"Everyone okay?" I groaned as I think we were all feeling it. In the silence of the Mako, I could hear the alarms blasting away and the distant sound of gunfire and screams.
"I think we're all fine here, Shepard," Ashley replied, "Good thing we were all buckled in. Belt right across my tits though."
"I'll massage them better for you later, Chief."
"Oooh, I might need that too, Shepard," Liara added.
We managed to extricate ourselves from the Mako. I took a moment to check it over and I felt myself saddened that it was destroyed. I rested a hand on it and thanked it for its service. It had been a fantastic machine, and although there had been times that she'd proven to be a temperamental beast, she'd kept us alive.
I felt Liara rest her hand on my shoulder. "She was good to us, Shepard. Kept us alive."
"Yeah. I'm going to miss the old girl. I've spent a lot of time in Mako's, but this one was special."
Glancing around, I noticed that we'd crash-landed on the Presidium. That was one good thing as I had a feeling that it was the Citadel Tower that we needed to head towards.
"Reckon this master control unit is where the Council meets?" I asked almost rhetorically.
"I think we should speak to Avina first," Garrus suggested, "She might have an idea of what's going on here."
Avina was the Citadel VI. Usually full of useful information for visitors and tourists. Thankfully, we didn't have to ask many questions as Avina gave us a rundown of everything happening on the Citadel. The situation was fucked, to put it mildly. Apparently, geth were running riot across the entire Citadel. Krogan were almost mentioned as being on the station. And our destination was confirmed when Avina confirmed that Saren was seen in the vicinity of the Citadel Tower.
There was some relief that the Council had been evacuated to the Destiny Ascension, the pride of the Citadel Fleet, along with up to ten thousand civilians. That was protocol regarding any attack on the Citadel. All five Wards had been placed under lockdown. C-Sec were responding to the emergency though I could not get through to them as lines were down.
I tried opening up communication lines to the Council or the Alliance, but the geth had jammed everything. If not the geth, then it was simply due to the situation in the system being entirely fucked.
"Okay, we need to move quickly, but none of you are dying now. Understood? Check your targets. Use cover. And communicate."
"Yes, Shepard," my group replied in unison.
We were greeted by husks, the once humans that had been changed completely by Reaper technology. They were mostly harmless unless they got close enough to release a static charge which fucked our shields. It barely took a couple of bullets to put them down. We made our way to a nearby elevator and boarded, wondering what the hell we were walking into.
I knew things were going to be even worse when Saren must have made it inside. The arms of the Citadel started to close. I don't think any of us even knew such a thing was possible. And just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, the elevator we were ascending in ground to a halt.
"Well, shit," I muttered before I aimed at the glass, "Helmets on and seal up your suits, people. Looks like we're doing this the hard way." I glanced at Tali who looked at me with amused eyes. "Well, I guess you're already fine, Tali."
"I guess I do have one advantage when it comes to zero gravity and no oxygen."
Everyone activated their boots as it wasn't unusual for soldiers to work in zero gravity, depending on what sort of planet or moon they were operating on. All Alliance boots were magnetised though I still checked with one footstep first before I was confident enough to clamber out of the elevator. Once were all gathered outside, we looked around and were amazed at what we could see. The Citadel was completely sealed, and I could only imagine that Sovereign was inside and doing its best to open the relay.
I reminded everyone to be careful once we made contact with the enemy. If anyone was blown from their feet, they were going to float away.
"That's when my biotics will come in handy, Shepard," Liara suggested, "I can lift some enemies out of the way. Won't even need to bother shooting them if they just start floating away."
"Whatever works. And here come the geth…"
In the silence of space, no one can hear you scream. That's what they say. Whether anyone heard our battle on the side of the Citadel tower is something only they would be able to explain. I had a feeling few people were left alive on the Presidium. I could only imagine the chaos that was now going on in the five Wards.
The geth were hitting us with everything they must have had at their disposal. Tali simply couldn't launch her tech attacks quick enough. Liara assisted by doing just as she said, firing biotic attacks in tandem with Tali. Ashley and I worked together, moving cover to cover. Garrus watched our rear, taking out anything that got too close to us for comfort. As for Wrex, he was being more circumspect due to the zero gravity though he was still our battering ram. Still made us chuckle with how he faced down the largest of the geth units without a hint of fear.
We reached an open area that Liara suggested was a series of exhaust shafts. They provided cover for us just as they allowed the geth to use cover. Tali and Liara continued to combine their attacks to get the geth from out behind cover. Krogan warriors stupidly charged at us. Liara used her lift ability to send them floating harmlessly over our heads.
Moving forward slowly, I knew that time was of the essence, but I wasn't going to waste our lives when I knew that every minute counted. We'd made it this far. I wasn't going to start sacrificing lives. I was already realistic about the situation. We might stop Sovereign this day, but the Reapers would still be out there, waiting in dark space. And if they were capable of wiping out civilisations over the spans of millions of years, they would be smart enough to figure out another way into the galaxy to begin their annihilation of our cycle.
Saren must have got into the Citadel defences as turrets rose and started to fire at ships in the distance while others started to fire at us. I shouted at my team over the radio to keep their heads down and move with caution. Thankfully, most of the fire wasn't aimed at us, and as long as we moved quickly, the turrets didn't have long enough to lock onto us.
