Hello everyone, this is my first upload, so I hope I've done everything right! I'm planning for this to be quite a long story, and it will get a little R rated later on, but I really wanted to build up some background first, so no smut yet I'm afraid! I liked the idea of a lead character who wasn't Shepard, or even anyone 'great', but was just a normal woman, who still gets to become part of the Normandy crew. Let me know what you think, and more will come very soon :)

"Forty credits!"

"Twenty-five."

"Forty!" The Vorcha hissed, and Casey sighed. This was going nowhere. Trying to haggle with a Vorcha was like trying to hug a Krogan. It didn't work. But Casey only had forty credits, and the meds weren't worth that.

"Let me speak to your boss." She said. The Vorcha hissed again, but disappeared. Casey prepared her 'I'm a lovely human who you want to help' face. Unfortunately when the Vorcha returned he was accompanied by an Elcor.

"With mildly hidden annoyance, my name is Harot, how can I help you?"

Casey handed over the credits, what was the point? She took the meds and headed home, almost colliding with a Batarian who wasn't looking where he was going. "Watch it human!" He yelled.

Casey sighed again, "I hate Omega."

Casey had been living on Omega for three years. She arrived with a group of friends, who'd all wanted to get away from Earth and make it somewhere out in the huge galaxy. Inspired by Alliance ads, and stories of heroes like Hackett, Anderson, and Shepard, but not wanting to enlist, they'd done the next best thing. Or so they thought. Within three years Casey's friends had all returned home, or been killed. Casey was the only one who stayed. She told herself it was because she was stronger than them: that she was going to make something of herself. But she knew that wasn't it. The truth was she had nothing to go back to. Omega may have been a piss hole, but at least it was somewhere different. She was someone anonymous: not the orphan girl who'd lost her family to Batarian slavers.

Casey arrived at her apartment without getting mugged or insulted, which was a good journey for Omega really. She didn't have too much time to hang around: otherwise she'd be late for work. Casey had two jobs, one as a Nurse at a clinic in the slums, hence picking up the meds. Her other job, the one she was running late for, was as a server at Afterlife. She threw the bag of meds onto her bed and had a quick shower, before slipping into her uniform: a skin tight, low cut, bodysuit, with slash cut out at the waist. It was red, which clashed slightly with her shoulder length copper hair, but still looked good.

Casey looked at the clock, a few minutes before she needed to leave. She looked around at her apartment: she didn't have it too bad. Not for Omega. Sure she lived in a bad area, but then there weren't many places on Omega that could be described as 'good areas'. At least she wasn't sharing with strangers, like her second apartment, where she lived for six months with four other women: a Turian, an Asari, and two Batarians. Batarian women were loud, all the time, and these two were constantly bringing men home. Casey had taken the job at the clinic just to earn some credits and get out of there!

"Hey," Casey's roommate Enobaria had just come home from her shift. She worked at Afterlife too. "Shouldn't you have left already?" She asked.

Casey pointed to the clock, "I've got a few minutes."

"Yeah...that thing's like ten minutes late, remember?"

"Oh shit!" Casey grabbed her bag.

"You better run," Enobaria laughed. "Aria's not her usual cheery self today."

Casey managed to slip into work fifteen minutes late without being noticed, but that didn't matter. Aria was on the warpath, and she was yelling at everyone for the tiniest thing. Casey was glad when she saw her finally head up to her private lounge. At least now she could relax.

"How much?" She looked up. A Batarian was grinning at her, holding up a credit chit.

"Five credits," she replied.

"Not for the drink," he grinned again. "For you."

I hate Omega.

Casey arrived at the clinic the next morning in relatively high spirits. Other than that one customer who couldn't understand that she wasn't for sale, she'd had a relatively good night, and she liked this job. Her boss was a Doctor called Mordin Solus, and he had a funny way about him that Casey couldn't help but like. He was also kind, and trying to do good things for the people of Omega, something that was in relatively short supply.

"Got the meds," she said, smiling as she placed the bag on the table next to Mordin.

"Ah excellent, very grateful, would've gone myself but stuck examining mutated strain of plague half of the night, fascinating though, did you know-"

"I probably didn't," Casey cut him off. Mordin smiled, she was one of the few people who he allowed to stop him mid flow. His eyes narrowed for a moment, and he gently grasped Casey's arm. He'd noticed the purple bruise on her wrist. "Pressure mark, hurt yourself? No, not a knock, mark suggests being restrained."

"Just a customer, didn't understand the words "not for sale", I'm fine," Casey said, trying to smile.

"Human?" Mordin asked.

"Batarian."

Mordin snorted angrily. "Should've assumed as much. Vile creatures, vicious."

Casey patted Mordin's shoulder. "I'm fine Doctor. Now, I should see to the Turian they brought in yesterday."

Casey had been at work for a few hours, and was heading towards Mordin's office with lunch. When she got there, however, he wasn't there. "Where's Doctor Solus?" She asked one of the Mechs.

"Doctor Mordin Solus was hired earlier today by Commander Shepard of the Normandy. He left the Clinic immediately."

Casey felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. Mordin, gone? The one person she could depend on? The person who had given her the job that kept her going? The one person, other than Enobaria, who seemed to care about her?

At that moment the door opened, and Mordin appeared, followed by Commander Shepard. Casey had never met him, but she'd seen his face on recruitment ads, and on news vids after that Turian attacked the Citadel. She briefly recalled hearing that he'd died, but clearly not. He was accompanied by a pretty woman in a white bodysuit, and a Turian. Mordin was talking rapidly, either to himself or to Shepard, Casey wasn't sure, and from the looks of it Shepard wasn't either. "Need to organise samples, give to David to take control of, he'll need the mechs too, though Blue Suns shouldn't be much of an issue now, Batarians might get aggressive again, definitely keep mechs powered on."

He caught sight of Casey and smiled. "Ah, just the person I was looking for."

"I heard you're leaving, Doctor." Casey replied, trying to sound happy for him.

"Indeed, but have request for Shepard, if you'll agree Casey, need assistant on this ship, Cerberus ship, good to have a human I trust, no one quite as useful in my research, this is what you call a 'deal breaker', Shepard."

Casey had to give herself a moment to figure that out, then, "wait, you want me to come with you?"

Mordin nodded. The three strangers looked unsure. "I don't think that's a good idea," the Turian began, and Shepard shook his head. "This mission, there's a chance we won't come back," he began. "We can't bring civilians into that."

Mordin was looking at her, he obviously wasn't going to push it unless she wanted to come. So many thoughts were rushing through her mind, but within seconds she knew what she wanted. She gave Mordin a small nod, and he smiled. "As I said Shepard, these are my terms."

Shepard sighed, "You're sure?"

"Yes," Casey replied. Shepard smiled, he had a kind face.

The Turian didn't look sure, he seemed to be looking her up and down, probably thinking she'd snap in half at the first sound of gunfire. The woman, however, was more vocal. "No bloody way, this isn't a cruise, we can't cater for people who don't know how to look after themselves."

"You heard the man," Shepard said, nodding at Mordin. "She's part of the deal."

"She looks like she can handle herself," the Turian said. He had a deep gravelly voice, and didn't take his eyes off her while he spoke.

The woman, sighed, exasperated, and left the room. Shepard came over and shook her hand, "welcome aboard," he said.

"Thanks," Casey replied, her heart hammering in her throat. "I'm Casey."

"Commander Shepard."

He let go of her hand, and the Turian took it next. His grip was much stronger than Shepard's but just as friendly. "Garrus Vakarian" he said.

Casey nodded. Was she going to regret this?