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Crisp snow crunched under Shepard's heavy boots as she journeyed further into the wilderness of the desolate planet she was stranded on. The snowfall, which had been light when she'd left the squad to their own devices, was now thick enough to struggle seeing through. Unfortunately, this also meant that the pathway Shepard was creating with her boots was being quickly sealed over by a fresh layer of snow; not that she had been planning on returning with nothing to show for it, but it would've been nice to at least have the option.
The good news was that if she could locate the transmission tower she'd set upon this trek to find in the first place, her current predicament would likely take care of itself. Something was blocking communications on the largely uninhabited planet. Though they had managed to complete their original mission the ground team couldn't reach the Normandy for pickup, nor was the radio in the Mako working, much to the disappointment of the Commander who had hoped to at least have some music to listen to while stuck on the frosty barren land.
Shepard was familiar with disruptions to her comms line – she'd experienced her fair share during past missions, after all – but there was something about this abrupt cut off from any and all contact with other devices, even ones in the immediate vicinity, that put her slightly on edge. Her plan was to find a transmission tower with a strong enough signal to cut through whatever was causing the interference and call for pickup. The Normandy would be able to retrieve the ground team and return to the stars in no time, if only she could reach Joker.
The defunct radio in the Mako was the least concerning thing about the state of the vehicle. The engine had given in while trying feebly to plough through the snow. Tali and Garrus were doing their best to fix the clunky old truck and had urged Shepard to remain with them until it was done, but the eager Commander had insisted that even if they were to get the Mako working again, it could still be hours until they find a working transmission tower. The sooner we find a way off this planet the better, she had reasoned, even in the Mako we could be driving around until we run out of fuel.
Garrus had teased her about her reckless driving, joked about how she couldn't handle the Mako well enough to help fix the engine, but Shepard had insisted that her technical expertise would be better suited to fixing the transmission tower if the poor thing had suffered damage from the Reapers' hubris during the war. Not that there were any signs that the Reapers had passed through this barely known planet before the war had ended, but regardless; the effects of the war had made a habit of popping up in unexpected places, and knowing her luck today she had to be prepared for anything.
At the time it had seemed like a reasonable course of action. In hindsight, perhaps she could've been a bit more patient before setting off on foot, but logically she knew she couldn't have anticipated the snowfall getting heavier the further she travelled. Without the ability to retrace her steps, Shepard quickened her pace, even more determined to rescue her friends and get away from this frozen planet.
Shepard was torn from her thoughts about the unfortunate situation she was in by a mysterious glistening orb in the distance. Approaching it closer, she recognized it as a small biotic dome; it was moving towards something larger that had also entered her limited line of vision. She concentrated, squinting through the snow, and realised that the looming structure was a wooden building with its lights on. Her brisk pace broke into a hearty sprint. The first sign of civilization since getting stranded!
She couldn't pass up this opportunity to seek aid. Hopefully, it would be some friendly locals who could point her in the direction she needed to go. If she was incredibly fortunate, someone there might be able to lend her a truck for the trip.
As Shepard jogged closer she could see that the person controlling the dome was an asari standing in the porch of the building. She watched as the asari sheltered herself and diminished the protective sphere surrounding her body. For a moment Shepard thought she must be hallucinating; the asari's hardened posture, the specific way she'd powered down her biotic dome, the aura of tranquillity she radiated even from a distance... it reminded her of a certain someone she'd become very familiar with over the past several years.
But it couldn't be, right?
What were the odds of this being her beloved justicar?
The asari turned around, locking eyes with the Commander at the sound of her footfall.
“... Shepard.”
Turns out the odds didn't matter.
If Samara was surprised by the unexpected appearance of her dearest-friend-slash-lover, she didn't show it. Her cool gaze washed over Shepard, who was both shocked and relieved at the sight of the the asari she'd grown so fond of.
“Funny how we can still say it's a small world despite the size of the galaxy, huh?” Shepard quipped once her initial surprise had worn off.