Tali then pulled a blinder, hacking two of the turrets and she had them firing at the geth. I wasn't the only one chuckling at the sight of geth floating away as they were blown away from cover. More krogan warriors were pouring forward, left thinking that I'd have to ask Wrex how Saren had managed to recruit so many of them.
It was a real maze and I'm sure we did end up lost more than once. In the distance, we could see the Citadel Fleet in battle with the geth. Explosions suggested that both sides were taking damage. I could only hope that Joker was on the way back to the Citadel in the Normandy as I hadn't managed to get a message to him before we'd flown through the Conduit. Given that the geth had likely retreated from Ilos as soon as Saren had made his way through, I could only imagine that Joker now had the Normandy at full power in an effort to get back to help us however he could.
"We must be getting closer," I stated, "Any idea where we actually are, Liara?"
"No idea, to be honest. I'm guessing that you're just heading towards the Reaper?"
"Bingo! I figured this was the best way."
Wrex laughed away. "Only Shepard would have his team heading towards a Reaper. What next, Shepard? Battling on foot against a thresher maw?"
"What would the krogan think of me if I did?"
"A quad, Shepard. A great big fucking quad."
A geth dropship landed overhead, just as I thought we'd dealt with the worst of it. I could almost hear the collective groan as the ship dropped what looked like hundreds of units. But I was somewhat confident that this was their last play. We must have been close to an entry point into the tower.
"One last push!" I shouted, "We must be getting close for them to send this many against us. Give it everything you've got!"
I'll be honest that it damn near killed us. So many of the larger geth units. Rockets seemed to rain down on our positions, only saved by taking cover and the strength of our shields. Groups of geth pushed hard to get close enough to take us down. Tali's Omni-tool must have been red hot from the number of attacks she was sending in their direction. Liara must have been running hot at the same time. Biotics might have come naturally to her like all asari, but I knew enough that even they would be left exhausted from continual use. It sapped physical energy, and I knew was a mentally exhausting task at the same time.
Each step forward brought more confidence as we slowly smashed the geth lines and moved forward. There were no more krogan. I mentioned this to Wrex, and he mentioned that the krogan we killed were idiots and deserved to die. He then added that they were traitors to his people as they should have known that Saren would never have a genuine cure for the genophage.
"Never trust a turian," he finished with a sideways glance at Garrus, "Though I guess they're not all bad."
We finally found a vent that would lead us into the Council Chambers. We tried to get through as quietly as possible, climbing out and onto solid ground as silently as possible. The alarms continued to ring which meant that we could make a little noise. There were numerous fires, smoke filling the air. Once everyone was with me, we stepped forward carefully.
The last pitiful line of defence was around a dozen geth. We put them down easily before approaching the platform where I would usually speak to the Council. Saren was ahead of us. Before I could shout out a command or even put a bullet in his back, something I wouldn't do anyway, he jumped down from the platform and disappeared. The Master Control Terminal holographic interface was where I thought it would be.
"Spread out!" I ordered, "Shout if you see that turian bastard!"
He reappeared moments later and flung a grenade in my direction. I'd taken cover and the grenade skipped on by harmlessly, exploding a few metres away. My shields faltered though remained strong. I peeked around the corner and was shocked by what I could see. He was more machine than turian now. Sovereign had now fully indoctrinated him.
"I was afraid you wouldn't make it in time, Shepard."
"Wiping out your geth army slowed me down a little bit, but I'm here now. Why don't you step down from the board of yours and face me down, turian to man?"
He snorted. "You've lost, Shepard. In a few minutes, Sovereign will have full control of the Citadel's systems. The relay will open. The Reapers will return."
"Over my dead body."
"Bad term of phrase there, Shepard," Ashley hissed, "We'd rather you not be dead."
"I'll give you some credit, Shepard. You survived our encounter on Virmire. You were stronger than even Sovereign considered. But I've changed since then. Improved. Sovereign has upgraded me."
"You're still dead whatever happens, Saren. All you've done is make it more painful in the end. Come on, let's settle this like men."
He shook his head as I made a series of gestures. Tali and Liara. It would be a one-shot deal. Garrus was further back, no doubt the turian lining up Saren in his sights. I didn't care who got the shot in that took the bastard down. The only thing that mattered was Saren being dead and the Reapers stopped.
"You don't understand, Shepard. There is a place for organics in the new order. The Reapers need men and women of action. People like us. Sovereign recognises your value. You've impressed it. Surrender to the Reapers and you will be spared. Join us and we can find a place for you."
My laughter ran around the chamber despite the crying alarms. "You are totally fucking delusional!" I retorted, "We spoke to Vigil on Ilos. You're indoctrinated. We know all about the Reapers and what they have planned. You're indoctrinated, Saren. You have no fucking idea what's truly going on. You're nothing but its slave now."
"Again, you don't understand, Shepard. The relationship is symbiotic. Organic and machine intertwined, a union of flesh and steel. The strengths of both, the weaknesses of none. I am a vision of the future, Shepard. The evolution of all organic life. This is our destiny. Join Sovereign and experience a true rebirth!"
"Saren, I'm going to put it simply. You have no fucking future."
I gave the signal. In my mind, it all happened incredibly slowly. Tali keyed her attacks on his shields. I noticed them failing as Liara stood up and attacked, putting the turian in stasis the moment his shields failed. I wasn't the only one to open fire. There was a crack of two other rifles as I aimed for his head. Three bullets slammed home at once.
