Mass Effect - Against All Odds

by alexander.j.kirsch

Staff Lieutenant John Shepard is a damaged Soldier who lost his family on Mindoir. The death of his family made him feel guilty for not being strong enough. His ships crew is taking part in a full scale operation on the moon of Torfan. There, Shepard faces his ultimate challenge on the Slaver Base.

CHAPTER ONE

Mindoir was a distant memory for John Shepard. At times he would dream of what his life could have been like, who he could have been, and what kind of life he could have had for himself. He could have been a colonist, like his father, or maybe a medical therapist, like his mother. He wonders what it would have been like to see his older sister Miriam get married to the man of her dreams like she pretended to have. Sometimes she would even pick up a pyjak and pretend if she kissed one it would turn into a magical prince and take her to a faraway land, or even see his younger brother Jack become an Alliance Marine. The possibilities were endless, but impossible. Whatever he could have been, what his family could have accomplished was taken away from him on Mindoir when Batarian slavers attacked their colony. He watched in horror as his mother was savagely beaten and raped by two Batarian slavers while he hid in the closet. His father tried to stop it, but was gunned down instantly. His mother followed soon afterwards. His fear became his rage, and he stormed out of the closet, taking both Batarians by surprise. Remembering his father's service pistol that hid in the closet he pulled it out and fired striking the first Batarian in the face. The gun's recoil however took him by surprise, causing him to drop it. He juggled it desperately but watched as it tumbled to the floor in puddle of his father's blood. The Batarian in front of him cursed at him in his native language. John didn't need to know what he had said. The Batarian pulled out a large baton and attempted to hit John with it, but John as nimble as he was dodged it successfully. There were some things his father taught him from what he had learned as an Alliance Marine. The Batarian however didn't know this, and was burdened by his body armor. John however had pajamas, and even though he was more nimble he was all the more prone to being gunned down. At this point however he really didn't care. When the Batarian took another swing, John saw a window of opportunity, and lunged at the slaver and with a hard left hook punched the Batarian in its lower left eye, and drove with his knee a kick to his nether regions. The Batarian fell the ground, the wind knocked out of him and the baton on the ground. John grabbed the baton and raised it high above his head and beat the slaver over and over again. Each blow became more devastating and violent, and the harder he hit, the more his blood boiled. When he realized the Batarian was dead, he felt the ache from his arm, and realizing he had no strength there, the baton slipped from his grasp.

John then fell to his knees and felt his stomach churn. He let loose his stomach until he had nothing left to give. He then saw his mother's lifeless hand, and he crawled to it. He grabbed her hand and nuzzled his face to it, like he used to when he was younger and was sick. Her hand was the one bit of comfort he had, when he felt alone, and scared. The warmth of her hand brought him home time and time again. Sadly though, there could be no comfort found in this moment. Tears ran down his face like an endless stream. Then a scream brought him to his senses. He knew that scream. Miriam. He looked around desperately for his father's pistol. He pushed the Batarian he had shot in the face over and found it. He snatched up from the ground and ran towards the door, "OPEN" he screamed. He raised the pistol yet again searching for a target, but fell to his knees once more. The colony he had called home his entire life was in flames. Hundreds of dead colonists decorated the ground. He was about to lose hope when he heard Miriam's scream once more. His head snapped to the direction of the sound, and he made his way towards the sound. His lungs burned upon every breath and his already aching body slowed his pace, but he was not stopping. He rounded the corner of the medical facility, when he saw it, a slaver ship at the spaceport with dozens of Batarians guarding the landing pad. He also saw from this distance people being carried away in nets. He knew Miriam was among the captives and he had to free her, and find Jack. He could still be alive. How could he free her, he was only 16, he wasn't a Soldier. He had to try though. He noticed a couple of crates stacked up nearby and believed they would provide some cover. He ran and jumped behind them. He then popped his head to see how far he was.

"25, 40 meters maybe" he thought. Then something caught his attention, one of the nets had a foot protruding from it. Miriam had a large scar from when a loose varren gashed her leg. He knew it was her. Without even thinking of what he was doing, because the only thought that came to him was saving his sister, he charged out from behind cover "MIRIAM!" he screamed.