In truth, Shepard knew there would always be a possibility that she would run into Samara on one of their separate, independent missions one day. Though they were in a relationship and met in person as often as their duties allowed it, Shepard was still part of the Alliance, and Samara had made it clear that although the war was over, the galaxy still needed what remained of the justicars to root out injustice. Their work took them to different locations, but if the war had taught Shepard anything it was that sometimes old friends could show up in unexpected places.
Shepard cosied herself into the doorway next to Samara to shelter from the snow. The crammed interior meant that she had to squeeze her body next to Samara's, a situation neither of them had any objection to. To Shepard, the justicar was a beacon of familiarity in a place where there was otherwise none. To Samara, the sight of the human filled her with a warmth that could surely melt the snow she'd just been wading through.
Samara gave Shepard a curious look. “I'm not familiar with that saying. Part of your species' wisdom, I presume?”
Shepard chuckled. “I'm not so sure about it being wisdom but it's a fairly standard human idiom, we say it when we bump into someone we know in a place we aren't expecting to see them.” She explained, “I guess it made more sense back when it was just us on Earth and we hadn't reached the stars yet. Now we're here and we know how vast the galaxy is but the idiom has stuck around anyway 'cause it's more about the sentiment than anything else.”
“I see, I believe asari have a similar saying–”
Samara's words were cut off by the door wooshing open in front of them. A turian woman stood in the entrance, smiling at the sight of the two strangers in front of her. She glanced at Shepard in her insulated armour and Samara in her winter coat that looked too thin to keep her warm and deduced that the pair probably hadn't been travelling together, which made sense, considering the room had been booked for just one person.
“Well, this is a surprise. We don't usually get two travellers here at the same time. I was only expecting one.” The turian said, glancing towards Samara.
“Hey, uh, sorry for standing in your doorway,” Shepard began, a bit sheepish at the realisation that she hadn't yet knocked the door, “just needed to shelter from the snow for a moment.” And I have a favour to ask, she added in her mind, though she opted not to mention this yet.
The turian smiled warmly, “You've come to the right place then. Here you'll find a freshly stocked kitchen and a well heated room to stay in until the brunt of the storm wears off.”
Shepard was about to object, to say she only needed directions to the nearest transmission tower, but Samara turned to her and began speaking before she could open her mouth.
“Shepard, I've booked a room to stay in until the heavy snowfall has come to pass. Though I have paid only for myself, I wouldn't mind sparing the credits for you to accompany me for the night.”
Shepard couldn't help but grin at the offer. Any time she got to spend with Samara was time she treasured, especially when she hadn't expected to see her for a few more weeks. Unfortunately, she had to make sure her current predicament was taken care of before she could enjoy herself fully. “I'd love to, but I left Tali and Garrus stranded in the middle of nowhere with a useless Mako. Communications are down so I can't signal for pickup. We're basically stuck here until I can get a message through to Joker so I'm looking for a transmission tower to hopefully do that.”
Samara glanced at Shepard, both concern and amusement in her tone, “Did your careless driving lead to the destruction of another vehicle?”
Shepard rolled her eyes, “Ugh, I knew I'd regret letting the SR-1 crew tell you their horror stories about my driving!” She groaned in mock-exasperation, but in truth she was just as amused as Samara; humour was something Samara had once revealed she'd been good at in her youth, but had understandably become unused to and rusty at over her time as a justicar. It delighted Shepard that Samara had started feeling content enough to get back in touch with some of her old humour and that she wished to share this lighter side with her.
Shepard shook her head, “The engine stopped working. Even when we fix it we could run out of fuel before we find a transmission tower so I decided to search on foot. If they get too cold they can hop back into the Mako, but I don't want to keep them waiting too long.”
“I passed a transmission tower on the way here.” Samara pondered for a moment, thinking back to her journey from the town where she arrived, “It was what I used to book this room. Perhaps you could use it to contact the Normandy?”
At that, the turian woman spoke up, “It's the snow that's causing the interruption to our comms, happens every time we get heavy snow but it's not usually as bad as this. It's been a while since we've had a total cut off. Your best bet is to head to the transmission tower; I expect it'll have a strong enough signal to cut through the interference... if you don't mind waiting an hour, my wife will be back with our truck and I can give you a lift.”
