Quarian Directives

 

"Don't say anything to me," Jack snapped as she stepped out of the yeoman's office, fixing Miranda with a dire expression. "Don't tell me to do anything, don't... urgh!" Holding her hands over her ears, Jack dashed away from Miranda while singing some vulgar drinking song at the top of her voice.



"A therapy session with Jack?" Miranda asked as she stepped into the room and smiled at Kelly. "I can't imagine that was very productive."



Giving Miranda a warm grin back, Kelly gestured toward the chair across from her desk. "You'd be surprised, actually," she said as she grabbed a tissue to wipe at her nose and face. "Jack can be quite pleasant to be around, if you take the time to make her open up to you."



Miranda seriously doubted that, but she didn't want to spend her appointed time with Kelly discussing her least-favorite person. "I suppose that's why the Illusive Man chose you for this position," Miranda said, crossing her legs demurely as she sat. "You just have a way with people."



"Not as much as some others on the ship," Kelly said, her green eyes suddenly averting from Miranda's and going distant.



Miranda smiled, knowing who Kelly was thinking about. "Shepard does have quite a way with words herself. Some of the situations she's gotten us out of just by saying the right thing..."



Blinking, Kelly looked confused for a moment. "What? Oh, right, Shepard. Yes, she's... persuasive, I suppose," saying it in a tone that didn't sound entirely enthusiastic. Shaking her head, Kelly regained the smile on her face and her normal bubbly tone. "Anyway, we're not here to talk about Shepard or Jack. I'm surprised you came to see me. Not that you're not welcome, but you've always been one of the most stable members of this crew."



Miranda laughed nervously. "It's silly, really. Such a stupid thing to get hung up about. But lately I've been... well, I've had a lot on my mind."



"Well, the floor is yours, Miss Lawson," Kelly said, leaning forward and crossing her hands on her desk. "Just say whatever comes to mind. I'm here to listen, not to judge."



And with that invitation, Miranda started telling Kelly everything. She could feel a flush come to her face as she described her shower room encounter with Samara, and went on to relate her awkward flirting with Garrus. Followed by figuring how best to tell Kelly about her rendezvous with Aren the salarian without it coming off as one of those fake letters in those Fornax magazines that she had just recently been reading religiously.



"Miranda, if you want me to tell you the feelings you're having for aliens are wrong, you definitely came to the wrong place," Kelly told her after she was finished. "Deep down inside, we're all just people, no matter what we look like on the outside. The fact that you're coming to realize that is a good thing, don't you think?"



"It's not just that I'm attracted to aliens, Kelly," Miranda admitted. "It's that... lately, it feels like that's all I can think about. You know the cameras we have posted around the ship?" Kelly nodded. "Well... lately I've been... watching them. The aliens, I mean. Watching them on the cameras, making excuses for them to come to my office. I'm afraid it might start affecting my duties on the ship."



Kelly considered this for a moment. "Have you tried broaching the subject with any of them? It's possible they might be open to such things, you know?"



Miranda shook her head. "No, it wouldn't be appropriate to... fraternize with the crew like that. Plus, it's not what..."



She was silent for a long time, and Kelly finally prodded. "Please, Miranda, go ahead and say what's on your mind."

"When I'm around them... lately I've been beginning to fantasize about..." Miranda stared at her feet and cursed. "Dammit, if I were just looking for some good conversation and a romp in the sack every so often, that would be one thing. But every time I see one of the aliens on the ship, all I can think about is them... taking me. I want them to tear off my clothes, shove me against a wall, and claim me as their prize. I want the whole crew to watch me get dominated, get... violated by an alien."



"Miranda, there's no need to be ashamed. Rape fantasies are more common than you think. And in your situation, it actually makes a lot of sense."



"Really?" Miranda wasn't sure she followed. She'd always enjoyed being the dominant one in bed before this all started.



But Kelly was quick to explain. "You yourself said that you had never considered taking an alien as a lover before the last few weeks. So a part of you is still hesitating about it, still considers inter-species sex something weird and perverse. If you were the one to set your sights on an alien and try to seduce him, then your subconscious is saying you're crossing a line that you shouldn't. But if the alien takes you, if it's out of your control, then in your mind, you're not doing anything wrong."



Miranda sighed. "But if that's the case... what do I do about it? Walk out onto the CIC, do a strip tease, and invite every alien on the ship to come take a turn?" Though she said the words with sarcasm, she felt a pleasant shudder run through her body at the thought.



Kelly saucily winked. "An appealing idea, but I don't think we need to go that far yet." Reaching down to a datapad, Kelly tapped out a few characters and passed it over to Miranda.



"What's this, a prescription?" Miranda said.



"A club," Kelly said. "Just the kind of place for someone looking to explore their sexier side. We'll be on Illium in two days. Go out, find yourself somebody - human, alien, doesn't matter - and have some fun with them. Tell them all your dirtiest fantasies. If they're not into it, then whatever. Chances are you'll never see them again. But if they are, then maybe you can get a chance to work out all that tension you've built up."



Miranda had to laugh. "So, 'go out and get fucked,' that's your advice," she said mirthfully.



"Hey, I'm an expert at these things," Kelly quipped back. "Oh, and one more thing," Kelly said, as she pointed at Miranda's torso. "You are so not going out in that."