62Micro Effect #12: The Golden Rule
Author: Ignorant One
Length: 5,198 Words (Wow! That's big!)
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Mass Effect or Mass Effect 2, except for the plot points in my original material. I don't own anything else.
Authors Note: Thanks to everyone here in the list!
Story Alerts: Candle in the Night, Should'aBeenBornAShinobi, PenguinsScareMe
Story Faves: Angelos D. Wolf, Lord Cthulu, SonofBaahl
REVIEWS!
A VERY special thanks to the following people who reviewed!
Lord Cthulu
Allora Gale
Angelos D. Wolf
A Reader (): Regarding Miranda being Australian in chapter 4, yeah, I don't think I will fix that man. (Or woman.) She sounds British or Australian, and who knows, her father, a very wealthy business man could have been living on Earth in Great Britain or Australia, hence the Brit/Aussie accent. I mean, they didn't get really specific for a reason, leaving 90% of her back story practically open to interpretation. Not to jump on you specifically, but as the author I can make up crap as I go…it makes writing more worthwhile. :D
Xysnei
RandomNUmber1000
Candle in the Night: Thanks a lot man! I can't believe you missed this story either! Lol, I've been updating as much as possible to keep this series at the forefront of lists since people only see the stories that have been updated most recently. Yeah man, I plan on writing more Tali, but I have to think of something first though…although I think I might have an idea…but usually things just come to me, and I write them down…and for some reason Tali, even though I love her to death, just doesn't want to have things written about her in the current moment. Don't worry though, I'm working on it. :D Also, three reviews in one day!? Thanks man!
Angurvddel: Thanks a lot for the review! And yes…I think the amazing experience that could be held would probably kill him. Lol.
ReDMaNiFeST: Well hell yeah! Another Bitch'n review! I will definitely keep them coming!
Authors Note: I think that "Bitch'n" will end up being "the word" for this series. Lol. So far I've been message a bunch of times saying how awesome that was. XD And I've even gotten a couple of reviews with "Bitch'n" being in there. :D Thanks a whole lot you guys, and I think that you will enjoy this chapter as well, even though it won't be as long.
This is a special thanks to KTHM and Mortified Mind for adding me to their Author Alert lists. These two authors are behind the phenomena known as Halo: Rapture, a superb Halo/Bioshock crossover a breed all its own. If you would check them out and read their story, because if you're a fan of either series, I think you could appreciate the hard work they've put into the series. Thanks MM and KTHM! You can find the story in my fave list I think, and if it's not, I will quickly rectify that problem!
"Is this really necessary Shepard? Roughing up two survivors of a Blue Suns band after you just massacred the rest of their team?" Garrus had a hint of amusement in his voice, it would be best for the Turian to play 'good cop' while Grunt…
"Shepard. These two are just fodder… I learned a couple of close quarters combat techniques from the Salarian that can snap a couple vertebrate; causes an intense amount of lingering pain… I'm sure it can get them to talk."
Yup. Grunt definitely excelled at being 'bad cop'. The only real problem with it was that Grunt didn't quite understand the game he and Garrus were playing with the two survivors. After a couple seconds of considering it, maybe it was better this way; two semi-genuine questioners and one being who genuinely would rather be an executioner versus a questioner. The Batarian's head recoiled in an awkward direction as the Commander applied a gnarly upper cut to the underside of the male's chin; teeth clicking together could be audibly heard as the man hit the wall. The other survivor, a human male, was standing facing the nearest wall with his hands interlaced behind his head; Garrus' pistol firmly nestled against the base of his neck.
"Listen. All I want," Shepard began as he placed the heel of his boot against the four-eyed alien's sternum and ground it from side to side, "Is the location to Santiago's newest little hide-out. Tell me, and I will let you go, although I can't guarantee that Zaeed will be as forgiving…but at least it will give you a head-start or maybe give you enough time to disappear."
"Oh shit-….Zaeed sent you?" The human asked, a little tremble in his voice. Shepard could visibly see a slight tremor shoot up the man's spine. "Jathar, if Zaeed sent him… we're as good as dead man… just tell him. You heard it yourself, Commander Shepard said he would let us go if we told him."
