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Breeder	By : Larania Category: +M through R > Mass Effect Views: 9432 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Mass Effect belongs to Bioware and EA, not me, and I make no money from this work of fanfiction.

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Breeder
Chapter Eight
Disclaimer: Mass Effect belongs to Bioware and EA Games. This is a work of fanfiction, and I make no money from this fan work at all.
Warnings: adult language, sexual situations, slash, dub/non-con, threesomes, gender bending and mpreg. If I have missed something, please inform me and I will add it.
Characters/pairings: Colonist/War Hero paragade ManShep/Kaidan, ManShep/Garrus and a little ManShep/Zaeed.
Summary: Mindoir's strategy for survival was one that was not well-known to the greater galactic community. Derek Shepard carried this legacy with him, dormant, through the Skyllian Blitz and through the battle with Sovereign. However, after his death at the hands of the Collectors and revival due to the machinations of Cerberus, he must cope with his body no longer being his own.
~*~*~*~*~
Light crawled up Shepard's legs, forming a holographic grid around him as the lights in the com room dimmed. He dropped his crossed arms, forcing his knees to hold him and straightening his spine. He was aware of his breathing, the rush to the bottom of his lungs and out again and using that to manage the sharp pain still radiating from his belly.
He peered through the dark, eyes fixing on the flair of the Illusive Man's cigarette as he stubbed it out.
"Shepard," he greeted, "Good work on Horizon. Hopefully, the Collectors will think twice about attacking another of our colonies."
Shepard frowned. "They still got away with half the colony. I wouldn't be so quick to call it a victory."
"That's half a colony more than would have been there if you hadn't shown up." The Illusive man blew smoke, the minute circuitry of his eyes catching the dull light. "They'll be more cautious now. We'll need to find another way to draw them out."
Shepard tilted his head. "I caught that the Alliance was out here to investigate Cerberus, and if I was with them. Which... really makes no sense. I told them as much when I went to the Citadel. They even implied they knew I was alive, even before I knew I was alive."
"I released a few carefully disguised rumors that you might be alive and working for Cerberus," the Illusive Man admitted. His eyes flicked over Shepard's face, and Shepard hoped he didn't look as wan as a felt. His months of physical stress were not helping his recovery time. "This particular mission had been under a communications blackout since before you awakened, if you are wondering why Staff Commander Alenko seemed out of the loop."
"I see." Shepard drew out the last vowel. "What were you trying to prove?" Shepard fought to keep his poker face, using the physical pain to hide his anger.
"I suspected that the Collectors were looking for you, or people connected to you, even before you awakened. Now I know for certain. It was a risk, but I couldn't just wait for them to take another colony." His eyes were hidden in the dark, but Shepard fancied he could feel his gaze across the light years. "You understand."
Shepard let himself wince, breath hitching in his chest as the Illusive Man tried to make a 'subtle' reference to Mindoir. "We have to make sure they don't attack anyone else."
The Illusive Man sat back. "I want the Collectors stopped for that very reason. That's why we're doing this. I'm devoting all resources to finding a way through the Omega 4 relay. We have to hit them were we live."
Shepard kept his face neutral, pretending to play along as he crossed his arms and nodded.
"Your team will need to be strong... as will their resolve. There's no looking back." The Illusive Man lit another cigarette, silent for a moment. "The same goes for you." He took a drag off his cigarette. "You aren't back to one hundred percent, but you need to put this," he gestured towards Shepard's mid-section, "behind you." He let the smoke curl from his lips and out his nose. "Allow me to be blunt. Alenko might still carry a torch, but all evidence suggests he's done his best to move on. He's been promoted, and likely will be promoted again before the end of the year. He's also been seeing a pretty little thing on the Citadel." He took another drag, expression bland. "She's quite lovely, from what I hear. He's forged a new life, away from you, and you need to let go."
"That is none of your damn business!"
