Repostan! I am unsure if y'all got to see this from earlier. It was well recieved, so I thought to post it again. For great justice!!
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ProtectorsInspired by
Titanium Man----------
"Damn it has been a long day", Shepard grumbled to himself as he waited for the decontamination suite to finish leading to his cabin. As he entered, he was struck by the quiet. It was an unusual, and unwelcome change. Not unexpected though.
I miss my girls, he thought to himself as he looked over at his desk. On it sat two pictures. One was of he and Tali, napping. It had been taken by Kaiden on a mission back on the first
Normandy. The second picture made him smile.
It was of he and Tali in a clean room in the Migrant Fleet. They were huddled around a small, clear bed and bubble unit. Inside was a young quarian girl. She was sleeping in the picture, but he and Tali looked so happy.
The child wasn't theirs, of course. When the
Normandy's crew had gotten word of a series of experiments that Cerberus had been performing on quarians and turians, they had rushed to put a stop to it. It seemed the experiment was to find a way to make biotics out of both races - especially since both races had such a notoriously low rate of viable biotics.
That was only part of Cerberus' plan, of course. Once they could perfect it, they had planned on using the same program with humans. The notes Shepard had found seemed to indicate that if the project could get a 30% success rate amongst turians and quarians, then the system would be over 90% for humans.
But the time the team got there, the experiment was already active. They managed to shut it down, but three of the subjects had already given birth - two turians and one quarian. Though the turian Hierarchy picked up the turian mothers and their children, there was no one for the quarian.
The quarian that Cerberus violated had died during childbirth. Only the child had lived. Nearly a year old, the child was slightly malnourished, and definitely attention deprived, but otherwise healthy. Just very, very alone. Cerberus had not even given the child a name, just a number.
Shepard smiled. Tali had not needed to convince him. One shouting match with the admiralty board later, and he and Tali had become responsible for the child. If she showed signs of biotics, he had argued that his own biotics, as well as that of Miranda, Jacob, and Jack, would be the best instructors for the child.
That had been five years ago. Their daughter, Ashi'Zorah nar Normandy (he and Tali had not been formally bonded when the child was brought to the
Normandy), was a regular handful. Not a biotic, at least not yet, she was just a normal, inquisitive child. She was a bright spot on the
Normandy, that had even managed to get Subject Zero wrapped around one of her little fingers.
And he missed them. Tali and Ashi were visiting the migrant fleet for a couple of weeks, so the little girl could spend some time with children her own age. Sadly, there was little to no rest for the
Normandy. The reapers had not yet arrived, and Shepard was busier than ever making sure the coalition he had put together would
stay together long enough to stop their mutual enemy.
At least now he had proof it would be soon. Their most recent mission was to one of the small geth outposts on the edge of the galaxy. The geth had placed them there strategically to watch for the old machines. It had paid off.
One battle, a destroyed space station, and another dead Reaper later, and Shepard had his proof that the Reapers were nearly here. The
Normandy, with the assistance of the geth and a reckless mission to board a Reaper had seen to that. And now, Shepard was just bone weary. Even as he sat down on his bed, he was activating his omnitool.
A few moments later, and a real time image appeared. Tali was looking back at him, her eyes shining.
"Hey beautiful," he said tiredly.
"Hello Captain," she replied, letting her accent show through thickly. "We've missed you."
He smiled. "I've missed both of you too. How's our little girl?"
"She's the joy of the pod," Tali answered, her eyes soft and pleased. "Everyone here loves her." He nodded. "Will you be back soon?"
"On our way to the fleet now," he responded. "I can't wait to see you."
Tali nodded eagerly. "I look forward to it as well Captain," she said seductively. "And you'll be in time. Just in time."
"Oh?"
"Yes, it is time for her to receive her first suit," Tali said nervously. "Thanks to living on the
Normandy her immune system is stronger than most quarians, but she will still need a suit."
Shepard nodded sadly. "At least she will be able to take it off occasionally on the
Normandy though," he added after a moment. "That's something, at least."
The engineer agreed, equally sad. "I had hoped Rannoch would be ready, but we are just barely able to get power to the facilities for food and fabrication. It will still be years before we can safely remove our suits here."
"Well, I'll be there in two days. Now where is our little girl?"
"Ashi! Your father wants to say hello!" Tali called, looking to the left of her screen. The commander could hear the tell-tale sounds of pattering feet and laughed as Tali was nearly tackled away from the screen.
"Papa!" The young girl called out as she smiled adoringly at her father. Shepard was wearing an answering grin. "Ashi misses you!"
"I miss you too, Princess," he replied, his voice warm. "I'll get to see you soon too!"
Ashi nodded, then her smile dropped. "Mama says I'll have a suit soon, just like her," she said slowly.
"That's right. You're getting so big, pretty soon you'll be just like your mother."
"But Mama always has to wear her suit, unless it's for a special occasion, right?"
The commander nodded. "That's right Ashi. It's not safe to take the suit off except when it is special." The little girl nodded. She then turned her big eyes fully on him.
"But why doesn't Papa have to wear one?"
Shepard closed his eyes and winced. Finally, he opened them. Ashi was gazing at him, worry and absolute trust in her eyes. Trust that he would make everything ok. Tali was looking at him as well, sympathy and grief in her eyes.
"Well Princess," he started. "You know how you have to be very, very careful in your bubble? That you can get sick if it gets broken?" The young quarian nodded at him. He sighed What was he going to tell her?
It hit him in a flash. "That's because you and mama are very special. Your mother has told you about quarian health, hasn't she?" Again the child nodded.
"Well, humans don't get sick the same way quarians do. So it isn't as dangerous to be out of a suit."
The little girl frowned. "But that's not fair!"
"No, it isn't," Tali said as she held the girl close. "One day, we might not need the suits all the time. But until then, they keep us safe."
"And nothing is more important to me than both of you being safe Ashi," Shepard finished. He yawned. "Ok both of you. Papa's had a long, long day, and needs his beauty sleep if he wants to look nice for Mama when he gets there."
Ashi beamed at her father. "Ok Papa! Love you!" Shepard responded in kind, and she climbed down and ran off to play. Tali watched her leave, then turned back to the screen.
"That was good, what you said about our suits and immune systems," she said, a smile in her voice.
"I just don't want her to worry. I want her to know, all the time, that she is loved and that she is special," Shepard replied with a sigh.
"Oh, she does," Tali said with a laugh. "She doesn't stop talking about how nice and kind her Papa is, and how he lets her sit in the cockpit with him as the ship flies."
He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well, she likes it," he said defensively. Tali laughed.
"You are such a softy, John," she said as her laughter trailed off. She did thoroughly enjoy how embarrassed the Hero of the Citadel was at the moment.
"It is one of the things I love about you," she added after a moment. "Soft, kind, gentle. You'll drop what you are doing if you can for her." The commander could hear a hiccup from his lover; she was fighting tears. "It's everything I always wanted out of a father."
"Tali..."
She waved away his sympathy. "It's ok John. I told you a long time ago; I
did get better - you. And you have never let me down. You never will."
He held his free hand to his heart, then brought it up to the screen. She returned the gesture. Then he spoke, softly, "I love you Tali. You and our little girl."
"Always, right?" She asked, her tears falling softly.
"Every day," Shepard responded with a nod. "Good Night love." They waved to each other as the connection terminated.
He stood and went back to his terminal. He pulled up the data they had recovered, and began studying it. New data on the strengths, and weaknesses of the Reapers, as well as a starting estimation of how many they could expect.
"Every day," he whispered to himself as he worked. He was determined to ensure he would have every chance to give both of his girls the longest Always he absolutely could.
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