Disclaimer: Love these characters but don't own them.

Note: This is a vision I've been playing with for a while. I've marked the story as complete, though I would like to use this as the basis for a longer story. Reviews, ideas and comments are welcome. At the bottom of the story I've put some of my ideas of how this could develop in the distant future. As always, thanks for reading!

Turian Beginnings

The Batarian slavers struck hard and fast, the colonists had no chance. Lorna Shepard had been separated from her family and had done everything in her power to stay alive and. . . . . free. She had run, hidden herself in piles of dead bodies so that she might not be seen and killed more Batarians than she could count. Now she was running as fast as her 8-year-old legs could carry her to the command center of the colony. Her gun shot to the side not withstanding, she could see the command center at the end of the hallway; it was like seeing heaven – her spirit lifted. The way was clear, she kicked debris out of the door tracks and hit the emergency close button – the doors slamming shut.

Lorna took a moment to remove her hand from the side of her stomach, blood oozed out sickening her, but she couldn't give up now, she'd come too far. She looked around the room for something that resembled a communications device, but there were only corpses, Batarian and Human alike. Wait, over there! She saw it in the center of the room, she dragged herself to the console, climbed up on a chair and screamed. Half of the buttons were destroyed, the other ones not labeled. Fear and frustration were setting in as she slammed her fists on all the buttons screaming, "Help! Help! Help me please. . . .they're dead, they're all dead! Please. . . . please. . . is anybody out there?"

She slid off the chair and sat on the floor, her back against the console facing the doors. She had her gun in one hand and her wound in the other. It was there that she waited in a cold windowless room full of dead and twitching bodies for something to happen. Lorna moved in and out of consciousness, the pain in her side worsening. Her vision would darken, then lighten again. . . . it dawned on her that she would likely die here – alone without hope of rescue. Had days passed? Had hours passed? She didn't know, though the stench of the bodies had increased and she realized that even if she had wanted to leave she would not have had the strength to. She had lost too much blood to do much more than wait for rescue.

The first explosion didn't register in her mind, it was the second, which sent the command center door flying, that woke her form her dark spiral. In her surprise she raised her gun to the door, ready to pull the trigger. Turians, they've come! There was no love lost between Turians and Humans, but she knew they hated Batarians more. The two Turian soldiers who blew the door down approached her rifles at the ready, she was frozen in place pistol shoulder level, tears of joy, pain and sorrow running down her cheeks. It was then that a darker plated with white face markings came to her kneeling down in front of her, the tip of her gun resting on his breastplate. He gently reached out a clawed hand to her face as she lost consciousness.

When she woke up, she knew she was in a med bay – but not one she was used to. Lorna stirred, moving her head up to view her stomach – it was bandaged and cleaned. She had a number of strange tubes stuck in her arms and legs hooked to machines that were unfamiliar to her. Her distress must have registered because, as if on cue, the dark brown plated Turian made his way into the room. He observed her a moment before speaking, in the dual toned way Turians did, "You are a juvenile human female yes?"

It took her a moment to understand that he was talking to her and a moment longer to understand he was asking her a question. Like a deer in the headlights, her eye wide, she nodded in affirmation. She'd never seen Turians in real life before, just in pictures. They were supposed to be savage killers, capable of ripping humans limb from limb, but this one seemed different.

He continued his questions, coming closer to the bed she was strapped to, "You made this distress call?" He played back her distress call from his omni tool, she shook her head several times, fighting back tears.

His mandibles flexed in a funny way, if Lorna had been capable of feeling fear at this point she would have been frightened, as it was she just trusted he meant her no harm. "What do they call you human female?"

"Lorna. . . . Lorna Shepard." She stammered.

The Turian considered this a moment, as if he were judging whether it was a proper name for the girl. "I am Field Marshal Akton Nazario, I am the commander of this ship and the one who answered your distress call." He sat down near her bed, so close she could smell his spicy scent. "We could not save the others, the Batarians executed them all when we arrived. So all the inhabitants of human colony 67582 are dead, except for you."

It took her a moment to process what he had just said. Every person she had ever known, everything she had ever done had been erased form this life. She turned her eyes to his, she had no more tears to give, no more sorrow to have. She was emotionally spent.

"You are a brave human female, you fought better than any Turian of your age – I saw the security footage. You are intelligent, quick on your feet and you can kill." His face twisted into what she thought could have been a smile, it would have sent any normal child screaming, but not Shepard.

"What will be done with me sir? I have no family no friends, nothing in this whole galaxy now."

At this Field Marshal Nazario unstrapped her from the bed, removed her tubes, and gently picked her up under her shoulders and placed her in his lap. You would have thought she was a rag doll, the ease with which he moved her. "I have discussed with my crew and have searched inside myself. It was not so long ago that my own daughter, about your age, left this world for the world of our Spirits." He paused a moment a sadness in his eyes, to make sure that Lorna was listening. "I miss her so much. Seeing you on the security footage. . . .you are my Alania reborn, you have her spirit in you Lorna Shepard."

Lorna looked into his eyes and could see that, in some strange way, the eyes of love were universal. It was the look of a parent to a child, a father to a daughter – tears welled in her eyes, she threw her arms around his neck placing her head under Akton's chin.

It was a pleasant surprise for the Turian, who cradled her lovingly. "My current mission will last 12 years. 12 years of prospecting for minerals and exploring new planets for military gain. In that time you will learn everything you need to be a Turian and a solider and after that, as every young Turian, you will choose your way. This is what I can offer you Lorna Shepard – human female – Alania reborn." He brought her forehead to hers, "do you agree?"

Lorna's green eyes met his avian blue ones, she wanted nothing more than to put this behind her and be strong enough to protect herself from whatever might come. "Yes, father. I want nothing more."

P.S: I have a few notes for how this could go further. One idea might be to have Shepard and Garrus meet as partners in the Turian Military, having her save his ass a few times. Another idea might be that she uses this beginning and becomes a spy for the alliance. . . . . I'm always open to ideas but it might take me a while to think of how to use this concept further.

I hope you enjoyed!