"If it interferes with the mission, it is. Better you should leave it behind." He flicked ash off his cigarette. "Whatever your feelings, it's a biological impossibility for you to remain faithful to him if he's not there. Moreover, once you hit the Omega 4 relay to the Collector home world... there's no guarantee you'll return. To have any hope of surviving, you- and your entire team- need to be fully committed to this. Alenko, no matter his feelings for you, will never be "
"Don't worry," Shepard said, tired. "I'll take care of them. When it's time to go through the Omega 4 relay, we'll be ready."
"I trust you to know what you're doing," the Illusive Man replied, eyes back on Shepard's face, almost amused. "I just want clear about the odds. I also trust you to be more careful about your affairs." He took one last drag. "You can't afford to be sidelined again."
"I've got Mordin looking into an improved regulator," Shepard said, stiffly, to avoid any wobbling. "And I'll deal with my own 'affairs.'"
"Good. I've forwarded three more dossiers. Keep building your team, and I'll keep looking for a way through the relay." The Illusive Man sat back, and the shadows swallowed him. "And be careful, Shepard. The Collectors will be watching you."
~*~*~*~*~
"We need to talk."
"Yeah, we do."
*
Somehow, Kaidan Alenko had found himself traveling on a Cerberus vessel on a recruiting drive across the galaxy. Somehow, he had gotten talked into watching the proof that had convinced Shepard to work with Cerberus. Somehow, he had gotten a few emails to Anderson, who had basically told him to just 'wait and see.'
*
"Unfortunately, we can't. Not here. The entire ship is bugged. But I'm going to tell you this, right now. I'd go help those colonists even if I had stop at the nearest mining colony and hitchhike. The Alliance and the Council were sitting with their thumbs up their ass, unwilling to listen to me besides reinstating me as a Spectre."
*
That was why he was here, a week later on Haestrom, trying to dodge sunlight as much as the bullets as they first fought their way through swarms of geth. He had almost felt comfortable, like old times...
"What the fuck?" Kaidan had to dive for cover as he watched Shepard walk beside him- before he was gone- and beating a stray geth on an overhead catwalk before diving back into cover. "You- what the hell is that? I've only seen a few Spectre vanguards pull that off!"
"Yeah, new trick," Shepard said, sounding disgustingly cheerful despite the circumstances as he popped in and out of cover. "Remember when I could make a barrier, but that was about it?"
"Right. Said it wasn't worth it for you to get wired for an amp." Kaidan tossed an overload at a geth rocket trooper about to aim at Garrus, who caught it with a neat headshot. Shepard threw another strange biotic attack, which caused the geth to react as if they were in pain, before rushing forward to finish them off with his submachine gun. "And now you're using techniques I thought were impossible!"
"Don't get him started!" Garrus warned, tone light. "I don't want to hear him brag about his incredible almighty biotic powers." He hit another geth with a concussive blast. "It's bad enough when he does it."
"Hah," Shepard answered, diving into another geth and beating it to pieces. "When have I," he grunted, taking out the knees, then shooting it in the middle. "Ever bragged about this shit?"
"No, but you know you want to," Garrus said, getting back into cover. They made a final rush for the second demolition charge they needed. Shepard charged. "I am not jealous. Not at all."
*
"I tried to find you, but all Anderson would say was that you were under a communications blackout." Kaidan remembered Shepard clenching his fists and baring his teeth, despite the light wanting to shine through him. "And if you think I could have found another way, I dare you to find one. Turned myself into IA? And then what? Watched as the galaxy burned while I was dissected by the egg-heads?"
*
They had a moment to pause, to breathe, and found another of Tali's journals. It had been two years since Kaidan had heard her voice. Two years since he had seen any of Shepard's crew.
Kaidan had missed the small, tough quarian machinist. He had missed Liara's enthusiastic, obtuse explanations of prothean culture. He had heard a few of Wrex's short, blunt anecdotes of his life as a mercenary. He had even missed Ash's lascivious grin whenever he and Derek had started flirting, awkward and ham-handed as it had been.