Shepard could hardly believe the turnaround in her luck, already planning how she was going to tell Tali and Garrus about this later. “That would be great! Do you, uh, need payment for the fuel...?”
“I'm Marian.” The turian answered when it became clear that the trail off was a request of her name. She assured, “Don't worry about it, it's been ages since I've been on an outing to any of the towns here. That in itself is all I need.”
Marian gestured the pair inside. Samara stepped into the building first, Shepard following suit as she asked, “So, is this a hotel?”
“Hah, I wish. We don't quite have the population for that.” Marian laughed good-naturedly, “Think of this as more of a travel lodge. We mostly give people travelling between our few small towns a place to stay overnight.”
“I can see how that would be necessary in a place such as this. I arrived shortly before the snowfall became heavy, and even then it wasn't easy to navigate across the snowy terrain.” Samara mused.
“Pretty much, it's part of the reason we don't get so many people out here. We mostly get our common regulars and, occasionally, visitors from off-world like the both of you. Though I know for a fact we've never had a justicar here before, and the Alliance is a rare sight as well.”
Although Shepard knew Samara always stated her justicar identity to those she dealt with while performing her duties, she was surprised to find that the woman currently taking them in not only knew but also appeared totally unperturbed. In her experience of watching Samara perform her duties, many people, even innocents, were unnerved by her presence lest she stumble across anything unjust about them.
“People tend to be more nervous around a justicar.” Shepard pointed out.
Marian shrugged, “I don't leave this place enough to do anything particularly unjust.”
The group fell quiet as they continued to walk through the hall. Shepard felt the warmth flow to her cheeks as Samara's hand brushed against her own. She was sure Samara could sense the dozens of questions ready to pour out at her the moment they had a moment alone.
That moment came once they reached the room Samara had booked. Marian left while she prepared herself for the trip, giving the pair the opportunity to have a private conversation.
“It's hard to believe you're actually here.” Shepard said as she settled down on one of the sofas neatly placed around the central carpet. She chuckled, “Unless they actually see you with me, Garrus and Tali are gonna think I'm hallucinating from the cold.”
Samara joined Shepard on the couch, giving her a smile as she said, “Then it's fortunate that I plan to stay here with you until you're able to get off-world.”
“About that,” Shepard began, rotating her body to address Samara directly, “once Joker picks up the ground team, we don't have to head off anywhere straight away. I want to take you up on that offer and stay the night with you here.”
Samara tilted her head in understanding. Since the war, Shepard had continued to stay on with the Alliance; though she renounced her role as a Spectre, she still craved the action the Alliance brought her, though she had no complaints about the much lower stakes of the missions she now carried out. The Alliance had started granting Shepard a leniency she was pleased with. She still got to go out on the field and explore the galaxy she helped save, but without as much gunfire or imminent threats to her life.
“You are more than welcome. It's always a pleasure to have your company.” Samara assured before asking curiously, “What business brought you to this planet? It is hardly well-known to the Alliance.”
“Ah, well... officially, it isn't Alliance business. It's more of a personal favour to Anderson.” Shepard shrugged, “He got a tip about a Prothean beacon from a man on this planet who got permission from the council here to contact us. He wants us to study it, but since most beacons became defunct during the war and the Alliance has started moving on to other areas of interest with, y'know, things more helpful for rebuilding Earth and other mostly human colonies, he asked me to investigate and see if there was anything useful to bring back for study.”
“I can see how even a defunct beacon could still hold interest.” Samara agreed, “What did you find? Was the tip correct?”
“We found a beacon but it was trashed. It didn't look like Reaper damage, just destroyed completely by the elements of this planet.”
“A pity. If it's not of use to the Alliance, perhaps our Prothean expert friend might also be interested in studying it.” Samara suggested.
Shepard chuckled good-naturedly, “Nah, Liara's got enough on her plate, she's probably studied way more impressive Prothean artifacts that can give her better information than this old thing ever could.”
