A/N: I had this idea bouncing around for a while and had to let it loose. I apologize to any I offend with my liberal interpretation of the characters and events portrayed. I do not own the characters portrayed within, they belong to their respective creators/IP owners. For those that I am sure will squawk at what I will do to their beloved Mass Effect universe, this fic will go very AU within the first real chapter.

Miranda Lawson was, to all outward appearances, utterly calm and collected. To look inside her mind, however, one would discover that she was excited as a little girl getting a pony for her birthday. She was also a bit apprehensive, as she was about to meet with one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy one on one. No holographic communicators for this one, the subject of the meeting was too important. She thought back to the message that summoned her to this event:

[To: Miranda Lawson

[From: Data Corruption

[Subj: New Assignment

Please board the shuttle docked at bay A-3 immediately. As of this point your current assignment is terminated, you will receive a new assignment at our meeting. Please review condensed materials attached to this message for background. Priority is to learn habits and potential movement patterns of target subject. Your will be expected to express your opinion on these matters at the meeting.

I. M.

[Message Ends

[Attached Files: Extranet Search John Shepard, Extranet Search Savior of the Citadel, Alliance Military Personnel File: Shepard, John

As she walked towards the doorway that would shape her future she noted the automatic defenses, security personnel, and what could only be military grade kinetic barriers on standby. Her analytical mind noted that the security personnel were slightly thrown off by her appearance, which was a potential weakness in the defense of a very important individual. She stepped through the door into a rather unremarkable reception area that could have been one of hundreds on the station. Three chairs sat along the wall next to the door, a small couch running lengthwise on the side wall with a small coffee table in front of it. The reception desk was conspicuously bare, with only a small grille located in the center next to a single button. Seeing the panel on the opposite door was solid red, she pressed the button and announced herself. The only response she got was the door she came through locking and the other door opening. She quickly stepped through the now open door to see the office was completely unlit except for the light coming through the wall of windows overlooking a dying star. The man she came to see was standing by the window holding a glass of liquor, seemingly contemplating the void. Miranda knew enough about the man that she was confident in assuming the liquor was of the very best quality, even though she could not see any bottles in the room to back it up.

When he addressed her it was in a smooth, cultured voice that could only have come from extensive training. "Miss Lawson, I am glad that you could come today." Miranda knew better, he was simply observing formality because he was intrinsically abhorrent of rude behavior. When this man asked for a meeting at your earliest convenience, it usually meant that you should have been available for it a week ago. He had very subtle ways of showing his displeasure, but she got the feeling that this was not one of those meetings. "I assume you had the opportunity to review the briefing materials I sent you?" "Yes sir," she replied, "although I am curious why you seem intent on assigning me to an observation role."

The Illusive Man was apparently expecting this question, but he replied with a question of his own. "What do you think of the target's handling of the situation with Saren and the Citadel?" This was obviously a test of some sort, but she wasn't sure what kind, so she decided to keep her answer to how it looked from Cerberus's viewpoint. "Shepard did everything right. His appointment to the SpecTRes was a huge leap forward for humanity. He even saved the Citadel Council and earned the Galaxy's trust for humans, even got us a seat on the Council. But it isn't enough, they have him chasing Geth right now. We both know they aren't the real threat, and so does he. I am afraid he will try something stupid and then the galaxy will really be in a bind when these Reapers show up."

"Then your job is to make sure we don't lose him." Miranda jerked her head away from the window when she heard this. How had she talked herself from an essential cakewalk observation assignment to an escort/protection role? She was about to ask for clarification when he said "There are confirmed reports of the Omega-4 Relay being activated recently, and sightings throughout the Attican Traverse of an unidentified ship. These sightings correspond to places Shepard is confirmed to have been on his hunt for Saren. It is my belief that someone or something is actively hunting Shepard, most likely due to his involvement with the Reapers. Your job is to start learning everything there is to know about the man. I have already started shifting resources to start a new cell, and you will be the head of that cell. The goal for you is to revive the man to exactly who he is now when he is inevitably killed."

Miranda thought about this revelation, then replied "the technology to revive the dead does not exist yet. I take it part of my assignment is to develop it as well?" "That is correct Miss Lawson, the galaxy needs Commander Shepard more than anyone besides ourselves is willing to admit. I trust you will be successful with this project, we cannot afford even a partial failure. Now I know you need time to gather the information you will need, so I will not hold you here any longer. Dismissed Agent Lawson."

Shepard sat at the table in his quarters aboard the SSV Normandy fiddling with parts of his Aramax Arsenal Predator H X hardsuit. The left pauldron had taken damage during Saren's attack on the Citadel, as had almost every other piece of the armor, but the rest had taken priority for repair. Now he finally had the time to finish the process of restoring his armor to its former pristine condition. As he worked, a slight rattle from across the table reminded him that his suit was not quite finished even when he completed the material repairs. The muffled cursing being directed at the microframe processor was not in any human language, but his exposure to the various races of the galaxy meant he understood it all too well, even without the translator in his right ear canal. He supposed that given the nature of the task he should have asked either Ashley Williams or Garrus Vakarian to work on the upgrades to his armor's systems, but given the upgrades he wanted completed a person who literally depended on the suit they wore for their life was more likely to understand how to integrate them with a minimum of interference.

