Authors Note: This is a snippet from Chapter 6 of fic I'm writing. So far, Chapters 1-7 total 44,000 words. Then again, Chapter 3 is way incomplete and only a couple hundred, because I couldn't think of what to write for that part...
Anyway. This is a snippet from 'Mass Deflect'... a Mass Effect Self-insert. No, don't groan. I hope it's better than it sounds. Or would be. So far I'm only up to the end of the Eden Prime part. Literally, the last bit of Chapter 7 is where Shepard gets the download. But I hope people like the 'real is different, often' thing I've got running throughout the fic. (Like the Spaceport is more like an Airport than just a rail track, two balconies overlooking it without railings and an area that makes no sense where the beacon is... That never did make sense. Also, I'm merging things from both Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, like how 'I' use a Tempest SMG taken from an Eclipse merc, and a Viper sniper rifle (that uses a cooldown period instead of heatsinks, ugh that was annoying when as a sodlier I'd run out of ammo in the game.

Title: Mass Deflect

Story Summary: I cheat a lot in games. So when I find myself in the Mass Effect Universe, in 2179... I realise that I can 'replay the game' but with more realism, and a lot more cheating. And cheating of a different kind.

Wait no, wrong summary...

Story Summary: Hi, my name is Stephen. Or Alex. Or that Weirdo that's really into star trek. (I'm not anymore, but that's beside the point) I'm your average guy. Born 1988. Will probably die in the 23rd century... well, not so average. See I woke up from almost two centuries of stasis. And I woke up, on an Asari Colony world. Yyyeah... not average at all. This is my story.

Mass Effect Self-insert.

Chapter Summary: He's travelled the Galaxy, now it's time for Stephen to settle down, for a while. And where better, than the 'crown jewel' of the Alliance, but Eden Prime? But then again, who knew that Saren would attack that particular world two months later? Oh yeah, he did...

Note: Not all scenes are the complete versions from the full chapter, and quite a bit is skipped. Kept it small because.. it is a snippet.

Welcome to Eden Prime

They collapse, clutching their ears from the pressure wave that had just travelled at the speed of sound and burst their ear drums... probably. Williams' winces in sympathy, her hands having protected her.

I walk over to her and give her a smile. "I doubt they'll be insulting you anytime soon."

Suddenly, a bunch of Marine Police arrive, and look between the ten-plus group of marines, Williams who's buffing her boots while looking at them and me with a smile, and me, little ole' me, all five-foot-eight of me, whistling innocently as I take a seat next to the gunnery sergeant and strike up a conversation about military history, asking her about her biggest inspirations, and pointedly ignore what happened.

"Excuse me sir..." one of them started.

I shook my head, "Don't sir me," I glance at his rank, "Corporal, I'm not military."

He pauses at that, wondering how to respond. I chuckle, and smile, "What was it you wanted, Corporal."

"We... heard a bomb... what... what happened here?"

"A bomb?" I ask, and give Ash an innocent look and a wink, "I didn't hear nothing. Did you?"

Williams shook her head, looking innocent.

"They were just shouting stuff, I don't know what they were onabout, as a smart person I don't understand Moronish. Then they were on the ground clutching their ears." I shrug.

"Ma'am?" The corporal asks. "Can you tell me what they were saying?"

"I don't understand moronish either, Corporal."

The guy sighed, and muttered, "At least they're not black and blue this time."

"Ah, that ever persistant chronic pain in the ass, eh?" I ask.

The guy nodded, and we went back to our conversation, making it a point to ignore the whole lot of them as the marines were taken away to get their ears seen to.

"So. I'm Stephen."

"You already know my name." She said, with a sigh that tells me that she thinks I know her through the usual route – her family history.

I nod slightly. "May I call you Ashley? As I said, I'm not military and 'Ma'am' is too formal, and so is using your rank."

She nodded. "Alright... Stephen."

"Ste is fine."

-{MD}-

"Wow. You get around, don't you?" She commented, impressed. "A Spectre-"

"Two, the first was a Turian that was visiting Benezia and was targeted by some Mercs. Saved his life, and also taught him the flying trick."

"... Two Spectres, a really old Asari, more travel than I've done and you were born in what, the twenty-first century?"

"Twentieth. The year 1988."

She blinked.

"Yes, I'm older than the dirt on this planet."

She coughed, and then laughed.

"So... all that... what brings you here? And I don't just mean Eden Prime."

I smile a little, and start to explain.

-{MD}-

It's almost Christmas, and I'm running alongside Gunnery Sergeant Ashley Williams of the 212th, Eden Prime Garrison.

We'd become friends, although I think it was made easier that she knew I wanted to reconnect with humanity, it still seemed like hard work, as while she isn't racist, she is still quite strongly pro-humanity.

I joined her for some of her exercises partly because I knew she hadn't many friends, and all of them weren't even on Eden Prime. That and I wanted and needed to keep up my gun skills.

Life of a Colony Garrison Marine is routine, you could say. Different from what I'm used to, but for the past four years I'd followed Asari time. About the only thing I still follow of that is the sleeping pattern. For the most part I can fit everything I do even on Eden Prime around it. What little I can't is when my sleeping pattern is in Eden-Day time.

