tagged as: #subjectzerozerobullshit
“Good.” he responded, trilling with displeasure. Whether he had made the Commander upset directly, or not, Feron was feeling a tad bit guilty. The two years Shepard had been gone had been hell for Liara, and him as well. He didn’t quite understand what Shepard was trying to get at, but he was trying his best to understand.
He nodded after her recitation, bringing his hand up to rub his chin. “I see.” he said, blinking. “Perhaps you should ask her yourself. My answers obviously aren’t going to satisfy you.” He was trying to back down, but she was making it hard. He merely worked for her. He loved her yes, but it was nothing romantic by any means. They had worked together long enough for him to respect her and in the end, make his sacrifice.
She had been attempting to maintain a level-headed calm, which had been difficult enough with his insinuations that he might be a threat to the commander– not to mention forcing herself to come to terms with whatever relationship he shared with her former lover. But now his perceived flippancy had genuinely offended her, and she turned to look at him with the coldest expression the drell had seen yet. She stood slowly and moved towards him, putting both palms down on the surface of his desk. “I didn’t ask her, Feron. I asked you.” Her voice was low and intense. “And you’d better bloody hope your answers satisfy me, because if you don’t treat her right, I swear to every single one of your gods I will make you regret it.” She wasn’t one to make threats, but especially not idle ones. “You treat her right, do you understand me?"
tagged as: #shadowbrokersshadow
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‘Let me help you Commander. I didn’t grow up the eldest sister without any training on how to make a proper meal.’ She stood up, head throbbing in pain as she opened the fridge to check what was inside. Her eyes fell on the Asari honey and toast. ‘How about a mild meal to settle our stomachs? How many bottles of wine did you drink last night? Damn! I can’t keep up with you.’
"I’m an older sister, too, you know. I think you’re just better at it than I am.“ She gave the other woman a soft smile and watched her searching the fridge. A lighter meal might be better, but she did need the protein. "Ooh, beans and toast. I’m sure we have some cans in the pantry.” She listened to Ashley as she puttered around looking for said cans. Cooking was not her forte, and she was unfamiliar with the kitchen. “Ahhhhhh… I want to say two or three maybe? I had help.”
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Liara’s cerulean eyes stared down at her console, taking a moment to understand what was being said to her before the asari glanced up once more. “I grew up, Shepard.” She stated calmly, her brows furrowing into a slight frown. “I couldn’t be that innocent maiden you met forever, Shepard…loosing you…” her eyes lowered once more, “loosing you changed me….it has changed us all.” The asari glanced back to Garrus then, having kept track of him as well. “This…job kept me busy. Kept my mind off of you.” Liara sighed, shaking her head. “I am sorry if I disappointed you…but I am happy like this.”
Adahlia didn’t look at her for very long after her statement before verbalizing her reply. “Bullshit. That’s the biggest load I’ve heard since waking up, and mind you, I’ve been spending an awful lot of time with Cerberus– so that’s really saying something. You’re miserable, look at you!” Shepard shook her head, lips pursed and eyebrows drawn with concern. “If you don’t want to be honest with me about it then we don’t have to talk about it but I won’t sit here and let you tell me that I’m the one disappointed, and that you're happy.” She felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. The asari had said that losing Shepard had caused this. If that was true, then this was her fault. She’d done this to the woman she loved. And there was nothing she could do about it.
tagged as: #informationbrokertsoni #shadow broker
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“Nobility. Human concept.” Mordin replied, his brow sinking slightly. “You misunderstand. Appreciate the gesture. But simply doesn’t apply to personal worldview. Feel that duty is seperate from goodness. Duty is about necessity. For instance: do not feel as if genophage modification morally correct, but necessary. Most others could not do it. Therefore, had to be me. Someone else may have gotten it wrong. Understand?”
He started aimlessly wandering again, lost in his own thoughts. “Of course, greater good also a bonus on the side. As well as enjoyment of challenge. See your point. Curing disease helps people. Improving genophage helps more than it harms. Those who can’t see this merely looking at short term. Maybe personal sense of duty similar to moral obligation? Quite possible. Possible you are correct.” He stopped and started to stroke his chin, looking up to the ceiling. “Still, morality almost entirely objective. Prefer to abstain from it. Basic ethics enough. No killing of innocents. No theft. No studies on intelligent creatures. Respect patients. Sort of things most can agree on. But valid point. Obligation to help people quite noble. Even if rooted in necessity, rather than morality.”
Shepard lifted her head, regarding his thought process, turning it over in her mind. She was a bit taken aback, but gave a slow nod of understanding. “And what about the historical precedent of horrible things done in the name of necessity and greater good?” She smiled softly. She didn’t always play devil’s advocate, but felt it necessarily to illustrate that his idea of necessity was just as objective as his idea of human morality. “Saren thought it was for the greater good to let the geth into the Citadel.” Another shrug. “We’ve gotten way off topic now. In any case I’m glad you’re here.” She figured it was probably best to cut things short, before one of them (probably the scientist) began quoting Nietzsche to make a point.
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Kelly shifts on her heels as she listens to the commander speak— she definitely knows she’s said something wrong at this point, though she still has no clue what. She seems contrite about whatever it might have been, hanging her head a bit as she listens. Of course, she knows what happened to Shepard on Akuze— but the involvement of Cerberus is something she had no clue about. “I’m sorry, commander. I didn’t mean to remind you of Akuze. I know what happened there was terrible. If you need someone to talk to about it, I’m always happy to listen.”