And he had some of it back. Garrus, here, snarkily commenting on the length of Shepard's shotgun. Shepard firing back with the size not mattering, just how close you were when it went off. Kaidan's smile split his face as they scrambled up and back towards the fallen pillar. He had missed this. Longed for the synergy, craved the banter, yearned for Garrus making gawd-awful jokes about the length of his rifle. Had wished for Shepard covering his back, taking the heat and then coming out filthy, scored, but alive and grinning like a jackass when he beat a geth trooper in the flashlight.
*
"I don't know." Kaidan didn't. He worried that Cerberus was manipulating Shepard, feared they were using the threat of a Reaper to coerce him into cooperation. Yet he had seen how fast the Collectors were to take a colony. Knew that the Alliance's hands were tied. Knew that even when he had been made Staff Commander, he was just one man. Shepard was an army.
"Neither do I. But you trusted me once. Can you trust me again?"
*
He heard a harsh crack, a mini sonic boom, and Kaidan was tossed into cover as Shepard fired at the hunter who had gotten through his guard. Then it was his turn to turn on his tech armor and step out in front of Shepard, hitting a rocket trooper an overload, and the was the report of a rifle, taking out the geth prime headed towards them both.
"If you are done showing off?" Garrus snapped, popping the heat sink. Yet his tone was buoyant, cheerful.
Kaidan hadn't seen Shepard this happy since... before. When things had been hell of a lot better than they were now. When Shepard had first come out of the wreckage. When they had stolen those few precious hours together before Ilos. The first time Shepard had returned the honor of unburdening himself to Kaidan, instead of just the other way around.
"Ah, come on. Kaidan's not seen all my new tricks yet!"
It hit him that he wasn't the only person enjoying himself. Garrus had been going for flashy headshots; Shepard was taking every opportunity to use his new biotics. They were showing off.
For him.
He was split between flattered, amused, and wanting to hit them both upside the head for show-boating.
They got past the pillar, which went up in a cloud of dust and stone hail. The humor and good-spirits died, then. There had been no possibility of sparing the bodies under those pillars from the explosion.
*
"I can't trust Cerberus."
*
The door was opened in short over... and to even more dead quarians, strewn about like broken dolls. None of the three men were strangers to death, but they still checked life signs, just in case. None of these seemed to be the Kal'Reeger they had spoken with earlier, which gave them some hope. Then Shepard hacked an ancient safe. Some things never changed.
The hologram of Tail warmed when Shepard showed up, and Kaidan felt a twist in his gut as he watched them. She still trusted Shepard.
*
"I didn't say a damn thing about Cerberus. I asked if you trusted me."
*
They got to Kal'Reegar, pinned down, wounded, but still giving the geth hell with his rocket launcher and willing to die covering their attack.
Shepard roared at him until he stood down, throwing out some bullshit .
"So, you got a plan?" Kaidan shouted, as they stayed behind the railing next to Reegar. The noise of the attacks from the geth was nearly overwhelming.
"The sniper perch. We've got the galaxy's best sniper right here," he nodded towards Garrus, who looked rather pleased at the praise. "And I've got a this baby," Shepard went on, patting the Arc Projector. "We'll rush the sniper perch, keep to cover because our shields are going to fry. I'll bring down the Colossus' shields, and Garrus, you finish it off with your sniper rifle. We'll trade off."
Workable, simple, and they rushed up the side, dodging in and out of cover, staying out of the sun long enough to get their shields back- Kaidan had to noticed that the Colossus went after Shepard first, half knocking him from cover if he didn't get behind the wall fast enough. It was nerve wracking, but they made it to the end and got Garrus into position. The only snag they hit was the set of stairs that allowed a slew of geth to come up from under them.
Then it was Kaidan's turn to show off: using his tech armor to suicide rush three geth troopers, then overload them when the tech armor had them stunned. Following that up with a throw, and he turned to see Shepard eying him like he was a piece of meat.
Then Garrus made the Colossus go boom, and it was his turn to get accolades.
"Shut it, you'll make me blush, and I'm the wrong species," he said, airily, popping the heat sink and bowing. "But yes, yes, I am awesome. No need to remind me."
Shepard grinned again, and together they climbed down from their perch while looking around for useful equipment or resources to loot- before heading back to see if Reegar was okay.
