It's Not My Fault! 1/?
anonymous
January 13 2013, 22:47:00 UTC
"Even after all this time..." Liara stared up at the glowing artifact. "Prothean technology still gives me chills."
"Yeah...well, just don't touch it." Ashley was also staring up, but her expression was less mesmerised, and more apprehensive. "Last time I got too near one of these things, Skipper ended up with his brain half fried."
"Don't be ridiculous, Ash." Liara glanced at the Marine. "This is not a beacon. Their are no simulated memory patterns like those Javik showed us."
"Then what is it?" Ashley arched an eyebrow, gesturing at the twenty foot obelisk, now overgrown with vegetation and entwined with clinging branches.
"I...don't know." Liara admitted. "But whatever it is...it's letting off huge waves of power."
"It's impressive alright." Vega's booming voice sounded behind them. "Never saw much Prothean tech till a few years ago. Those guys could build stuff to last."
"Again, don't touch anything." Ashley responded testily. "Shepard is on the way with Javik. No offense, Doc, but I'd rather have an actual Prothean than a Prothean expert any day of the week."
Liara shook her head. "None taken. Honestly, what we know about actual working Prothean technology could fit into a small datapad. Even the most advanced of our starships are still just crude imitations of the elegance the Protheans achieved in their designs. Although...it is curious..."
"Hey, Vega." Ashley wheeled on the suddenly guilty Marine. "I told you twice already, don't touch anything."
"Oh relax, Commander." James shrugged. "This is all long dead. It's just glowing to let you know that the batteries are still running. Any kind of machinery inside has gotta be rusted away by now."
"And how long have you been poking around Prothean ruins?" Ashley challenged the bigger soldier with her typical bluntness. "See, grunts like us, Lieutenant, have a job. That job involves fighting and getting ready to fight. So we leave the fancy pants tech jobs to the eggheads that get their panties wet at the word 'beacon'. You copy?"
"Leave the button pressing to Liara, I got it, ma'am." James replied grumpily.
"Liara?" Ashley twisted her head around. "What are you...?"
The console Liara was bending over suddenly activated. Crying out in alarm, the asari whipped back up, hit her head against a low hanging tree branch and slammed back down into the green buttons.
Ashley's eyes widened with alarm. "Oh shi..."
---------------------------
Shepard could hear the screaming from all the way down the corridor. "What the...hurry!"
Flanked by Javik, Garrus, Tali and EDI, he thundered down the hallway, rifle raised and ready for anything that greeted him. Cerberus, Reapers, he'd kill them all if they laid hands on his...crew?
The sight that greeted him when he stepped inside was not the carnage and horror he had expected. It was...he wasn't sure what it was.
On the floor in front of him, a small asari was desperately trying to wrestle free of the grip of an equally small human girl, who was currently trying to smash the asari's face in. Both their efforts were hampered by the ridiculously over sized outfits they wore. The asari was clad in a massive white jumpsuit that she could clearly not reach out of.
The human was clad in an equally big one piece jumpsuit that looked exactly like Alliance issue under-armour mesh. Behind the human lay an almost complete set of blue and white heavy armour. The one advantage that the human had over her opponent was that she had managed to roll up the sleeves on the mesh to get her sturdy little fists free.
"Turn it back on!" The human screamed furiously. "Turn everything back! Now!"
"I don't know how!" The asari squealed. "I didn't even see what I touched!"
Dashing forward, Tali grabbed the human girl and dragged her backwards. The sniffling asari slowly got to her feet.
"Liara?" Shepard's mouth dropped open as he began to see the asari's features clearly. "What happened to you?"
The asari just burst into tears. "I...I don't...know...Ashley hurt me!"
It's Not My Fault! 2/?
anonymous
January 13 2013, 22:49:13 UTC
"No I didn't!" The fireball in Tali's arms squirmed furiously. "I just wanted her to turn the machine back on and make me big again!"
"Ash?" Shepard's jaw sunk further as he examined the girl. Same big brown eyes...same brown hair, albeit grown almost to her waist...it had to be. "What happened?"
The fight seemed to go out of the girl, in an instant her eyes turned pleading. "It's not my fault! I said to Liara, TOLD her not to touch anything! But, no, no, no! She had to go and be a big know-it-all, as usual!"
Shepard couldn't believe it. Ashley was using puppy-eyes on him. Big, cute, innocent puppy eyes...on HIM! "Wait...where's Vega?"
"HEY!" A small voice squawked on the other side of the room. "Somebody help me out of this thing."
Investigating, Garrus found a massive set of armour lying prone on the ground, with a tiny head poking out of the top. Undoing a few latches, the turian managed to tug out the occupant.
This tiny version of James Vega was almost more unbelievable than his two companions. His black hair covered his whole head and was neatly combed back. His tattoos and scars were gone, and his bulky arms were now skinny and underdeveloped.
“EDI? What happened?” Shepard stared at the three miniature crewmen.
“Unknown, Commander. “ Even EDI sounded flustered. “My onboard scanner registers both Commander Williams and Lieutenant Vega as being completely normal...and being at a very healthy height, weight and stage of mental development for ten year old humans. Doctor T’Soni likewise, except her age is about twenty by the standards of the asari.”
Javik’s head jerked up in realisation. “Of course! It is a regeneration chamber! I should have recognised the warnings immediately.”
“And what.” Shepard tried to keep his temper. “Is a regeneration chamber?”
“It began during the later stages of the Reaper Wars.” Javik seemed excited. “We could ill afford to lose soldiers to old age, so we created these chambers to reverse the damage done by years of battle and the ravages of time. In a second we could restore an old warrior to the prime of his life, but with all his memories and experience. We deployed them on Setlik, one of our training worlds, where the old warriors went to pass on their knowledge before they died. Within a week we had a fresh army that crushed the Reaper’s following attack.”
“Sounds useful...why didn’t they work?”
Javik suddenly looked nervous. “Our scientists could never be exactly sure of what age the test subjects would come out. Sometimes we would waist a whole starship’s worth of fuel, just to produce a mewling babe.”
“Are you telling me,” Shepard’s ire began mounting. “That my Team Two leader, my Prothean specialist and my heavy weapons officer have been irrevocably transformed into ten year olds?”
“What?!” Ashley looked alarmed. “Nononono! I went through all of this once already! I’m an adult!”
“Sure don’t look it.” James sniggered slightly. Ashley’s eyes narrowed.
“As soon Tali puts me down, you’re dead.” She advised the boy.
Tali actually began to look upset. “Shepard. We can’t let them stay like this, we need what they know, what they can do...”
“I can still be Shadow Broker! I use a voice hiderthingy anyway.” Liara spoke up from where she had managed to roll up her own sleeves. She looked hopefully at Shepard. “Maybe you can send Ashley to live on the Citadel till she grows up!”
Ashley rolled her eyes. “You are soooo obvious when you try to steal Shepard off me.”
Liara poked her tongue out. “Oh yeah, well you have funny lips!”
Ashley looked smug. “Oh yeah, well Shepard doesn’t mind kissing them and...” She looked horrified for a second, then disgusted. “Ew, gross, we kiss...all the time...I’ve got boy germs.”
“That’s just a myth.” Vega scratched his cheek, as though he already missed his beard. “Anyway, I don’t wanna be a kid, I’ll miss the war! And all the cool explosions and stuff!”
Shepard looked desperately at Javik. “Please tell me this is reversible!”
It's Not My Fault! 3/?
anonymous
January 13 2013, 22:55:50 UTC
Javik nodded. “Yes, we had to add that feature after we accidentally reversed one of our best admirals into her teenage years. The insight into her rebellious streak was...informative.”
“Then reverse it!”
“The machine takes time to charge.” Javik explained crossly. “It should be ready in about twenty four of your primitive human hours.”
“Alright, alright.” Shepard shook his head. “Let’s package this thing up and get it back to the Normandy. Find these three some clothes that fit...”
From over in Tali’s direction, he heard the quarian’s voice. “Oops.”
There was a flash of brown and blue, and in a second Ashley and Liara were once more brawling on the floor, Ash pummelling the asari for all she was worth, the asari desperately pulling at Ashley’s hair.
Shepard’s heart sunk. “The sooner the better.”
----------------------------------------
“Come on Ash.” Tali pleaded. “I promise you, no one’s going to laugh.”
“Yes they will.” Ashley sullenly replied from inside the bathroom. “This jumpsuit looks so stupid.”
Tali sighed. She could not understand the sudden change in Ashley’s behaviour. Normally, the human woman was the last one to stand on appearances. She took a more forceful tone. “Look, we’ve put all your grown up clothes away. You can either wear that or walk around naked. Then everyone WILL laugh at you.”
There was a moment’s pause. Then the girl huffed. “Fine.”
Clad in a small white jumpsuit taken from the Normandy’s emergency humanitarian stores, Ashley emerged. Tali didn’t think she had ever seen Ash looking more miserable. Her heart was immediately softened by her best friend’s predicament. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” Ashley looked a little sulky, but grateful for Tali’s concern. “It’s just...irritating. This morning I was the Team Two leader...now I’m back in pre-teen underwear.” The brown haired girl sniffed slightly. “I just...I just...”
