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Redemption

A Mass Effect Story

By Dreamweaver74

"Practice makes perfect," Carver Shepard reminded his daughter. They had been at it for hours, taming the land that was blessedly, completely, theirs. He applied the delicate seed pods to the soil, adding the enhanced mineral compound before covering it all with a healthy mound of topsoil. The sun was shining warmly, her mother Aileen was across the field chatting with their neighbor Mare Turner, and later that night the summer harvest celebration would begin.

"Now remember, Kay, this substance will allow the vegetables to grow at an accelerated pace, but it still won't be overnight. It's up to you to keep an eye on them, and by the end of the week, we should have a nice harvest."

"Dad, why can't we just use the growth light amplifiers? I was reading on the extranet in school that they improve the growth rate by 75, and crop size by 40. Imagine the money we could make!"

"Honey, there is so much more to this life than making a fast credit. We settled here to find our own way, and to connect with our ancestors. They didn't use amplifiers; they didn't even have this compound! They did the best they could with the resources they had, and never lost sight of the bigger picture-family, community, a connection with the land. Just be patient, there are larger rewards here than credits."

Kay always had an issue with patience, something he hoped she would eventually grow out of. The life of a farmer was all about patience. He knew that his only daughter wanted more than the simple life of a colonist. She'd always had a streak of wanderlust , always spoke of joining the Alliance Military, reminding them that in less than two years she would be eligible for service.

His baby girl, out in an uncertain universe, coming up against heaven-knew-what. True, living on an unsettled world had an edge of danger to it, but there had been few conflicts, and it wasn't as if Mindoir was filled with less than hardy people. They all had stories, all were here for a variety of reasons. But all were connected by one unspoken credo; they protected what was theirs, and could handle themselves.

In short, the vastness of space was an unknown, but his only child would always be safe here….

A sky full of stars, full of possibilities. Kailys Shepard had seen a lot of it, and there was so much more left to uncover. Her old self would have been astounded at the possibilities, amazed she was out here amongst the stars, and if you caught her on a very good day, she might even let you see that side of her. It wasn't someone who came out often. Even now, she could gaze out of the Normandy's bridge window and become amazed at the sheer depths they were traveling through.

Mostly, she was known throughout the galaxy as 'The Butcher of Torfan', 'The Assassin', 'The Cruel-eyed Commander'. As the first human spectre in recorded history, these were good things to be called. It sent a message to her enemies, helped her shape a path distinctly her own, and let everyone, friend and foe alike, know that she wasn't to be screwed with. She made the decisions she had with the knowledge that for good or ill, it was hers and she owned it.

It made her a woman not always easy to deal with.

Doctor Annyse Chakwas was the current recipient of the commander's ire, and all she had been trying to do was keep her in one piece.

"Commander, if you insist on finding new ways to separate yourself from your vital organs, I'm going to have to knock you out and make you spend a few days in stasis. You don't seem to understand the severity of what you're doing to yourself. You may be the universe's last hope, but you're not going to be good to anyone in a body bag."

"Chakwas, I lost my mother a long time ago. I'm not looking for a replacement." She said acidly.

Choosing to ignore the commander's usual vitriolic demeanor, the English doctor continued.

"You will have to keep pressure off that leg, and stay out of direct combat situations for the next couple of days while the bones set."

"I don't have time for this," she replied through clinched teeth.

"And I don't have time for your pigheadedness. Aren't we a fine pair? Look, if you are anything like the other soldiers I've worked with, you'll most likely have a stack of reports to write a meter high. I suggest you use your downtime to get a jump on them." With that she left the fuming Spectre before she had a chance to get in the last word.

I hate that woman, she muttered darkly.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-O

In the bowels of the ship, the low hum of the mass accelerator drive provided a calm soundtrack to the activities taking place-Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams maintaining the crew's weapons, Wrex in his corner, watching everything and nothing in particular, and Garrus Vakarian, stoic and thoughtful, repairing the battle-scarred Mako.

There was peace to be found in working on the complex machinery; especially after the particularly exhausting time they'd had on Noveria. The battle was hard fought and they had come away not only victorious, but in possession of important new information that could only aid in their hunt for Saren. It wasn't an easy task, watching the life slip away from Dr. T'soni mother, but a far stranger realization was that as bad as it was for the young Asari, it seemed as if Commander Shepard was even more distraught.

Garrus stretched out under the vehicle, applying a generous amount of Omni gel to a particularly damaged area near the energy cell compartment. He had always been mechanically inclined; it was one of the traits his father valued most in him. Actually, any traits were fine by him as long as they didn't compromise the Vakarian family honor. He'd made it quite clear that he wanted his son no where near what he termed 'The Poison of Council Space', or Spectres, as the rest of the galaxy knew them. It was something the young Turian was used to, but could never bring himself to understand. It had strained their relationship, even after he 'made good' by joining C-Sec.

The restrictions there drove him to distraction; how could one ever hope to stop the atrocities being committed throughout the galaxy playing by the rules? It was nigh to impossible. It was insane. And it was the reason he'd left.