"He's just going to kill us once we tell him you fool-" Bhwack. Even Garrus winced at the blow to the side of the Batarian's skull; the helmet did little to dampen the force of Shepard's boot. That and the fact that the Commander hadn't released his heel from the man's chest, which meant that the human had to used the alien's sternum as a platform in order to apply the force needed to make the kick potent.
"You idiot! That's Commander fuck'n Shepard! He's the first human Specter! I think if there is anyone in the Galaxy whose word we could trust it would be his!"
"You say that just because you're a human! You're not the one who's getting the- ack!" Shepard removed his foot and kicked the humanoid in the ribs, "Getting the shit kicked out of him!"
"That's because I wasn't the one who spouted out all of that nonsense about not telling of the Boss' location! If I knew, I would have talked and been out of here by now, but you're the only one who knows! Just tell him and we can both walk out of here alive!"
"Mages, you ass! You know where the base is too! How about YOU tell them where the boss is! Hurgk!"
"I didn't say you could speak," The Commander spoke as he leaned in the Batarian's crotch.
"OH SHIT! PLEASE! GET OFF! OH MY GODDESSES, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!? PLEASE!"
After a couple seconds of screaming Shepard slowly eased off and crossed his arms while Grunt happily pointed the barrel of his Eviscerater shotgun in the alien's face. "Tell me what I want to know, and we will leave you guys alone. It is as simple as that, although, if you keep planning on making things harder for yourself and your friend here, I have no problem performing some interrogations. After all…it was in my Specter training…tell me… have you ever seen anyone get their fingernails pulled out before?"
The Commander grinned as he reached into one of his heat sink pouches and retrieved what looked to be a rudimentary set of dura-pliers. The Batarian shuddered and nodded, but he quickly regained his composure; the fool trying to appeal to the Commander's better nature. "Hey… please, you don't have to do this. I used to study human culture… don't… doesn't your kind believe in… what was it…the Gold Rule?"
The Commander frowned at this, and then began to act all dramatic and surprised as he dropped the pliers and stumbled around the destroyed office aimlessly. "Of COURSE! How could I ever forget the Golden Rule!? My mother always taught it to me so much, made sure to drill it into my skull every time I strayed from the true path."
He stumbled back to the Batarian and dropped to his knees and cradled the alien's head in his lap, which inadvertently placed the barrel of Grunt's weapon firmly against Jathar's cheek. "I'm so sorry. I can't believe I completely forgot the Golden Rule. I will correct this mistake."
With that Shepard pulled out his pistol and shot the human in the back of his kneecap. Even Garrus was surprised when the human collapsed onto the ground and began to roll around, howling in agony as the Inferno round seared his flesh. Jathar looked back at Shepard in alarm, "Why did you do that!?"
"The Golden Rule my mother taught me was to 'spread the love around'…and it seems I was doing her wrong by focusing on you. I'm sorry." The Commander's tone was amazing sappy…coddling and extremely condescending.
"I thought the Gold Rule was 'do unto others as you would have done unto you'!?"
James looked up into the air for a moment while he made exaggerated facial expressions showing intense thought; he was quick to snap out of it as he looked down. "Nope. Now, if you'd like, I can have my Krogan companion here 'do unto you as I did unto him'."
Shepard jerked a thumb over towards the now crying human, "Grunt here is like a surgeon with a rusty scalpel when he holds that shotgun; precise in his dismemberment, but it's never a clean cut. Now, tell me what I want to know, or you can bet your sorry hide that you're going to be attached to a colonoscopy bag for the rest of your life…that's if I let you live."
Jathar gave his human compadre one last look before he looked up at the Commander with a sheepish smile on face.
Grunt laughed heartily as the ground team left the office complex owned by the Blue Suns, and Garrus just sighed, "I think Grunt took it a little too far, Commander."
"How was I to know that he would lift his hips in order to try and avoid my shotgun!? It was hilarious! Instead of losing a kneecap he loses his junk instead! Ah, a fitting punishment for scum like him if I do say so myself, Battlemaster. None of these enemies provided a decent challenge…so getting to do that made my day."
