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cobaltswriting · 1 year

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Virmire (Good Ending)

"Help me out, Shepard. The lines between friend and foe are getting blurry from where I stand." Wrex said, scowling.

"Look, I know. But... you know what Saren is like. If he has control of the cure to the genophage, you think he'll just... willing hand it over?" Shepard said, pinching the bridge of their nose in exasperation, their eyes closed. "Think about these Krogan. Think about what Saren will do to any Krogan who refuse the cure, who refuse to work with him."

"That should be a chance we're willing to take." Wrex growled. "You helped me reclaim my family's armour, and I thank you for that. But if I'm going to keep following you... I need to know it's for the right reasons." Wrex pulled out his pistol, aiming it squarely at Shepard.

Shepard didn't even flinch, they still had their eyes shut, and were pinching the bridge of their nose. They were clearly thinking.

"Look. We're going into that base, right? And I want you watching my back. You're one of the people I can trust to watch my back and to make it out of there alive, along with Garrus. You know what the rest are like. Tali and Liara aren't fighters, and Ashley..." Shepard sighed. "She has a few more anti-alien feelings that I would like sometimes."

Shepard opened his eyes.

"We'll likely end up going through the cloning lab. Where they've been cloning Krogan, and curing the genophage. We'll download all the data we can. If you are with me, you can make sure we do that. You can hold me to it. We can't spend too long doing so, though, the Salarian's lives hang in the balance."

Wrex's scowl deepened. "As far as I care, they can all die."

Shepard leant back... and gave Wrex a hard headbutt, ignoring the pain in their own forehead as Wrex reeled back a little.

"You are not in charge of this mission. I am." Shepard jabbed a thumb at themselves. "Listen to me. We will download any information we can about a cure for the genophage. But we cannot leave something like this in Saren's hands. He will use it to enslave your people."

Wrex had a hand to his head, staring at Shepard. As hardy as Krogans are, he didn't feel pain from it, but it was still a shock.

"Fine, Shepard." He said, finally, a small grin coming to his mouth. "I've followed you this far, after all. And I don't want someone like Saren having control of a cure."

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Shepard leant against a railing on his way up the AA tower. He had two voices, each telling him different things. Go back and save Kaidan at the bomb, go up and give Ashley and the survivng Salarians back-up. He shook his head, gritting his teeth.

But even with those voices, he saw a third option.

"Both of you, shut up!" Shepard said, cutting across the both of them, before turning to Garrus and Wrex, the two he had bought along on the mission. "Garrus, Wrex, you get back down there. Cover Ashley as best you can. Garrus, you use your sniper rifle. See if you can hide your presence for as long as you can."

"Yes, Commander." Garrus nodded, as Shepard turned his gaze onto Wrex. "Wrex, when the numbers start to build up, when they notice that Garrus is there you, I want you to go into action. Use your shotgun, and take them at close range. Charge them, punch them, do whatever you can. Take down as many as you can, but don't go crazy. I want you alive as well."

Wrex grunted, slamming one of his large fists into his other hand, grinning.

"Now that's what I like to hear, Shepard."

"I'll radio the Normandy to come pick you up. When that happens, get yourselves, and Kaidan, aboard. Pick him up and carry him in if you have to."

Both nodded and hurried off back down the AA tower.

"Ashley, how many of the Salarians up there are still fighting."

"Three-" There was the sound of a groan of pain, and a body falling. "-make that two."

"Take up defensive positions." Shepard said, continuing on his way up the AA tower at a run. "Drag any injured you can reach behind cover as well, but watch yourself."

Shepard switched his comms to Joker.

"Joker, listen to me very carefully. Go down to the bomb location. I want you to shield Kaidan and the bomb with the ship while they get aboard. Tell Tali and Liara to provide cover fire for Kaidan, Wrex, and Garrus, while they get aboard. Once you've done that, wait for my mark, and then come up to the top of the AA tower."

"Commander, are you nuts? We have Sovereign coming in, that's a REAPER ship!"

"They're not going to fire on you, that'd destroy the entire base." Shepard said, hoping he was right. "Make sure to activate the stealth, though. The ground troops will be able to see you, but Sovereign won't." I hope. Shepard added, in his mind.

"Are you crazy, Commander? This seems insa-"

"Joker. I am ORDERING you to do this."

There was silence, and then Joker gave a sigh.

"Aye aye, Commander."

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When Shepard reached the top of the AA tower, he was starting to wish he had brought Wrex with him. He came up to see the last Salarian falling, although he was already behind cover. Ashley was wounded, but still fighting.

