Ok, first of all I want to give a big thanks to the first reviewer of this fanfic, Th3 H4wK Of F1r3, for pointing out some lore errors that I made. I totally took those to heart, so I added in a little flashback of an encounter with Mindoir's council, along with some note about the Batarian Hegemony. Thank you so much for pointing it out! This is my first fanfic., so please be gentle! Reviews help me improve, so it'd be great if you could spare just a minute of your time to say 'It was good' or even 'It needs improving because...' EVERYTHING HELPS! Now, enjoy the story!

"One equal temper of heroic hearts,

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will,

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

- Unknown

Erin Shepard scrutinized the image on her PDA once again. Surely what she was seeing wasn't really happening? Yes she knew this day would come, but so soon? The image was showing the sensors that she and her best friend Samson had placed along the border of their colony, Mindoir. Along with some well placed bombs and traps, courtesty of her father. The sensors were placed to activate an alarm sent to her PDA whenever a hostile enemy movement was detected.

The alarms had been set off in every direction - they had the colony surrounded. She knew who it was, of course. It was the goddamn Batarians. She had been trying to warn the colony council for over a year about them - that they coud not be trusted. She told them they needed to upgrade their security measures and to get protection for a potential attack from Batarian slavers. And what did they do? They laughed at her, called her a xenophobe, cold, calculating, ruthless as well as more unflattering things.

"Erin, we may not be able to trust the Batarians, but we must respect them as a fellow race in this Galaxy - One that we have only recently joined. They have done nothing to provoke you, the slavers are not a part of the Hegemony!" A councilor drawled on to her.

"With all due respect, sir, the Batarian Hegemony knows what these," she swallowed in disgust, "Slavers do, they just don't want to do anything about it!" Erin shook her head in frustration.

"Erin, you need to get over your distrust of the world around you and start having some faith in others,"another councilor, Samantha Leroy, softly said to her. Erin looked at the fools in front of her and decided that if she wanted things done, she had to do it on her own.

Now she wanted to scream 'I told you so!', but being right about it didn't feel good. Not when her family was at risk.

Erin was out in the fields, picking flowers for her mothers 45th birthday when the alarms rang. She dropped her basket full of lillies and raced back to the colony, carefully placing a single lillie in her trouser pocket. She sprinted as fast as she could, her apprehension rising with every heart-wrenching scream she heared echoing out from the modest buildings up ahead. Her mahogany brown hair was now dripping with sweat, strands of it falling from her plait and swinging in front of her silver blue eyes, daggers in the afternoon glow of sunlight.

"Not yet, not yet!" She recited pitifully, each time more desperate as she neared her once humble home. An agonizing screech made her stop dead in her tracks. It crawled into her mind and snaked into her heart. Every muscle froze in place, the hairs on her arms and neck stuck up like needles as her skin turned into a layer of goosebumps. 'They have mother!' Her heart wailed. 'Dad can hold them off, just focus on getting there, nothing else matters.' Her lodgical mind calmly stated. Sometimes, she sounded cold even to herself.

The dirt path leading to her home kicked up dust into the air as her converses pounded down it. Just as she neared the building, a hooded alien dragged out her mother by her foot, kicking and screaming in resistance. Erin hid beind the wall of the house - what could she do? Shake her arm at them? She didn't have her pistol, and she was terrible in using her fists in a fight. All she could do was watch in silent agony as her mother struggled to get free. The alien stumbled slightly from her kicks, knocking its hood from its face. Erin had never seen a Batarian up close; frankly she never wanted to. And now, she knew why.

It looked like a heavily mutated human; same size and shape as humans, but the head and skin was different. Erin always knew of their reputation for being... aesthetically unpleasing to look at, but this was another thing. Their eyes were like pits of charred coal; a dark haze of reds,oranges and black. Its skin was tainted a greyish black, with streaks of faint yellow on its head. It had no nose, only a few blackened slits. It opened its mouth to screech at her mother, and spewed out a clump of some vile substance, its daggar sharp teeth coated in the stuff. It was a thing of nightmares to Erin, how a person could accept these into galactic civilazation...

As if by miracle, Erin's mother managed to free herself from the Batarian's grasp. She started to run towards Erin, arms swinging wildly in the air as she bolted for her life. Erins eyes betrayed herself and showed a flicker of hope, for maybe once luck was on her side. But it was just another cruel trick. The Batarian, unfazed by his captives escape, simple pulled out his shotgun and shot her in the back, which dragged her down to the ground. But she kept on fighting, she crawled on her hands and knees, resisting the fate that the Batarian chose for her. The Batarian chucked, a low vibrating sound echoed from its chest. He knew she would die from the wound; so did Erin. Her mother crawled a little more, her movements becoming slower and clearly more painful. Before collapsing completely she uttered the words:

"Make them pay for everything Erin. I love you..." there was one final gasp of defiance, before the life was finally drained away from her. Erin allowed a single tear to be shed, but no more. She couldn't risk breaking down. Not now. Not when she had a promise to keep. That Batarian would die. And so would the rest. As she watched it saunter away, she knew that at the end of this, one of them would die. And it would NOT be her.