"JOHN! NO!" His sister behind the net screamed. A Batarian guard turned to the sound of the young man who was charging the scene. With his rifle he took aim, but John squeezed the trigger, and this time he was ready for the recoil, and the round found it's mark straight into the Batarian's chest, knocking him over. The other Batarian nearby was also taking aim, and with one shot, hit John right in the side of his head. The world went dark from there. He didn't regain consciousness for six days. He was lucky to have any memory of the attack. He remembers waking up in an Alliance Hospital. A female nurse standing over him.

"Doctor Patrick. Dr. he is waking up." The nurse said excitedly. Dr. Patrick walked over to the bed with a worried look on his face.

"Do you know who you are son?" The Doctor asked.

John said nothing at first; his head was killing him though. He felt terrible, but the Doctor asked him again. "Shepard. J…John, Shepard."

"What's your date of birth?"

"October 23rd 2154, where am I? Where is my sister? My brother?" He tried getting up but the Doctor put his hand on him.

"Do not move son. You need time to rest."

"I have to find them. Please I have to find them." The Doctor looked at the nurse and made a motion with his head. She slowly left. "What's going on?"

"Son, I don't know how to tell you this. We…..(he pulled something from his jacket pocket) the Alliance patrol that found you, found your brother. "He was holding this…" the Doctor held in his hand a small pendent that he made for his brother while in school.

"WHERE IS HE?" he reached up and grabbed the Doctor's jacket, "WHERE? PLEASE TELL ME!"

"He's dead son". John let go of him, in shock, he slowly felt himself reclining back. The Doctor put a hand on his chest. "I am so sorry". He put the pendent on John's chest. John said nothing. He just laid there.

That's usually where he wakes up, and yet again, he did. In a pool of his own sweat, Staff Lieutenant John Shepard was in his bay, with the pendant on his neck. He slowly got up out of bed and made his way to the sink. He poured himself a glass of water and took a drink as if he hadn't had water for days. He receives a message on his terminal. "Staff Lieutenant Shepard, this is Lieutenant Commander Alstott."

"Yes sir," said Shepard very glumly.

"Mission briefing in 10 minutes. Need you suited up and ready." Alstot said. "You sound terrible, everything OK?"

"I'm fine sir. Just a bad dream is all. I'll see you in the briefing room." He hits the 'End Trans' button and scratches the back of his neck. He wasn't fine. He felt like ten shades of hell, and looked it too. The scar on the side of his head and face didn't help his appearance much either. He received a lot of scars ever since he passed at the head of his class during N7 training. He had been on multiple missions, and taken his fair share of scraps and bullet wounds. The one on his head was the worst and he still got the occasional migraine from it. He could have taken his medication, maybe even undergone surgery to get rid of the migraines permanently. He didn't though. It was a reminder of what happened to him, and he should never forget that he is still alive, and while the dead feel nothing, he felt he should honor them by feeling something, even if it was painful.

CHAPTER TWO

Six minutes later he was out the door on his way to the briefing room. He had his full tactical N7 suit with the insignia on his right breast plate. He walked by a few crew members, all of them who stood off to the side at the position of attention and saluted as he passed, he rendered it back to them. He gave each one a curt nod and grin when he passed. He appreciated their respect, even though most of the time, they did it because they were told to do so. It was a military custom and courtesy, and failure to follow it resulted in non-judicial punishment. Shepard had an old school mentality, even though he was 24 years of age. He was one of the youngest Staff Lieutenants in the Alliance military, but N7 training and graduating at the top of his class helped a great deal in that process.

As he entered the briefing room, he then took his seat next to Alstot. Terrance Alstot was a tall dark skinned physically fit man, who like Shepard was a colony kid, but unlike Shepard his family was on the more luxurious colonies in the Traverse. Alstot was a decent leader, but sometimes showed a lack of back bone when it came to issuing orders. Not a bad man, but he never really had many tough assignments. Through no fault of his own though, his father was a Rear Admiral when we were going through the Academy, and his father's influence cradled his military career. Shepard sat next to him.

"What is this all about?" Shepard asked.