Shepard just shrugged as he sat down in the taxi that proceeded to take him and crew back towards the spaceport and to the Normandy. "He was a slaver. That tattoo on his neck, it marked him as a veteran of the Mindoir campaign. Believe me, I know their kind."
Garrus just looked at the Commander and placed a hand on his shoulder plate, "I don't think I could ever understand what you went through, but I can empathize, Commander."
James smiled slightly as he patted Garrus' chest plate, "Thanks, Garrus."
The gesture did little ease the tightening in his chest as thoughts of Mindoir flooded back, but it did show that someone cared. He closed his eyes and leaned back as let the cab's auto pilot take over. He needed to rest.
***OMAKE***
Authors Note: This…I have no damn idea where this next part came from, but I am doing this as a request from a reader. She…is a slash fan. And she requested this. I will not release her name for her safety…or that of her email account, but I said I was taking requests, and I haven't turned one down yet… (this is the first request, though…lol). Anyways, this contains some semi-bad stuff and SLASH. Nothing heavy, but you can definitely feel the 'wrong' factor while reading this. I don't normally write homosexuality of any kind…but it's a request, and it is funny at least. I just hope I don't lose readers here…. DON'T JUDGE ME!
Garrus glanced to his left as the shower hall door opened. He was a little surprised at two things, the first one being that this was the skeleton shift, and everyone who wasn't working was asleep, so he usually had the hall to himself, the second was that he rarely saw Shepard not use his own shower. Commander Shepard walked into the hall in a towel and his bag of toiletries. "Shepard?"
"Hey Garrus. My shower system is on the fritz again."
The Turian nodded as he went back to his own shower, turning up the heat and allowing the steaming water to relax his plates. When he reached for his body scrub, he realized that it was practically empty. "Damn, I could have sworn I bought more-"
The male was cut off when he felt a bottle tap his shoulder, and he grabbed it. "Thanks, Shepard… wait…this looks like a female's body wash."
"Yeah, it's Miranda's. I stole it from her quarters when I was in there last. It may be chick stuff, but its amazing shit, and it really eases the stress and pain on my scars. I think it might work wonders for the plate inflammation you were complaining about during the mission."
"Besides…it smells pretty good. And who says that a man can't smell of lilacs."
Garrus snorted and shook his head as he popped cap and poured a small amount into his hands; quite surprised at how it spread easily and uniformly all along the gaps in his carapace. The moisturizers in the body wash immediately soothed his inflamed skin, and it made his flesh feel silky smooth to boot! The Turian chuckled as he washed, but when he tried to maneuver his arms to get at the harder to reach spots, he realized that he forgot his Skrub-Tek Gap Scrubber. This would have made him angry, disorganization and forgetfulness was not something he was prone to on a normal basis, but the hot water helped him relax. Well, he would have relaxed had he not felt two hands start to scrub the portions of his carapace he couldn't reach. "Gah, Shepard!"
"What? Do we have a problem, Garrus?"
After a few moments, the Turian forced himself take a deep breath; this wasn't something he thought that Shepard was capable of. "Why are you doing this?"
"Just helping out a friend and fellow crewmember…what Garrus, not secure enough in your sexuality to let another man wash your back?" Oh, a jab at his manhood. No manly-man worth his salt would ever dare to say yes, and it would be dishonorable for a Turian to do anything that could compromise his position.
"Of course I'm comfortable, Shepard…it's just that is a little unexpected. I haven't had my back cleaned since I was a trainee in the Turian military. It's also a little strange that you would be the one to wash my back." It was true, trainees in the Turian military, no matter what the branch, all went through the same high-standards basic combat course. Upon basic, your bunk-mate, no matter how much you hated him/her, became your battle buddy throughout the eighteen week course. If you were both slated for the same branch of the same service, then the brass would continue your "buddy-ship" through your Advanced Branch Training as well.