She hesitantly staggered over to her mothers body, already growing cold in the dying Sun's light. She reached into her jean pocket and carefully removed the beautiful lillie flower. She took a second to gaze upon it, remembering those last moments before she was plunged into hell. She knew she couldn't linger in those memories, but this was meant to be a special event. The first flowers had sprung out to greet the world, and Erin wanted her Mother to have those flowers. She loved flowers so much. She gently placed it on her chest, wrapping her mothers arms around it protectively. This was the best she could offer her, and she deserved it.

Erin crept up to the building, alert for any hostile alien that crossed her path. Inside, there was a crimson trail of blood leading into the neatly decorated dining room. It was there that the trail let into an ocean of blood, lain in by her father.

"No! Dad! Dad, stay with me. We're going to get through this!" She pleaded with a badly hidden urgency. She grabbed his frail, cold hand, holding on for dear life. He was cold, so very cold. She knew it was the end, but she couldn't leave him to die alone.

"Sorry Erin...It's over for me. You have to go on," he croaked with a sad smile. "I'm...proud of you." And with that, the last glimmer of light was snatched away from his deep silver eyes, replaced by a bottomless ocean of dull grey. She sat there in the pool of her own fathers blood for what seemed an eternity. How could she go on when the two people she held closest to her heart had been viciously taken away from her? In those moments, nothing mattered. Not the guns blazing outside. Not the dying screams of those she once knew. Not even the sound of bodies hitting the ground, the bodies of people who had once loved, laughed and lived like her. What was the point of going on, living in a world where people can so easily do this to one another? When people can so easily deem a life expendable, not knowing of those who loved them?

But she knew she had to go on, she had to fight for the lost. Because no one else would. Besides, she had a promise to keep, and she would not let her mother or her father down. Clutched in his hands was his pistol, gleaming silver in a sea of red. Gingerly she reached out and took it from his hand, holding it in hers. Would she suffer the same fate as it's previous owner? She glanced back at him, and warily shut his eyes closed. He looked so peaceful, as if sleeping. But she knew that wasn't the case. He was dead. 'And I will avenge him. I'll avenge them all.' She angrily told herself. She dragged herself off the floor and walked over to the radio. Hearing voices coming closer to the building, she hurriedly sent out a distress call to any Alliance ships nearby:

"Hello?! Anyone please help us! This is Erin Shepard from the planet Mindoir, we've suffered an attack from the Batarians! Somebody help us!" She begged desperately, hoping that someone was listening.

"This is SSV Einstein, how old are you Erin?" A static voice finally answered.

"Sixteen, I'm sixteen years old. Please, we need an evacuation!" Erin answered desperately.

"You're only Sixteen? And they're shooting at you?" The voice asked in confusion.

"Yes, and unless you get us the hell out of here they'll succeed! So how 'bout that evac.!" She snapped angrily. Didn't they know she was in the middle of a goddamn war zone?! She had no time for stupid questions, people were dying!

"I'm sorry, but it's too dangerous. Our sensors detect only a few human life signs left, and most of those will have had a control chip inplanted in them by now. Again, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to risk the lives of my crew for one kid. Good -" The voice was cut off by a deeper, masculine voice.

"Belay that order, we're coming for you kid. Just hold on."

"Hey! You can't do that Zabaleta!" The original voice snapped back.

"Theres a child down there needing our help, and we ARE going to help! Kid, we'll be there in 10 minutes. Survive!"

That was all she heard before they turned off the radio. 10 minutes. 10 minutes surrounded by hostile aliens. Not exactly her idea of a perfect day. She would have to go down the main road that streched from her building to the end of the colony to reach the landing area. It was a suicide mission. She would be a moving target running down that road, but it was the only chance she had left. Taking in a deep breath, she steeled herself for what was to come.

Calmly stepping outside, she flicked the safety off her pistol. Suddenly it felt different from before. Like it wasn't just a hunk of metal, but a thing that can take away someones very life. She always knew that thats what its meant to do; It was a weapon of course. But it never dawned on her of how powerful that really is. To have the power of ending a life...It's something that no-one should have. She regretted using it. But these people were evil, and justice demanded that their lifes pay the price of what they had done.

With pure determination, she pounded down the debris filled road, ready for whatever fate had in store for her. She sprinted past the bodies of the people she once knew, determined to avenge their deaths. 'I will survive. I WILL survive!' She echoed over and over, shooting any Batarian in her sight. The sound of a fight snapped her from her inner chanting. As she looked to where the sounds came from, she saw Samson. Fighting for his life with one of those things.

"Samson!" She yelled, rushing forward to help him. The Batarian, unaffected by the second attacker, swiftly shot Samson in the stomach, which would've been his chest if he didn't try to dodge it. Erin, fuelled by rage and worry, charged the Batarian, knocking him to the ground. She steadily put the pistol to its head and pulled the trigger, covering herself in its sickly blood. Panting from adrenaline, she got up and rushed over to Samson, lying down on the ground, blood trickling from his wound.

"Nice goo, Erin." He laughed half-heartedly, "Another one of your new fashion fazes?"

