"Nightmares", Mass Effect 2 fanfic
Mar. 22nd, 2010 09:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
4thofelevenAn idea for a pairing sprung to mind a few days ago, and I had to write something with it...
Title: Nightmares
Fandom: Mass Effect
Categories: G
Disclaimer: Mass Effect and all characters, locations, ect. remain the property of BioWare. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: Post ME2. After surviving the Collectors and returning to Citadel space, Yeoman Kelly talks about her experience with someone who understands.
Kelly woke up in an unfamiliar bedroom.
“Are you awake?” Someone asked her. She turned and tried to contain her surprise at what she saw; Illium was one of the most cosmopolitan worlds she’d visited, but she still wasn’t expecting to see a green Asari.
Must be some kind of makeup, she thought. Probably rude to ask.
“Here, have a glass of water.” The Asari said. “Do you remember passing out?”
“Passing out?” Kelly asked, looking at the glass warily. “I don’t- I left the Normandy, bought some souvenirs in the markets… I don’t… I can’t remember anything else. Where am I? Who are you?”
“I’m Shiala – you don’t remember?” The Asari said. “We met in Eternity - we talked a little. Then… I don’t know, something startled you. You were staring at something, didn’t say anything, and then fainted. I didn’t know what to do – I carried you back to my hotel room. You’ve only been out an hour.”
The Eternity bar. Kelly tried to remember. That sounded familiar. She’d gone in for a drink, the Asari had approached her. They’d talked about.. she couldn’t remember, nothing important? Then-
sound. liquid through a tube. too many people. happening again.
She blinked back tears as she tried to recall. She’d been sitting talking to the Asari. Something had moved in the corner of her eye. She’d heard a sound…
“Are you alright?” Shiala asked. She said something about contacting the ship, but Kelly couldn’t concentrate on the words.
It’s alright, she tried to convince herself. Whatever it was, it wasn’t what you thought it was. The Collectors are dead. I’m safe now.
“I’m fine.” Kelly breathed. “I think. I… I don’t know. Can I have that water?”
“Here.” The Asari said. “I don’t mean to pry, but has this happened before?”
“No.” Kelly said, sipping the water. “Something… something in the bar must have reminded me of… something.”
Just keep breathing, she reminded herself, fighting back the sudden feeling of claustrophobia. You can handle this.
“Something horrible.” Shiala said. “Something out there. The dark things the Normandy fights.”
“I… yes.” Kelly said. “How did you know?”
“I’ve seen them.” Shiala said, taking a seat at the end of the bed. “I was… I was one of Matriarch Benezia’s commandos. We had monitored Saren and we learned of Soveregn. We were so proud, so certain we could stop it ourselves. Instead… my sisters were indoctrinated, their wills destroyed. It used me too for a time, then abandoned me to a worse fate.”
“I’m sorry.” Kelly said, reaching out to touch Shiala’s hand.
“No, I’m sorry.” Shial smiled sadly. “I didn’t mean to burden you with my past. I’m sure you want to be on your way – get back to the Normandy.”
“I’m not in any rush.” Kelly said. “Normandy’s not leaving for a few days – resupplying and restocking will take at least that long. I don’t think there’s anyone on board right now except a couple of engineers.”
“You’ll be heading out again in a few days though.” Shiala said, a questioning tone in her voice.
“That’s the plan.” Kelly said. It was funny, how easily she was trusting this stranger.
Not many people on Illium would help a strange human, though, she thought. And maybe I need to talk to someone outside the crew.
“At least, that was the plan.” She admitted. “Now though, I don’t know if I belong there anymore.
The last mission… We all almost died. Most of the crew was captured. They… paralysed us, kept us alive but we couldn’t move or fight. They wanted to do things to us… horrible things.”