"I haven't the slightest idea to be perfectly honest." Alstot took another look at Shepard. "You still look like hell Shepard. Have you been getting any sleep lately?"

"Some," Shepard shrugged. Just then the Captain of their ship the SSV Yorktown Captain Tiberius Morrison stepped inside.

"Officer on deck" yelled Gunnery Chief Farrell. Everyone in the room stands at the position of attention.

"Carry-on" said Morrison. "You may all take your seats". He made his way to his chair and plumps down, a look of worry on his face. "Gentlemen, I have news from the front. Ever since The Skillman Blitz, the Alliance has conducted a "Shock and Awe" campaign against the Batarian Slavers. Many of us have been affected by this in one way or another," gives a quick glance to Shepard, "however, we have just been leaked Intel, that a massive army of Batarian slavers in the past few years have established a large base on the moon of Torfan in the Skyllian Verge. Alliance Brass has sent out an OPORDER (Operations Order) that we along with a good portion of Alliance fleets are going to be heading to Torfan, to eliminate the new branch of slavers in the Skyllian Verge. They are a band consisting of former Blue Suns Mercenaries, and other Slaver bands that have been in operation longer than the Alliance has existed. The head honcho in this operation is Brack T'Gorian," as he says the Batarian's name, his face appears on a monitor. "Sources say he is the leader of this outfit. Originally the leader of their cause was Gormak Vorlan, but after their attack on Elysium, there was a "succession" in the chain of command," everyone knew that meant he was overthrown and probably killed. Batarians do not look lightly upon failure. "Since then, Brack, has made headway in the Slaver department. His forces have increased in size, and they have captured not just thousands, but tens of thousands of slaves. All different kinds of races, but humans have been his primary focus. Why?" he pauses, "Does it really matter why? In the end run, this guy is your everyday run-of-the-mill, galactic narcissistic asshole with a power trip, but he isn't to be underestimated. He was highly regarded by the Batarian Hegemony as a skilled combatant, and has an army of highly trained mercs, and slavers at his disposal." The next slide shows the outpost on Torfan, "From what we have seen here, the base is heavily fortified, and from what we know so far, the meat and the potatoes of this base are underground. The base defenses however will be covered by, 1st Lieutenant Shaw. Liz, you're up". 1st Lieutenant Elizabeth Shaw stands up and fixes her uniform, then walks to the screen and nods for the next slide to be shown.

"Intelligence has given us these rough blueprints on what to expect on this base. There are base defenses that surround the main entrance to the compound, let alone a minefield that is deactivated from the inside, of the base. There are six AA (anti-aircraft) turrets that are automated and fire Tesla grade projectiles that after direct hits can hinder kinetic barriers utterly useless. They are also protected by kinetic barriers that are powered by a large generator located within the base."

"Ma'am?" Operations Chief Linders said with his hand raised, "Based upon the schematics shown on the screen, how can we be so sure the generators are under the ground?"

"Good question." Shaw said , "Thermal imaging shows that since Torfan has a cooler atmosphere, the heat signature is warmest right here in the center. Notice out it gets hotter in the direct center? The heat emission gets darker instead of brighter as the base increases in size. Meaning this generator being able to support kinetic barriers of that magnitude has to be underground." 2nd Lieutenant Marx raises his hand, she nods at him.

"Ma'am, this might seem like a dumb question but why don't we just blow the damn things up with some heavy artillery?" Shaw and Morrison are put a little of ease at his suggestion. Before she could answer, Morrison steps in.

"Son," he turns to Marx, "It's obvious you just stepped out of the Academy, and haven't experienced any "real" combat," everyone knew this was going to be a condescending moment, but someone like Marx needed to get a slap back to reality. "This being the main base of operations of this organization, if we hit the base and the AA guns with everything we had, there is a chance we could hit the damn station and blow everyone up, including the thousands of hostages that could be there. Get the picture? This isn't just some run and gun, this is also going to be a rescue mission. Is that clear?"

"Y-yes sir. My apologies." Marx shuddered in embarrassment.

"Now then, can we continue without interruption?" Morrison asked. Everyone nodded in agreement. He nods back to Shaw.