“That's understandable, from what I've heard she has been inundated with requests to study old artifacts since the end of the war.” Samara remarked, before asking, “What did you do with the beacon?”
“We left it. We'll tell the man it's too damaged to study. Hate to disappoint the guy though, apparently he was very excited about it.” Shepard sighed. “How about you though, honey? How come your duties have brought you here?”
As Shepard asked the questions she leaned in closer to Samara, pressing her shoulder against the justicar's. She rested comfortably as she glanced around at the cosy cabin-like room, waiting for Samara to respond. At the same time, Samara couldn't help but smile warmly at Shepard's use of pet name. After going hundreds of years without being addressed by names of affection, it felt nice to have such comfort in her life again. It was something she was still getting used to.
“An asari fugitive I'm pursuing has passed through here. I'm searching for information as to her whereabouts; whether she is in hiding or fled off-world.” Samara explained.
“Does she know you're following her?” Shepard asked, though she likely already knew the answer. The number of living justicars had significantly dwindled during the war four years ago, leading many of the unjust individuals Samara sought after to the false belief that the order of the justicars had gone extinct. It often came as a shock to those she pursued, those who discovered in their final moments that they had been defeated and that the pursuit of justice hadn't died in the war.
“She does not.” Samara confirmed. “I had planned to reach the town she arrived at later this evening, but the snowstorm has forced me to shelter until tomorrow since it's unsafe to travel in these conditions. Though, I am glad for the change in plan. It's good to have you here.”
Shepard grinned at that. The feeling was certainly mutual! An idea came to Shepard, causing her grin to grow even bigger, “You know, we haven't had an official 'first date' off the Citadel since we started our relationship. How does a cosy log cabin sound for that?”
“I think this would be the perfect opportunity.” Samara agreed with a smile of her own. She glanced around at the comfortable environment and felt the warmth rise in her chest, “As you know, I don't often allow spontaneity into my life for pleasure. I would very much like to now that we're here.”
“Then it's settled.” Shepard declared joyfully, “Tomorrow we'll have to leave each other again for our missions but tonight, we can stay here together and just enjoy each other's unexpected company. We can make it romantic, maybe get some wine and candles... if we're allowed to light them in this flammable room, of course.” She joked.
Just as Samara was about to bring forward a suggestion of her own, there was a knock at the door. Samara answered, opening the door to reveal a prepared Marian, who was totally bundled up in a heavy winter coat, scarf and gloves.
“So, my wife's home, the truck's ready, I'm all wrapped up and raring to go. Come by when you're ready.” Marian said. She paused, remembering the lack of warm layers Samara was wearing, “You can borrow a spare coat before we leave if you want.”
Samara considered the offer. The coat she'd chosen earlier to go over her justicar armour hadn't kept her very warm at all; it was mostly the biotic dome repelling the snow that had shielded her from the full chill of the cold. The idea of swapping it for a more insulated coat was very appealing. “That would be wonderful, thank you. We'll join you shortly.” She replied gratefully.
As Samara stood in the doorway, Shepard loaded up her omni-tool and checked for messages from the ground team, finding that her inbox was as empty as expected. She could only hope that Tali and Garrus weren't driving off somewhere even further away by now, getting lost in search of her.
Half an hour later the pair were travelling in the truck with Marian, steadily getting closer to the transmission tower ahead. Not only had Marian given Samara a coat, she'd also made the thankful pair a hot drink each for the drive. By now, the keen-eyed turian had figured out that the two were in a relationship which, to their amusement, seemed to only make her want to help them more. They talked casually on the way over; time passed quickly as the conversation drifted through various topics, from life on the planet, to questions about Samara's time as a justicar, to tales of the Reaper war. It was clear that Marian didn't recognise Shepard as the Shepard, saviour of the galaxy, and the Alliance Commander was in no hurry to bring that fact to her attention.