"Commander, we will be dropping to sub-light in 15 minutes. Thought I'd give ya time to put yer pants back on before you need to be on the bridge." Joker was obviously none too convinced that anything was going to happen in this system either, or his intercom notification would have been less casual. Shepard grunted loud enough for the intercom to pick it up as he made the last adjustment to the pauldron, Joker took it as acknowledgment and closed the circuit. Although the clamshell vest with the chest and backplate of the armor was on the table in front of him, he was wearing the airtight bodysuit that supported the ceramic alloy plating that provided the majority of the armor's protection. He had already affixed the portions that covered the legs, lower torso, and arms, and went to attach the pauldron to the rerebrace when he realized he could not gain sufficient leverage to fit it into place with one hand. "Tali, give me a hand with this for a sec?" An exaggerated sigh that was rendered into static by the audio pickup in her helmet was his answer as she paused the program sequence on her omnitool and stood up to come around the table. "What do you need me to do Shepard?" "Just hold the back edge in place while I force the front into position." With a slight creak of stressed ceramic and a sudden pop the piece popped into place, letting him check range of motion to ensure the armor did not snag unexpectedly. Now free to finish her work on the microframe, Tali restarted the program on her omnitool and settled back into the chair.

Joker's voice came over the intercom again, this time on shipwide broadcast "Dropping to sublight in 5…4…3…2…1…Now!" There was a slight lurch as the mass effect fields adjusted to the difference in velocity. Tali typed a few new commands into her omnitool and closed it down. "There Shepard, that should be operational now. Just let me know if it starts acting up for any reason." She stood up and picked up the clamshell, holding it out in front of her for him to put on. Shepard quickly shucked on the piece, knowing that it was heavy to hold at arms length. As he made the necessary connections the shipwide intercom blared overhead "Brace for evasive maneuvers!" Shepard raced to the door of his quarters, grabbing his helmet off the table as he went. Tali had followed him out, and just as he was about to head for the stairs to the CIC the ship jolted suddenly. A panel blew off the bulkhead by the sleeper pods in a shower of sparks and flame, prompting him to put on and seal his helmet. Being the closest crewmember to the fire, he responded to the training that had been drilled into him during his qualification for shipboard duty and grabbed a fire extinguisher off the wall. Like the submarine services of pre-space wet navies, all navel and marine personnel were ingrained with the knowledge that fire in a closed environment like a ship was extremely dangerous, and the closest crew member to any outbreak was expected to handle it, regardless of rank or department.

Another series of jolts shook the ship, with more fires breaking out across the crew decks. Shepard called out to Joker over the intercom, asking what was going on. "We're under attack by unknown hostiles! I can't launch the distress beacon from up here, the control runs got taken out in the first hit." "Got it Joker, I'm right by the backups, I'll launch it." Shepard turned to the holographic control panel next to him and cycled up the beacon. He quickly set it to update from the sensor feeds from the Normandy and launched it into space. The powerful comm. transceiver built into the device quickly linked into the FTL communication buoy at the edge of the system and transmitted the Alliance signal dedicated to shipboard distress calls.

As he was turning from the controls, Liara ran up to him to see if she could help. He quickly tossed her a fire extinguisher and grabbed another to start fighting the numerous fires in the area. "Will the Alliance get here in time?" she asked. "They should be here soon, they don't abandon their own" was all he could say. Another jolt almost threw them from their feet. "That's it, I'm giving the order to abandon ship! Liara, get to the lifepods now!" "Joker is still in the cockpit, he won't leave the ship! I'm not leaving you either" she responded. "I'll take care of Joker, but I need you to go help the rest of the crew get out of here safely!" "Understood Commander." With those words and a halfhearted salute, Liara turned and ran for the access corridor to the lifepods. Shepard ran to the stairs to the CIC, discovering that debris blocked one set he promptly charged up the opposite way. The panel to the side of the door was red, but the command codes in his armor quickly bypassed the security and opened the door. A rush of atmosphere almost pushed him through, and he saw that the roof of the CIC was torn open like a ration tin. His armor quickly activated the magnetic soles of his boots when the mass effect field failed to keep him on the deck. He made his way to the cockpit, where an emergency field maintained pressure. Joker was frantically trying to correct the ship's attitude in an effort to keep it in orbit around the nearby planet. "Joker, we are abandoning ship, lets go!" "I can still save her!" "Joker, this ship is dead, going down with it won't change that." "Yeah, alright, gimme a hand… aw shit, they're coming around for another pass!" Shepard saw the bright yellow beam smash into the decking of the CIC, and turned quickly to grab Joker. In his haste, he torqued Joker's arm too hard and winced when he felt the snap of a broken bone. "Watch the arm!" came the pained cry, but he was more concerned with getting to the escape pod located just across from the airlock. He heaved Joker through the opening just before an explosion tossed him away. He grabbed a bulkhead to stabilize himself when another beam blasted into the space he had just occupied. As he was forced away, he stretched out and hit the emergency release for the escape pod, just in time for a power conduit to explode and toss him clear out of the ship.

Shepard came out of the momentary daze to see the Normandy finally give in to the punishment of the attack and blow up. He felt a pattering of small debris bouncing off his armor before he thought to activate his kinetic barriers. They did not do anything to stop the hissing he was hearing, and the flashing red symbol in his helmet's visor finally registered. He was losing oxygen through several breaches in his suit, causing him to spin erratically through space. Not good. He thought, triggering his suit's recovery beacon. He caught a glimpse of the planet below as he spun, seeing that it was rapidly growing bigger triggered a new thought; this is gonna suck!

Those that could see through the limited viewports on the escape pods watched helplessly as their commander's suit entered the upper atmosphere of the planet, leaving a glowing trail of gases heated by the friction of his passage.