"Thank you sir. We don't have much more Intel to provide on what's inside as of yet, but you can almost guarantee that their security system is just as advanced as ours. Expect turrets that have motion detection, combat drones, and heavily armed and trained dismounted Soldiers. Based upon the rest of these schematics, the facility runs about ten kilometers underground. If there is any hope of anyone coming out of this alive, we have to take one thing into consideration." Everyone waits. "For those that remember the Sidon base almost twenty years ago, Blue Suns Mercenaries attacked the Sidon base and planted explosives to destroy the evidence. At the time Staff Lieutenant Anderson, now Captain Anderson gave us input. Considering Blue Suns Mercenaries will be involved, take into account they may have a suicide switch on the inside."

"I want to make this clear to everyone in here. If I feel at any time the situation could be compromised, I will order and evac of the base and everyone WILL evacuate the premises. No ifs, ands or buts about it." Looks at Shaw, "Thank you Liz." She nods as she returns to her seat. "Operations Chief Ardmore. You're up."

"Yes sir." Operations Chief Angelo Ardmore stood up and made his way to the screen. " We are calling this Operation "Semper Vigilens". Or Operation "Forever Watching Over". This will be an Alliance operation only. The Council has decided to not take part in this mission for the simple fact that we have the most interest in this operation and since most of our colonies are on the Skyllian Verge, they say it is our problem primarily. So we are on our own. Each ship will have three platoons that will be air dropping in on Mako's and Shuttles. However, we will have Halo Jumps conducted as well." People begin to shudder at the sound of Halo Jumps. "I wish there were easier ways to have squads drop in but I expect heavy casualties on cruisers, and landing craft. Halo Jumps seem like the only viable solution to this. I will be a part of this Halo Jump for this ship, to include Staff Lieutenant Shepard." Shepard looks up. Morrison looks at Shepard.

"What seems to be the problem Shepard?" Morrison condescended.

"Nothing sir. Just wasn't expecting that." Shepard said.

"You're a regular cowboy Shepard, you should be fine in this portion of the Operation."

"Yes sir." Shepard said. Morrison knew how to get under people's skin. Shepard still respected him.

"Continue on Operations Chief" Morrison motioned.

"Yes sir. As I was saying, Team Eagle will Halo Jump in, and then we will attempt to land on the base, then attempt to crack the security, disable the mine field so the shuttles and the Mako's can move in. Until we deactivate the mine field, we will be on our own."

"Operations Chief," Shepard said with his hand raised.

"Yes sir?" Ardmore asked.

"You're talking about Halo Jumping in from the atmosphere of the moon, then expecting to land on a target a couple hundred meters wide when there are six AA guns positioned strategically around the base, while there are also Mako's and Shuttles dropping in at the same time. I hate to be an ass about the matter but the risk hardly seems worth it."

Before Ardmore could respond Morrison cut him off. "What's on your mind Shepard?"

"Could you please bring up the mine field again?" Shepard stands up, "Staff Lieutenant Shaw said these were mines, but it would have helped had she brought up what kind of mines they were." He looks at her. He knows his words stung. "These are proximity mines, obviously a vehicle cannot approach at any angle, however, asking us to jump on a target is entirely too much risk to go for. We have to take into consideration the precise jump we would need to make, the altitude, the descent angles, entirely too many calculations to make in order to succeed. If we are going to do this, we need to be smart." Shepard cancels out the minefield page, then brings up a blank screen, he touches it. "Say we drop in approximately 37 degrees from a shuttle approximately three kilometers from the base. While the main landing force lands from the Northern side of the building directing all of their attention at them, we can infiltrate in through the back," he draws out with his finger a small blocky sketch of the base, then makes small dots indicating mines. He draws the angle of descent, "The proximity mines have a radius of 5 meters. Each mine appear to be 8 meters apart. Meaning if we are smart and careful, we can make our way through the minefield and make it to the back entrance."

"That's a long hike through a heavily infested minefield, also considering if any of those mines are activated, all of them go off." Shaw said very snidely.

"However, should we make it, we could make it to the back entrance undetected." Shepard said.

"What about surveillance?" Shaw snapped.