Shepard pulled out his sniper rifle. It was a bit close range for it, but he needed the precision and the power.

With William's help, he just about managed to pull it off, although he took several shots as well. Each sniper shot drew the Geth's attention, letting Ashley gun down a couple, which drew their attention back to her, letting Shepard drop a few more with his rifle.

Then, Shepard saw something to make his heart stop.

Saren, descending down on a floating platform, heading towards the bomb sight. Where Garrus had an unconscious Kaiden over his shoulder, and Wrex was backing into the Normandy, firing shots from his shotgun to keep the Geth at a safe distance.

Shepard raised his rifle, taking a shot at Saren, hitting the platform.

Saren paused, his eyes finding Shepard, seeming to wonder if he was the bigger threat here... but after another two shots, one of which whizzing closer than was comfortable to his head, the former Specter sighed, his platform hovering over to the top of the AA Tower instead.

Shepard took cover behind the concrete around the lift as Saren shot balls of biotic energy at him.

"An impressive diversion, Shepard, but ultimately futile. Once I have taken you out, and taken care of your little bomb, Sovereign will fire upon the Normandy."

"Hah. Hard for it to aim when it can't see the target."

"It can see it through my eyes, Shepard. Sovereign has shared power with me, and while my mind remains it's own, Sovereign can see through me."

Shepard knew that talking was pointless. Saren had already been indoctrinated too far to see reason. He put his sniper rifle away, pulling out his assault rifle instead, before popping out, taking a few shots at Saren, wearing down some of his biotic barrier.

"Not in the mood to talk? Fine." Saren walked towards Shepard, refusing to stop, even as his biotic barrier fell, even as Ashley fired shots into his back, until Saren moved behind the cover Shepard was using, grabbing him by the throat, and holding him over the edge.

"Hrk... Now, Wrex!" Shepard yelled.

"What?" Saren looked off to the side. "I thought the Krogan was..." He stopped dead as he saw no-one, growling with irritation as he looked back to Shepard, just in time to see the fist coming at his face.

Saren stepped back, dropping Shepard, who hit the ground hard, nails scrapping the ground as he fought not to slide over the edge.

Saren seemed to know that he was on the losing end of this fight though, flinging a ball of biotic energy towards Williams. Shepard saw her fall, but Saren didn't seem to think he had time to finish the job as he stepped onto his floating platform. They locked eyes with one another as Saren flew away, but Shepard had bigger things to worry about.

"Joker, get up here. Now!" Shepard yelled, running towards Ashley. A quick scan told her she was alive, and he hefted her over his shoulder, wincing a little from his own injuries.

Joker managed to get the ship into a good position, and first, Shepard threw Ashley towards it, before taking a run up. Unfortunately, a Geth was still operational, even if it was on his last legs, and manageed to fire a shot through Shepard's leg as he was about to jump.

Shepard gave a gasp of pain, even as he jumped, his eyes widening, knowing he wouldn't be able to make it. He managed to grab onto the landing ramp of the Normandy, but he was hanging there, from one hand.

He raised his other hand to his helmet.

"Joker, get us out of here. Now!"

"But Commander, sensors say you're not o-"

"That is an ORDER, Flight Lieutenant! If you do not start flying, we'll ALL get caught in the blast!"

"...Yes, Commander."

Shepard felt the ship moving. He knew that once it started to get up to speed, he won't be able to hold on. But his crew was safe.

That was all that was important.

He closed his eyes, gripping onto the ship hard. As long as everyone else was safe...

And then he was jerked out of his thoughts as a large, three fingered hand grabbed him by the forearm, pulling him up.

"Get your ass IN here, Shepard!" Came Wrex's growl, yanking Shepard none too gently up and into the ship, tossing him behind him as he stomped in afterwards, fighting against the forces trying to pull him out as the atmosphere of the planet grew thinner.

"Close the landing ramp, Joker, we've got him!" said Tali, Joker giving a small chuckle over the radio as he shut the ramp.

Shepard rolled over onto his back, groaning. As the adrenaline wore off, he only now noticed how much pain he was in. His entire body was aching, none more than the shot straight through his leg, and his vision was fading a little.

"Everybody... medical bay..." Shepard managed to say, before his vision went dark, and his head fell.

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Hours later, Shepard woke up again. He certainly didn't feel great, but he felt better than he did when he passed out.

He groaned as he sat up, only to be pushed back down by Liara.

"The doctor says you are to stay on that bed for at least a little longer, Shepard."

