as I was doing exactly what she wanted, but the sheer pleasure on my face didn't have me stopping for a second. I kissed her hard and that's when I felt both her legs wrap around me as she seemed to realise that I was close. I felt her pussy almost milking my cock as she released a loud moan and I knew she was enjoying another orgasm.

"Fill my pussy," she whimpered, "I need to feel you cum, Shepard."

She got what she wanted within a couple of minutes, the smile on her face suggesting that she was getting exactly what she wanted. I left my cock buried inside her once it stopped throbbing, leaning down to kiss her before I relaxed with my head next to hers on the pillow. She kept her legs wrapped around me, ensuring that I couldn't pull out just yet.

When she did release me, I pulled out and rolled onto my back, Aela moving onto her side with her hand resting on my chest. She kissed my cheek, and I heard her sigh, assuming she was now feeling rather content with life.

Fifteen minutes later, she was riding my cock hard and fast, both hands on my chest and a determined look in her eye as she warned me that she was going to keep going until she simply passed out from pleasure. She really seemed to enjoy my cock and was slamming her pussy down on it. Her first orgasm wasn't long in arriving, and watching her face light up again had me smiling before she leaned down to kiss me.

I bent my knees and ran my hands down to her arse, timing my movements up with her movements down. We were soon working in unison, Aela unable to stop moaning and once her next climax hit her, it seemed to be almost continuous. She begged me to keep fucking her, and as I really started to pump up into her, the groan she released was probably heard throughout the ship.

"Fuck me," she whimpered, "Don't stop fucking me. I want to cum. I want to cum really hard."

I think she got what she wanted a few minutes later as her head finally rolled back and she cried out before she practically slumped onto my chest. I stopped moving as I knew she needed a break, feeling her breathing heavily, her back damp with sweat as I gently caressed it. She murmured something before she managed to lift her head, her entire face glistening with sweat, dark red hair plastered to her forehead and cheeks looking rather pink from her exertions.

"Holy shit," she stated, "I haven't been fucked like this in years!"

"Most of my lovers have learned that I have plenty of stamina."

She laughed. "I like to think that I can fuck for hours but I have a feeling that you'll just keep going and going." She rested her head on my chest again before whispering, "Shepard... I'm guessing you have lube up here."

"I do."

"Good, because I wanted to have it all tonight."

"You have a fantastic butt, Aela, so the idea of fucking said butt is arousing."

"Good. And you can fuck me hard again."

We grabbed a drink before we got her ready for me. She had her arse raised, her head on a pillow, her arsehole glistening with lube and spit as I pressed my head against her arsehole. She moaned softly as I slid inside her, and although she was incredibly tight, she was eagerly asking me to slide more in quickly. I didn't want to hurt her and remained gentle until I was completely inside her.

I fucked her arse hard. Although I did worry about hurting her, like I would worry about any lover who I enjoyed anal with, but Aela just begged for more and more with each passing couple of minutes. When I had her mounted and really driving my cock home, she turned her head, her eyes alight as she demanded more from me.

"Aela," I warned.

"Do it. Fucking destroy me, Shepard."

When I finally came inside her a little later, I carefully pulled out and spooned against a very quiet Aela. I felt her shuffle as tightly as she could against my chest as I held her in my arms. She remained quiet for a few minutes before she kissed the back of my hand.

"Thank you," she whispered.

And then she told me the truth. There was a real reason why she hated batarians. It was... To be honest, it was a story that I'd heard more than once. But Aela was tough and it was no surprise to hear that she'd managed to escape their clutches after killing all of them. It was a similar story to Jack in a way except Aela had been captured when attacking one of them. And the batarians had been brutal in response.

"I don't have sex very often because of it," she finally admitted, "But there was just something about you, Shepard. You've probably heard it from most of your lovers. You make me feel safe, that I could attack a massive batarian slaving operation and I knew that they wouldn't capture me again."

"You're tough as nails, Aela. I've learned that much."

"I've always had to be. But after what I endured, I think a part of me was left on the planet where I escaped. I don't really feel capable of love any longer. What I do know is that part of me would like to stay with you and the others once this is over. I've spent a long time alone. I find that I'm really enjoying my time on this ship, traversing the galaxy, solving problems. And knowing that we're protecting people by wiping out the Collectors..."

We fucked that night. The next morning, we made love. I think Aela needed it after the night before and her eventual confession. I think we both needed it. Although we did not love each other, I knew she needed to feel at least something. When she gazed into my eyes, the shy smile that formed as her limbs wrapped around me, and each kiss we shared was more passionate than the last.

After showering together, we headed downstairs for breakfast, Aela holding my hand tightly. We sat down side by side after we had a tray of food each, and the smiles on the faces of those around us had Aela blushing.

"Spill," Leliana finally stated, "None of us have ever seen you look like that, Aela."

"Why don't we both head upstairs tonight and you can see for yourself?" Aela suggested.

"Oooh... Does that mean we'll have fun in addition to Shepard?" Leliana wondered.

"I won't say no."

Miranda burst into laughter. "Jesus, Shepard, one night each with them both and they're like this."

I met her eyes and shrugged. "All I do is make any lover that I'm with feel good. I like to think that I make you feel good when I visit you in the morning."

"Each and every time," Miranda said softly.

We were still a fair distance from Illium as the ship still wasn't in full working order, so I knew that we had at least one night left on the ship before we'd dock. After another day of keeping myself busy with reports, conversations with crew and working out downstairs, I returned to my cabin after dinner as I had no expectations about what would happen that night. No one might show up. One person might eventually wander in. And a whole group might arrive to simply spend time with me.

But Aela and Leliana did walk in a couple of hours later, both of them smiling as they joined me on the lounge.

"I didn't get everything the other night because I simply needed to make love the next morning," Leliana whispered, "I'd love everything tonight, Shepard. Aela wants it again too. And we also want to fool around while you're pleasuring us."

"Have you talked?" I had to ask.

"We have. I think the three of us shared something in common, Shepard," Leilana replied, "But let's not talk about that now. It's no longer important. You helped us both and that's what matters. For that, we both feel... What's more than loyal, Aela?"

"Devoted," Aela said, "I told him this morning that I wasn't going anywhere."

Leliana smiled. "That's the perfect word. We're both devoted to you now, Shepard. As much as anyone else is on this ship. Kelly. Miranda. Jack. Tali. Probably every other woman when you think about it."

"Want a drink first?" I offered. Aela stood up and didn't hesitate in starting to undress. "I'm going to take that as a no."

It wasn't my first threesome, but by the time they were asleep in an arm each later that evening, it had certainly proven to be one of the most memorable.