Tali opened her arms as her friend awkward lurched forward, hugging her tight.“Hey, hey. Don’t cry. You’re still a Lieutenant Commander. And Javik will have this figured out soon.”
Ashley looked up at her, brown eyes clouded with tears. “You promise? Best friends?”
Tali hugged her even tighter. “Best friends.”
-----------------------------
Garrus managed to keep his own smirk contained as he watched Vega struggling to do a pull up. “Having some trouble, Jimmy?”
“Laugh...it...up, Scars.” James grunted as he strained to perform his usually effortless routine. “I’ll stick you into that thing headfirst when I get back.”
“Sure thing.” Garrus laughed. “So, you started working out when you were ten?”
“Not really.” Dropping off the bar, Vega winced slightly. “Sixteen was when I started really pumping it. Had to deal with what was going on. I thought I was past it...but being like this again...just brings it closer.”
“It?”
“My dad? World class pendejo.” James shrugged. “Beat on my Mom, beat on me. Used me as a ferry for his drug ring or I didn’t eat.”
Garrus was shocked by the confession. He’d seen many cases like it back on the Citadel...but on Earth? “Why didn’t anyone stop him?”
“Oh, a few people tried. Some cops and social workers. Trouble was, my district wasn’t a good posting. Those that didn’t get gunned down in the street just transferred out, then it started again.” James picked up a bottle of water. “Only one guy ever really stood up for me. Father O’Connor, priest over at St. Michael’s. Guy was tough, ex-Alliance boxer who quit to find a better vocation, eh? Anyway, he finds out what my Dad’s doing when I’m about thirteen. He marches right up to my Dad and reads him the riot act. Good old Pa takes a swing and the padre just decks him.”
“And he didn’t kill him?” Garrus had met his share of scumbags over the years. Most of them wouldn’t think twice before dropping an old man out to do real work.
“My Dad was a bastard, but put down a man of God?” James chuckled. “Didn’t have the balls. Padre passed away a few years later, but I’ll tell you this right now, he and my Uncle raised me, not that son of a whore who knocked up Mama. They taught me to fight, for myself, and then for others. Been fighting ever since. Good memories.”
It's Not My Fault! 4/?
anonymous
January 14 2013, 05:01:00 UTC
“But right now?”
“Plenty of bad ones.” The scrawny kid looked back up at Garrus. “I felt helpless back then. Weak. Promised myself I’d never be like that again.”
“Well, if it helps, I’d say you’re better than me at close range.” Garrus admitted. “Wouldn’t want to tangle with you unless I was half a mile away.”
“Well hell, Scars, I always knew that.” The kid grinned impudently. “Nice to hear you say it, though.
-------------------------------------------------
“...and tell Operative Shorah that she is to immediately look into data files on Prothean age-reduction technology.” Liara finished her speech, then waited for the encryption to take place. “Alright...it’s done.”
“Great work.” Shepard breathed a sigh of relief.
“Now can I go and play doctors with Chakwas?” Liara asked hopefully.
Shepard frowned. “Liara, you have all your memories intact. So does Ash...James too. Why are all three of you suddenly so different.”
“I don’t care.” Liara replied frankly, showing not a trace of her usual curiosity.
“Well...why do you want to play?” Shepard hoped to solve at least one puzzle. “You told me that your toys were shovels and history books when you were a child.”
“Exactly.” Liara pointed out reasonably. “And since I wasted that childhood, I’m not going to waste another sitting around in boring conferences. I want to play!”
Shepard rubbed his eyes, hoping to relieve his headache. This needed to be solved, and fast. Before the rest of the crew found out that nearly half the ground team were pre-pubescent. Joker would never let the stories end.
------------0------
Samantha Traynor had had a long fucking day, to use a harsh term. First, it was narrowing down Cerberus chatter on a Prothean device. Then it was locating a base full of Cerberus scientists. Then it was re-organising tactical data from the turians and the quarians so that it actually made sense to Normandy’s main computer.
“I could do it myself.” EDI had told her earlier. “But I don’t want to steal your workload.”
Well, that made Traynor feel a whole lot more angry. What was the good of a semi-omnipotent AI if it couldn’t even handle some menial tasks for her? In fact...
“Oof!” She felt someone short bump into her and looked down in surprise. A little girl with brown hair, wearing a white refugee jumpsuit, stared up at her with irritation. “Sorry, little one. I didn’t see you there.”
“That’s quite alright, Traynor.” The child replied curtly. “Carry on.”
Traynor was not quite used to being spoken to that way by someone not yet old enough to qualify as a mature conversationalist. “I beg your pardon?”
“Are you deaf?” The girl raised an eyebrow. “I said go about your duties.”
Traynor crossed her arms. “I don’t know what planet you’re from, little girl, but on mine we were taught to respect our elders.”
“And on mine, we followed rank.” The girl snapped back. “Honestly, it’s like you’ve completely forgotten what Shepard told you.”
“And what did Commander Shepard tell me?” Traynor was getting quite sick of being answered back like this.
Staring up at the suddenly massive comms specialist, Ash suddenly felt very ill at ease. “He...did tell you...right?”
“What?” Traynor looked puzzled. “That we were picking up naughty little refugees? Honestly, I should turn you over to Commander Williams.”
“I...am Commander Williams.” Ash replied very meekly. “I was just made this way by a Prothean...thingy.”
“Oh don’t give me that rubbish.” Traynor was now officially cross. Putting out her hand, she grabbed the child’s arm. “Come on, time to stop playing.”
Ash jerked her hand back. “Hey! Don’t touch me!”
The specialist had had more than enough. “If you don’t stop this right this instant, young lady, I’m going to put you over my knee and give you a jolly good thrashing! Twenty second century be damned!”
Ashley’s eyes narrowed. “You do and I’ll have you court martialled!”
In hindsight, it was probably the worst thing she could have said. Effortlessly picking Ashley up, Traynor moved into the Starboard Observation Deck. Ashley wriggled like no tomorrow, desperately trying to make for the sanctuary of the med bay. “Wait! Wait! We can negotiate! No!”
It's Not My Fault! 5/?
anonymous
January 16 2013, 06:19:24 UTC
“Ash! Come on, I give up!” Tali called out as she strolled down the hallways of the Normandy. “You win!”
Still no answer. It was odd, they’d been playing hide and seek for ten minutes now, and while Ash was no doubt a good hider, Tali had grown up as the hide and seek champion of the Migrant Fleet. Had she lost her edge?
“Come on Ash!” Tali was becoming impatient. “You better not be hiding in the Obs...”
The door to the room in question suddenly opened, leaving Tali to face an extraordinary sight. Rubbing her rear end with a look of abject humiliation, Ashley emerged from the Observation Deck, followed by a very satisfied looking Specialist Traynor.
“Ash?” Tali raised her eyebrows. “What happened?”
“Oh, little miss here had an attitude problem which I adjusted.” Traynor looked quite pleased with herself. “You know, people say that spanking is a bad form of punishment, but I think it works quite well.”
Tali’s eyes almost popped out of her helmet. “Traynor...this is COMMANDER WILLIAMS!”
Traynor’s smile began to falter. “Wh-what?”
“There was an incident with a Prothean artefact.” Tali explained to the horrified woman. “They’ve been temporarily reduced in age. Javik is working on it now.”
Traynor now looked at Ashley with fear. “Oh...Commander, I’m so terribly sorry...are you...?”
After staring at Traynor for a full ten seconds, Ashley sprinted into Tali’s arms. The quarian bent down, hugging her tightly as the girl began crying into her shoulder. “Comeon, do you want to go and get some ice cream?”
Rubbing a hand over her eyes, Ashley nodded. “Yes, please.”
The two wandered off, hand in hand, leaving Traynor standing in the hallway. The comms specialist blinked slightly. “She’s going to murder me.”
----------------------------------------
“Good news, primitives!” Javik announced cheerfully as the other crew crowded into the cargo bay. “First, the interferers have not spontaneously melted down into goo, as sometimes happened. Second, I have discovered how to reverse the aging process!”
Shepard breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright then, let’s get this over with.”
Wearing overly large hospital gowns, Liara and James both walked to the side of the machine. A few seconds passed and Shepard just sighed. “Where’s Ashley?”
From the side of the room, murmuring could be heard. “Go on, Ash. It’ll be fine.”
“I don’t want to, something bad is going to happen.” Ashley was trying to shrink into Tali, the quarian also looked apprehensive, but still tried to push the small human on her way. “I don’t trust Mr. Bug, he’s mean.”
“I know he’s mean.” Tali nodded. “But he’s also your best chance. Look, if you do it, we’ll have a big girls night tonight. We’ll get some pizza from the galley, watch The Princess Bride and we’ll get Dr. Chakwas, Gabby and...well, not Traynor, to come in and we’ll braid each other’s hair.”
Still looking scared, Ashley nervously scuttled out to join the other two.
“Stop being such a scaredy.” Vega scoffed.
Immediately, Ashley’s eyes narrowed. “I am NOT a scaredy.”
“Yes you are!” Vega stuck out his tongue. “Scaredy, scaredy, scare...”