“Everyone here remembers exactly what they were doing the moment the Reapers fell. Their stories are fascinating.” Marian said, voice filled with solemn awe. She asked Shepard, “What were you doing when the flash of red light crossed the sky? I bet it must have been tough being a soldier out there in those final moments.”
I was ignoring my injuries as I pulled Anderson out from the rubble and carried him to the nearest place on the Citadel that could heal his wounds, Shepard thought gravely. I fired the Catalyst but barely stopped to see if it even worked because I was so focused on making sure he'd be alright.
But she couldn't say that, so instead the Commander said as casually as she could manage, “Oh, you know. I was on Earth, just trying to make sure the rest of the squad stayed alive.” She sighed slightly, deciding to work some truth into her answer, “When the Reapers fell it hardly felt like it was real. It felt like I was going to wake up at any moment and see them hovering over me, like a glorious vision of what could've been before they blasted us all into annihilation.”
“Wow, that's... intense.” is all Marian could muster in response to that description.
Samara noticed Shepard's discomfort and stepped in to steer the conversation away from this particular topic.
“I'm relieved that the Reapers didn't encroach upon this system before they were defeated.” Samara commented, glancing out of the window at the snowfall that was now starting to lessen a bit.
“Hah, yeah. We had evacuation procedures in place but thank the spirits we didn't have to use them. I guess we weren't a big target since we're a small planet with a population of, what, less than 500 people? Hardly a priority.” Marian replied. Humour filled her voice, “Being tucked away in an obscure cluster in the Attican Traverse has its benefits sometimes. Can't get support from the Citadel Council when we need it but oh well, at least the giant robots that want to kill us all won't pay attention to us either.”
Shepard laughed. “You're right about that, but let's hope that's a benefit that will never become necessary again.”
The truck slowed to a stop as they arrived at the transmission tower not far away from the small town Samara had arrived in. The snowfall had eased off considerably, but not enough for signal to return to either Shepard or Samara's devices.
The pair trudged through the snow. Shepard set about the process of configuring the tower while Samara threw up a biotic dome to protect both the Commander and herself from the swirling flakes falling to the ground. Samara watched Shepard work; it was a pleasant experience, seeing her bondmate get so drawn into the task at hand that it may as well have been the only thing in the galaxy that mattered. It reminded her of all the times she'd watched Shepard enter a world of her own as she took care of business during their shared time together aboard the Normandy.
It was nice to feel the nostalgia. It was nice not having to reject the nostalgia for being too embroiled in pain from hundreds of years ago. It was nice that she could linger comfortably in her memories and have them not be layered with grief. It was still nice, even as Shepard muttered out curses as the tower proved to be stubborn to work with.
“ – stupid old thing.” Shepard mumbled in annoyance under her breath. The tech crackled to life, much to Shepard's approval as the frown vanished from her expression. “Ah! There we go. Let's try this out.”
Shepard connected her omni-tool to the tower and typed a message to Joker. To her delight, the chat log displayed a tick to confirm the message had been sent. Moments later, Joker responded.
“Hah, smart-ass.” Shepard chuckled at her screen as she read the message.
“What did he say?” Samara asked, curious.
“He said he thought we'd either died or decided to retire here for the rest of our lives. Then he made a quip about how this planet is just like Noveria, but better because it isn't a corporative hellscape.” Shepard humorously revealed, “Anyway, he's on his way to pick us up. Now all I have to do is contact the ground team and tell them to make their way over here.”
The Commander did just that. Again, she received a response from Tali moments later. The quarian's enthusiasm towards hearing from her friend was apparent, and although she never doubted their ability to stay safe, Shepard couldn't help but feel relieved to know that they were alright.
“Okay. Tali and Garrus are on their way.” Shepard notified Samara once she'd sent the co-ordinates to Garrus' omni-tool. “I haven't told them you're with me. I can't wait to see their expressions when they get here.”
Samara chuckled, “It's been quite some time since I've seen either of them, it will be good to see them again.”
Almost half an hour of waiting in the truck passed before the incoming Mako could be seen approaching through the snow. Shepard bounded out to greet her team as Samara hung back, waiting for Shepard to catch them up before making her presence known.