Throughout the course you were to bond with your 'battle buddy' and become brothers; you would eat the same food, drink the same water, sleep in the same mud hole, and when you were granted a shower, would wash each other. However, in some rare cases, some of these bonds caused the more impressionable Turians to stray into the less accepted, but still tolerated, facets of "bonding". Homosexuality wasn't widely accepted, but it was more or less tolerated; Turians realizing that while being attracted to the same sex didn't limit your effectiveness in serving society, if you wanted children, you would have to have them on your own. A more common occurrence within the Turian ranks was a younger male or female dabbling in the same sex while in basic but eventually settling into a heterosexual relationship when the urge to contribute to the next generation became too great.
Garrus, while in training, was assigned a slightly younger battle buddy named Keria Darmand. Keria was a normal teen who wanted to get out and see the stars, visit different worlds, and serve the collective; the same dreams many Turians held in their hearts. Throughout the entire course, the pair carried each other through thick and thin, fought beside each other, bled with each other, and when one fell, the other picked him up. They were nearly inseparable by the time basic ended, and when their ABT began, they could finish each other's sentences. To Garrus and his buddy it didn't seem strange, but to even other Turians around them…they were giving off certain vibes. Garrus had always considered himself a heterosexual, and thought nothing of other males. He was never uncomfortable with being naked, or even being cleaned by members of the same sex; it was purely business. He thought nothing of his relationship with Keria. However, Keria didn't feel the same way.
It was brought up by the younger Turian after they graduated ABT, and it was…awkward for Garrus to say the least. He knew of his society's stance on relationship between two males and two females, and it didn't bother him in the least bit about being discriminated against or prosecuted; it was the fact that he had always considered himself a heterosexual, and yet there he sat actually thinking about spending some time with someone he considered a brother. It didn't advance very far until Garrus just couldn't do it, and he got up and left; requesting a transfer under the label of "Threat to Unit Cohesion". So far, he hasn't heard from Keria in a long time, and last he heard his former battle buddy had risen up to the rank of Lieutenant Commander; opting to take the next step in his military career and become an officer.
Fingers working at the base of his neck broke him out of his reverie as a gentle sigh escaped his mouth; the digits doing an amazing job at loosening the tense muscles that kept his head on straight. "Shepard, what are you-"
"Garrus," The Commander spoke in a tone that seemed to contain… something that he couldn't quite describe, "Just relax. I wanted to thank you for earlier. Thinking about Mindoir was slowly pulling me into a place that I didn't want to go back to… but you pulled me back. I don't really know how to articulate how much that meant to me."
The fingers slipped away from the neck and slid up to slide between the Turian's head plates; the combination between the gentle pressure and the moisturizing elements of the body soap led to the contact being…more soothing than it should have been. "Not a lot of people have really cared about Mindoir, and not many people know about my past… but I don't flaunt it; pity isn't something I take kindly too. I survived slavers, Akuze, Saren, and now the Collectors; I'm a man on fire. Not flaming, of course."
Garrus nodded and tried not to get uncomfortable with the contact. The Turian knew that Shepard liked to get up close and personal with his subordinates, but he never thought that he would see the day that the Specter would be washing his back plates…and giving him a massage on top of it; it must be a very cold day in hell. He took a deep breath and let it out, but whether he was trying to keep himself from reverting back into a 'battle buddy' state of mind or force himself not to start wigging out at the fact that Commander Shepard, his boss and one true friend, a human male, was practically pouring…whatever it was… out in front of Garrus. It wasn't like Shepard, it wasn't the man he knew and admired; but then again, he never thought anything of Keria, and look how that turned out.
It was a little uncomfortable when Shepard's hands started to dip lower towards the small of his back, but something inside the back of Garrus' mind, an entity that could just as easily lead to death as much as it could discovery, started speaking to him. Curiosity was a dangerous thing, and it had a bad habit of showing up at the most inopportune of moments. That moment just happened to be now. What would it be like? Ever since he walked out on Keria, he had always been curious as to what to would have been like to be with another male, and if curiosity overruled the ever cautious Turian disposition, the male could very well find out. It was something that both excited and scared the fuck out of him at the same time. Women. He loved women, he loved the way they played in the bedroom, they way the felt against his body, and how tight they felt when they wrapped their legs around his waist. Once more, unfortunately, curiosity deposited a question that burned in his mind: how would it feel to wrap his legs around someone else?
