The moment was frozen in her mind with crystal clarity; the feel of his lips against hers, his strong arms wrapped around her and the smell of his aftershave. –Say Something by @vorchagirl
Commission I did for @vorchagirl. Thank you lovely! đ
Thereâs only so much fight in a person. Only so much death you can take before youâ
Before your friend picks you up, dusts you off, and tells you youâre the best damn soldier heâs ever met. Every fight weâve seen couldâve been our last. Every bullet we dodged couldâve been the one. Odds donât matter anymore. This fight has always been ours to finish.
I want you to know that no matter what happens, youâve been a champion to the krogan people, a friend of Clan Urdnot, and a sister to me. To every krogan born after this day, the name âShepardâ will mean âheroâ.
Had to be me. Someone else mightâve gotten it wrong.
Iâve never been part of a team. Iâm learning the virtues of facing death with others at your side.
Thank you, Shepard. You gave me purpose. Now letâs find something big to kill.
Our scepticism was misplaced. Thank you.
Thank you, Commander. For letting the last voice of the Protheans speak. It has been a privilege.
Almost thought you werenât going to make it, Shepard. Glad I was wrong.
Shepard, when this mess is over, drinks are on me. Be safe out there.
You know, Iâm not sure that Iâve been wrong about Cerberus ⌠but Iâve been wrong about you. I need you to know that Iâll never doubt you again. Iâve got your back.
Itâs been an honour serving with you, Shepard.
Getting you to the ground alive is a responsibility I wouldnât trust to anyone else.
I came on this ship firmly believing humanity was on its own in the galaxy. Shepard brought all these aliens on board, and thereâs no way we could have accomplished what we did without them. I am proud to say Iâd die for any member of this crew, regardless of what world they were born on.
This wasnât a victory by a single fleet, a single army, or even a single species. If this war has taught us anything, it is that we are at our strongest when we work together.
Canât wait to see what the hell you make us do next. Itâs been a good ride.
You did good, child. You did good. Iâm proud of you.
âYou served with Shepard.â Awe. James is
practically a god in this kidâs eyes. He feels like a giant, too his chest
puffed out with pride. But the kid is no kid. Heâs a grunt again, just like
James, in Rio, dragging his ass through mud to get that first N. But James
served with Shepard so N1âs easy. Heâs been through worse.
âYou served with Shepard.â Spite. James grins,
gives a nod and a damn right. Wrong answer. Heâs lugging 20kg more than
the others through the mud; out doing laps in the rain till his feet are
nothing but blisters; stripping down firearms and setting them back up again
and again and again. N2 couldâve been easier. Thatâll teach him for
being cocky.
âYou served with Shepard?â Disbelief. âTell us
a story then, Vega.â Theyâre huddled together in the dark, sitting in
mudâwhere else. On a different planet for a change. He tells his squad about
the time Shepard took down a reaper on foot. They donât believe him. He tells
them about the time Shepard summoned a fucking thresher maw to take down a
reaper. They donât believe him. He tells them about Shepardâs model ship
collection. They laugh so hard Alder almost pisses herself. N3âs when James
discovers nihilism.
âYou served with Shepard.â Wary. Like itâs a
curse. The Asari steps back into the shadows. âNot sure I should be talking to
you.â Damn, he thought the name drop would work in his favour. Shit, he needs
this intel. N4âs been all about intel. Espionage, interviews, code-breaking,
eavesdropping. But what this situation calls for now is some good old fashioned
begging. N4 puts a dent in his pride.
âYou served with Shepard?â Mockery. âWell I donât
give a fuck.â James stands tall and straight and keeps his mouth shut. His
commander pushes him harder than the others. Way harder. And this ainât no mud
mission, either. He almost diesâtwiceâbut he gets the job done because thatâs
what heâs good at. N5âs a well-timed reminder in what it means to be the best.
âYou served with Shepard.â Determined. âShepard
taught you everything you need to know, Vega. All this shit so far? All that
dragging your ass through mud and those suicidal spacewalks? Academic. You got
this. You got this.â The face staring back in the mirror still didnât
look convinced. âShepard thought you could lead again. You gonna let the
Commander down?â He shakes his head. No fucking way. Then, because heâs
James Vega, he flexes and kisses his guns. He was a leader before he completed
the mission. Took âtill N6 for him to believe it.
âYou served with Shepard.â Grief. Even after all
these years. James winces as Kaidan hugs him. His headâs pounding from too many
celebratory shots last night. Back stings from the newly inked N7 between his shoulder
blades. âYou know what that means.â Tears prick Jamesâ eyes. He wipes them
away, smearing his hand on his crisp dress blues. He goes down the line,
hugging everyone from the Normandy whoâd been able to come to the
graduation. Then heâs at the end of the line and thereâs only one thing left to
do. He blows out a deep breath, rubs the N7 badge on his chest, and walks onto
his ship.
âI served with Shepard.â He looks around his
cabin, runs his fingers over the desk, the fish tank, the walls, the bed. âAnd
look at me now.â He grins and falls back. Dios. The bed is a lot
harder than it looks.