Mass Effect: Reaper Dreams

Mako Tale

"The things we do outlast our mortality. The things we do are like monuments that people build to honor heroes after they've died. They're like the pyramids that the Egyptians built to honor the pharaohs. Only instead of being made of stone, they're made out of the memories people have of you."

R.J. Palacio

May 7th, 2187

Samantha Traynor

They all needed a break, a little time to laugh, and Garrus was providing the right medicine at the right time. Commander Williams had set them on the early path, giving direction after the crash, but she had recently lost her steam. 'What's eating Ashley Williams?' was the question that Traynor keyed into her daily log.

It appeared to her that almost precisely the moment Joker found his way back from the brink of despair, Ashley had gone off the cliff. She was becoming morose and it was affecting everyone, so much so that Vakarian felt the need to get the crew together for a post-meal drink and a little reminiscing. Dr. T'Soni was the only member of the command staff absent.

Liara claimed that her 'other' work was pulling her away, but she was fooling no one. The Asari was in mourning and not even Garrus or Tali could pull her out of her quarters. No one blamed her, how could they? To lose anyone was difficult, to lose someone twice was unthinkable. Shepard's death was hard enough on those who loved the Commander from afar, but Liara? Traynor could not imagine what it must feel like to have someone like Shepard and then not have her. The jealousy she once felt for Dr. T'Soni had utterly dissolved, leaving only pity and compassion in its wake.

The liquor was flowing freely and after such a light meal it was going straight to their heads. Garrus had just finished a dramatic retelling of the day they met Liara, including the famous last words a Krogan Warlord directed at Shepard shortly before she slammed him into the wall with her biotics and drove her omni-tool through his skull.

"You haven't told us the words yet, what were the words?" insisted Diana Allers.

Garrus chuckled. "I'm getting there, come on, the punchline comes at the end!"

"We're way past the end," said James. "Spit it out Vakarian!"

Garrus drew himself up and did his best imitation of a Krogan. "I like your attitude!"

The port lounge erupted in laughter.

Tali set aside her drink and straw. "That was Shepard. When I first met her she seemed so kind and compassionate, like she really cared. I couldn't believe she was for real, but she seemed to actually want to do the right thing. I wondered why the Council had chosen her for a Spectre, but then I realized this: she gave everyone a chance, but once you pushed her limits or crossed her..."

"BANG!" shouted Garrus, who slapped his hand on the table and startled a few junior crewmen. "Someone would die before they even saw it coming."

"Oh, Garrus," said Dr. Chakwas. "Surely you're exaggerating, you make it sound like she had a hair trigger. Shepard wasn't a psychopath."

"He is not exaggerating," said Tali, who was slurring her words ever so slightly. "On Feros I really saw it for the first time. Shepard, Wrex, and I had just fought through several waves of Geth, destroyed a drop-ship, and faced off with a half-dozen of Saren's mercenary Krogan band. All of this bloodshed and battle just to find out what Saren was after on Feros.

As it turns out, one of the ExoGeni representatives knew all along, but he was covering it up on behalf of the company. Now, above all things, you do not lie to Shepard. And this man, Ethan was his name if I recall, had deliberately lied to us. Shepard was angry to begin with, but when we returned from dealing with the dropship he had his security guards holding civilians and scientists at gunpoint. He was rambling on about liquidating assets."