The commander could not have looked more galled if Kelly had been trying deliberately to piss her off. There was just no way anyone working for Cerberus could be so wholly unaware of its track record and ruthless intent. Chambers was either willfully ignorant or woefully naive and Shepard couldn’t be sure which it was. It was the bit about being happy to listen that really got Adahlia, though. If Toombs was right, and it certainly seemed to her to be that way, Cerberus had set up the thresher maw attack in order to judge reaction. It was likely that the word reaction was meant in a strategic, combative sense, but the idea that they wanted to see how the experience had scarred her emotionally, to follow up on the experiment, really got to the commander. “Oh I’m certain you would, Ms. Chambers.” She replied icily.
tagged as: #adegreeinpsychology #meeting the crew
you told me once: “in another time—another life.” well, times are different. everything has changed.
tagged as: #samara
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“I am afraid I do not understand…” A slight frown had found its way onto Liara’s soft blue features, her head tilting every so slightly as she tried to find some sense in the Commander’s question. What happened— what happened? This could be pertaining to many subjects, and Liara was definitely a mind in need of specifics. Gracefully, she turned and moved to the chair behind her desk, sitting and staring at the Commander with an inquisitive look. “What are you referring to, Shepard?” Liara asked, her wide blue eyes searching the woman’s every feature before gesturing to the free seat placed before the desk.
Her eyes scrutinized Liara, then she blinked twice and let out a sigh. The change would have been slow for her, she probably didn’t even realize how exhausted she truly was. How unrecognizable from her former self. “They only told me you were in trouble and needed help, but I get here and you’re dressed like a councilor, making threats like a gangster, in an office on Illium. You look like you haven’t slept in days, you’re a far cry from the nearest dig site, and you wouldn’t kiss me just now. I know it’s been two years for you, but it’s been two days for me. So, what the hell happened?” She balled her hands into fists to keep from shaking, her lips pressed together firmly and her jaw set.
tagged as: #informationbrokertsoni #shadow broker
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Wrex groaned loudly in response to Shepard’s remark, not finding it to be nearly as funny as she did. “That’s not the kind of action I’m talking about and you know it!” He barked out before grabbing his glass and downing it. He slammed the cup down on the counter hard but not hard enough to break it. “I’d be happy if I didn’t see that kind of action again for another millennium. This experience is enough for me seriously consider taking vows of chastity.”
He couldn’t help but be amused that Shepard was already cutting herself off. “You’re already done? Just how small is that liver of yours, Shepard? I’m just getting started!” Wrex exclaimed as he motioned for the bartender to pour him another glass.
It took a moment for him to make the connection between Eve and Bakara in his mind, his thought process already being affected by the alcohol. “A couple? Nah, I think it’s safe to say neither of us are interested in relationships.” Wrex paused and tried to contain his excitement for his next statement, but his smile betrayed him. “We’re expecting, actually.” He looked away and shifted. “As for her feelings about all those women… She’s been edging them on! She thinks it’s funny, probably because before the cure I was the one trying to chase them down.”
The human gave him a sympathetic smile. “I don’t envy you, that’s for certain.” She took a much smaller sip of her own drink and regarded the krogan. She knew what he meant and she understood it on a deeply fundamental level. If she was honest with herself, as horrible as it was to think, if the war ended tomorrow and all the bad guys put down their weapons and marched into jail cells, Shepard honestly wouldn’t know what to do with herself. Fighting the good fight was who she was, it was a huge part of her identity. She couldn’t imagine retiring from it. “Ah, yes. Sister Wrex. In a habit, praying the rosary. It’s a pretty picture, I’ll give you that.” The commander teased.
She gave him a pointed look as the asari came by to give him a refill. “You know that I weigh a hundred and ten pounds and that I got here before you, right?” Shepard raised a single eyebrow at him. “I’m pacing myself. It’s not a race.” She insisted.
Honestly the commander was in agreement with Eve. Relationships were hard, and maybe it was wiser to put the propagation of their race before their personal needs. It occurred to her that they could get lonely, but the thought was immediately erased by the idea that all Wrex here wanted was a night to himself. Ironic, when they first met the krogan had been the one chasing the ladies. Now he knew how they felt. After all, they had met in a strip club. “I see.”
tagged as: #daddyurdnot #popular demand
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Jacob turned from the terminal, arms crossed in front of him. He wasn’t one to receive advice, he was usually the one trying to give it to others. Lifting his shoulders up in a shrug, he nodded his head. “Sure Shepard, I could use some right about now.” The truth was, he needed someone to talk to. The rage, disappointment, and sorrow just swirled around his mind and heart. He was glad the commander was here, he felt like she would be the only one he would be able to understand what he was feeling and the only one to actually be there to listen.
The brunette nodded and looked down at the ground again. “I was angry. For a really long time. I had a right to be, I still do. And sometimes I’m still angry. But… it took me years and years to realize that angry doesn’t get you anywhere. So I’m going to save you some time and tell you what I know: you have every right to be angry. But holding on to that anger is like holding on to a hot coal and expecting your father to get burned. As hard as it is, you’re better off just letting go. There are some people in this world…” She paused and gave a heavy sigh. “They’re just fucked up. And they fuck up everything around them. And I can’t tell you why. It just means we need to be better. People like you and me? Everyone on this ship, really. We tip the scale in the other direction, alright? That’s why I named my widow Kindness, yeah?” Kill them with kindness.
tagged as: #operativetaylor #gift of greatness