Fear forgotten, Ashley pounced on Vega, pinning the boy to the floor and twisting his arm. “Take it back!”
“Ouch! Shepard, get her off me!” Vega pleaded from the deck.
Shepard just turned to Javik. “Just do it.”
---------------------------------------
As the green glow died away, Shepard breathed a sigh of relief. He could definitely see three much taller figures lying on the ground. Finally, he and Ash could curl up with a bottle of wine and just laugh this whole thing...off...
“What’s the matter?” Vega asked anxiously, his voice cracking slightly. He halted. “Why does my voice sound like that?”
“Oh no....” Ashley began feeling her face. “Oh no...no...nonononononononononoNO!”
A few seconds later, Shepard understood her panic. While now only a few inches shy of her previous 6’ 0’, Ashley’s body was still no further developed than before. Liara had only grown in gracefulness and willowy beauty, and Vega had packed on a fair amount of muscle, but Ashley was still awkwardly gangly and skinny, she had braces on her teeth and pimples covered her face. She was also awkwardly pale, as if she hadn’t seen the sun for a month.
It's Not My Fault! 6/?
anonymous
January 17 2013, 01:29:08 UTC
“Ash! Come on, I give up!” Tali called out as she strolled down the hallways of the Normandy. “You win!”
Still no answer. It was odd, they’d been playing hide and seek for ten minutes now, and while Ash was no doubt a good hider, Tali had grown up as the hide and seek champion of the Migrant Fleet. Had she lost her edge?
“Come on Ash!” Tali was becoming impatient. “You better not be hiding in the Obs...”
The door to the room in question suddenly opened, leaving Tali to face an extraordinary sight. Rubbing her rear end with a look of abject humiliation, Ashley emerged from the Observation Deck, followed by a very satisfied looking Specialist Traynor.
“Ash?” Tali raised her eyebrows. “What happened?”
“Oh, little miss here had an attitude problem which I adjusted.” Traynor looked quite pleased with herself. “You know, people say that spanking is a bad form of punishment, but I think it works quite well.”
Tali’s eyes almost popped out of her helmet. “Traynor...this is COMMANDER WILLIAMS!”
Traynor’s smile began to falter. “Wh-what?”
“There was an incident with a Prothean artefact.” Tali explained to the horrified woman. “They’ve been temporarily reduced in age. Javik is working on it now.”
Traynor now looked at Ashley with fear. “Oh...Commander, I’m so terribly sorry...are you...?”
After staring at Traynor for a full ten seconds, Ashley sprinted into Tali’s arms. The quarian bent down, hugging her tightly as the girl began crying into her shoulder. “Comeon, do you want to go and get some ice cream?”
Rubbing a hand over her eyes, Ashley nodded. “Yes, please.”
The two wandered off, hand in hand, leaving Traynor standing in the hallway. The comms specialist blinked slightly. “She’s going to murder me.”
----------------------------------------
“Good news, primitives!” Javik announced cheerfully as the other crew crowded into the cargo bay. “First, the interferers have not spontaneously melted down into goo, as sometimes happened. Second, I have discovered how to reverse the aging process!”
Shepard breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright then, let’s get this over with.”
Wearing overly large hospital gowns, Liara and James both walked to the side of the machine. A few seconds passed and Shepard just sighed. “Where’s Ashley?”
From the side of the room, murmuring could be heard. “Go on, Ash. It’ll be fine.”
“I don’t want to, something bad is going to happen.” Ashley was trying to shrink into Tali, the quarian also looked apprehensive, but still tried to push the small human on her way. “I don’t trust Mr. Bug, he’s mean.”
“I know he’s mean.” Tali nodded. “But he’s also your best chance. Look, if you do it, we’ll have a big girls night tonight. We’ll get some pizza from the galley, watch The Princess Bride and we’ll get Dr. Chakwas, Gabby and...well, not Traynor, to come in and we’ll braid each other’s hair.”
Still looking scared, Ashley nervously scuttled out to join the other two.
“Stop being such a scaredy.” Vega scoffed.
Immediately, Ashley’s eyes narrowed. “I am NOT a scaredy.”
“Yes you are!” Vega stuck out his tongue. “Scaredy, scaredy, scare...”
Fear forgotten, Ashley pounced on Vega, pinning the boy to the floor and twisting his arm. “Take it back!”
“Ouch! Shepard, get her off me!” Vega pleaded from the deck.
Shepard just turned to Javik. “Just do it.”
---------------------------------------
As the green glow died away, Shepard breathed a sigh of relief. He could definitely see three much taller figures lying on the ground. Finally, he and Ash could curl up with a bottle of wine and just laugh this whole thing...off...
“What’s the matter?” Vega asked anxiously, his voice cracking slightly. He halted. “Why does my voice sound like that?”
“Oh no....” Ashley began feeling her face. “Oh no...no...nonononononononononoNO!”
A few seconds later, Shepard understood her panic. While now only a few inches shy of her previous 6’ 0’, Ashley’s body was still no further developed than before. Liara had only grown in gracefulness and willowy beauty, and Vega had packed on a fair amount of muscle, but Ashley was still awkwardly gangly and skinny, she had braces on her teeth and pimples covered her face. She was also awkwardly pale, as if she hadn’t seen the sun for a month.
(IGNORE PREVIOUS POST) It's Not My Fault! 6/?
anonymous
January 17 2013, 02:57:56 UTC
“Commander, it seems as if we have caught Commander Williams and Lieutenant Vega at age sixteen, and Dr. T’Soni at forty five.” EDI reported, a hint of amusement in the AI’s tone. “All are relatively healthy.”
“Healthy?!” Ashley howled. “Tali...do you have a mirror?”
Wordlessly, Tali held up her omni tool with the camera turned on. Ashley took one look at her reflection and once more erupted into tears, bolting for the cargo bay door. Tali nervously looked at Shepard. “I should probably go help her.”
“Go.” Shepard’s head was in his hands. “Just go and sort this out. Javik, why does she have braces?”
The Prothean looked unconcerned. “So? We dabbled in the space time continuum. Just because you primitives haven’t mastered it yet...”
“James!” Shepard barked. “Cut that out!”
Shamefacedly, James looked up from where he was trying to peer down the back of Liara’s hospital gown. “Sorry, Loco.”
“Javik, can you just...fix this?”
“It will take another twenty four hours for the machine to charge.” Javik explained, still nonchalant. “By that time, my calculations should be more accurate.”
“All right, all right.” Shepard just looked defeated. “Let’s just all go get on with our duties. Hopefully this can get resolved soon.”
---------------------------
“Ashley, please come out, you look fine.” Tali called through the door as she tapped it repeatedly. “You look...cute?”
“Just leave me alone to die.” Ashley dejectedly spoke from inside the bathroom. “I’m going to be stuck going through puberty again for the rest of my life, because the Reapers are going to come and kill us all, before I’ve even grown breasts.”
“You’ll grow breasts.” Tali tried to sound encouraging. “Remember how big and firm yours were?”
“I’m never going to get them back.” The teenager informed her mournfully. “Vega’s going to start calling me Flatty Ashley, just like everyone back in high school.”
Tali winced. Bullying wasn’t exactly unknown in the Migrant Fleet. But still... “Oh, come on. I’m sure they were just trying to be funny.”
“Nope.” Ash just sighed. “They called me that right up until the head cheerleader pulled my pants down in gym class and started calling me Flat Ash.”
“What did you do?”
“Broke the bitch’s jaw and nose with a one, two, hook.” Ashley sounded a little happier. “She was bleeding all over the place. It was awesome.”
“See, things can get better.” Tali tried to press her point home.
“No they don’t.” Ashley’s done dropped back into depression. “I got expelled a week later. Did the rest of high school on the extranet with the Alliance Education Program till I enlisted.” She burst into tears. “I never even got to go to senior Prom!”
Tali looked around as Dr. Chakwas and Gabby appeared, both women wearing determined expressions. She held up her hands. “Look, I’ve tried everything, but I can’t get her out of there. It’s like her personality just changed entirely again.”
“Trust me, dear.” Chakwas produced a small bag. “Human teenagers can be a handful. You need special equipment to deal with them.”
Marching right up to the door, Chakwas knocked firmly. “Ashley! You come out of there right now!”
Ashley sounded defiant as she replied. “I’m a Commander, you can’t tell me what to do!”
“Oh really?” Chakwas sounded grim. “My official rank, Ashley, is Major. I am also this ship’s medical officer, and I am ordering you to open the door.”
All trace of misery gone, Ashley spoke two simple words. “I mutiny.”
“Young lady, if you don’t open this door right now, I’m going to throw this anti-pimple medication I just made up right out the airlock.” Chakwas threatened. “And unless you want to be stuck on your own when your cycle starts, I’d consider getting some manners.”
There was a pregnant pause. “Fine.”
The door slid open, and Ashley stalked back out, this time clad in a set of Alliance fatigues that were at least two sizes too large for her. She grumpily took the bag off Chakwas, said thank you and stalked back toward her quarters.
It's Not My Fault! 7/?
anonymous
January 20 2013, 04:20:26 UTC
“Teenagers.” Chakwas looked very pleased with herself. “You just have to know how to handle them.”