"I'll be all right," the marine said. "You haven't gotten to Tali'Zorah yet?" Kaidan guessed the quarian marine was scowling, but it was hard to tell through that mask. But he was alive, and Kaidan knelt to give him a once over to see that the suit puncture was patched.
"Not yet. Thought you might want to come with us," Shepard said, offering his hand to help him up. "Tali will want to know you're alive, and I'm not going to leave someone out here."
Kaidan closed his eyes, swallowing heard as his heart skipped. This was why he had fallen for Shepard. He saw Shepard tug Reegar to his feet, slinging his right arm over his shoulders. Kaidan slid under Reegar's arm on the other side, with Garrus switching to assault rifle to bring up the rear.
It took several minutes, but no more geth came to harry them as they limped to the back of the observatory.
*
"Yeah. I trust you. Damn us both."
~*~*~*~*~
The inside of the observatory was a small, cavernous room filled with server nodes and ancient debris. Tali'Zorah was standing at the far end, intent on the holo-interface in front of her. She was still moving from foot to foot as her three fingers flickered through and around the light.
"Just let me finish this download," she murmured, not turning around.
Shepard glanced down at Reegar, who gave a shrug in return. "You don't want your present first?" he asked, before the wounded quarian chuckled, turning into a cough, sliding his arm off Shepard to hold his abdomen and straighten as best he could.
At the sound of his voice, Tali whipped around, body sagging first in relief then tensing with joy as she dashed down to embrace Reegar, giving a few choked sobs. "You made it!" she whispered, before drawing back. "You made it."
"Your old captain was just as good as you said," Reegar said, leaning towards her before stepping to the side to lean on a server node. His breathing eased. "The damn Colossus never stood a chance. Wish the others had made it, but I'll take what I can get."
She pulled back from him, nodding, and launched herself at Shepard with a soft "Thank you. If you hadn't gotten here when you did, I doubt I would have ever left this room alive." She patted his shoulders, back, stepping away when Garrus cleared his throat and Tali stuttered a laugh when she saw who was flanking Shepard. "Oh! Garrus! Alenko! What are you doing here?" She walked over, giving the two other men hugs of their own.
"I'm still trying to figure that one out, but it's good to see you," Kaidan said, and Shepard restrained his sigh.
"Good to see you, all of you, no matter the circumstances," Tali responded. With a sigh that could be heard even through her helmet, she returned to the holo-interface to finish getting her download. "I hope this damn data is worth it. I just lost most of my team for data on stars blowing up. I would have joined you back on Freedom's Progress but I couldn't let someone else take my place on something this risky."
"Was it worth it?" Shepard asked, curious.
"I don't know. I just have to trust the admiralty board knows what they're doing," she muttered, frustration showing in her rigid back and shoulders.
"What were you trying to find?" Garrus asked. He walked over to look at the data on the display, a thoughtful look on his plates.
"When this was a quarian colony, Haestrom's sun was normal. Now, it's blowing off mass, similar to when a star enters a red giant stage. Only the sun here is too young for that to be happening. The only thing we could determine was that there was dark energy destabilizing the heart of the star."
"When you make your report, are you able to come with me?" Shepard asked, looking at the room. Thick, stone walls. Lots of radiation interference. Perhaps...
"Let me make that transmission on a secure channel, and I can come with you," Tali answered. "Will you be okay to make the trip back to the Fleet?" she asked, turning towards Reegar.
"Aye, ma'am."
"Do you want us to take you back to the Flotilla?" Shepard asked, turning to Reegar, concerned. "You're wounded, and you would have difficulty piloting on your own."
"I am not going to pass out piloting a ship, Shepard. I'm a quarian, not an ancestors-cursed damsel in distress, that's just insulting," Reegar snapped, but Tali, Garrus and Kaidan exchanged glances and chuckled.
"Congratulations, Reegar. You've just met the galaxy's biggest mother hen," Tali said, laughter bubbling in her voice. "Don't bother fighting it. He'll smother you until you do."
"I do not," Shepard sputtered. "I'm doing my job."
