A/N: The purpose of this fic is partly to express my adoration for all things ME and partly to address something I noticed after my 15th playthrough, which ME hardly touches on: religion. In ME, we learn Ashley is a theist (we don't know what kind, maybe Roman Catholic), turians have some kind of earth religion, asari sometimes say "by the goddess" or are siari spiritualists, but actual theological beliefs and practices aren't really spelled out beyond that.

Well, society might be pushing religion out of the social sphere lately, but I have a hard time believing it'd be universally unimportant to all sentient life, even futuristic post-spaceflight life. As a staunch science/history nut whose study has only enhanced my faith, I just don't see it.

So, I'm writing this fic to fill the gaps, and I'd love to hear any theological questions, beliefs and practices, or links to debates/studies/codexes you think would help make for a richer experience. I don't have a set schedule for publishing chapters, nor can I guarantee each vignette will be released in order, but there's lots of fun in store, and I'd love to know what you think!

EDEN PRIME, 2183

Her shields are almost down. The geth hot on her tail chip away at the only thing keeping her this side of eternity like it's small talk, as if there could be no other outcome for demonstrably inferior bipedal sentient beings than obliteration – and after the humans were all exterminated they'd probably ping about it over the binary equivalent of tea.

Meanwhile Ashley's heart pounds in her ears like a gatling gun, her breath fails her, her skin is a blanket of fire and nails – and she knows it's not the best time, but if this is the answer to all those prayers to get off this stupid planet and see the stars again, she really hopes God changes His mind – because she's running out of options, and as much as she'd like a round of kumbaya in heaven, she really doesn't feel like dying today.

But there's no time to dwell. She clears the dig site as fast as her screaming legs can carry her, harried by the soft ground and the steep grade. There's nothing and no one to be seen – no people, no cover, no distractions, just destruction, and there seems to be no end to it.

The geth are closing in. She can hear the thrusters humming over the intermittent bursts of semi-auto. The last one almost knocks her over, and her hardsuit protests that she might just be pushing the limits of what a soldier can do – but it's an uphill battle, literally, and she has legs, and they don't – and if there are survivors anywhere, she's glad they're wasting time on her and not innocent civilians, though her shields definitely disagree, because it almost feels like she's the only one left alive, and she would love to believe someone somewhere was getting out of this.

Even in this full-on geth invasion, worst-case scenario, God, she really wants to believe it.

It's like everything is slow motion. Her lungs are blazing, like she's breathing liquid sandpaper, hands pulsing hot, like she's been running for a lifetime. Atop the hill ahead is a patch of trees, but she'll never make it without ten rounds in the back and a one-way ticket to the Lord's supper. She's so out of breath, she's starting to see spots.

Depleted shields flicker with another shot. Her legs buckle. It's do or die, and Williams blood says she better hedge her bets quick. She grits her teeth, throws herself to the dirt, turns, and fires what might be her last rounds at the first thing she lays eyes on – two flying flashlights.

The last thing she thinks is how cruel a joke it'd be to come all this way, miss, and have the Alliance brass posthumously award the rest of the 2/12 medals because they thought another Williams ran from a fight.

But she instantly regrets it.

The flashlights fall to pieces and crash land at her feet. Her LT, her squad, Nirali and Sergeant Donkey, her friends, they hadn't been so lucky – cut down like they were made of grass. And maybe luck isn't the right word, but divine providence doesn't sound comforting right now.

She doesn't get the chance to make up her mind. No sooner than the dust clears, she spots two more lamp heads. Shit. How did I miss – are those... tripods? She's seen them all over camp, same color as that freaky mothership, and that half-dead colonist in their clutches – what the hell?

She hears his ribs crunch before they finish skewering him, like those cybernetic husks on pikes she saw on the way down. That's why they're killing colonists, turning us into those things. She watches his chest burst open and spray them with a geyser of blood, and that's when they turn towards her.

Damn it, Ash, think quick! She scrambles to her feet again. This time there's cover. She hurls herself behind the half-destroyed bits of ruin to catch her breath, auto-extending AR in hand. It was Donk's. Not anymore. She made a promise.

Maybe if she's lucky, she can pop one without the other ripping through the rest of her shields. Or maybe they'll cut her down like razorblades in a hurricane. She sucks in a breath and shuts her eyes tight, focusing on the sound of their footsteps in the grass, waiting for the time to strike – but her mind is racing. Her life is flashing behind her eyes.

God. Everything is crashing around me. I don't know if you have a plan... or if you're listening... Just, promise me you'll take care of my sisters. And if it's my time – remember Samson – and let me take these geth bastards with me. And please be real. I know this isn't exactly a good time, but I wish I had more-

Trivia 1: Separate conversations before and after Mass Effect's Prologue mission place Eden Prime in the Attican Traverse, bordering the Terminus Systems. However, Eden Prime is well within Systems Alliance space, where it resides in the Exodus Cluster, Utopia system, likely as an oversight.

Personally, I won't be correcting this. Councilors and Alliance officials knowing more about their galaxy than game designers makes more sense than the Alliance not noticing a giant purple space lobster carting around a turian and a whole bunch of geth destroying a whole colony deep in Systems Alliance turf - especially considering Sovereign is a highly conspicuous ship, the geth haven't been outside the Veil for centuries, First Contact wasn't long ago, and human ships have windows.

Trivia 2: Sergeant Donkey was an Alliance soldier assigned to the 2/12 dog squad with Ashley Williams on Eden Prime. He appears in ME: Foundation 3, The Fall of Eden Prime, and displays romantic attraction to Williams, although his squaddies joke that there's a better chance of her hooking up with Pennyloafer, the other girl on the squad. Despite this, he still expresses the squad's confidence in Ashley's skills, empathizes with her about their overbearing LT, and defers to her leadership when it becomes clear their patrol has stumbled onto more than just any old picnic. Interestingly, Sergeant is not a listed rank in either the Mass Effect wiki or codexes.

To be continued. Review and follow if you dig!