"We have Mandilow." Ardmore said. "Mandilow, is our SME in decryption, and electronics. If anyone can get us through that security, it's him". Ardmore looks at Shepard and nods with a smile. Shepard returns the nod and smile.

"You're taking an awful huge risk on that Shepard." Shaw said with her arms folded.

"Liz," Morrison said with his eyes leaning on her. "Your plan obviously didn't work. Remember he outranks you too. " Shaw looks at the ground embarrassed. He stands up and places his hands behind his back. "It's ballsy, I'll give you that Shepard. Considering you'll be the one jumping into the fire, I think you should be the one to make the call."

"You did say I was a cowboy sir." Shepard said with a grin.

Morrison looks at Shepard. "Son of a bitch is making me eat my words" he thought. "True enough Shepard." He turns back around and faces everyone. "This will be the only change to this plan, Shepard and his team Halo Jump in and approach the facility through the minefield, then deactivates the minefield allowing access for our troops. Once you jump in though, you will have twenty minutes to gain entry to the facility and deactivate the mines. The Fleet will begin their drops whether you are ready or not. So, this will be on you and your team Shepard."

"Yes sir." Shepard says. He then looks at Ardmore. They both exchange nods.

"The Yorktown will more than likely be the spear of this operation since Shepard and his team will be going in first. Officer's, NCO's if you will refer to your OPORDER's you will find your designation. We will begin pushing towards Torfan within an hour, so prepare your teams. It is a six hour trip to the Skyllian Relay, then forty-minutes to Torfan. Have your teams ready once we are out of the relay. Dismissed." Everyone stands up and renders a salute to Captain Morrison. They all address him with the courtesy he briefed all who render him the salute.

"Till' the Last Man Standing," everyone says at the same time.

"Give them hell" He says as he returns the salute.

CHAPTER THREE

After Shepard and Ardmore briefed their squad on what to expect and after a few quick comments and questions, PFC (Private First Class) Luis Mendoza, a muscular and cocky individual claps his hands together, "Hot Damn. Going after Batarians. Bout to give them pendejos, what they got coming to them. You feel me?" He says nudging Corporal Lindsay Marchbanks.

"Come on Mendoza, be serious." She says a little irritated.

"Aww come on Lolita. You hate Batarians as much as I do. I mean yeah, they creatures too, but they do some shady shit." Mendoza didn't seem like he was taking the situation seriously. His demeanor was cocky and overconfident. Shepard didn't like this.

"Snatching up colonists and other species and selling them on a market like cattle isn't considered just shady shit Mendoza." Shepard said in a harsh tone.

"Sorry sir. I just get a little itchy for some action. I mean these guys are a pain in the ass…"

"Aside from your basic mission in dealing with a few merc bands Private, what do you know about Batarians?" Ardmore asked.

"They got four eyes, big ugly heads and no real structure." Mendoza said. His tone was borderline sarcastic.

"Correct, correct and incorrect" Ardmore said bluntly "It's dumb-asses like you who play too many games and don't take missions seriously that get your fellow Marines killed. Batarians and highly disciplined and they have a very efficient rank structure. Their moral codes may not be the same as ours, but nonetheless the hegemony runs more efficiently than most governments. They keep their operations highly compartmentalized and very traditional. The only real change they have had was when they cut ties with the Citadel Council when we arrived in the scene." He looks around at everyone in the briefing room. "Batarians are highly disciplined and very deadly in combat. They have teams called Berserkers that engage in close quarters combat are brutally efficient in hand to hand combat. Think about in our history, if a Batarian could be compared to anyone in our history they can be rivaled with ancient Gladiators in Roman times. They are a devastating branch their military and they will show you no mercy." As Ardmore droned on, it appeared to Shepard that his anger was building up in his tone. Operations Chief Ardmore was a professional, and he was damned good at what he did. He never minced words and Shepard liked that about him.

"Operations Chief?" Said Corporal Mandilow with his hand raised.

"Yes Corporal?"

"If our plan of action is to sneak in through the back, how do we know they won't be waiting for us? What if they have secondary devices?" Everyone kind of got a little worried after his question. They hadn't thought of that.

