MASS EFFECT: ONE
Foreword
What happened in the MASS EFFECT universe in the hours before and after Shepard made her final choice? It's a question I've had ever since my first playthrough of the original series. What happened on the Citadel? Where were all the characters we grew to love during that time period? What happened to them? What was it like on Earth during the final hours? Who was there? Everybody has their own ideas, and some have even written their own fan fiction story to tell it. This one, however, is my version.
I chose to center my story, not on the main character of Commander Shepard, but around three of the series' most iconic female characters: Liara T'Soni, Aria T'Loak, and Jack. Though they aren't the only characters featured, I've always felt they were the richest, the character's with the most depth. There are several male characters who make pretty strong appearances in here, too, but I wanted the women to helm each of their own arcs. I wanted to tell the tale of those who were the most influenced by a strong, female paragon Shepard.
I've tried not to base this story solely on my FemShep (frankly, the best Commander Shepard ever…*wink, wink*). I do not describe her by anything other than her personality traits. So, as you read this story, feel free to picture your own FemShep, not my idea of what Shepard should look like.
However, I have stuck to this set of criteria from my gameplay: female Commander Shepard (preferred Jennifer Hale's voice-acting over the guy's), 99.9% paragon w/ a few essential renegade options (like killing Kai Leng, because the bastard deserved it!), FemShep/Liara pairing, lost Kaiden on Virmire, kept the entire crew from MASS EFFCT 2 alive; and in MASS EFFECT 3, cured the genophage at the cost of one very special salarian named Mordin Solus, and made Shepard's final choice be the only one I thought she could make. You'll discover what that was as you read.
This story jumps timelines quite often. Please pay attention to the heading of each chapter. I will preface them with the location—as in, The Citadel or Earth or The Normandy—followed by Before Endgame or After Endgame. Another warning, for those critical of technical accuracy, I'm not a science geek and I'm not down on all the lingo. I just love the story and I love the characters. So, if you see where I may have gotten something wrong, please feel free to tell me. I want to correct any inaccuracies I may have made.
Below is a listing of the name of each chapter as they are posted, along with the character featured and a short synopsis. This will be for those who might prefer to go back and read the story in character order versus my idea of how the story should flow.
I do hope you enjoy reading this story. I started writing it in 2015, put it on the back burner for more than a year, then picked it back up in January of 2017. Finished it December 23, 2017. This has been a labor of love for me. I fell in love with these diverse characters and I hope as you read that love shines through. It's full of action and drama with some moments of comedy, because you need comedy in a story that can get real dark real quick.
And if you're wondering why I've named it MASS EFFECT: ONE, you'll have to read…
I do not own any of the character's (except for several original characters that will appear in later chapters), or the MASS EFFECT story. I just wanted to add to it.
CHAPTER TITLES IN POSTED ORDER
ONE Breath (Liara)
Crash landed on a strange planet, communications down, Liara T'Soni and the rest of the Normandy's crew face an uncertain future. But a far more pressing concern is one that weighs on every member of the crew—what has happened to Commander Shepard?
The Shape of ONE's Dreams (Aria)
As the war with the Reapers closes in on its zenith, the Citadel comes under threat. The Council looks to the only person on the station who has faced a hostile takeover before and lived to tell a tale of victory. There's just one slight problem. No one commands Omega's ruler but Aria T'Loak.
LondONEarth (Jack)
The Reapers have seized Earth. Millions are dying. In the face of a constant threat, a small squadron of STG agents have been given a mission - to find and rescue a secret infiltration unit holed-up by Reaper insurgents. The have a secret weapon of their own, however, in the form of three biotics sent to offer barrier and combat support, one of which goes by many names.
ONE Last Gift (Liara)
Cut off, questions continue to go unanswered on the Normandy, but for Liara T'Soni, strange happenings bring some answers to light.
Only ONE Rule (Aria)
Betrayed and carted off like a common criminal, Aria finds herself imprisoned like a rat in a cage, when all hell breaks loose on the Citadel. The Reapers have arrived. Does she escape? How will she survive? For an asari as resourceful as Aria T'Loak, she's more than up to the challenge.
#ONE Fan (alternate character)
The Reapers have attacked the Citadel, focusing their forces on the Presidium and the Council, but the Wards have not gone unscathed. Seen through the eyes of a child, something terrible has happened on Zakera Ward. Amidst the chaos, one person discovers the strength hiding within to protect the innocent.
Two Two ONE (Jack)
On the decimated streets of London, an STG infiltration unit inches their way toward a rendezvous point. The world around them falls apart. From one end of Earth to the other, battles are being lost, but one salarian major has a rather elementary idea to break through the hordes of Reaper troops in order to complete their mission.