A few minutes later, Shepard brought the pair over to the truck. It seemed she'd decided to mention that Samara was there after all, because neither of them appeared to be as surprised as she was expecting.
“Hey, Samara!” Tali greeted when she saw the familiar face.
“It's actually true, then. I thought Shepard was trying to prank us when she mentioned you were here.” Garrus grinned, happy to see Samara again.
“That, or she had gone mad from the cold.” Tali laughed.
Samara couldn't help but chuckle too. “Shepard said you may believe she was hallucinating.”
“She still might be... or perhaps I am! We could still be driving around aimlessly in the Mako with no way off this planet as we speak.” Tali gasped for dramatic effect.
Shepard rolled her eyes good-naturedly, “You may be wearing a suit but I can still pinch you to prove a point.”
Garrus cleared his throat to cover up his laughter. He turned to the justicar as he reminisced, “It's a shame you can't join us, Samara. Then it really would be like the days we spent hunting down the Collectors. Aside from missing the rest of our motley crew and there being no imminent threat to all galactic life, that is.”
“From what Shepard tells me, you're capable enough without having the full crew together.” Samara smiled.
It was true. Although not every member of the Normandy from during in the 'good old days' as Garrus and Joker would call it were able to rejoin Shepard on her missions after the end of the war, many did for varying lengths of time. Some, like Garrus and Tali, remained by Shepard's side long-term, while others like Grunt and Jack came aboard the Normandy as their schedules allowed. The Normandy may not be as packed as it once was, but enough of Shepard's friends were there to make her happy.
“I hope you guys have something to pass the time later because we aren't leaving until tomorrow.” Shepard said.
“What?” Tali exclaimed, now looking at Shepard like really had gone mad. “It's too cold to stay here. Why are we staying?”
“You guys can go back to the Normandy,” Shepard clarified quickly at the pure indignation in Tali's voice, “What I'm saying is that I'm staying here with Samara tonight.”
Tali relaxed at that. “You two are having a date?” She teased. Nobody needed to see her expression under her helmet to know she was grinning.
“Pretty much, yeah. We met a really friendly turian who actually drove us here to contact you guys. She owns the lodge where we'll be staying.” Shepard explained.
Marian, who had been listening to this exchange from the warmth of the truck and debating whether to make her presence known, stepped outside and joined the group of friends. Garrus' expression visibly brightened at the sight of another turian. She became acquainted with the group, explaining how the pair had managed to find her and enjoying their continued banter. She listened to their tales of times since passed; it was listening to these snippets of nostalgic reminiscing that caused the name 'Shepard' to start vaguely ringing a bell, but she didn't want to intrude by bringing it up.
Finally the Normandy came into sight from the sky above, parking on the snow covered ground a short distance away from the group. After some further conversation and a message sent to Joker explaining that the Commander wouldn't be returning to the ship tonight, the ground team hopped aboard and the ship took to the sky again.
As Shepard and Samara stood next to each other watching the Normandy return to orbit it was clear that the evening was approaching. The sky, already gloomy due to the thick snowfall, was visibly darker than it had been before their truck journey.
“We should return to our lodging before nightfall.” Samara said, gesturing slightly in the direction the sun was setting.
Shepard nodded in agreement. “Right, I think we better leave now if we wanna get back before it's dark.”
There was no reason to linger in the cold any longer. The couple returned to the truck, ready to enjoy their night together.
Later that evening the couple were basking in the warmth of their cabin, relieved to finally be out of the cold. Samara was sat on the sofa doing some gentle meditation with her biotics while Shepard searched the extranet for a decent app that would project some warm golden lights onto the walls around them for romantic ambience.
Samara watched as Shepard tested a few apps before settling on one she liked the best.
“What do you think?” Shepard asked as she activated the lights for Samara's approval.
Samara powered down her biotic meditation so that she could turn her focus towards evaluating the lights. “I think they look wonderful. Very tranquil. They make me feel at ease.” She smiled.
