Mass Effect: Transcendence

Penumbra

Penumbra 

by writeowl

Shepard found herself standing alone in the dark. There was no mist this time, no trees.  

"After all I've done for you, human," Daedalus said. Shepard turned, feeling his presence nearby. She squinted, trying to see the outline of his body against the void.  

"I did what I had to," she said. 

"You nearly lost everything!" he snarled. 

"What good is victory if we sacrifice everything else to achieve it?" she said. "Because of you, Tali might have been killed." 

His laughter seemed to float away: a whisper of amusement. "Yes. Well if it wasn't for me, we'd all be dead." 

"What do you mean?" she asked. She felt the warmth of his breath on her neck. 

"Haven't you noticed?" he said, grabbing her shoulder. She cried out as his fingers dug into the exposed muscle. "You're bleeding." 

She opened her omni-blade. In the orange light, thick trails of blood streaked down her arm. They joined at her fingertips, pooling into droplets that clung to her skin until they were too heavy to hold on, slowly saturating the ground. Shepard looked up, startled by the face of Daedalus emerging from the darkness in front of her. Long fangs protruded from his face as he drew her closer.

"Joker, let me know when we're near Thessia," Shepard ordered over the comm. 

"Aye, aye, ma'am," he replied. 

Shepard was in Liara's quarters scrolling through the Prothean-like characters on the screens when Thane found her.  

"Working alone?" he asked.  

She nodded. "I sent Liara to rest in my room." 

"How are you feeling?" he said, standing beside her. 

"Fine. Dr. Chakwas fixed up most of the damage. Just a few more scars to add to the collection," she said, still watching the screens. "How's Tali?" 

"The infection seems to be clearing. Her fever is still holding, however. It would be advisable to keep her out of combat," he said. 

"I can always use the extra help here," she said. 

Thane pulled Shepard away from the data. "She'll still need some time to recover. Besides, you should rest before Thessia. You haven't slept in days," he said. 

Shepard shook her head. "I'm nearly there." 

"The war isn't going anywhere," he said. 

"That's the problem! We haven't gotten anywhere. I'm sick of calculating. Of waiting. It's time to end this!" she said. Thane rested his fingers on her neck, touching the knots of the scar. She bristled at his touch. 

"What's going on," he said. 

"What do you mean?" she asked. 

"Don't avoid the question. You've been entirely too aggressive. Nearly killing your crew at all costs. Reckless. Demanding. That's not like you," he said. 

She looked up at him, her eyes glowering with rage. "I will make them pay for what they've done," she said. 

"No one expects you to defeat this Goliath alone," Thane said. 

"All I need is this data!" she said. 

Thane blinked slowly, watching her breathing quicken. He squeezed the skin along the back of her neck. She gasped.