Saren staggered where he was hit, gurgling something, before he tipped off the side of the board and tumbled to the glass floor below, smashing through it and onto the floor of the garden that was below the glass. A massive shard of glass had gone through his chest at the same time. There was no way that he was getting up from that.
"Good shot, Garrus. You too, Ash."
"Thank you, Commander," Garrus stated.
"I wasn't taking any chances with that fucker," Ashley added.
I knew that I was going to need some help with this and asked Tali to help me. She was an engineer and definitely knew her way around computers as well. I had the rest keep watch in case there was a surprise counterattack, simply because communication lines were still down and I simply had no idea what was going on outside. All I knew was that Sovereign itself was somewhere above us and it would surely not be giving up just because Saren was dead.
Tali got to work, and she announced that the file Vigil had given us had worked. We now had full control of the Citadel though she mentioned that it was possible that Sovereign would possibly counter this.
"Tali, work on opening the arms. We need to let whatever fleets have arrived inside. Can you open a communications channel? As wide as possible to anyone who could possibly hear us."
"Working on it, Shepard."
Tali worked quickly as our ears were soon filled with all manner of noise. I asked Tali to focus on one line in particular.
"… the Destiny Ascension. Main drives offline. Kinetic barriers down to forty percent. The Council is on board. I repeat, the Council is on board."
"Normandy to the Citadel. I repeat, Normandy to the Citadel. Please tell me that you're there, Commander."
"I'm receiving you, Joker. What's your status?"
"We caught that distress call, Commander. I'm sitting here in the Andura sector with the entire Arcturus Fleet…"
"I knew Admiral Hackett would come through for us," Ashley stated.
"We can save the Ascension. Just unlock the relays around the Citadel and we'll send the cavalry in!"
"Tali, open those arms. Joker, once you're through, link up with the Citadel Fleet. There are ten thousand souls on that ship. Do what you can to help."
"I hope the Council appreciate what you've just done for them, Shepard," Wrex warned, "They don't have the longest of memories when you help them."
"Alliance ships, move in! Save the Destiny Ascension!"
I almost smiled. I should have known that Admiral Hackett would have been in the thick of the action. We heard his orders about only firing once the targets were locked. We heard that the geth picked up their arrival and were moving to counterattack.
"Commander! We're picking up reinforcements!"
"It's the Alliance! Thank the Goddess!"
We could only hear the reports of what was going on through our radios. The Alliance lost ships. They could be rebuilt but it meant the loss of many servicemen and women. But I heard them counting off the number of geth ships that were being destroyed in return. The focus had been on saving the Ascension, and when Admiral Hackett called in that the ship was now clear and should retreat, you could hear the cheers in the background.
"Alliance Fleet! The Citadel arms are opening. Focus all fire on Sovereign!"
While the fight continued outside, I looked down at where Saren lay. I knew the turian might be dead, but Sovereign… I wouldn't be confident about our victory until the Reaper was dead. We climbed down from the platform to where the turian was dead on the ground. Everything seemed normal as I put a couple of bullets into his corpse… Just to make sure the bastard was dead…
We could hear the reports of what was going on outside. The geth were not retreating, no doubt fighting to the last ship. What other choice did they have now that Saren was dead? Their only hope was somehow Sovereign winning the day. And they no doubt knew that the rest of the galaxy would now go hunting for the geth in return.
My fear about Sovereign having more than one trick up his sleeve was proven correct when Saren's corpse started to change. It was enveloped in a red electrical glow. It was obvious this was the result of the changes that Saren had allowed to be made. The organic matter of his body started to disintegrate as his body rose from the dead. By the time Saren's body had changed, he was now little more than a husk. But I could almost feel the power. Sovereign had obviously transferred something into Saren's body to defeat us.
"I am Sovereign! And this station is mine!" the husk roared.
We spread out into cover as it was immediately apparent that this iteration of Saren was incredibly powerful. The attacks were constant, barely allowing any of us time to look out of cover and attack in return. We started to time our attacks, and we found that the Saren corpse was still susceptible to biotic and tech attacks. We quickly worked out how to time our attacks particularly as the Saren corpse darted about quickly, a reminder of a particular type of geth unit that was a real pain in the arse to take out.
"Not a step back!" I shouted.
"Keep up the attack. No retreat! All firepower on Sovereign!" Hackett demanded of his ships.
Then the Saren corpse summoned geth to fight his battle. It was a diversionary tactic as the Saren corpse attempted to get in closer and wipe us out one by one. Despite the confined space, we didn't let it get close. Talli switched her attacks to dealing with the geth, Liara continuing her focus on the Saren corpse. Wrex was trying to get close enough to wield significant damage of his own, but even he couldn't sustain the damage he was taking.
Geth bodies piled up on the ground and I could just feel that the Saren corpse was wilting. The one thing that I was wondering was if Sovereign was fighting us, was it also concentrating on the firepower that it was taking outside. Even a Reaper couldn't sustain that sort of damage forever, could it?
Any prayers that we might have been offering to a god or goddess that we believed in were answered. The Saren corpse fought until we had it backed into a corner, and a few seconds of sustained gunfire finally put the thing onto the ground. The red glow in its eyes disappeared and the rest of the corpse simply dissolved into dust.