"Mandilow, when you go into an Operation such as this one, you have to expect everything, and assume nothing. If you're searching for your enemy, you have to think like your enemy. You cannot expect them to follow the rules of war." Ardmore explained.

"Some species do." Marchbanks said.

"That's because they are bound by Citadel law. All species within the galaxy have to follow the rules and regulations within the Citadel Council. Failure to do so will result in a severe penalty. Maybe even a visit from a SPECTRE." Ardmore explained. He may have been a Senior NCO, but he was also well versed in politics.

"A what Operations Chief?" asked Private Second Class Scruggs.

"A SPECTRE. Special Tactics and Reconnaissance. Agents of the Citadel Council. They are the right hand of the Council and answer only to the council. They are operatives that operate outside of the law, and override everyone else's authority. Even a General in the Turian Military would have to answer to a SPECTRE." Ardmore said.

"Outside of the law? Damn, I want to be a SPECTRE." Mendoza said.

"You Mendoza? I think a Hanar has a better chance at being a SPECTRE." Scruggs said.

"Isn't there already a Hanar SPECTRE?" Marchbanks asked.

"That shit is fake. Blasto is a fictional SPECTRE." Mandilow said.

"We are getting off topic right now." Gunnery Chief Gentry said. "Stay focused people, we have a mission to stay focused on."

"Operations Chief, have you met a SPECTRE before?" Scruggs asked.

"Once" said Ardmore, he paused. He put his head down and scratched the back of his neck. "I was out in the Terminus systems. Around 15 years ago. My platoon was out in sector when we got a call about an unknown entity, something involving people going missing at an underground dig site. We landed on a planet called Tetra III. When we had boots on ground, the campsite was empty. Not a soul in site. The logs indicated they found some kind of device. They believed it to be Prothean. The layout of the campsite indicated that the site went deeper underground about 300 meters. When we went underground we came upon a couple of corpses of the scientists. It looked like they had been mauled by a varren. Their necks however were also broken. One of the scientists had a strange blue glow about him though. Before we had a chance to go in deeper, my Operations Chief heard a growl from behind us. 'This area is restricted.' We turned around and saw a Turian standing behind us. He had enough firepower to take down a small army. My Operations Chief asked him 'under who's authority?' The Turian got into his face like he just got insulted, he pulled out a data-pad and pushed it into his face 'Mine' he said. My Operations Chief was stunned that happened, he got up and was ready to draw his pistol, but the Turian held his hand down, 'I am Saren.' How he introduced himself was cold and very demeaning. We had heard of this guy, and from what we knew, he was an asshole. He was good at what he did. He was the Council's best operative and was dangerous. Even if we had all drawn on him, he could take all of us down. As soon as he told us who he was, my LT told us to clear out. He was scared shitless. We got the hell out of there. We were then told by the higher ups that our mission was classified above top secret by Saren the SPECTRE. All in all, we came out empty handed."

"My kind of guy" Mendoza said. "Dude sounds like a real bad-ass."

"He's trouble, Mendoza. If you see him, avoid him at all costs. You let us handle him if we come across him." Ardmore said.

Shepards omni tool beeped. He activated it and he looked down at his message. " We are out of the relay. Everyone, get your gear ready. I want everyone strapped and ready to go. Once we hit boots on ground, we will be on our own. Radio silence and be on your guard. We can't afford to let any one of those bastards get to us. I'll see you all when we prepare to drop." Everyone stands up at the position of attention and render a salute to Shepard. He returns the salute. Gentry then gets everyone moving and gets them to their lockers. Ardmore and Shepard walk together to their own lockers.

"You seem a little stressed LT. Everything OK?" Ardmore asked.

"I'm fine. Just focused is all." Shepard lied. Ardmore and him have been working together for over eight months. Ardmore could read him like a book.

"Bullshit. I can tell when something is bothering someone. My mom was a psychologist. You pick up on things like that."

"It's just that, we are heading into Batarian territory. We don't know much other than they have superior defense capabilities and Torfan isn't exactly a non-hostile environment. I've lost too many people under my leadership, and each loss seems like a failure."