Even so, they follow the Earth Five working days out of seven timetable. We fill weekends with visiting the local city for night life. I try and hook Ashley up with someone and fail miserably. Hell one weekend she tried to come onto me, and that's when I told her about Jen. It was then that I realised I hadn't even a last name. I was down that whole week after.

During the week, it's a mix of things. Half of it she's on duty that I can't be there for, and I do my own, private project work. The other half is things like now – physical exercise of some sort to build or maintain muscle and stamina, or keep up hand-to-hand. The Asari College had a self-defence course that was on par with Enlisted Marine Basic Training, so I could hold my own. Other skill-based training as well. Ashley's your straight Marine Soldier. Good with any weapon, and not particular arsed about biotics or tech skills, except knowing how to take down someone using those with her gun.

We've got a good routine going, and while we're not best of friends, it often seems that way to others, considering I haven't been much interested in making friends since meeting Ashley. I hadn't even been there on purpose that day – I was just walking and getting a lay of the land, and bam, there it was, an opportunity.

"What are you doing for Christmas?" I ask, not particularly out of breath on a planet that has a lower gravity that Lusia did. I'd had the Daedalus set to Lusian gravity too.

"I'm on duty. Someone's got to hold down the fort. You?"

"Ah. Well, I've got no plans and thought you might have wanted the company." I smile, and slow down the pace a little. "Not spending your time with your sister?"

"Ah, no... She's spending this Christmas with her boyfriend." She shared. "I didn't want to be a fifth wheel."

I blink. "I didn't think anyone ever used that phrase. No matter the century."

She blinked, and laughed. "I... I haven't heard it used much either, but It fit. So what are you going to be doing then, since I just shot down your plans?"

"You know my favourite phrase?" I ask, and she nods. She's familiar from our sparring sessions that I actually follow the advice implied by the phrase. "Some of that for work."

"You'll have to tell me about your work some time." She says. "You never did tell me what it was about."

"I will. Just not... here." I wave around, indicating Eden Prime more than our current position along our running path.

-{MD}-

Five days.

I wake up, in the middle of the night, and know that in two days, the local dig site will uncover a prothean object.

In three, the Citadel will be made aware.

In four, the SSV Normandy SR-1 will be despatched under the command of Captain Anderson, carrying a spectre aboard who has two missions – to recover the beacon for a joint alliance-citadel council project, and to observe the Normandy's second in Command for potential recruitment as a Spectre – one Lieutenant Commander Shepard.

All my searches so far has given no indication about Shepard as he or she exists in this reality. Then again, as an N7 Special Forces, his or her file is probably classified beyond my reach. Well, I don't have much reach at the moment. I've learned to be flexible because of it. Garrus reference not intended.

And in Five days, Saren will arrive with Sovereign, and destroy most of the colony and attempt to recover the Beacon.

I know what I need, what I must do before then.

-{MD}-

I'm with Ashley in her barracks, going over the details about the incoming transport that I'd learned was actually an Alliance Navy frigate, when the first blast shakes the building.

"What the..." She starts, but I'm up and running across the room to one of the male beds (In the future, barracks are not segregated. I knew this already from that there was only one quarters for enlisted on the Normandy SR-2, which had both a male and female human in there.) and pulling on, as fast as I can, the set of armour I'd left there when Ashley was on duty this morning.

First on the underlay, which I'm putting on over all my civilian clothes. It's like coveralls, but with padded parts and with bits to connect and secure the body armour sections. I peek over at Ashley, and see that she's as far into it as I am already, but her clothes are, oddly strewn on her bed. She's going commando beneath it, I guess.

I pull on the leg pieces, and feel it as the micro-machinery within the connectors literally tightening them onto my legs, almost cutting off circulation. Not at all, but almost. On goes the inner chest piece, then I throw on the back piece, with all the parts that are on it involved in holding weaponry to my back, the powerpacks for kinetic barriers, and so on. It clips to the inner front chest piece, which is mostly computer stuff and life support. I feel it tighten on me too, even as I'm attaching the outer armour piece to it. Then on goes the arms, and I see in my peripheral vision that Ashley's already done.

Finally, I pull on the headset, with an eyepiece over my left eye, ear piece for radio, and subvocal microphone pressing to the left of my Adam's apple.

I give myself a once-over, and note with approval that I look like a marine, sort of.

I look at Ashley, and get the first hint of real being vastly different. She isn't wearing white and pink armour.

She's wearing a camouflaged version. She's got her helmet on, and already she's pulling out her Marine standard issue weaponry. A pistol already on her left thigh, shotgun in the crook of her back and she's putting her sniper rifle into the left back slot.

I make quick work of grabbing my own equipment. Asari-made and design pistol and shotgun.. But I've got the SMG I took during that raid on Benezia's estate those years ago. I love that gun. And the sniper rifle that I used the most in the second game, although it doesn't use heatsinks here. Just a cooldown period.

With a grin, I nod and move over to Ashley, ready to kick some Geth ass.

It's the 31st January, 2183.

Sovereign, Saren and the Geth are here. And with them, all hell is breaking loose.