"Sovereign's shields are down!" Joker reported.
"All ships, fire on Sovereign! Fire all that we've got! Take it down!" Hackett ordered.
We could feel the explosions tear through the Reaper as it must have finally let go of the Citadel Tower. I felt it starting to shake and ordered my team to move out. Just as I was about to turn around myself, I heard breaking glass and noticed an enormous part of the Reaper heading straight towards our position.
I'm not sure if it was that or something else, but I felt a crack in the back of my head. It was hard enough that I was probably unconscious before I hit the ground.
*****
I have no idea how long I was out for. Could have been seconds. Maybe minutes. Hell, with everything going on, it might have been a few hours. I was lying underneath something though managed to roll onto my back. I tried moving my right arm and immediately cried out in pain. I couldn't feel for anything broken with my armour in the way, but I'd definitely taken some damage.
Despite that, I needed whatever was on me off, and even with a damaged right shoulder, I placed my arms on whatever was on me and pushed. I shouted out again as the pain was excruciating, but I managed to lever the rubble out of the way enough that I could shimmy way out from underneath it. My weapon was lying nearby, and I picked that up before I hobbled forward. The entire chamber was either on fire or seemed to be destroyed. The keepers were going to have a hell of a clean-up job when all was said and done.
Over the sound of alarms, I heard my name being shouted. I made my way towards them, climbing over more than one piece of Reaper wreckage. Liara was the first to see me and cried out my name, running towards me. She noticed how I was holding my arm and stopped just short. Then she carefully hugged me to my other side before everyone else noticed me and walked over towards me.
"Did we just save the fucking day or what?" I managed to ask, knowing I was grinning.
"Don't do that again, Shepard!" Ashley warned though she said it with a smile, her eyes glistening, "Remember that you're not meant to get dead."
It was no surprise that Anderson came bursting through the door within seconds with half a dozen C-Sec officers with him, with medical personnel following in just as quickly. He noticed my group and walked over. I managed to shake his hand though winced as moving my right arm was painful as hell. He had a medic walk over and practically ordered me to be examined. I took a seat on a nearby bench as I was assessed.
"Hmmm. Dislocated shoulder… Broker collarbone…" The medic glanced back before she met my eyes. "Methinks that you're lucky to be alive, Commander."
I gestured to my squad with my head. "I have a bloody good team."
Communication was continuing to flow into my helmet, and I switched it off, wanting just a moment of silence. Anderson wanted me carried away on a stretcher, something I flatly refused. I'll go to hospital as he demanded but I could bloody well walk there. I was taken to Huerta Memorial Hospital and immediately admitted. I didn't particularly like that as I could see plenty of injured people around. I was assessed again before I was sedated so my shoulder could be reset, and collarbone fixed. Although medical technology had come up leaps and bounds, I would still be out of action for a few weeks to recover.
I was ordered to remain in hospital for at least a couple of days. To be honest, I was grateful for the rest. We'd barely had a moment to catch a breath since I'd been made a Spectre. We might have had a day or two where things were not completely hectic, but proper days long R&R? It had been a long time for all of us.
Anderson came in and checked up on me every day. I was purposely ignoring the media, so he filled me in on what was going on. The Council was lauding the efforts of the Alliance in saving the Council and the Citadel. My name was being praised by everyone as the leader of my group that had defeated Saren and Sovereign. There was talk about numerous medals and commendations for all of my crew.
Three days after I was admitted to hospital, I was finally allowed out. Someone in the media must have caught wind of where I was as I was immediately inundated by questions from journalists, my photo being taken again and again. I probably looked like hell. At least people would understand what I'd gone through to make sure that we had won.
I was led by an Alliance clerk to a waiting taxi and whisked away. As we flew into the air, the fires had been extinguished but the destruction on display was immense. It was going to take months to clean up, but I knew immense resources would be put in place to make sure the Citadel was once again the beacon it had always been. Only a few select people knew the horrible truth. I had a feeling it would be better if it stayed that way. The Citadel might be a massive relay, but the Reapers wouldn't be using it again. Not if we could help it.
With the Citadel Tower out of action, some sections of the Presidium had already been reopened. I was dropped outside what looked like a residential apartment, told to head to the top floor. The concierge inside was an asari and seemed to recognise me immediately. I think that I had better get used to the adulation as she looked ready to just give me a great big hug.
"Commander Shepard… They're waiting for you in the apartment. Top floor."
I rode the elevator to the top floor, the doors opening to reveal all of my team. Naira and Sha'ira. Kira and Benezia. Tara and Ariana. I couldn't stop smiling as all the women and asari approached me. Noticing that my arm wasn't in a sling, I told them that my collarbone had been reset though needed time to mend naturally. As for the dislocation, I'd have some pain for a little while.
After making sure to greet me with a sensuous kiss each, Tara and Ariana disappeared for a few minutes, returning with trays of drinks for everyone. Everyone grabbed something before I cleared my throat, everyone looking at me rather expectantly.
"Fucking great job!" I stated with a grin, "I have no doubts our lives are going to change from this point forward, but I cannot thank my team enough for everything that you've done to support me. I couldn't have and didn't do any of this alone." I raised my glass. "To the crew of the Normandy. Those who served on the ground. Those who served on the ship. And those we lost along the way."