-------------------------------------------
Cortez stumbled back under the flurry of punches, holding his gloves up to protect his face. Vega broke through his defence and delivered two wild hooks into the man’s stomach. Holding up his hands, the pilot nodded in surrender. “Damn, man. You could fight this good at sixteen?”
“Best scrapper on the block.” Vega bounced slightly as he returned to his workout area. “Man, you wouldn’t believe how good this feels. Legs of a teenager again, I actually WANT to go on a Battle PT run.”
“Well, certainly don’t envy you the other side effects.” Cortez returned the gloves and headguard to the bench. “Unless I remember being sixteen different to you.”
“Hey, I developed fast.” Vega shrugged. “Shouldn’t have a problem keeping all that under control till I’m squared away.”
=James?= Liara’s voice sounded from a nearby wall. =Could you come up and see me for a minute?=
Walking over to the comms terminal, James tapped the send button. “Sure thing, Doc. Be up in just a second.”
It didn’t take him more than a few seconds to wipe off the sweat, throw on a new shirt and move to the elevator. He was feeling pretty damn good right now. Feeling pumped, high on life, like an untouchable motherfucker. Exactly like he hadn’t felt at sixteen, due to an inconveniently placed asshole of a dad. The feeling of helplessness was gone. Instead, he felt anger and resentment, the urge to fight back with everything he had.
His dad was probably long dead, though, which cooled his temper somewhat. Strange that he hadn’t felt the satisfaction of the fucker biting the dust when he was his old age. But right now, the wounds just felt raw.
“Yo, Doc, wassup?” James entered the doctor’s room with a grin, hoping against all hope that she was still wearing that backless hospital gown that had given him such a great view of her backside. James had picked up his ‘blue wings’ a long time ago, and knew full well just how restless a night with an asari usually was.
Liara was not wearing the uncomfortable medical robe.
She was, instead, wearing a set of blue lingerie, a lacy bra accompanying sheer panties that just seemed to blend into her skin.
James blinked a few times as he took in the sight. Teenage hormones took over immediately, and a second later he was already sporting a hard-on. Well...fuck...
“Good evening, Lieutenant.” Liara purred as she walked across the deck. “I was consulting human sociological records...apparently it is not altogether uncommon for humans to have their first sexual experience at the age of sixteen. This remarkably coincides with a similar asari sub-culture that begin exploring their sexuality at around the age of fifty.”
“Well, how ‘bout that?” James felt very weak in his knees. “But...I kinda waited for a bit. Didn’t want to just mess around with some girl in school, mess up her life or mine with something casual, y’know?”
“I understand.” Liara came to a halt in front of James, within arm’s reach. “I waited myself, for similar reasons. Only, imagine my surprise when another fifty years passed and I still had not enjoyed any kind of encounter...”
“Oh...” James coughed politely. “Maybe I should be going...?”
“I wasted fifty years nose deep in books.” Liara murmured as she traced a finger over Vega’s chest, his pectorals already beginning to bulge. “I missed my awakening...and since you have already long had yours...perhaps you could...assist me?”
Technically, James knew that he shouldn’t feel this nervous. Technically, he knew he’d done the deed quite a bit in his life. But in this body, right here right now, he was feeling a little innocent. “Ah...that’s a little...sudden?”
“What’s sudden?” Liara’s voice contained a hunger that was slightly scaring the Marine. He felt her hands at the base of his t-shirt and knew this was his last chance to escape...
Liara whipped the shirt over his head, exposing his brown skin to her greedy gaze.
It's Not My Fault! 8/?
anonymous
January 20 2013, 04:33:17 UTC
She kissed him, dominant and forceful, seizing control of his mouth as she pulled him closer to the bed. He responded in kind, sweeping an arm under her ass and lifting her up. She was soft, much softer than he had expected, and that guilty twinge hit him again. The older Liara was lean and fit from running frequent combat missions and sparring with Ashley and Shepard. This Liara was tender and vulnerable. But it was technically the same body, technically the same mind.
She discarded her bra with an experienced flick that allayed some of his unease. But her breasts, while still a delicious size, were not as full and firm as he’d fantasised about while staring at her uniform.
Ah, what the hell, when in Rome...
As Liara fell back onto the bed, James pulled off her panties. A second later, he had his tongue buried between her legs, rendering her speechless for a second as a wave of sensation poured into her azure. He lashed her walls mercilessly, seeking out the four specific nerve endings that all asari had buried within them. Originating as a single gendered species, asari were filled with little sexual quirks, quirks that James was intimately familiar with. On a good day, James could bring an asari to orgasm within thirty seconds, with Liara, it took...
“Fifteen seconds?” Liara panted when she could breathe again. “Goddess, I’ve never been able to do that, not even on my own, with Shepard and Ash on the widescreen...”
Even as she spoke, she was already moving, grabbing the buckle to Vega’s trousers and yanking downwards, her eyes widening as she examined his shaft. “How on Thessia did your Earth women let you remain a virgin at this age?”
James could do little but hang on for the ride as her lips wrapped around his cock. It appeared that Liara T’Soni had a very specific list sexual experiences she wanted to try tonight. He got the feeling that this had been a very bad idea.
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“Can I come in?” Shepard rapped gently at the entrance to the observation deck.
“Yeah, why not?” Ashley sounded tired, her words distorted slightly by the braces on teeth. “It’s not as if some teenager can keep Commander Shepard out of his own observation deck.”
“Don’t be like that.” Shepard sat next to her. “This will all be over in a few more hours.”
“No it won’t.” Ash shook her head. “It’s going to be like this forever. The stuck up bitch from high school is the stuck up Staff Commander on the promotions board. Everyone trying to keep you down because of a stupid last name. I thought I’d forgotten about all the bullshit, but...
“You have forgotten.” Shepard told her firmly. “You moved past all of that. You showed what you were capable of. If you had the guts and the brains, Anderson would never have taken you onboard the Normandy. I would never have recommended you when Udina talked about Spectre status if you hadn’t demonstrated ability, courage...the heart of a soldier. All of this? It’s just your teenage years, when you didn’t think any of that was possible.”
“Then why does it feel so real?” Ashley looked at him with lost eyes. “I never thought it’d get any better than what it was. But it did, and I thought I was fine. But I don’t feel fine anymore.”
“I’ve felt that way before.” Shepard stared out the stars. “About a lot of things. Where I grew up...what I’ve seen...sometimes there’s just no way that you can make yourself feel better.”
“How do you cope with that?”
Shepard looked down at her with a grin. “You find a good friend, grab some chocolate, then just watch the stars.”
Ash laughed a little more at that, her mood improving rapidly. “Skipper, I’d give you a kiss...if it wouldn’t feel incredibly awkward right now.”
“I’ll take a raincheck on that one.” Shepard chuckled. “Though I’d be interested to see what you were like when you enlisted.”
“Oh, I was all spit and polish back then.” Ashley tucked herself up snug against Shepard’s side, holding onto him like a big pillow. “No, the real interesting part would be my time on New Harmony, back when I made Corporal.”
It's Not My Fault! 9/9
anonymous
January 22 2013, 22:28:28 UTC
“I’m thinking there’s a story here?” Shepard poked her in the ribs.
“Hey, that tickles.” Ash punched him in the arm. “Yeah, I was with the 54th Infantry Brigade. They called us the ‘Skinhead Marines’ because every man and woman in the unit got clean shaven when they joined. We were also a little...crazy.”
“Maybe we’d better skip that part in your life.” Shepard visibly shuddered. “Jack was more than enough crazy for one lifetime.”
“You sure?” Ashley asked innocently. “Because I gotta tell you, back then it was just fresh steak, pack marches and benchpressing to pass the time. All those extra muscles can get put to very good use...”
The Commander laughed openly at that one, Ashley giggling foolishly at her own bad joke. Finally, Shepard produced a large bar of chocolate from his jacket and handed it to her. “We’ll talk to Javik about post-war experiments. In the meantime, let’s just enjoy the stars.
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“So you’re sure it will work this time?” Vega looked particular anxious as he and the other two affected by the machine crowded around it. He eyed Liara with particular fear. “Because I really need everything to go back the way it was, get me?”
“Be at ease, primitive.” Javik’s four eyes frowned as he finished inputting the parameters. “I am almost positive that this will work.”
“Almost?” Vega’s eyes widened in fear. “Wait a minute man, maybe we should think this over...”
Once more the glow washed over him, silencing his last, futile protests.
“Commander, I’ve seen some crazy things before, but this beats all of them.” Hackett frowned on the projector as he examined the report. “And you’ve secured the device away?”
“Yes sir.” Shepard nodded. “It shouldn’t be trifled with. While not lethal, this device could cause...complications.”
“I understand.” Hackett nodded. “Very well, Commander. I’ll have the device sent my way immediately. Once this war is over, I’ll be keeping a close eye on this project.”
Shepard could have sworn he saw a glint in Hackett’s eye as he signed off. Must have been a trick of the light.
Still...
“EDI, where is Commander Williams?”
“Commander Williams requested not to be disturbed. She remarked to me that she had a...disciplinary issue to resolve.”