"Sometimes Marines die. No easier way to put it Sir. You can't save everyone. You can try, but sometimes you gotta make that tough decision. I have."

"I don't really want to think on that."

"I know sir. Nobody wants to though. Reality has a way of rearing it's ugly head, and when the shit hits the fan, you gotta be able to make that tough decision, or else everything falls apart. We'll get out of this Sir."

"Thanks Chief" Shepard said. They approached their lockers, and began strapping on their gear. The jitters were really getting to Shepard. He had been on multiple missions with these guys, and he trusted them with his life. They trusted him with their lives. Was it enough though?

CHAPTER FOUR

As the Yorktown came out of FTL drive, they realized they were ahead of the rest of the fleet. They began to make their descent into Torfan, the ship's external sensors began to go wild. The ships pilot 1st Lieutenant Bradshaw began evasive maneuvers. "WE HAVE INCOMING. EVERYONE PREPARE FOR EVASIVE MANUEVERS!" The defensive countermeasures in place on the surface began erupting out of the atmosphere. Large missiles and plasma projectiles began filling space. The pilot was dodging each projectile as best as he could, but the Yorktown was built for damage protection, not maneuverability. It might have had the best kinetic barriers and armor, but still, it's better to avoid fire, than take chances. He raised a comm channel with the rest of the Fleet "This is SSV Yorktown. Enemy defensive postures are active. We are taking fire at this time. I repeat we are taking fire." He notices a projectile coming in fast. "SHIT" he barely misses the projectile by a few meters. The port-side of the Yorktown took a devastating blow from an incoming missile but the Kinetic barriers held true.

"Bradshaw, status report." Morrison asked on the comm.

"We took a heavy blow from incoming projectiles. Kinetic barriers steady at 65%. I just sent a SITREP to the Fleets."

"How long until we reach drop point Alpha?" Morrison asked.

"If we make it through this sir, six minutes." Bradshaw said. As he said that, his instruments begin to go haywire. He looked on his scanner "Sir, we have incoming vessels. They are coming from the planet surface. It appears more are coming from the other side of the planet."

"Dammit. I'll send an alert to the fleet. Keep us safe Bradshaw."

"Understood sir." Bradshaw begins working the steering of the Yorktown. Projectiles are becoming more frequent and dangerous. Then suddenly the shooting stopped. As Bradshaw maneuvered the Yorktown out of the stratosphere at lightning fast speeds he continued his evasive maneuvers. He knows better to be safe than sorry. As he continued to plummet closer towards the surface he had this weird feeling something was out of place. He couldn't put his finger on it. He continued towards the objective when his suspicions were confirmed.

The Batarians were suspecting an attack from the Alliance. The only question was when. Sergeant Gornak, was on the scene at the Tactical Operations Center in the base when the first Alliance Vessel came out of FTL. It began approaching the moon's surface. "Take it out. Prepare for more ships though."

"Yes sir" said the Batarian who controlled the base defenses. He activated the turrets and they began firing into the atmosphere. He pulled up his monitor, and began shouting orders to the other gunners in his area. "Particle Accelerators, bring down the kinetic barriers, missiles, you attempt to bring it's armor down. Prepare for more ships."

"Sir, the first Alliance vessel just came out of hyper-drive. Base defenses are already firing volleys into the air." Gornak said as he raised his comm link.

"Expect them to come in full force. I want rover teams to prepare for landing parties. Activate the mine field. Ensure the rear entrance is kinetically shielded and have a couple of sentries posted. Ensure they have a fail safe switch to detonate the mines should any of them get any ideas. I want to keep communication tight." The voice on the other end said. "I have Berserkers down here ready for action. If Alliance Soldiers begin pushing into the base, pull back your forces. I have a plan for them."

"Yes sir. And the cargo?" Gornak asked.

"Begin pushing them down into the hold. We can't afford to lose any. We have business to conduct soon."

"Yes sir." Gornak acknowledged.

"And Gornak."

"Sir?"

"Don't screw this up. If the Alliance wants a war, we will give them one." The voice was very intimidating and while Gornak was a powerful warrior, his superior scared the hell out of him.

"Understood sir."