Everyone sipped their drinks before Kira cleared her throat. "Shepard, there is going to be a ceremony within the next month. I know you probably won't enjoy the publicity given your role, but I think you should just ride with it for the time being. Privately in this room, all I can do is thank you from the bottom of my heart. Not only for saving me and my fellow councillors, but you also saved ten thousand other souls by sending in your fleet. Without them, we would all be dead. I know the Alliance were hit hard by what happened, but for their sacrifice, we will be forever thankful."
"I figured there'd be some sort of celebration. I'll just dust off my Alliance blues." I looked at Captain Anderson. "What's the word from Earth?"
"You're a goddamned hero, Shepard."
"Same on Thessia," Kira stated with a chuckle, "The fact he chose to save our ship, knowing the score…"
"I've received word that Palaven are hoping that he will visit as well. Being a military man and all…"
"Any news about the geth?" I had to ask.
"The bastards have been sent running," Anderson replied, "Asari, salarian and turian fleets have given chase. So far, we've pushed them mostly back towards their own space though we know pockets of resistance remain elsewhere."
I shared a conversation with everyone who was there. Even Doctor Chakwas and many of the ship crew with whom I generally had a professional relationship were in attendance. Spirits were high after our victory. Many assured me that they would remain serving on the Normandy even as my role as Spectre would have me completing missions that would have little to do with the Alliance or human interests.
Most other guests started to depart until I was left as the only man in a room of asari, women and Tali. I wasn't surprised that she wanted to remain. Doctor Chakwas remaining was a surprise though she insisted it was simply to let her hair down, enjoy a few drinks, and watch the action unfold.
"I'm not oblivious to the fact that every single woman and asari in this place wants to be with you intimately right now, Shepard," she stated.
"And you want to watch?"
"Absolutely."
"You can join in if you want, Karin," Liara offered.
I think Chakwas gave it some thought before she smiled. "Maybe next time. It's been a long time between drinks, and I wouldn't exactly feel comfortable this time."
Within ten minutes, only Tali and Chakwas remained clothed. I was sitting back on the couch as Liara was between my legs, eagerly sucking on my cock, Naira to one side and Ashley to the other, mixing kissing with sucking at their breasts. I groaned as Liara's talent at sucking cock was getting better and better each time. I eventually had both of my hands caressing her crest which I knew aroused her considerably. Her blue eyes gazed up into mine.
"Yeah, she wants your cum, Shepard," Ashley stated.
It had probably been the longest that I'd gone without sex in quite a while. When I finally erupted, it was quite the load. Liara proved she was picking up on certain things as she held most of it in her mouth and showed me before she leaned up and kissed Ashley first before leaning over to kiss Naira next. She then took my cock back in her mouth and happily bobbed for a little longer before Ashley and Naira wanted their chance.
"Okay, girls. My turn," Kira stated, "This man gets my pussy for saving my life and so many of my people at the same time."
Kira whimpered as she lowered herself down my cock, savouring the heat and tightness of her pussy at the same time. She kissed me softly as she was doing her best to grind her clit against me at the same time. She knew that I wasn't going to cum quickly and when she enjoyed an orgasm, I was surprised that she lifted herself up, only for Benezia to eagerly suck my cock for a few seconds before she slid her way down my cock.
"You are getting inside all of us tonight, Shepard," she informed me, "We know that you can't fill each of us, so we will take turns, enjoy an orgasm, then someone else gets their turn. If you cum, you cum. Try not to cum in the same girl twice though."
"I'll do my best."
I could see Chakwas growing increasingly aroused with each passing minute and I couldn't help smiling at her when her hand finally disappeared down her pants. When I suggested that I'd love to see her pussy, she did give me a quick flash, no real surprise that even she was nearly completely smooth. As for Tali, the whimpers she made suggested that her masturbation program was going at full speed. I knew she was desperate for intimacy; I just didn't know how we'd go about it. Tali would only be told how intimacy between quarians worked when she returned to the Migrant Fleet from her Pilgrimage.
Benezia rode me through an orgasm before Sha'ira walked over and lowered herself down on my cock. She smiled shyly while riding me before we shared a soft kiss. When she enjoyed an orgasm rather quickly, all the others told her to enjoy herself and enjoy at least one or two more as they wanted to be fair regarding time.
"Am I just sitting here?" I had to ask.
"It'll be the best position for your shoulder and collarbone," Chakwas replied.
"And we all just love riding on your big dick," Sha'ira moaned into my ear, "We can get every inch possible inside us. Missionary is still wonderful though, particularly when you're slamming it nice and hard. We really feel the power in your body…"
Naira was eager to suck my cock after Sha'ira dismounted though it was Ashley who was next to slide down my cock. She rode me hard and fast straight away, slamming her pussy down onto my cock. While she was doing that, Liara was behind her, and I only realised what she was doing when Ashley lifted herself up and I felt her press her arsehole against my cock. We groaned together as she carefully lowered herself down.
"Fuck yes," she moaned, "Oh fuck, Shepard. You feel so fucking good in my arse."
"I must admit it is incredibly arousing watching your cock disappear inside her arse," Chakwas stated.
Ashley rode me slowly to start with, getting used to the feeling, but once she was happy, she started to ride me faster and faster. I'd managed not to cum so far despite all the pussy that I'd enjoyed, but I simply couldn't hold back my orgasm any longer. Ashley could read my face and knew it was coming, fingering her pussy in desperation to cum with me at the same time.