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“So, Specialist Traynor.” Ashley continued conversationally. “Are we now clear on the necessity of the chain of command?”
Traynor winced. “Yes ma’am.”
“That’s very good.” Ashley paused, then, with a sweep of her arm, brought the improvised strap down on Traynor’s red backside. “Because we have to have discipline, Specialist. Without it...the whole system just...collapses.”
“Yes ma’am.” Traynor panted. While undeniably arousing at first, this was starting to become very, very uncomfortable.
“Yes, and we wouldn’t want that.” Ashley frowned something. “I forget how many I’ve given you. Fifty was what we agreed on, wasn’t it?”
“Yes ma’am.” Traynor nodded furiously. “And it’s been forty...”
“No matter, I’ll just start again.” Ashley shrugged. “Wouldn’t want to miss any, would we?”
“Ma’am?” Traynor half wailed. “It’s not my fault!”
“That’s really no excuse.” Ashley smiled grimly as she lashed downwards again. Once more fully grown, fully developed and packed full of muscle and confidence, she was ready to kick some ass. Or lash some as the case may be. “Now then. One.”
"Yeah...well, just don't touch it." Ashley was also staring up, but her expression was less mesmerised, and more apprehensive. "Last time I got too near one of these things, Skipper ended up with his brain half fried."
"Don't be ridiculous, Ash." Liara glanced at the Marine. "This is not a beacon. Their are no simulated memory patterns like those Javik showed us."
"Then what is it?" Ashley arched an eyebrow, gesturing at the twenty foot obelisk, now overgrown with vegetation and entwined with clinging branches.
"I...don't know." Liara admitted. "But whatever it is...it's letting off huge waves of power."
"It's impressive alright." Vega's booming voice sounded behind them. "Never saw much Prothean tech till a few years ago. Those guys could build stuff to last."
"Again, don't touch anything." Ashley responded testily. "Shepard is on the way with Javik. No offense, Doc, but I'd rather have an actual Prothean than a Prothean expert any day of the week."
Liara shook her head. "None taken. Honestly, what we know about actual working Prothean technology could fit into a small datapad. Even the most advanced of our starships are still just crude imitations of the elegance the Protheans achieved in their designs. Although...it is curious..."
"Hey, Vega." Ashley wheeled on the suddenly guilty Marine. "I told you twice already, don't touch anything."
"Oh relax, Commander." James shrugged. "This is all long dead. It's just glowing to let you know that the batteries are still running. Any kind of machinery inside has gotta be rusted away by now."
"And how long have you been poking around Prothean ruins?" Ashley challenged the bigger soldier with her typical bluntness. "See, grunts like us, Lieutenant, have a job. That job involves fighting and getting ready to fight. So we leave the fancy pants tech jobs to the eggheads that get their panties wet at the word 'beacon'. You copy?"
"Leave the button pressing to Liara, I got it, ma'am." James replied grumpily.
"Liara?" Ashley twisted her head around. "What are you...?"
The console Liara was bending over suddenly activated. Crying out in alarm, the asari whipped back up, hit her head against a low hanging tree branch and slammed back down into the green buttons.
Ashley's eyes widened with alarm. "Oh shi..."
---------------------------
Shepard could hear the screaming from all the way down the corridor. "What the...hurry!"
Flanked by Javik, Garrus, Tali and EDI, he thundered down the hallway, rifle raised and ready for anything that greeted him. Cerberus, Reapers, he'd kill them all if they laid hands on his...crew?
The sight that greeted him when he stepped inside was not the carnage and horror he had expected. It was...he wasn't sure what it was.
On the floor in front of him, a small asari was desperately trying to wrestle free of the grip of an equally small human girl, who was currently trying to smash the asari's face in. Both their efforts were hampered by the ridiculously over sized outfits they wore. The asari was clad in a massive white jumpsuit that she could clearly not reach out of.
The human was clad in an equally big one piece jumpsuit that looked exactly like Alliance issue under-armour mesh. Behind the human lay an almost complete set of blue and white heavy armour. The one advantage that the human had over her opponent was that she had managed to roll up the sleeves on the mesh to get her sturdy little fists free.
"Turn it back on!" The human screamed furiously. "Turn everything back! Now!"
"I don't know how!" The asari squealed. "I didn't even see what I touched!"
Dashing forward, Tali grabbed the human girl and dragged her backwards. The sniffling asari slowly got to her feet.
"Liara?" Shepard's mouth dropped open as he began to see the asari's features clearly. "What happened to you?"
The asari just burst into tears. "I...I don't...know...Ashley hurt me!"
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"Ash?" Shepard's jaw sunk further as he examined the girl. Same big brown eyes...same brown hair, albeit grown almost to her waist...it had to be. "What happened?"
The fight seemed to go out of the girl, in an instant her eyes turned pleading. "It's not my fault! I said to Liara, TOLD her not to touch anything! But, no, no, no! She had to go and be a big know-it-all, as usual!"
Shepard couldn't believe it. Ashley was using puppy-eyes on him. Big, cute, innocent puppy eyes...on HIM! "Wait...where's Vega?"
"HEY!" A small voice squawked on the other side of the room. "Somebody help me out of this thing."
Investigating, Garrus found a massive set of armour lying prone on the ground, with a tiny head poking out of the top. Undoing a few latches, the turian managed to tug out the occupant.
This tiny version of James Vega was almost more unbelievable than his two companions. His black hair covered his whole head and was neatly combed back. His tattoos and scars were gone, and his bulky arms were now skinny and underdeveloped.
“EDI? What happened?” Shepard stared at the three miniature crewmen.
“Unknown, Commander. “ Even EDI sounded flustered. “My onboard scanner registers both Commander Williams and Lieutenant Vega as being completely normal...and being at a very healthy height, weight and stage of mental development for ten year old humans. Doctor T’Soni likewise, except her age is about twenty by the standards of the asari.”
Javik’s head jerked up in realisation. “Of course! It is a regeneration chamber! I should have recognised the warnings immediately.”
“And what.” Shepard tried to keep his temper. “Is a regeneration chamber?”
“It began during the later stages of the Reaper Wars.” Javik seemed excited. “We could ill afford to lose soldiers to old age, so we created these chambers to reverse the damage done by years of battle and the ravages of time. In a second we could restore an old warrior to the prime of his life, but with all his memories and experience. We deployed them on Setlik, one of our training worlds, where the old warriors went to pass on their knowledge before they died. Within a week we had a fresh army that crushed the Reaper’s following attack.”
“Sounds useful...why didn’t they work?”
Javik suddenly looked nervous. “Our scientists could never be exactly sure of what age the test subjects would come out. Sometimes we would waist a whole starship’s worth of fuel, just to produce a mewling babe.”
“Are you telling me,” Shepard’s ire began mounting. “That my Team Two leader, my Prothean specialist and my heavy weapons officer have been irrevocably transformed into ten year olds?”
“What?!” Ashley looked alarmed. “Nononono! I went through all of this once already! I’m an adult!”
“Sure don’t look it.” James sniggered slightly. Ashley’s eyes narrowed.
“As soon Tali puts me down, you’re dead.” She advised the boy.
Tali actually began to look upset. “Shepard. We can’t let them stay like this, we need what they know, what they can do...”
“I can still be Shadow Broker! I use a voice hiderthingy anyway.” Liara spoke up from where she had managed to roll up her own sleeves. She looked hopefully at Shepard. “Maybe you can send Ashley to live on the Citadel till she grows up!”
Ashley rolled her eyes. “You are soooo obvious when you try to steal Shepard off me.”
Liara poked her tongue out. “Oh yeah, well you have funny lips!”
Ashley looked smug. “Oh yeah, well Shepard doesn’t mind kissing them and...” She looked horrified for a second, then disgusted. “Ew, gross, we kiss...all the time...I’ve got boy germs.”
“That’s just a myth.” Vega scratched his cheek, as though he already missed his beard. “Anyway, I don’t wanna be a kid, I’ll miss the war! And all the cool explosions and stuff!”
Shepard looked desperately at Javik. “Please tell me this is reversible!”
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“Then reverse it!”
“The machine takes time to charge.” Javik explained crossly. “It should be ready in about twenty four of your primitive human hours.”
“Alright, alright.” Shepard shook his head. “Let’s package this thing up and get it back to the Normandy. Find these three some clothes that fit...”
From over in Tali’s direction, he heard the quarian’s voice. “Oops.”
There was a flash of brown and blue, and in a second Ashley and Liara were once more brawling on the floor, Ash pummelling the asari for all she was worth, the asari desperately pulling at Ashley’s hair.
Shepard’s heart sunk. “The sooner the better.”
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“Come on Ash.” Tali pleaded. “I promise you, no one’s going to laugh.”
“Yes they will.” Ashley sullenly replied from inside the bathroom. “This jumpsuit looks so stupid.”
Tali sighed. She could not understand the sudden change in Ashley’s behaviour. Normally, the human woman was the last one to stand on appearances. She took a more forceful tone. “Look, we’ve put all your grown up clothes away. You can either wear that or walk around naked. Then everyone WILL laugh at you.”