Shepard groaned, and looked around. He could see Kaidan and Ashley on the other beds, Kaidan was unconscious, but Ashley was awake, even as she was grumbling as Chakwas saw to her wounds.

"Liara, if I promise not to leave the bed, will you let me sit up?"

Liara thought for a moment, and then nodded, even helping Shepard to sit upright.

Shepard looked around at the rest of them. Garrus had a few wounds, but nothing serious, and he gave a nod to Shepard as he sat up.

Wrex had a few more burns on his suit than Garrus did, but due to his tough physiology, he semed fine, and was chuckling.

"Looks like you're tougher than I thought, Shepard. And I already knew you were tough."

Tali had a hand on her stomach, a tear in her suit and a wound visible.

"Are you alright, Tali?" Shepard said, almost forgetting himself, swinging his legs off the table before Liara's arm wrapped around his shoulders to stop him getting up.

"I'm fine." Tali said. "The wound is mostly superficial, and I've already locked down that part of my suit. The worst I'm likely to get is a skin infection."

Doctor Chakwas came over, having finished looking over Ashley, tutting a little as she looked at Shepard.

"I must say, you definitely are the worst off of all your team, Commander. A plasma shot straight through the leg, as well as the other wounds you got... I've known people who have died from less." She folded her arms. "I've patched up most of your wounds, but you'll need to go easy on that leg. I've managed to regenerate the flesh there, despite the plasma burn, but it's still not up to 100% yet. You are allowed to leave though, if you want." She handed Shepard a crutch. "Not like I have the power to overrule a Commander, let alone a Specter."

"Under normal circumstances, I would rest, Doctor, but I am needed to lead the crew. Can't leave it to Pressly if I am able, the crew is my responsibility." Shepard said, as he stood gingerly, resting on the crutch to avoid putting weight on his affected leg.

He looked at the rest of the crew.

"Doctor, I want you to give Tali's wound a looking at. Give her whatever you think she needs, and then you can discharge her."

"Commander-"

"Tali, this is an order. I need you at your best." Shepard cut across her. "You will let the doctor look at you, and then you can request whatever materials you need to repair your suit."

"Yes, Commander." Tali said.

"As for Lt. Alenko and Gunnery Chief Williams, you two are to stay here until the Doctor has completely cleared you. No exceptions." He added, as it looked like Ashley was about to speak up. "Doctor, I trust you to relay my orders to Alenko when he wakes up."

"Of course, Commander." Doctor Chakwas bowed her head slightly as Ashley laid back, scowling and muttering. "They likely will not need too long, they did not have nearly as rough a time as you did. And the Salarians who survived have all opted to treat themselves, and are down in the cargo hold. They have said they will likely disembark when we return to the Citadel."

"Is that where we are headed?" Shepard questioned.

"Yes. Pressly thought it was the best move to make, and ordered Joker to set a course."

Shepard nodded. "Good, good. I'll be heading up to the bridge, now... the rest of you?" He looked at Garrus, Wrex, and Liara. "Back to work."

#Mass Effect #I watched both scenes for it and #this made enough sense to me as a way this could have gone #considering how much time it takes for the bomb to go off #I might have forgotten a few details but #I'm pretty sure this would work #but of course they had to have SOMEONE die to help keep things 'tense'#although I would have been fine with basically a much harder option where you do get to save both of them #but whatever #i hope I did a good enough job at writing everyone's dialogue x.x #and it does feel a little unfinished to me but #still #i'm pretty happy with this

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inkskinned · 9 months

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you're grabbing lunch with a nice man and he gives you that strange grimace-smile that's popular right now; an almost sardonic "twist" of his mouth while he looks literally down on you. it looks like he practiced the move as he leans back, arms folded. he just finished reciting the details of NFTs to you and explaining Oppenheimer even though he only watched a youtube about it and hasn't actually seen it. you are at the bottom of your wine glass.

you ask the man across from you if he has siblings, desperately looking for a topic. literally anything else.

he says i don't like small talk. and then he smiles again, watching you.

a few years ago, you probably would have said you're above celebrity gossip, but honestly, you've been kind of enjoying the dumb shit of it these days. with the rest of the earth burning, there's something familiar and banal about dragging ariana grande through the mud. you think about jeanette mccurdy, who has often times gently warned the world she's not as nice as she appears. you liked i'm glad my mom died but it made you cry a lot.

he doesn't like small talk, figure out something to say.