"Little longer," she murmured, "Little longer…"
"Close, Ash. Really need to cum."
She kissed me hard, slamming her arse down harder and harder while her shoulder moved in a blur as she jilled herself something fierce. I was the first to cum, my cock throbbing as I filled her arse. But my cock remained rock solid, and Ashley came within a couple of minutes, feeling her bite into my other shoulder before she released what was practically a scream.
"Oh my god! Oh my god! I can't believe… Best… Best fucking orgasm ever…"
"Okay, I think anal is definitely on the menu for all of us going forward," Benezia joked, "Because that looked wonderful. What do you think, Little Wing?"
"I'm going to go buy some plugs, so I get used to having things in my arse before I let Shepard fuck it, Mother. He feels so big in my pussy already!"
"These are your days going forward, Shepard," Kira added, "Just endless pussy and now arse. Though we all hope that tongue of yours is still working."
"It's definitely working, Kira. Lie me on the ground or a bed and you can just sit on my face."
Naira was next to hop on, and I went straight into her arse. She smiled shyly as she knew how much I loved her tight pussy. It was obvious that watching Ashley had aroused her completely, the sight of her dripping pussy making my mouth water before she lowered herself down onto my cock. Ashley and Liara sat to either side of me, sharing kisses with me and with Naira. Both had fun with her at the same time, fondling her pussy and earning more than one orgasm before she collapsed against my chest.
"Fuck," she murmured, "I hope you leave my pussy and arse in agony these next few days, Shepard."
"That sounds like a wonderful plan for all my girls."
One woman was missing though she appeared at the doorway of the apartment three days later. Jane remembered not to leap on me after I opened the door though my cock was in her mouth within two minutes, earning plenty of chuckles from my girls at her enthusiasm. Once she made me cum, she made sure I was lying back on the bed that I'd been sleeping in so she could ride my face, earning more than one orgasm before she moved down to slide onto my cock.
"Get ready, Shepard," she warned me with humour.
She then surprised me by spinning around and leaning forward to show off the base of the plug buried in her arse. Yep, I got that later in the evening as she knew that I could at least be on my knees to fuck her hard. It was just putting pressure on my right shoulder which meant that leaning forward on one arm was difficult.
For two weeks, my girls entertained me. There was a lot of sex, of that I cannot deny. But we spent time in the company of each other. Kira had to head off each day to attend to Council affairs. Most of my girls took turns providing assistance to those who needed it as more than one Ward had taken damage from the numerous ships that had been destroyed during the battle. Kira also told me that no one was aware of where I was. Plain-clothed C-Sec and Alliance soldiers patrolled around the apartment complex to keep the media away.
I was in the bedroom that had been my own, with Jane on my face and Liara on my dick, when Kira walked in. I heard her chuckle as Benezia and Naira were having a little fun while the others were doing, I'm not sure.
"Shepard, I'm giving you a friendly head's up. The day after tomorrow, you will be the guest of honour as we begin our period of thanks to all the heroes who saved so many lives during the Battle of the Citadel. You and your crewmates will be presented to the people of the Citadel and the assembled media." She paused and added, "Jane, could you possibly get off his mouth for a moment?"
"Good thing that I've already cum plenty, Ma'am," Jane said, hearing the teasing nature in her tone.
Liara was still riding me. To say she loved riding my dick… I'm not sure who genuinely enjoyed it more, but the sheer joy on her face was rarely surpassed. "No problem, Kira. I'm feeling pretty good about things that I want to get back on my ship soon anyway. And I know that my squad have things they need to do before some feel that their time with me is at an end."
The next night before the ceremony, I was enjoying Ashley riding me when she burst into tears after enjoying quite the orgasm. Ashley showed emotion from time to time, but this was a moment where she was genuinely falling apart on me and I didn't know why. She leaned down so I could hug her, stroking her back as I let her calm down.
"Talk to me, Ash," I whispered.
"I got my papers this morning. You bastard!" She looked up and she was smiling. "I think I love you even more now."
"You deserve it, Ash. Absolutely deserve it. I only reported what we both already knew. That you are far more than your position. The only question I have is when do you ship out?"
"Day after tomorrow. They want to fast-track me. I think the Alliance has been left feeling rather guilty about my treatment. Being next to the Hero of the Citadel…" I gave her a look that made her move down my cock, so it was buried inside her. "Well, you'll always be mine," she whispered, "The man who saved me on Eden Prime."
The ceremony was tasteful due to the ramifications of the battle. Hundreds had been killed. The Alliance had lost numerous ships and personnel. The Citadel Fleet had taken significant losses during the original invasion. All in all, things could have been a hell of a lot worse. What happened would live long in the memory.
Rolling her over, the way she looked at me had me smiling back at her. I knew this might be the last time that we were together. I was sad that she was going to be leaving me so quickly. I thought she was going to get some sort of promotion, but I would have admitted that I didn't expect her to receive an officer's commission. A promotion up at least two levels as an NCO was what I expected, simply because I didn't expect the Alliance to swallow its pride regarding how it had treated the Williams family.