There was a moment’s pause. Then the girl huffed. “Fine.”
Clad in a small white jumpsuit taken from the Normandy’s emergency humanitarian stores, Ashley emerged. Tali didn’t think she had ever seen Ash looking more miserable. Her heart was immediately softened by her best friend’s predicament. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” Ashley looked a little sulky, but grateful for Tali’s concern. “It’s just...irritating. This morning I was the Team Two leader...now I’m back in pre-teen underwear.” The brown haired girl sniffed slightly. “I just...I just...”
Tali opened her arms as her friend awkward lurched forward, hugging her tight.“Hey, hey. Don’t cry. You’re still a Lieutenant Commander. And Javik will have this figured out soon.”
Ashley looked up at her, brown eyes clouded with tears. “You promise? Best friends?”
Tali hugged her even tighter. “Best friends.”
-----------------------------
Garrus managed to keep his own smirk contained as he watched Vega struggling to do a pull up. “Having some trouble, Jimmy?”
“Laugh...it...up, Scars.” James grunted as he strained to perform his usually effortless routine. “I’ll stick you into that thing headfirst when I get back.”
“Sure thing.” Garrus laughed. “So, you started working out when you were ten?”
“Not really.” Dropping off the bar, Vega winced slightly. “Sixteen was when I started really pumping it. Had to deal with what was going on. I thought I was past it...but being like this again...just brings it closer.”
“It?”
“My dad? World class pendejo.” James shrugged. “Beat on my Mom, beat on me. Used me as a ferry for his drug ring or I didn’t eat.”
Garrus was shocked by the confession. He’d seen many cases like it back on the Citadel...but on Earth? “Why didn’t anyone stop him?”
“Oh, a few people tried. Some cops and social workers. Trouble was, my district wasn’t a good posting. Those that didn’t get gunned down in the street just transferred out, then it started again.” James picked up a bottle of water. “Only one guy ever really stood up for me. Father O’Connor, priest over at St. Michael’s. Guy was tough, ex-Alliance boxer who quit to find a better vocation, eh? Anyway, he finds out what my Dad’s doing when I’m about thirteen. He marches right up to my Dad and reads him the riot act. Good old Pa takes a swing and the padre just decks him.”
“And he didn’t kill him?” Garrus had met his share of scumbags over the years. Most of them wouldn’t think twice before dropping an old man out to do real work.
“My Dad was a bastard, but put down a man of God?” James chuckled. “Didn’t have the balls. Padre passed away a few years later, but I’ll tell you this right now, he and my Uncle raised me, not that son of a whore who knocked up Mama. They taught me to fight, for myself, and then for others. Been fighting ever since. Good memories.”
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“Plenty of bad ones.” The scrawny kid looked back up at Garrus. “I felt helpless back then. Weak. Promised myself I’d never be like that again.”
“Well, if it helps, I’d say you’re better than me at close range.” Garrus admitted. “Wouldn’t want to tangle with you unless I was half a mile away.”
“Well hell, Scars, I always knew that.” The kid grinned impudently. “Nice to hear you say it, though.
-------------------------------------------------
“...and tell Operative Shorah that she is to immediately look into data files on Prothean age-reduction technology.” Liara finished her speech, then waited for the encryption to take place. “Alright...it’s done.”
“Great work.” Shepard breathed a sigh of relief.
“Now can I go and play doctors with Chakwas?” Liara asked hopefully.
Shepard frowned. “Liara, you have all your memories intact. So does Ash...James too. Why are all three of you suddenly so different.”
“I don’t care.” Liara replied frankly, showing not a trace of her usual curiosity.
“Well...why do you want to play?” Shepard hoped to solve at least one puzzle. “You told me that your toys were shovels and history books when you were a child.”
“Exactly.” Liara pointed out reasonably. “And since I wasted that childhood, I’m not going to waste another sitting around in boring conferences. I want to play!”
Shepard rubbed his eyes, hoping to relieve his headache. This needed to be solved, and fast. Before the rest of the crew found out that nearly half the ground team were pre-pubescent. Joker would never let the stories end.
------------0------
Samantha Traynor had had a long fucking day, to use a harsh term. First, it was narrowing down Cerberus chatter on a Prothean device. Then it was locating a base full of Cerberus scientists. Then it was re-organising tactical data from the turians and the quarians so that it actually made sense to Normandy’s main computer.
“I could do it myself.” EDI had told her earlier. “But I don’t want to steal your workload.”
Well, that made Traynor feel a whole lot more angry. What was the good of a semi-omnipotent AI if it couldn’t even handle some menial tasks for her? In fact...
“Oof!” She felt someone short bump into her and looked down in surprise. A little girl with brown hair, wearing a white refugee jumpsuit, stared up at her with irritation. “Sorry, little one. I didn’t see you there.”
“That’s quite alright, Traynor.” The child replied curtly. “Carry on.”
Traynor was not quite used to being spoken to that way by someone not yet old enough to qualify as a mature conversationalist. “I beg your pardon?”
“Are you deaf?” The girl raised an eyebrow. “I said go about your duties.”
Traynor crossed her arms. “I don’t know what planet you’re from, little girl, but on mine we were taught to respect our elders.”
“And on mine, we followed rank.” The girl snapped back. “Honestly, it’s like you’ve completely forgotten what Shepard told you.”
“And what did Commander Shepard tell me?” Traynor was getting quite sick of being answered back like this.
Staring up at the suddenly massive comms specialist, Ash suddenly felt very ill at ease. “He...did tell you...right?”
“What?” Traynor looked puzzled. “That we were picking up naughty little refugees? Honestly, I should turn you over to Commander Williams.”
“I...am Commander Williams.” Ash replied very meekly. “I was just made this way by a Prothean...thingy.”
“Oh don’t give me that rubbish.” Traynor was now officially cross. Putting out her hand, she grabbed the child’s arm. “Come on, time to stop playing.”
Ash jerked her hand back. “Hey! Don’t touch me!”
The specialist had had more than enough. “If you don’t stop this right this instant, young lady, I’m going to put you over my knee and give you a jolly good thrashing! Twenty second century be damned!”
Ashley’s eyes narrowed. “You do and I’ll have you court martialled!”
In hindsight, it was probably the worst thing she could have said. Effortlessly picking Ashley up, Traynor moved into the Starboard Observation Deck. Ashley wriggled like no tomorrow, desperately trying to make for the sanctuary of the med bay. “Wait! Wait! We can negotiate! No!”
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Still no answer. It was odd, they’d been playing hide and seek for ten minutes now, and while Ash was no doubt a good hider, Tali had grown up as the hide and seek champion of the Migrant Fleet. Had she lost her edge?
“Come on Ash!” Tali was becoming impatient. “You better not be hiding in the Obs...”
The door to the room in question suddenly opened, leaving Tali to face an extraordinary sight. Rubbing her rear end with a look of abject humiliation, Ashley emerged from the Observation Deck, followed by a very satisfied looking Specialist Traynor.
“Ash?” Tali raised her eyebrows. “What happened?”
“Oh, little miss here had an attitude problem which I adjusted.” Traynor looked quite pleased with herself. “You know, people say that spanking is a bad form of punishment, but I think it works quite well.”
Tali’s eyes almost popped out of her helmet. “Traynor...this is COMMANDER WILLIAMS!”
Traynor’s smile began to falter. “Wh-what?”
“There was an incident with a Prothean artefact.” Tali explained to the horrified woman. “They’ve been temporarily reduced in age. Javik is working on it now.”
Traynor now looked at Ashley with fear. “Oh...Commander, I’m so terribly sorry...are you...?”
After staring at Traynor for a full ten seconds, Ashley sprinted into Tali’s arms. The quarian bent down, hugging her tightly as the girl began crying into her shoulder. “Comeon, do you want to go and get some ice cream?”
Rubbing a hand over her eyes, Ashley nodded. “Yes, please.”
The two wandered off, hand in hand, leaving Traynor standing in the hallway. The comms specialist blinked slightly. “She’s going to murder me.”
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“Good news, primitives!” Javik announced cheerfully as the other crew crowded into the cargo bay. “First, the interferers have not spontaneously melted down into goo, as sometimes happened. Second, I have discovered how to reverse the aging process!”
Shepard breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright then, let’s get this over with.”
Wearing overly large hospital gowns, Liara and James both walked to the side of the machine. A few seconds passed and Shepard just sighed. “Where’s Ashley?”
From the side of the room, murmuring could be heard. “Go on, Ash. It’ll be fine.”
“I don’t want to, something bad is going to happen.” Ashley was trying to shrink into Tali, the quarian also looked apprehensive, but still tried to push the small human on her way. “I don’t trust Mr. Bug, he’s mean.”
“I know he’s mean.” Tali nodded. “But he’s also your best chance. Look, if you do it, we’ll have a big girls night tonight. We’ll get some pizza from the galley, watch The Princess Bride and we’ll get Dr. Chakwas, Gabby and...well, not Traynor, to come in and we’ll braid each other’s hair.”
Still looking scared, Ashley nervously scuttled out to join the other two.
“Stop being such a scaredy.” Vega scoffed.