"Garrus. I just wanted to say thanks, not many do anything for me out of the goodness of their hearts. I really appreciate your help, and you really are probably the best conversationalist on this damn ship."
The situation was slowly getting out of hand as the human's hands slowly dipped lower and lower until they stopped abruptly at his waist; the Turian relieved yet disappointed with the lack of movement on the part of the Commander. Soon Shepard's close and near intimate presence from behind the Turian faded away as Garrus could hear the man return to his own stream of water. The male tightened his grip on the bottle until it cracked in his palm, but he quickly relaxed and let the water melt away his thoughts. 'This never, ever happened.'
"You have a good night Garrus, see you on the next shift."
That was it? The Commander was gone, and it left Garrus alone in the shower hall holding a bag full of emotions and questions he didn't want to deal with. However, he couldn't help but feel oddly at ease… about what though he couldn't grasp, but at least some part of him felt better.
Alternate Ending:
The situation was slowly getting out of hand as the human's hands slowly dipped lower and lower until they stopped abruptly at his waist; the Turian relieved yet disappointed with the lack of movement on the part of the Commander. Soon Shepard's close and near intimate presence from behind the Turian faded away as Garrus could hear the man return to his own stream of water. The male tightened his grip on the bottle until it cracked in his palm, but he quickly relaxed and let the water melt away his thoughts. 'This never, ever happened.'
"You have a good night Garrus, see you on the next shift."
That was it? The Commander was gone, and it left Garrus alone in the shower hall holding a bag full of emotions and questions he didn't want to deal with. However, he couldn't help but feel oddly at ease… about what though he couldn't grasp, but at least some part of him felt better.
The shower hall opened back up and the Commander stuck his head in, "Also, I just wanted to clarify two things: Number one, no-homo, and Number two, this never happened. I need the rest of crew thinking that I'm a badass killer with the mission on my mind, my people on my priority list, and who doesn't have any real discernable emotions."
Garrus snorted.
"Also, saying something about it means you'll implicate yourself in some kind of weird sexual way, so basically if I go down, I'm taking your ass with me, and I will see you in hell."
Alternate Ending No. 2:
It was a little uncomfortable when Shepard's hands started to dip lower towards the small of his back, but something inside the back of Garrus' mind, an entity that could just as easily lead to death as much as it could discovery, started speaking to him. Curiosity was a dangerous thing, and it had a bad habit of showing up at the most inopportune of moments. That moment just happened to be now. What would it be like? Ever since he walked out on Keria, he had always been curious as to what to would have been like to be with another male, and if curiosity overruled the ever cautious Turian disposition, the male could very well find out. It was something that both excited and scared the fuck out of him at the same time. Women. He loved women, he loved the way they played in the bedroom, they way the felt against his body, and how tight they felt when they wrapped their legs around his waist. Once more, unfortunately, curiosity deposited a question that burned in his mind: how would it feel to wrap his legs around someone else?
"Garrus. I just wanted to say thanks, not many do anything for me out of the goodness of their hearts. I really appreciate your help, and you really are probably the best conversationalist on this damn ship."
The situation was slowly getting out of hand as the human's hands slowly dipped lower and lower until they stopped abruptly at his waist; the Turian relieved yet disappointed with the lack of movement on the part of the Commander. Soon Shepard's close and near intimate presence from behind the Turian faded away as Garrus could hear the man return to his own stream of water. The male tightened his grip on the bottle until it cracked in his palm, but he quickly relaxed and let the water melt away his thoughts. 'This never, ever happened.'
Suddenly raucous laughter filled the air, and Garrus spun around to see Shepard practically pissing himself with laughter. He even went as far as to slap his knee. "Oh my God Garrus! I never pegged you for being a pole-smoker, man! Geeze, you were really getting into man. A little massage and you start getting all homo on me!"