The next morning, I dressed in my Alliance blues and was whisked away to meet everyone else. A temporary stage had been built and a large crowd had already formed. Journalists and other media were towards the front. A few hundred spectators were towards the rear. The vehicle I was in parked away from the crowd where the rest of my crew was waiting for me to arrive.
"Ready to be recognised as heroes?" I asked.
Speeches were made. Kira spoke in glowing terms of the Alliance and the Alliance Navy, though she reserved her warmest words for the Normandy. The Fleet Admiral of the Alliance Navy was also present and made a speech. Admiral Hackett, the man also spoken of as his successor, was also praised and I hadn't missed how often his name had been mentioned in the news. More speeches were made before the ceremony swung into action.
Every member of staff of the Normandy received a medal from the Council. As it was a joint initiative with the Alliance, the Fleet Admiral of the Alliance Navy was also presenting medals to my staff and squad. I didn't miss the warm words he shared with Ashley, warm enough that Ashley looked rather emotional as she took her seat up on stage.
When it came for my turn to walk up onto the stage, I suddenly knew what it felt like to be a rock star. The applause was deafening. I was greeted by the Fleet Admiral first who pinned more than one medal on my chest. He shook my hand afterwards and thanked me for my service and for showing the Council that the Alliance could be depended on in their hour of need.
"And the mutiny, sir?"
He gave me a look and grinned. "What mutiny, Commander? All I know is that the first human Spectre did what was necessary to ensure that turian bastard couldn't bring about our destruction."
"Understood, sir."
"Humanity owes you an enormous debt of gratitude, Commander. As does this Council."
Councillors Valern and Sparatus shook my hand and offered their thanks and congratulations for the victory we'd achieved over Saren. Then Kira stepped forward to present more than one medal before she kissed my cheek. Then she murmured something to herself and kissed me properly. I knew those photos and video would be all over the extranet within seconds.
"Thank you, Shepard," she whispered, gazing into my eyes, "I know a tiny part of the reason you saved the Ascension was because I was on the ship. I desperately wanted to contact you as soon as you told the Alliance to save us simply to tell you how much I loved you."
"Am I giving a speech?"
"Of course you are."
I gave a speech. First and foremost, I thanked the crew of my ship. Then I individually thanked my squad mates for everything they had given and sacrificed during the mission. I paid tribute to Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko for his sacrifice on Virmire. I thanked the Alliance, particularly the Fifth Fleet, for answering the call so quickly and providing more than enough assistance in ensuring that Saren was defeated.
Having to answer questions from the media wasn't something that I wanted to do. Most of the questions were general in nature, aware that I couldn't exactly go into great detail about many of the things I'd done. The one journalist who caught my eye was Emily Wong. Incredibly cute verging on adorable, and she asked bluntly if I'd be willing to sit down for an in-depth interview at a later date. I glanced back at the Fleet Admiral and Council members. All of them gave me a nod.
"Sure thing, Miss Wong. I guess I can do that. Speak to our Alliance representatives and we'll get it sorted."
That evening was a gathering with the great and the good of Citadel Space society. Kira commandeered my attention that evening, spending most of the time on my arm. We were not seen as a couple, at least not yet. She played off her kiss on the stage as simply being excited to see the man who had saved her life and the lives of ten thousand others, most of them being asari. My hand was almost hurting by the end of the evening from it being shaken so often. I also had a long list of numbers from asari who were rather blunt about what they wanted from me.
"You know that I need to get back to work," I told Kira as we walked back to her apartment. The keepers had been in and started fixing it.
"And you're bored?"
"Look, you've kept me occupied for the past few weeks since I left the hospital. But I'm a man of action, not comfort. And there's also a job to do."
She stopped and turned to face me. "We can't go to war against the geth, Shepard. Hunting down remnants and pushing them back towards their own space is fine."
"I agree. As long as they bugger off back to where they live, I'll leave it at that. But now that Saren is dead as are most of the geth, I do wonder how they will respond now."
The interview was eventually agreed for two weeks later. I didn't want to remain on the Citadel for all that time. The Normandy had undergone maintenance during my time convalescing, and I knew most of the crew were itching to get out there. On the day of Ashley's departure, I held a small ceremony in thanks for her service. She'd made plenty of friends on board the ship, but what had me smiling was her fond farewells to Wrex and Garrus. But it was Tali that was particularly special, the two having formed a close bond, Ashley having adopted our young quarian as a sister.
As for me, I didn't miss how her lower lip trembled when we saluted before I gestured for her to give me a hug. We were given privacy as I felt her clutch at me tightly. There were no tears, I just knew she was sad to be leaving the ship. And me. That last kiss was something else. All the feelings we had for each other put into it.
"I love you, Shepard," she whispered, gazing up at me with a smile.
"I know, Ash. I feel the same way."
"But still can't say those words?"
"One day… The thing I know is that I'm a very lucky man to have the love of some incredible women."
"I know Liara is going to be thrilled that she's soon likely to be the only one left on the ship. Move her into your cabin?"
"I might as well. Our relationship isn't a secret and given that it's basically my ship… Make sure you keep in contact, Ash. I'll always be available to give advice. Officer training isn't easy though I know you're going to kick arse."
Jane had managed to get leave for most of the time that I was on the Citadel, but as Ashley would be flying to Arcturus before heading off for training, Jane caught the same ship with her. As Jane knew that she'd be seeing me more often in the future, our parting wasn't as emotional. A passionate kiss, a grind against my crotch, and a whisper into my ear that I'd better see her soon so I could fuck her arse again.