Shiala nodded, remembering her own experience of being the Thorian’s captive – surrounded by the thing’s flesh, somehow still seeing out of the eyes of the clones of her it had created, feeling their pain as they were destroyed by the human commander. Whatever this human had been through couldn’t have been the same – the Thorian was dead, she’d felt it die around her. But she could see the same nightmares in the human’s eyes. Unconsciously, she moved closer to her as Kelly paused her story to regain her composure.
“I thought I was over it. I thought I could just put it aside, go back to my old self.” Kelly said. “Now look at me. First day off the Normandy and some little thing in a bar sends me comatose. What if I get worse? I’m supposed to be a counsellor - I’m barely holding together myself. I’m worse than useless to the crew.”
“I don’t know what you’ve been through.” Shiala said, reaching out to put an arm around the human woman. “I do not want to know. I wish I could tell you nightmares fade in time, or that you will forget in time. I cannot guarantee whatever demons you fought will ever stop hiding just out of your sight.
All I can tell you is you’re a braver woman than I to even consider continuing to fight. And so, I think if I could survive being touched by the dark things of the galaxy, you can overcome them too.”
“I… thank you.” Kelly said, surprised at how reassured she felt hearing the Asari’s words and feeling her hand on her shoulder. She sat there for a moment leaning against Shiala as she slowly realised how late it had gotten.
“I’m sorry.” She said finally. “Thank you for… for everything. I’m sorry if I intruded on you too much. Perhaps…”
She paused, before finally deciding to go for it.
“Perhaps I could buy you dinner tonight to make up for it?”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Shiala asked her.
Kelly’s heart sunk for a moment, before the Asari continued.
“The nightlife’s a little rowdy around here. I wonder… I wonder if, considering what happened earlier, if it might be better if you avoided crowds for a while. Perhaps we could order room service instead and eat here? Just… just the two of us?”
A slow smile spread across Kelly’s face as she nodded her agreement.
Title: Nightmares
Fandom: Mass Effect
Categories: G
Disclaimer: Mass Effect and all characters, locations, ect. remain the property of BioWare. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: Post ME2. After surviving the Collectors and returning to Citadel space, Yeoman Kelly talks about her experience with someone who understands.
Kelly woke up in an unfamiliar bedroom.
“Are you awake?” Someone asked her. She turned and tried to contain her surprise at what she saw; Illium was one of the most cosmopolitan worlds she’d visited, but she still wasn’t expecting to see a green Asari.
Must be some kind of makeup, she thought. Probably rude to ask.
“Here, have a glass of water.” The Asari said. “Do you remember passing out?”
“Passing out?” Kelly asked, looking at the glass warily. “I don’t- I left the Normandy, bought some souvenirs in the markets… I don’t… I can’t remember anything else. Where am I? Who are you?”
“I’m Shiala – you don’t remember?” The Asari said. “We met in Eternity - we talked a little. Then… I don’t know, something startled you. You were staring at something, didn’t say anything, and then fainted. I didn’t know what to do – I carried you back to my hotel room. You’ve only been out an hour.”
The Eternity bar. Kelly tried to remember. That sounded familiar. She’d gone in for a drink, the Asari had approached her. They’d talked about.. she couldn’t remember, nothing important? Then-
sound. liquid through a tube. too many people. happening again.
She blinked back tears as she tried to recall. She’d been sitting talking to the Asari. Something had moved in the corner of her eye. She’d heard a sound…
“Are you alright?” Shiala asked. She said something about contacting the ship, but Kelly couldn’t concentrate on the words.
It’s alright, she tried to convince herself. Whatever it was, it wasn’t what you thought it was. The Collectors are dead. I’m safe now.
“I’m fine.” Kelly breathed. “I think. I… I don’t know. Can I have that water?”
“Here.” The Asari said. “I don’t mean to pry, but has this happened before?”
“No.” Kelly said, sipping the water. “Something… something in the bar must have reminded me of… something.”
Just keep breathing, she reminded herself, fighting back the sudden feeling of claustrophobia. You can handle this.