"With a glass of warm milk, cookies, and a military pep talk," Kaidan piped up. "I've rarely had COs as, ah, concerned as you."
Shepard's jaw went slack, before his face tightened again. "Right, whatever. Before we go, I need a favor. I need my three favorite tech-heads to scan me, my armor, for bugs, transmitters beyond the usual communicators, or anything that might cause an explosion. Or any kind of kill switch."
The three mentioned tech-heads gaped at him. "I wouldn't put anything beyond Cerberus, but why are you asking now and here?"
Shepard grimaced, but he could feel his accusations, paranoia that he had not been allowed to vent, coming to the front. "I doubt even Cerberus could get a bug in here- that's not already attached. I can't be sure of anything, because the best lies are three-quarters truth, with enough gaps to let me fill in my own ideas. I might be paranoid, but if they tell me there is no control chip in my brain, then there must be one someplace else. The cost of my resurrection, the cost of the new Normandy: what the hell do they want to get out of that?"
"Well, they said they wanted you to stop the Collector attacks," Garrus said, knowing he spoke the obvious. "But they could have helped stop the Collectors by using Alliance sympathizers, their spy network. Keep things under the radar. They sure as hell wouldn't need to throw billions of credits at a single project for that."
Shepard nodded. "The Reapers are coming, but I can't be so irreplaceable that I had to be resurrected to fight-"
"That's where you're wrong." To their surprise, it was Kaidan who interrupted. "No one else was you. Hell, the brass tried to force me into your shoes and you saw how well that went. You weren't alone, but you held a group of aliens together and defeated a conspiracy that could have been going for thousands of years. I consider the first accomplishment only slightly higher than the second."
"People ride the wave of history, not cause it," Shepard objected. "They had to have another reason for resurrecting me that would directly benefit them. I don't believe for a minute that they wouldn't have had me shut down if I walked out on them."
"Right, like you would leave human colonies to be attacked," this time it was Tali who sniped at him. "But I get your point. All right. How do you want to do this?"
"How long until the next geth patrol?"
"A few hours, at least. Geth communications are as hampered by the sun here as ours," Tali answered, and Shepard nodded. He pulled his weapons and extraneous gear off his armor, before unfastening the seals.
"Tali, Kaidan, bio-scan. Look for anything that transmits, explodes, or just anything you don't recognize. Garrus, could you check my armor and weapons for recording devices or transmitters that aren't standard. Everyone got their assignments?"
Reegar raised his hand.
"Yes, your job is to keep up morale with your witty banter and sparkling personality," Shepard said. "In other words, take a load off."
Reegar snorted, crossed his arms and slid down the server hub to get comfortable. It looked like they would be there for awhile.
~*~*~*~*~*~
They found bugs in the armor, and in Shepard's omni-tool, but no kill switch.
"Not sure what I'm looking at here, exactly," Tali said. "They've grafted a lot of tech to your organs. I can't tell all of their functions, but none of it seems to be transmitting or has a transmitter. No nothing explosive. As far as I can tell, you're clean."
Derek swallowed, then nodded. "That's... that's good." He shifted on his feet, starting to replace his armor, shaking his head. "Nice to know that they haven't found another way to turn my body against me." He tried to keep from sounding bitter. He was profoundly happy that the deep cuts on his face had healed over, but the knowledge of what was covered was another thought he had to box away.
"Another way?" Tali asked, confused. Shepard didn't look at her, just shook his head. "Is something wrong with your body?"
Shepard gave her a one shoulder shrug, but he could feel Kaidan and Garrus looking at him. "Nothing you need to worry about," he said, quietly. "Just," he scratched the back of his head, looking away. "Just how things are. I'm dealing with it."
Garrus opened his mouth, when Kaidan shook his head.
"I understand, for what it's worth," Tali offered. "Having a body that you can't always control. Comes with being a quarian." Her voice turned light. "And female. Can't forget that part."
Reegar laughed. "No one could forget that part. Ma'am."
Derek, on the other hand, winced. "Let's go. I'm sick of this planet."

To be continued.
Comments and criticism welcome and appreciated.
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