you want to talk about responsibility, and how ariana grande is only like 6 days older than you are - which means she just turned 30 and still dresses and acts like a 13 year old, but like sexy. there's something in there about the whole thing - about insecurity, and never growing up, and being sexualized from a young age.

people have been saying that gay people are groomers. like, that's something that's come back into the public. you have even said yourself that it's just ... easier to date men sometimes. you would identify as whatever the opposite of "heteroflexible" is, but here you are again, across from a man. you like every woman, and 3 people on tv. and not this guy. but you're trying. your mother is worried about you. she thinks it's not okay you're single. and honestly this guy was better before you met, back when you were just texting.

wait, shit. are you doing the same thing as ariana grande? are you looking for male validation in order to appease some internalized promise of heteronormativity? do you conform to the idea that your happiness must result in heterosexuality? do you believe that you can resolve your internal loneliness by being accepted into the patriarchy? is there a reason dating men is easier? why are you so scared of fucking it up with women? why don't you reach out to more of them? you have a good sense of humor and a big ol' brain, you could have done a better job at online dating.

also. jesus christ. why can't you just get a drink with somebody without your internal feminism meter pinging. although - in your favor (and judgement aside) in the case of your ariana grande deposition: you have been in enough therapy you probably wouldn't date anyone who had just broken up with their wife of many years (and who has a young child). you'd be like - maybe take some personal time before you begin this journey. like, grande has been on broadway, you'd think she would have heard of the plot of hamlet.

he leans forward and taps two fingers to the table. "i'm not, like an andrew tate guy," he's saying, "but i do think partnership is about two people knowing their place. i like order."

you knew it was going to be hard. being non-straight in any particular way is like, always hard. these days you kind of like answering the question what's your sexuality? with a shrug and a smile - it's fine - is your most common response. like they asked you how your life is going and not to reveal your identity. you like not being straight. you like kissing girls. some days you know you're into men, and sometimes you're sitting across from a man, and you're thinking about the power of compulsory heterosexuality. are you into men, or are you just into the safety that comes from being seen with them? after all, everyone knows you're failing in life unless you have a husband. it almost feels like a gradebook - people see "straight married" as being "all A's", and anything else even vaguely noncompliant as being ... like you dropped out of the school system. you cannot just ignore years of that kind of conditioning, of course you like attention from men.

"so let's talk boundaries." he orders more wine for you, gesturing with one hand like he's rousing an orchestra. sir, this is a fucking chain restaurant. "I am not gonna date someone who still has male friends. also, i don't care about your little friends, i care about me. whatever stupid girls night things - those are lower priority. if i want you there, you're there."

he wasn't like this over text, right? you wouldn't have been even in the building if he was like this. you squint at him. in another version of yourself, you'd be running. you'd just get up and go. that's what happens on the internet - people get annoyed, and they just leave. you are locked in place, almost frozen. you need to go to the bathroom and text someone to call you so you have an excuse, like it's rude to just-leave. like he already kind of owns you. rudeness implies a power paradigm, though. see, even your social anxiety allows the patriarchy to get to you.

you take a sip of the new glass of wine. maybe this will be a funny story. maybe you can write about it on your blog. maybe you can meet ariana grande and ask her if she just maybe needs to take some time to sit and think about her happiness and how she measures her own success.

is this settling down? is this all that's left in your dating pool? just accepting that someone will eventually love you, and you have to stop being picky about who "makes" you a wife?

you look down to your hand, clutching the knife.

#writeblr #this is a mashup of like 3 dates i accidentally went on lol #by that i mean that i was out with a woman on a date in 2 of these situations #and a man just. joined us. and we were too awkward to say anything while he tried to ''date'' me #& one was a longterm friend that i was like. you what????#like he's nice he's a doctor and my mom was SO happy she was like raquel think about it #''it's a perfect love story you grew up together and reconnected as adults and like the same things and he's friends with ur brother #and his sister is one of ur close friends!!!''#yes but alas. he is a boy . she only likes girls. can i make it any more obvious #anyway im tryna write about like the force of male attention being actually incredibly ingrained to women like we are SUPPOSED to like it #it's seen as the only important thing #even if ur gay #and it's a nuanced thing idk #and while rn i i.d. as lesbian #like .... it wouldn't be UNTRUE to say i am probably like ''cusp bisexual'' bc i CAN experience attraction to men bc like .#sexuality is fluid...#don't tell straight ppl tho bc they do not understand the concept that ppl don't necessarily need a solid everlasting label #they're like GET in the BOX #if ur gay & in boston i'm 30 and pretty please come kiss me.#(i usually only date older ppl sorry in advance tho)

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