“Perfect! Not unlike a certain asari I know, then.” Shepard teased, matching Samara's expression.
Samara wasn't one to blush but if she were, Shepard would absolutely notice it right about now. Instead, the asari in question said, “I am certain that fortunate asari must feel the same way about her bondmate. Where did you find an app to create such beautiful lights?”
Shepard pulled herself closer to Samara and held out her omni-tool so that they could both see the screen. “You know, you can find an app for just about anything on the extranet. I was impressed by the amount of different options I had to choose from.”
Samara wasn't incapable with an omni-tool by any means, but Shepard knew the justicar opted to meditate and hone her biotic powers rather than browse the extranet during her free time. Admittedly, she wasn't as up to date on the more casual range of things the extranet had to offer. This was part of the reason Shepard had gotten the idea for the lights; it would be nice to allow Samara to indulge in something pleasant like this for its own sake, something that was not strictly necessary but served to add to the mood and bring joy anyway.
Placing the omni-tool on the side desk, Shepard rose and made her way to the cupboard, pulling out two wine glasses. She put them on the table next to the wine she'd managed to procure from Marian and poured a glass each for Samara and herself.
“Here we go.” Shepard said, handing over the second glass as she sat back down. “Modis Valley wine. A turian brand! I would be surprised to see it in a place so far removed from Council Space but Marian said it had been imported directly from Palaven.”
“The familiarity of a drink from one's homeworld can be comforting.” Samara mused, “I find myself giving preference Thessian drinks when they're available on my travels.”
“With good reason, the drinks on your homeworld are damn good.” Shepard said as she picked up the wine bottle to study it, “I've actually had this before. After Anderson gave me his apartment I was poking around and found a few bottles hidden away. I debated whether to have it at first but then I decided to give it a try. I figured he wouldn't mind, sampling some of his wine would be the least of his concerns with a war going on.”
Samara took a sip of the wine. “He willingly handed all of his possessions over to you when he gave you the apartment, and he refused your offer to give the apartment back after the war. I can't imagine he would have been upset over you drinking his wine.”
Shepard knew this was true. As far as Anderson was concerned, the apartment suited Shepard better than it ever did himself. After surviving the war, he decided the best place to be was with Kahlee Sanders, sharing a small apartment on Earth as they worked to rebuild Grissom Academy together. He had made clear to Shepard that whatever remained in the apartment was hers.
Still, it was reassuring to hear this from Samara.
“Yeah, you're right.” Shepard agreed. Watching Samara take another sip she asked, “How are you finding the wine?”
“Well,” Samara paused while she considered her words. She didn't love it, but she didn't think it was dreadful either. “It's what some would call an acquired taste.”
Shepard laughed, “That makes sense. I liked it straight away but the taste is pretty distinct, so I can see how it wouldn't be for everyone. Don't worry if you don't wanna keep drinking it.”
“It's growing on me.” Samara smiled. An idea came to her. It was more frivolous than she would usually suggest, which wasn't as surprising these days since Shepard brought out and encouraged the more easy-going side of her when they were together. “Perhaps the next time we're on the Citadel we could go to a wine tasting.”
“Yes! I would love that. We can see if there's any– ”
Shepard's enthusiastic response was cut short by a flash of light outside the cabin. The couple instinctively turned towards the pulled curtains that were impeding a clear view out of the window at the source of the light. Shooting each other a confused look, Shepard wasted no time in poking her head through the curtains to glance outside.
Shepard gasped at the sight before her. There was no more snowstorm; the sky, now clear, displayed an array of breathtaking lights flowing together, varying shades of green and purple blending into each other as they danced through the darkness of the night.
It's the northern lights! Incredible! Samara has got to see this.
Samara, noticing Shepard had yet to tear her eyes away from whatever was outside, curiously tilted her head to the side as she asked, “What's out there?”
Shepard was too busy being mesmerised to hear the question. A few more moments passed before she snapped out of her fascination. “Honey, you have to see this! This is amazing!”