Yeah, it's fair to say that my relationship with Jane was great though we were honest it was heavily reliant on the fantastic sex we shared.
It felt good being back in uniform and my shoulder and collarbone were fully healed. The miracles of modern science. Hell, they were able to regrow and attach limbs that soldiers lost. Wrex, Tali and Garrus remained with me though I warned them that the next two weeks wouldn't be about action. I assured them that I would be keeping my word about assisting them, but the next mission had to take priority due to the urgency of the matter. Thankfully, the three of them admitted to their own boredom of being stuck on the Citadel.
Liara didn't know what we were doing. I just told her that we were leaving the Citadel as it was time to get to work. And I managed to keep her in the dark about our destination until we'd passed through the relay and arrived in orbit. As we no longer had the Mako, the Alliance had given the ship a shuttle to transport us to and from the surface. It certainly made things easier in that regard.
She was typing away at the desk in what was now our cabin when I walked up behind her. Resting my hands on her shoulders, she lifted her eyes towards me and smiled.
"Shepard, I'm not sure I can handle you for a few hours yet. My pussy is so sore right now that just sitting here is a little uncomfortable."
"Sorry… Although we were having a lot of fun last night."
"And this morning, Shepard. It's my own fault. I just can't help myself."
"Want to take a guess as to where we are?"
"No, and that's annoying me as no one will tell me."
"We're currently in the orbit of Ilos."
She was up and out of her seat immediately, plenty of kisses all over my face as I tumbled back onto the bed, Liara straddling me, giggling away as she continued to kiss me. She eventually met my mouth and I think she forgot about how sore she was before pressing down on the erection that had risen rather quickly. That made her gasp before she lifted herself away and blushed.
"Are we going down now?"
"We've got two weeks. You can make up your mind if you want to stay while I return to the Citadel. I have the interview with Miss Wong and then I have jobs to complete. After that, it'll be the geth. I know there are fleets currently monitoring their progress though I know the Alliance is wary of an all-out assault. Sending me in as a Spectre with a small team is the preferred option."
Wrex, Tali and Garrus joined us in heading down to the surface as they wouldn't mind wandering about. I'd received word that the salarians had already sent in research teams to uncover more secrets of Ilos. Liara was given special permission by the Council and the Asari Republics as reward for her role in stopping Saren.
I'll admit to being worried that Vigil would have disappeared in the few weeks since we'd last visited the facility. We walked by numerous stasis pods that had been taken out by the salarians to carry out any branch of research that came to their minds. Before we entered the walkway that led to Vigil, Liara stopped and met my eyes. I could see she was ever so nervous about what we'd find. I took her hand and gave her a soft kiss.
The sense of relief we both felt when Vigil appeared was immense. Liara was ever so excited that she now had at least two weeks to speak to it. I asked first how long it had left. Vigil admitted that it didn't know, that it was now well and truly into its power reserves. However, it was aware that the salarians had arrived and provided some residual power that it could feed off.
It was a productive two weeks as Liara learned an incredible amount about the Prothean Empire and how it worked, but the primary avenue of research was regarding the Reapers. She took a plethora of notes on all that the Protheans had learned about them. Vigil admitted that they knew little about them before the invasion, therefore the information gathered only began after the war began.
"Do you want to remain here while I head off and take care of business?" I asked.
"You don't mind if I do?"
"Of course not. I know this is important work. We stopped the Reapers from arriving, but we know this isn't over. And if Vigil can provide more information about the Protheans, anything that will give us a leg up against the Reapers, even better. But just information can make the difference. Like the salarians."
The salarians offered Liara a place to at least bunk down while I was away. She told me that she'd remain for another two weeks at most as she would start getting her hands dirty. Everyone else was waiting in the shuttle as we were wishing each other farewell. She didn't want to let me go, and each kiss grew hotter and hotter. When I finally leaned back to see her blue eyes sparkling at me, I couldn't help chuckling.
"That sweet, innocent asari is still inside, but the asari in my arms right now…"
"The asari in your arms is totally in love with you, Shepard." She paused and put a finger to my lips. "I don't expect to hear those words back. Ash told me and it's okay."
"You know I do though, right?"
"We all know, Shepard, because I'm obviously not the only one." Then she chuckled before adding, "Though I think you love more asari than anything else."
"Do you blame me?"
She leaned up to my ear. "Well, what people don't realise is that we can be picky, but when we do pick someone, we will fuck his heart out whenever we can."
I hugged her tightly one last time as her head rested against my shoulder. Wrex finally stood in the doorway of the shuttle and told me to hurry up. One last kiss with Liara before we finally let each other go.
"Two weeks," I said, "Then we'll be back out there taking care of business."
"I'll watch your interview. I'm sure it'll prove illuminating."
The last sight to my eyes before the door of the shuttle slid shut was of Liara smiling at me. I was already missing Ashley, and I was going to miss Liara something fierce. I'll admit to feeling a little down in the dumps during the journey back to the Citadel as I'd gone rather quickly from having two lovers on the ship to none. But on the day before we were due to arrive, Kira messaged me and told me that I would be staying with her during my short stay on the Citadel.
I guess that having lovers spread around the galaxy couldn't be all that bad.