A Signal To No ONE (alternate character)
Trapped on an Alliance dreadnaught in the middle of nowhere, with nothing better to fill her time than to flit about the ship unseen, the heroine of this story learns an uncomfortable truth. The problem with some truths is that they can be so misleading, especially when in the wrong hands. If she were going to unearth these truths, place them in the hands of one who could do something about it, it would take a bit of stealth, something she knows all about.
We're ONE (alternate characters)
Reaper troops have swarmed into the Citadel. A volus and a salarian scientist, untrained in the ways of warfare, have taken to hiding in a last ditch effort to save their skins, when the appearance of a Citadel keeper, and the possibility of a scientific breakthrough, spurs them into action.
ONE More Chance to Die (Aria)
Aria and her two-man team make it to a C-Sec landing pad. The plan is simple - get to the Presidium, and get to the Council. Getting from point A to point B isn't going to be a walk in the park. Aria knows this, but the battle she and her team face is far more than any of them are prepared for.
ONE Thing At A Time (Jack)
The Salarian Tactical Group has accomplished the next step in their mission - distract the Reaper hordes long enough to infiltrate the cathedral and come to the rescue of the secret resistance team. There's little time to plan an attack in the smoke-filled streets of London, and no sense in sending out a scout that might not come back. Their plan is simple - get in, no matter the cost.
ONE by ONE (Aria)
Aria's plan hasn't changed - save the Council, and preserve the future of the galaxy by getting them off the Citadel and getting back to where she belongs, Omega - but the route and the players in the game have changed. Fighting to stay alive, Aria, Bailey, and Bray race for the relative safety of the Citadel's underground network. There, they find new allies and a hope to accomplish their mission that didn't have before. But as one door to possible freedom opens, Aria knows there will always be an obstacle.
BackbONE (Jack)
Holed up in a shielded cathedral in the middle of London and right in the thick of a Reaper war, Jack finds herself at an emotional crossroads. One of her brightest students, Ensign Rodriguez, has been gravely injured. Now she must choose - remain with her, fight to her last breath to keep the girl alive? Or do as duty, Shepard and the war demands - get out there and complete the mission?
Control of nONE (Aria)
The Elbrus waits on a distant landing pad. One Knight and three weary pawns trek in its direction. Unknownst to them, someone waits, someone who has crowned himself the Rook. He awaits the approach of the Knight, the Queen and the King who wishes to dominate her, knowing that His time to regain control has come. It has always been about control, for the Knight will soon come to know that she can never be more powerful than the Rook.
ONE Hope (Liara)
The Normandy's senior officers have been called to the War Room. Word from the Alliance has finally come. Has the war with the Reapers ended? Did Shepard make it off the Citadel in time? Liara can no more answer these questions than can the next person, but one thing she knows in her heart - Shepard is alive.
All For ONE
(Includes all characters but those of the Normandy)
Part I (Kolyat, Aria & Bailey, Jack)
Part II - (Ensign Rodriguez, Aria & Bailey, Kolyat, Jack)
Part III - (Kolyat, Conrad)
Part IV - (Jack, Kolyat, Aria & Bailey)
Part V - (Jack, Ensign Rodriguez)
Part VI - (Aria & Bailey, Jack)
Part VII - (Ensign Rodriguez, Aria & Bailey)
Part VIII - (Aria & Bailey, Kolyat, Ensign Rodriguez, LET)
From the Citadel to Earth, the players in the galaxy's war against the Reapers make their last stand. The full brunt of the fight comes to Jack on the streets of London as she fights alongside her former crewmates to lead the Reapers away from Shepard, Hammer, and the final push toward the beam. Deep in the winding tunnels of the Citadel, Kolyat struggles to lead his team in search of the Council while simultaneously struggling to live down and live up to the reputation of his father. Struggling just to stay alive, Ensign Luciana Rodriguez, as well as the injured Major Hicox, Commander Rentola and his small squad of STG soldiers must find a way to protect themselves against encroaching husks as Westminster Cathedral's shields begin to fail. Down to two from a four-man team, Aria and Bailey stealthily traverse the "back roads" of the Presidium, barely avoiding Reaper abominations on their way to bring an end to the Illusive Man. Much will be lost in the final hour as the seconds tick down to endgame, but much will also be gained-courage, love, acceptance, and in the end, sacrifice. All for the ONE who will sacrifice something greater in their behalf-her life.
ONE For All (Liara/Shepard)
Feeling lost, Liara makes her way to Shepard's cabin where one last dream awaits...