Immediately, Ashley’s eyes narrowed. “I am NOT a scaredy.”
“Yes you are!” Vega stuck out his tongue. “Scaredy, scaredy, scare...”
Fear forgotten, Ashley pounced on Vega, pinning the boy to the floor and twisting his arm. “Take it back!”
“Ouch! Shepard, get her off me!” Vega pleaded from the deck.
Shepard just turned to Javik. “Just do it.”
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As the green glow died away, Shepard breathed a sigh of relief. He could definitely see three much taller figures lying on the ground. Finally, he and Ash could curl up with a bottle of wine and just laugh this whole thing...off...
“What’s the matter?” Vega asked anxiously, his voice cracking slightly. He halted. “Why does my voice sound like that?”
“Oh no....” Ashley began feeling her face. “Oh no...no...nonononononononononoNO!”
A few seconds later, Shepard understood her panic. While now only a few inches shy of her previous 6’ 0’, Ashley’s body was still no further developed than before. Liara had only grown in gracefulness and willowy beauty, and Vega had packed on a fair amount of muscle, but Ashley was still awkwardly gangly and skinny, she had braces on her teeth and pimples covered her face. She was also awkwardly pale, as if she hadn’t seen the sun for a month.
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Still no answer. It was odd, they’d been playing hide and seek for ten minutes now, and while Ash was no doubt a good hider, Tali had grown up as the hide and seek champion of the Migrant Fleet. Had she lost her edge?
“Come on Ash!” Tali was becoming impatient. “You better not be hiding in the Obs...”
The door to the room in question suddenly opened, leaving Tali to face an extraordinary sight. Rubbing her rear end with a look of abject humiliation, Ashley emerged from the Observation Deck, followed by a very satisfied looking Specialist Traynor.
“Ash?” Tali raised her eyebrows. “What happened?”
“Oh, little miss here had an attitude problem which I adjusted.” Traynor looked quite pleased with herself. “You know, people say that spanking is a bad form of punishment, but I think it works quite well.”
Tali’s eyes almost popped out of her helmet. “Traynor...this is COMMANDER WILLIAMS!”
Traynor’s smile began to falter. “Wh-what?”
“There was an incident with a Prothean artefact.” Tali explained to the horrified woman. “They’ve been temporarily reduced in age. Javik is working on it now.”
Traynor now looked at Ashley with fear. “Oh...Commander, I’m so terribly sorry...are you...?”
After staring at Traynor for a full ten seconds, Ashley sprinted into Tali’s arms. The quarian bent down, hugging her tightly as the girl began crying into her shoulder. “Comeon, do you want to go and get some ice cream?”
Rubbing a hand over her eyes, Ashley nodded. “Yes, please.”
The two wandered off, hand in hand, leaving Traynor standing in the hallway. The comms specialist blinked slightly. “She’s going to murder me.”
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“Good news, primitives!” Javik announced cheerfully as the other crew crowded into the cargo bay. “First, the interferers have not spontaneously melted down into goo, as sometimes happened. Second, I have discovered how to reverse the aging process!”
Shepard breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright then, let’s get this over with.”
Wearing overly large hospital gowns, Liara and James both walked to the side of the machine. A few seconds passed and Shepard just sighed. “Where’s Ashley?”
From the side of the room, murmuring could be heard. “Go on, Ash. It’ll be fine.”
“I don’t want to, something bad is going to happen.” Ashley was trying to shrink into Tali, the quarian also looked apprehensive, but still tried to push the small human on her way. “I don’t trust Mr. Bug, he’s mean.”
“I know he’s mean.” Tali nodded. “But he’s also your best chance. Look, if you do it, we’ll have a big girls night tonight. We’ll get some pizza from the galley, watch The Princess Bride and we’ll get Dr. Chakwas, Gabby and...well, not Traynor, to come in and we’ll braid each other’s hair.”
Still looking scared, Ashley nervously scuttled out to join the other two.
“Stop being such a scaredy.” Vega scoffed.
Immediately, Ashley’s eyes narrowed. “I am NOT a scaredy.”
“Yes you are!” Vega stuck out his tongue. “Scaredy, scaredy, scare...”
Fear forgotten, Ashley pounced on Vega, pinning the boy to the floor and twisting his arm. “Take it back!”
“Ouch! Shepard, get her off me!” Vega pleaded from the deck.
Shepard just turned to Javik. “Just do it.”
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As the green glow died away, Shepard breathed a sigh of relief. He could definitely see three much taller figures lying on the ground. Finally, he and Ash could curl up with a bottle of wine and just laugh this whole thing...off...
“What’s the matter?” Vega asked anxiously, his voice cracking slightly. He halted. “Why does my voice sound like that?”
“Oh no....” Ashley began feeling her face. “Oh no...no...nonononononononononoNO!”
A few seconds later, Shepard understood her panic. While now only a few inches shy of her previous 6’ 0’, Ashley’s body was still no further developed than before. Liara had only grown in gracefulness and willowy beauty, and Vega had packed on a fair amount of muscle, but Ashley was still awkwardly gangly and skinny, she had braces on her teeth and pimples covered her face. She was also awkwardly pale, as if she hadn’t seen the sun for a month.
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“Healthy?!” Ashley howled. “Tali...do you have a mirror?”
Wordlessly, Tali held up her omni tool with the camera turned on. Ashley took one look at her reflection and once more erupted into tears, bolting for the cargo bay door. Tali nervously looked at Shepard. “I should probably go help her.”
“Go.” Shepard’s head was in his hands. “Just go and sort this out. Javik, why does she have braces?”
The Prothean looked unconcerned. “So? We dabbled in the space time continuum. Just because you primitives haven’t mastered it yet...”
“James!” Shepard barked. “Cut that out!”
Shamefacedly, James looked up from where he was trying to peer down the back of Liara’s hospital gown. “Sorry, Loco.”
“Javik, can you just...fix this?”
“It will take another twenty four hours for the machine to charge.” Javik explained, still nonchalant. “By that time, my calculations should be more accurate.”
“All right, all right.” Shepard just looked defeated. “Let’s just all go get on with our duties. Hopefully this can get resolved soon.”
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“Ashley, please come out, you look fine.” Tali called through the door as she tapped it repeatedly. “You look...cute?”
“Just leave me alone to die.” Ashley dejectedly spoke from inside the bathroom. “I’m going to be stuck going through puberty again for the rest of my life, because the Reapers are going to come and kill us all, before I’ve even grown breasts.”
“You’ll grow breasts.” Tali tried to sound encouraging. “Remember how big and firm yours were?”
“I’m never going to get them back.” The teenager informed her mournfully. “Vega’s going to start calling me Flatty Ashley, just like everyone back in high school.”
Tali winced. Bullying wasn’t exactly unknown in the Migrant Fleet. But still... “Oh, come on. I’m sure they were just trying to be funny.”
“Nope.” Ash just sighed. “They called me that right up until the head cheerleader pulled my pants down in gym class and started calling me Flat Ash.”
“What did you do?”
“Broke the bitch’s jaw and nose with a one, two, hook.” Ashley sounded a little happier. “She was bleeding all over the place. It was awesome.”
“See, things can get better.” Tali tried to press her point home.
“No they don’t.” Ashley’s done dropped back into depression. “I got expelled a week later. Did the rest of high school on the extranet with the Alliance Education Program till I enlisted.” She burst into tears. “I never even got to go to senior Prom!”
Tali looked around as Dr. Chakwas and Gabby appeared, both women wearing determined expressions. She held up her hands. “Look, I’ve tried everything, but I can’t get her out of there. It’s like her personality just changed entirely again.”
“Trust me, dear.” Chakwas produced a small bag. “Human teenagers can be a handful. You need special equipment to deal with them.”
Marching right up to the door, Chakwas knocked firmly. “Ashley! You come out of there right now!”
Ashley sounded defiant as she replied. “I’m a Commander, you can’t tell me what to do!”
“Oh really?” Chakwas sounded grim. “My official rank, Ashley, is Major. I am also this ship’s medical officer, and I am ordering you to open the door.”
All trace of misery gone, Ashley spoke two simple words. “I mutiny.”
“Young lady, if you don’t open this door right now, I’m going to throw this anti-pimple medication I just made up right out the airlock.” Chakwas threatened. “And unless you want to be stuck on your own when your cycle starts, I’d consider getting some manners.”
There was a pregnant pause. “Fine.”
The door slid open, and Ashley stalked back out, this time clad in a set of Alliance fatigues that were at least two sizes too large for her. She grumpily took the bag off Chakwas, said thank you and stalked back toward her quarters.
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I would love to see Ash getting revenge on Traynor.
Love and Hugs OP
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Cortez stumbled back under the flurry of punches, holding his gloves up to protect his face. Vega broke through his defence and delivered two wild hooks into the man’s stomach. Holding up his hands, the pilot nodded in surrender. “Damn, man. You could fight this good at sixteen?”
“Best scrapper on the block.” Vega bounced slightly as he returned to his workout area. “Man, you wouldn’t believe how good this feels. Legs of a teenager again, I actually WANT to go on a Battle PT run.”