“Something horrible.” Shiala said. “Something out there. The dark things the Normandy fights.”
“I… yes.” Kelly said. “How did you know?”
“I’ve seen them.” Shiala said, taking a seat at the end of the bed. “I was… I was one of Matriarch Benezia’s commandos. We had monitored Saren and we learned of Soveregn. We were so proud, so certain we could stop it ourselves. Instead… my sisters were indoctrinated, their wills destroyed. It used me too for a time, then abandoned me to a worse fate.”
“I’m sorry.” Kelly said, reaching out to touch Shiala’s hand.
“No, I’m sorry.” Shial smiled sadly. “I didn’t mean to burden you with my past. I’m sure you want to be on your way – get back to the Normandy.”
“I’m not in any rush.” Kelly said. “Normandy’s not leaving for a few days – resupplying and restocking will take at least that long. I don’t think there’s anyone on board right now except a couple of engineers.”
“You’ll be heading out again in a few days though.” Shiala said, a questioning tone in her voice.
“That’s the plan.” Kelly said. It was funny, how easily she was trusting this stranger.
Not many people on Illium would help a strange human, though, she thought. And maybe I need to talk to someone outside the crew.
“At least, that was the plan.” She admitted. “Now though, I don’t know if I belong there anymore.
The last mission… We all almost died. Most of the crew was captured. They… paralysed us, kept us alive but we couldn’t move or fight. They wanted to do things to us… horrible things.”
Shiala nodded, remembering her own experience of being the Thorian’s captive – surrounded by the thing’s flesh, somehow still seeing out of the eyes of the clones of her it had created, feeling their pain as they were destroyed by the human commander. Whatever this human had been through couldn’t have been the same – the Thorian was dead, she’d felt it die around her. But she could see the same nightmares in the human’s eyes. Unconsciously, she moved closer to her as Kelly paused her story to regain her composure.
“I thought I was over it. I thought I could just put it aside, go back to my old self.” Kelly said. “Now look at me. First day off the Normandy and some little thing in a bar sends me comatose. What if I get worse? I’m supposed to be a counsellor - I’m barely holding together myself. I’m worse than useless to the crew.”
“I don’t know what you’ve been through.” Shiala said, reaching out to put an arm around the human woman. “I do not want to know. I wish I could tell you nightmares fade in time, or that you will forget in time. I cannot guarantee whatever demons you fought will ever stop hiding just out of your sight.
All I can tell you is you’re a braver woman than I to even consider continuing to fight. And so, I think if I could survive being touched by the dark things of the galaxy, you can overcome them too.”
“I… thank you.” Kelly said, surprised at how reassured she felt hearing the Asari’s words and feeling her hand on her shoulder. She sat there for a moment leaning against Shiala as she slowly realised how late it had gotten.
“I’m sorry.” She said finally. “Thank you for… for everything. I’m sorry if I intruded on you too much. Perhaps…”
She paused, before finally deciding to go for it.
“Perhaps I could buy you dinner tonight to make up for it?”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Shiala asked her.
Kelly’s heart sunk for a moment, before the Asari continued.
“The nightlife’s a little rowdy around here. I wonder… I wonder if, considering what happened earlier, if it might be better if you avoided crowds for a while. Perhaps we could order room service instead and eat here? Just… just the two of us?”
A slow smile spread across Kelly’s face as she nodded her agreement.
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no subject
on 2010-03-22 10:51 am (UTC)Loved the story - and the examination of how Kelly's trying to cope with what happened.
I'd love to see anything else you could do with these two...
no subject
on 2010-03-23 08:29 am (UTC)I do want to write some more stuff with them, but it could be a while until I work out an actual story...
no subject
on 2010-03-23 06:10 am (UTC)They seem like they could make a rather cute couple.
no subject
on 2010-03-23 08:33 am (UTC)And a redhead and a green lady seem like a cute pairing...