Samara joined Shepard as she pulled the curtains back, allowing them both to see the view. Though Samara's reaction was as composed as Shepard had been expecting, the way the justicar's eyes lit up, the subtle way they glistened with delight, revealed the joy under that tranquil gaze.
They stood in silence, quietly taking in the display before them. After a minute or so, Samara wrapped an arm around Shepard who leaned in and rested her head on the asari's shoulder.
“I have never experienced a worldly view as beautiful as this.” Samara paused, considering, “Except for, perhaps, when the red light filled the sky and brought an end to the war.”
Shepard made a noise that could probably be described as a snort. “I have no clue about that, as you know I was a bit distracted with keeping Anderson alive to really pay attention. I know some people have compared it to witnessing the northern lights though.”
“It was like the aurora borealis, though with much more hope and promise for the future.” Samara replied, the hint of a warm smile reaching her lips at the memory. She had been with Falere when the light passed across the sky; it was so bright, almost blinding in contrast to the starry abyss above the monastery that their eyes had to adjust to the sudden change in the night.
“Well then, I'm glad this incredible natural phenomena has a symbolic meaning too; it's a good reminder of what we fought for, to be able to live to see such wonders like this without the Reapers breathing down our necks.” Shepard said decisively.
Samara hummed in agreement. There was nothing more to say on the topic. They returned to a peaceful quiet until Shepard asked, “Does Thessia ever have displays like this?”
“We do, though they rarely happen in the region of the planet where I grew up. I was eager to see them when I was a child, so as one could probably imagine this was often a source of disappointment when I wasn't allowed to travel to watch.” Samara chuckled. “Would you like to know what asari used to believe about the aurora borealis?”
Shepard grinned as she nodded in affirmation to Samara's question. It was nice to hear Samara talk openly about her childhood.
“This is going back to before proper studies told us the scientific truth. The common belief was that the aurora borealis was caused by a build up of excess biotic energy trapped in the atmosphere. The theory was that the element zero would gather and react to other elements in the atmosphere in a display of blue and green light in the sky.” Samara explained, “Of course, it was discovered that this was not the truth by the time I had been born, but it did not stop me from being fascinated by the idea.”
Samara created a small biotic orb in her hand to demonstrate, “When my biotics started to develop, I would sometimes create little balls of energy such as this – though much weaker, since I was still in the early stages of learning to hone my ability – and I would pretend I could produce enough biotic power to generate a pretty display in the sky all by myself.” At that, she gave one of the heartiest chuckles Shepard had heard from her yet. It seemed talking about her childhood like this brought her happiness.
Shepard laughed, “Okay, that's adorable. You said this is your first time seeing the northern lights? How come you didn't travel to see them as an adult?”
Samara diminished the biotic orb, her face resting back into an expression of calm neutrality. “I left Thessia when I was a young adult. By that time, my interest in the beautiful lights in the sky had shifted to travelling through the stars in search of credits and adventure. That is how I ended up as a mercenary. I was rarely on Thessia after that, and was never fortunate enough to happen upon them on any of the other planets my work would take me to.”
Shepard glanced at Samara with a sympathetic expression. “If it makes you feel any better I've never seen them before tonight either. Not when I was on Earth and certainly not when I was travelling through the stars.”
“Then I'm glad that we're able to share this first experience together. I can think of no better way to spend our unexpected night in each other's company than this.”
By now, the northern lights had started to dim, slowly fading away to leave nothing except the dark void of the night. Stars started to re-emerge now that they weren't being upstaged by the colourful display. It took a moment for the couple's eyes to readjust to the lack of light; they stood together a while longer contemplating the marvel they'd seen and the pleasant conversation they'd just had.
“We should probably go back and finish that wine, huh?” Shepard suggested at last.
Samara agreed, “That's a wonderful idea.”
The pair made their way back to the sofa to continue their impromptu wine tasting, surrounded by the subtle glow of golden lights. The cabin may have been warm, the alcohol may have made them warmer, but the warmest feeling came from knowing that although their time together was fleeting, they wouldn't have chosen to spend this night in any other way.