“Well, certainly don’t envy you the other side effects.” Cortez returned the gloves and headguard to the bench. “Unless I remember being sixteen different to you.”
“Hey, I developed fast.” Vega shrugged. “Shouldn’t have a problem keeping all that under control till I’m squared away.”
=James?= Liara’s voice sounded from a nearby wall. =Could you come up and see me for a minute?=
Walking over to the comms terminal, James tapped the send button. “Sure thing, Doc. Be up in just a second.”
It didn’t take him more than a few seconds to wipe off the sweat, throw on a new shirt and move to the elevator. He was feeling pretty damn good right now. Feeling pumped, high on life, like an untouchable motherfucker. Exactly like he hadn’t felt at sixteen, due to an inconveniently placed asshole of a dad. The feeling of helplessness was gone. Instead, he felt anger and resentment, the urge to fight back with everything he had.
His dad was probably long dead, though, which cooled his temper somewhat. Strange that he hadn’t felt the satisfaction of the fucker biting the dust when he was his old age. But right now, the wounds just felt raw.
“Yo, Doc, wassup?” James entered the doctor’s room with a grin, hoping against all hope that she was still wearing that backless hospital gown that had given him such a great view of her backside. James had picked up his ‘blue wings’ a long time ago, and knew full well just how restless a night with an asari usually was.
Liara was not wearing the uncomfortable medical robe.
She was, instead, wearing a set of blue lingerie, a lacy bra accompanying sheer panties that just seemed to blend into her skin.
James blinked a few times as he took in the sight. Teenage hormones took over immediately, and a second later he was already sporting a hard-on. Well...fuck...
“Good evening, Lieutenant.” Liara purred as she walked across the deck. “I was consulting human sociological records...apparently it is not altogether uncommon for humans to have their first sexual experience at the age of sixteen. This remarkably coincides with a similar asari sub-culture that begin exploring their sexuality at around the age of fifty.”
“Well, how ‘bout that?” James felt very weak in his knees. “But...I kinda waited for a bit. Didn’t want to just mess around with some girl in school, mess up her life or mine with something casual, y’know?”
“I understand.” Liara came to a halt in front of James, within arm’s reach. “I waited myself, for similar reasons. Only, imagine my surprise when another fifty years passed and I still had not enjoyed any kind of encounter...”
“Oh...” James coughed politely. “Maybe I should be going...?”
“I wasted fifty years nose deep in books.” Liara murmured as she traced a finger over Vega’s chest, his pectorals already beginning to bulge. “I missed my awakening...and since you have already long had yours...perhaps you could...assist me?”
Technically, James knew that he shouldn’t feel this nervous. Technically, he knew he’d done the deed quite a bit in his life. But in this body, right here right now, he was feeling a little innocent. “Ah...that’s a little...sudden?”
“What’s sudden?” Liara’s voice contained a hunger that was slightly scaring the Marine. He felt her hands at the base of his t-shirt and knew this was his last chance to escape...
Liara whipped the shirt over his head, exposing his brown skin to her greedy gaze.
...and he’d blown it.
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She discarded her bra with an experienced flick that allayed some of his unease. But her breasts, while still a delicious size, were not as full and firm as he’d fantasised about while staring at her uniform.
Ah, what the hell, when in Rome...
As Liara fell back onto the bed, James pulled off her panties. A second later, he had his tongue buried between her legs, rendering her speechless for a second as a wave of sensation poured into her azure. He lashed her walls mercilessly, seeking out the four specific nerve endings that all asari had buried within them. Originating as a single gendered species, asari were filled with little sexual quirks, quirks that James was intimately familiar with. On a good day, James could bring an asari to orgasm within thirty seconds, with Liara, it took...
“Fifteen seconds?” Liara panted when she could breathe again. “Goddess, I’ve never been able to do that, not even on my own, with Shepard and Ash on the widescreen...”
Even as she spoke, she was already moving, grabbing the buckle to Vega’s trousers and yanking downwards, her eyes widening as she examined his shaft. “How on Thessia did your Earth women let you remain a virgin at this age?”
James could do little but hang on for the ride as her lips wrapped around his cock. It appeared that Liara T’Soni had a very specific list sexual experiences she wanted to try tonight. He got the feeling that this had been a very bad idea.
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“Can I come in?” Shepard rapped gently at the entrance to the observation deck.
“Yeah, why not?” Ashley sounded tired, her words distorted slightly by the braces on teeth. “It’s not as if some teenager can keep Commander Shepard out of his own observation deck.”
“Don’t be like that.” Shepard sat next to her. “This will all be over in a few more hours.”
“No it won’t.” Ash shook her head. “It’s going to be like this forever. The stuck up bitch from high school is the stuck up Staff Commander on the promotions board. Everyone trying to keep you down because of a stupid last name. I thought I’d forgotten about all the bullshit, but...
“You have forgotten.” Shepard told her firmly. “You moved past all of that. You showed what you were capable of. If you had the guts and the brains, Anderson would never have taken you onboard the Normandy. I would never have recommended you when Udina talked about Spectre status if you hadn’t demonstrated ability, courage...the heart of a soldier. All of this? It’s just your teenage years, when you didn’t think any of that was possible.”
“Then why does it feel so real?” Ashley looked at him with lost eyes. “I never thought it’d get any better than what it was. But it did, and I thought I was fine. But I don’t feel fine anymore.”
“I’ve felt that way before.” Shepard stared out the stars. “About a lot of things. Where I grew up...what I’ve seen...sometimes there’s just no way that you can make yourself feel better.”
“How do you cope with that?”
Shepard looked down at her with a grin. “You find a good friend, grab some chocolate, then just watch the stars.”
Ash laughed a little more at that, her mood improving rapidly. “Skipper, I’d give you a kiss...if it wouldn’t feel incredibly awkward right now.”
“I’ll take a raincheck on that one.” Shepard chuckled. “Though I’d be interested to see what you were like when you enlisted.”
“Oh, I was all spit and polish back then.” Ashley tucked herself up snug against Shepard’s side, holding onto him like a big pillow. “No, the real interesting part would be my time on New Harmony, back when I made Corporal.”
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“Hey, that tickles.” Ash punched him in the arm. “Yeah, I was with the 54th Infantry Brigade. They called us the ‘Skinhead Marines’ because every man and woman in the unit got clean shaven when they joined. We were also a little...crazy.”
“Maybe we’d better skip that part in your life.” Shepard visibly shuddered. “Jack was more than enough crazy for one lifetime.”
“You sure?” Ashley asked innocently. “Because I gotta tell you, back then it was just fresh steak, pack marches and benchpressing to pass the time. All those extra muscles can get put to very good use...”
The Commander laughed openly at that one, Ashley giggling foolishly at her own bad joke. Finally, Shepard produced a large bar of chocolate from his jacket and handed it to her. “We’ll talk to Javik about post-war experiments. In the meantime, let’s just enjoy the stars.
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“So you’re sure it will work this time?” Vega looked particular anxious as he and the other two affected by the machine crowded around it. He eyed Liara with particular fear. “Because I really need everything to go back the way it was, get me?”
“Be at ease, primitive.” Javik’s four eyes frowned as he finished inputting the parameters. “I am almost positive that this will work.”
“Almost?” Vega’s eyes widened in fear. “Wait a minute man, maybe we should think this over...”
Once more the glow washed over him, silencing his last, futile protests.
---------------------------------------------------
“Commander, I’ve seen some crazy things before, but this beats all of them.” Hackett frowned on the projector as he examined the report. “And you’ve secured the device away?”
“Yes sir.” Shepard nodded. “It shouldn’t be trifled with. While not lethal, this device could cause...complications.”
“I understand.” Hackett nodded. “Very well, Commander. I’ll have the device sent my way immediately. Once this war is over, I’ll be keeping a close eye on this project.”
Shepard could have sworn he saw a glint in Hackett’s eye as he signed off. Must have been a trick of the light.
Still...
“EDI, where is Commander Williams?”
“Commander Williams requested not to be disturbed. She remarked to me that she had a...disciplinary issue to resolve.”
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“So, Specialist Traynor.” Ashley continued conversationally. “Are we now clear on the necessity of the chain of command?”
Traynor winced. “Yes ma’am.”
“That’s very good.” Ashley paused, then, with a sweep of her arm, brought the improvised strap down on Traynor’s red backside. “Because we have to have discipline, Specialist. Without it...the whole system just...collapses.”
“Yes ma’am.” Traynor panted. While undeniably arousing at first, this was starting to become very, very uncomfortable.
“Yes, and we wouldn’t want that.” Ashley frowned something. “I forget how many I’ve given you. Fifty was what we agreed on, wasn’t it?”
“Yes ma’am.” Traynor nodded furiously. “And it’s been forty...”
“No matter, I’ll just start again.” Ashley shrugged. “Wouldn’t want to miss any, would we?”
“Ma’am?” Traynor half wailed. “It’s not my fault!”
“That’s really no excuse.” Ashley smiled grimly as she lashed downwards again. Once more fully grown, fully developed and packed full of muscle and confidence, she was ready to kick some ass. Or lash some as the case may be. “Now then. One.”
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OP extends her congrats on a good fill and salutes you for your wit.
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