"Shepard you ass! I was not getting all homo on you. If anything I thought you were going all homo on me! What kind of man just goes up to another person in the shower and starts to touch them out of the blue?"
"A person who's secure in their masculinity, like me. I've got Tali to go to every night, believe me; I wouldn't jeopardize that by molesting you in the shower. I would suggest your loosen up, but with the way you were practically spreading yourself for me I don't think you need to. I was joking around, playing grab-ass. Don't Turians go through the same process?"
"Yeah, but if you're going to hint and lead on people, that can cause some problems. I actually thought that for a moment you were coming onto me."
The Commander suddenly got really serious and he leaned forward, one arm going over the Turian's shoulder, basically putting the pair really close, and any misjudgment in distance would put the two closer than either would have liked. Or at least that how it looked from Garrus' point of view… that was if Shepard was telling the truth about not wanting to jeopardize his relationship with his Quarian lover. "Are you saying that you didn't think I wasn't hitting on you? What I really was?"
Garrus arched an eyebrow. Things got really awkward as by some cruel twist of fate the Turian found himself becoming flushed and slightly aroused. Shepard looked the other man directly in the eyes for a moment before breaking off with another round of laughter. "Oh man, Garrus! You totally are getting homo on me! Just look at yourself!"
The Turian was quick to spin around and change the temperature from steaming hot to lukewarm.
Shepard clapped Garrus on the shoulder and chuckled a little bit more before cutting it off. "You're all right, Garrus. Nice to see that you aren't a flamer man… I don't tolerate those on my crew."
"Wait… you were sizing me up? It was all just a test?"
"In short, yeah. I will admit it was over the top, and it made me more uncomfortable than I would have liked, but with close friends, you can't just come up and ask if someone is… light in the loafers. I just wanted to make sure, you know?"
"You made sure that I wasn't gay by pretending to come onto me in the shower?"
"Yeah. Sorry if it was a little cruel, but it was just as painful for me as it was for you. A straight man can only act so gay for a limited period before revolting… so yeah. No hard feelings man? Nothing personal. You wouldn't believe what I had to do to make sure that Kelly wasn't coming onto Tali."
Just as quickly as the Commander had left, the shower hall opened back up Shepard stuck his head in, "Also. No homo man. No homo at all. I am not gay in any way shape or form. So for your sake and my own, let's just forget that this ever happened."
"I don't get your logic, Shepard."
"Yeah, in retrospect this is turned out to be a really gay idea. Good thing I don't plan my combat strategies like I do my social situations, huh? Want to catch some brewskis and easy hoes when we hit the shore?"
"Sure thing. Just don't do anything like this ever again."
"Noted."
Author's Note: WHAT DID I SAY!? DON'T JUDGE ME! That was pretty gay, I will admit, and I'm a little disturbed at how well I wrote out that last part… the one before the alternative endings… which I put in there to lower the meter of wrongness.
You, fangirl who requested that I write that! You better review, and it better be a good review because it nearly killed me to write that! And if you're a fangirl who liked what I wrote, you better squeal really loudly in the form of a review.
As the author I would like to point out that I did not write that of my own volition, just had to because of a request.
Do you people see that!? Request stuff, and no matter how wrong it seems, I will probably write it for you! REQUEST TODAY! Also, please don't give me vague "write more Shepard x Tali", because that doesn't help me. I would LOVE to write more ShepxTali, but I only have some much inspiration and thinking power, and I usually write what pops into my head. Be more specific, and help me out with that, like providing a setting and maybe a conversational topic, but I can't do it all on my own. Be like the…slash fan… (who asked for a serious shower scene on board the Normandy after a mission between Garrus and M! Shepard)… and be specific!
Either that or give me some other ideas. Something is better than nothing.
ALSO! This is the longest chapter Micro Effect has had, and since it has like two stories in it, I would like to see double reviews! If you didn't like the last part, review and tell me why you didn't like it! And if you didn't like it because of the inherent weirdness, then please do it!
Also, the last line of dialogue between Shepard and Garrus is attributed to Lord Cthulu since he was the first to review and I found a couple things wrong with that area to I fixed it up.