"Yeah well, you know me and my fashion. I got to be one step ahead," She smiled back.

"Uh-huh. Well, no one else seems to be into the 21st century clothing yet, so maybe you're a few steps ahead there," he advised.

"Sorry to change the subject, but we've got to get out of here. An Alliance ship is going to send us an evac. shuttle and we can't be late," She said, knowing that time was running out.

"Not even fashionably late?" He asked, desperate to lighten the mood.

"Not even fashionably. You know how these military types are," Erin chuckled.

Samson smiled and looked down at his bullet wound. He knew that he was dying, he could tell from the pain. And from the worried look on Erin's face, she knew too. She always knew everything. He knew the landing area for the shuttles was still halfway to go; and there was no way that they would make it with him dragging them down. He gulped, realising what he had to do. He was scared, god he was so scared. But that fear was going to keep him going long enough to make sure they suffer. He was going to be brave for once in his life. He was going to do something right.

"Erin, I'm sorry, but you must go on alone. If I go with you I will only slow us down, and none of us will get out of here. But you, you have a chance. Take that chance Erin, and get out of here," He croaked. Slowly he looked back up and met Erin's eyes. He expected to see sympathy, but he saw...respect.

Erin knew that what he said was right; he was only going to slow them down. But that knowledge didn't stop the pain that came with it. He was her best friend since forever, the only friend that stood by her when she warned everyone about the Batarians. He was the one that always talked her down when she wanted to rip someones head off, that always tried to get her to show her kinder side. How can she just leave him?

"No one gets left behind Samson," She retorted.

"Yeah well, sacrifices have to be made. You told me that," he pointed out. Reluctantly Erin nodded her head in agreement, and gave one last smile. Slowly she started to walk away when he called out:

"Hey Shepard! ...Give 'em hell."

After another 5 minutes of running, she finally neared the landing area. A strangled gasp of hope escaped from her parched lips. Just as that happened, a group of Batarians came into the street; blocking the way to the landing area. She hid behind a few crates, wishing that they didn't see her. It was a large group. 'A very large group' her mind corrected. Peering at them through a gap in the crates, she saw the one that she had a vendetta to kill. And she would kill him, even if it killed her.

She closed her eyes, and saw the faces of everyone she cared about: Her mother, her father, and Samson. The only people who truely stood by her, no matter what. And she couldn't save them. No matter what she did, they still died. She knew that there wasn't anything else she could have done, but it didn't stop the lingering guilt that punished her everytime she thought. But she would avenge them. Just as they would've avenged her. She rolled out of cover, and raced towards the group, unafraid. Because she knew that if she died, she wouldn't be alone any more.

She shot the first one, then the second and third. Still, she kept on running until she reached the group itself. Bang! Bang! Bang! The sounds of the different guns mingled into one. There was just 2 left; the one with her vendetta and another nameless Batarian. She quickly shot the Batarian and focused back on her true target. When he was reloading, she stalked over to him and pointed the pistol to his head.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you kid. Why don't you be a good little girl and get out of my face before I kill you!" The Batarian smirked.

"I don't know if you've noticed yet, but I'm the one with a gun pointed directly at your head," she threatened.

"What do you want human?" He answered back, bordom evident in his voice.

"I want to know why you're here!"

"Why? It won't change anything."

"Not the answer I was looking for, Batarian."

"Sorry for disapointing you, Human."

"Answer my goddamn question!"

"Fine! We're here because we're fed up of Humans thinking their better than us, that they can just claim any planet they feel like taking. Believe me,this is just the first attack of many. Those that resist us will be killed. Those that are smart and join us, become - "

"Mindless slaves!"

"Servants to their rightful masters, the Batarians. Eventually we will have been to every Human colony, selling the people into slavery to the highest bidder. The Humans morale will plummet, and maybe then they will realise that We, the Batarians, are the rightful rulers of the galaxy!"

"Idiot," Erin chuckled. "The numbers you would need to carry it out would rival an army." Erin smirked in victory as she saw the Batarian's expression turn into something other than boredom.

"The Hegemony would never outright support us, it's true. But the Vorcha? They would. Canon-fodder though they would be, it would be enough! It's a fool proof plan!"

"Well, it's a good job I'm no fool," Erin answered back. "Die you son of a bitch!" And shot him in the head, finally avenging the fallen.

She walked over to the landing area as the shuttle arrived, soldiers pouring out and swarming the roads. The man who promised to help her, Lieutenant Ernesto Zabaleta, stepped out and guided her on. Erin sat down and looked out the window, seeing nothing but chaos and destruction.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked her quietly, concern in his voice.

"I am filled with sorrow and regret. But I am free, and that is all that matters." She answered in a voice she didn't recognise. He nodded in understanding, then told the pilot to take off.

The nightmare may have ended, but there was still much to be done. She knew in that moment that she was placed in this galaxy to protect the innocent and defenceless, people like the colonists of Mindoir. She would fight agaist whoever threatened peace, to give hope and faith to those wh0 need it. She could never save her friends or her family, but she could save others. And thats all she can do. As she looked down at Mindoir high up in space, she suddenly realised:

"You know, I've never been off-world."