He was glad to be here on the Normandy; the variety and depth the crew offered was a constant source of fascination for him. The commanding officer was another equation entirely. He couldn't be certain what defined her, what made her the woman she was. She commanded her crew with an iron grip, as hard on them as she seemed to be with herself. The next moment, she'd display a gesture of mercy so inexplicable, it was as if they were being lead by two different people. She kept constantly in motion, as though afraid that the second she slowed, some hidden demon would overtake her. She spoke rarely, and usually only to brief or debrief on their assignments. It was a hard way to live, keeping everyone at arm's length. He could sense a maelstrom barely below the surface, with only the pace of their current mission keeping her from falling apart.

He enjoyed talking with her, as much to figure out what made her tick as to tell her more about himself. It was something he wasn't well-versed in. Turians simply didn't spend vast amounts of time doing , what did humans call it? Looking at one's bellybutton? But he had to admit, their ways were rubbing off on him. He found himself wanting to tell her about his family, his past. It was just so hard to put everything into the right words. So he spoke to her about the mission, about the status of the Mako's repairs, about his days in C-Sec. To anyone observing, it was a one-sided exchange, but he knew better. She actually had far more to say the less she spoke. Her skill at keeping her emotions deeply hidden and developing an iron exterior kept the majority of the crew at bay. He hoped that a day would come when she might let some of her defenses down.

Probably the same day I do, he mused.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-O

When it happened, the last remnants of the meal were just being devoured, the colonists laughing, talking, thankful for the bounty. Thankful for being able to forge a new life on a world truly theirs and theirs alone. So full of mirth, alcohol, and other more recreational items, the adults failed to notice the air suddenly becoming chilled, the night sky taking on an unnatural cast, the low, ominous hum of something that had no business being on their planet.

The settlers of Mindoir were quite simply, caught unaware.

The children were the first to notice that something wasn't right. They were playing on the outskirts of the colony , noticed the peculiar flash of light that took over the black of the sky.

Suddenly, shouts of horror filled the night, the colonists running in concert. Parents yelled for their children, most of whom were simply too far away.

Kay swept up two small boys, shouted at the others to grab whomever they could.

It was bright, impossibly so, and she couldn't hear anything above the screams. Everything happened so fast, and all she wanted was to find her parents. They sprinted in the night, lungs burning. She knew she couldn't stop, the threat of danger propelling her forward. The boys spotted their father; James Cho rushed to her, relief and terror clouding his normally serene face. There were shouts, and a sickening crunch filled her ears; their neighbor was ….was being pulled in two different directions at once. Not wanting to leave her children behind, she fought against the invaders, but it was all a moot point as they witnessed the older woman's body being torn in half, her screams cut short. James took off in the opposite direction, his sons in tow. Kay started to follow, but something inside fought against the idea-death , or something far worse, awaited.. Her best friend Emaline was lying in the open field, eyes closed. She looked as if she was merely asleep. Kay knew without approaching that wasn't the case..

There was a copse of trees a meter ahead; she knew if she could only make it, maybe she could hide out until the danger passed. There was no time to stop and help the wounded; those who weren't already dead would be soon enough. It was unbearably quiet as she hid in the relatively secure confines of the forest. She bit down on her arm to keep from making a sound as the horrifying sight of the intruders filled her vision; tall, frightening and unmistakably alien, they dragged people behind them, out of her line of sight. She couldn't tell whether anyone was alive; the severe skull trauma she could see on one of the colonists seemed to suggest otherwise.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been on the ground, amongst the leaves and grass, only that by some miracle it kept her well-hidden from them. She couldn't allow herself to think of her family, her friends. She took several deep breaths, willing her self to remain separate from the situation. Survival was paramount.

The loud crunch of leaves woke her. She stiffened, eyes wide. A light shone on the trees behind her, sweeping the area. She tried to make herself as small as possible, grabbing a thin, sharp piece of tree limb to defend herself. The light settled on her location, but she didn't turn away.

"Commander! Over here! I think this one might still be alive." He barely looked older than she, blond crew cut and deep green eyes…only two. Most definitely human. His CO leaned down, extending her arm to help the teen up. They lifted her from the forest floor, walking with her toward an Alliance drop ship. It was then that she realized how close to her house she was. Two bodies lay side by side in the garden; her dead parents. She looked away, unwilling to fall apart in the presence of strangers. She was strapped into the first available seat on the ship, looking around to see if there were any other survivors.

"Where's everyone," she managed, her voice reduced to a rasp.

The medic turned, eyes sad. "I'm sorry , you're the only one we found down there,"

he replied, taking the young girl's vitals. "Say, what's your name?"

"Kailys Shepard," she whispered. She closed her eyes as the ship started to lift, a low whine filling her ears. She could see them clearly, her friends. Her mother and father. When this day had begun, she was just another young colonist with dreams of leaving her family far behind to explore the mysteries of space. In the blink of an eye, her whole life was changed. She was completely alone. It wasn't until the drop ship reduced the ruins below to a mere speck that she realized the keening sounds were her own…………

A/N: Thanks for reading. Review if you wish.