Brack T'Gorian ended the transmission and sat back in his chair. He lit another cigarette and took a big heavy drag on it. He called for one of his Berserkers to come in. In stepped a large muscular Batarian in Blue Suns armor. Armak Serka was known around the Blue Suns as the most devastating mercenary in the business. He had an eye patch over one of his lower right eye. His armor had dents and scratches and bloodstains on it. It was no accident they were still there. On his upper right breastplate he had 1" engraved tick marks that nearly covered his breastplate. 'These are only the confirmed ones' he would joke. Most people took it very seriously though. Armak scared a lot of people, especially on places like Omega, the criminal's paradise in the Terminus.

"You sent for me?" Armak questioned.

"We have Alliance ships coming in. Have your Berserkers ready. If they penetrate the base I will send for you to wipe out their incoming forces. I have a few countermeasures to soften them up for you."

"Countermeasures? We aren't some rookie squad Brack. We can handle a few ground troops."

"Forget your foolish pride. These are Alliance N7 Soldiers. Do not underestimate them."

"Who's underestimating who here? We seem to only work as your personal security detail."

"You do as you are paid to do. You might be the deadliest Batarian in this base…."

"How about the whole damned galaxy?" Armak interrupted.

"Says you." That comment stunned Armak, he hated being cut down to a low level. To him, Brack was just some two-bit slave trader.

"Watch yourself Brack, before you find the Alliance will be the least of your worries." Armak's tone was very threatening.

Brack loved a challenge. "You mercenaries are all the same. You bully people into thinking you are the tough one. One thing you forget though, as a unit you can be unstoppable. Alone?" Brack says as he stands and approaches the heavily armored Merc, "You are about as unstoppable as a piece of sheet metal. All it takes is a few hits and you're broken." He get's in Armak's face. "You do as I say, when I say Merc. You are a leader of one band of mercenary. I am a powerful figure in the hegemony and I have many powerful allies and I have a much higher body count than you do. Threatening me, is a very poor choice." Armak just locks eyes with Brack. "Stand by and await my call. Failure to do so," with a lightning fast click a blade appears and Brack punches Armak in the throat then does a leg sweep bringing him crashing to the ground. Brack pins Armak to the ground with one knee and he places the knife close to his eye, "you will need someone to walk you to your next objective." Armak tries to struggle but Brack is obviously more powerful than he was, and his armor was very heavy. Brack put more pressure on his body, making it even difficult for Armak to breathe. "Do we understand one another?"

"Yes" Armak said shamefully. He had never been bested before in one on one combat. Yet this simple slave trader just took him down as if he was a rookie. He was furious, but he also knew Brack was right. Brack was no idiot. He had a lot of pull in the Hegemony and more than likely had a backup plan in case somehow Brack got taken down. The Hegemony doesn't take to kindly when one of their most successful slavers in the Batarian slave trade. He didn't realize he was a good fighter.

"Good." Brack stands up and sheathes his knife. "Prepare your men."

Armak gets himself up. He stretches his neck and then grunts in acknowledgment. He leaves the room in a fury.

Gornack watches on the screen as the Alliance vessel continues dodging the defensive fire. He realizes this pilot is very skilled in combat and also realizes the turrets will need time to reset after continuous fire. Against one target it seems tedious to waste the missiles and particle accelerators energy. "Cease fire. Cease fire." He activates his comm link, "Trodd. We have an incoming vessel, get your rovers out there and hit them hard."

"Understood." Trodd was the Lead Rover. He began shouting orders to other rovers and they pushed out of the garage and sped out. Each rover had their own sector to patrol. Each patrol has sensors that were sent directly to each Rover. Each rover was also mounted with turrets that fired pulses that were slow in firing rate but very powerful. Each pulse could either bring down a ship's kinetic barriers or knock it off course. Knowing the ship had it's kinetic barriers, if each Rover hit the ship at the right time, the ship's armor would shatter and the ship would be in brought down. His team began scanning the area. Then a signal appeared on his radar. He looks around then sees the ship. "All rovers, enemy contact. On my signal, hit it as it passes over."

CHAPTER FIVE

By the time Bradshaw had any time to react, it was already too late. The rovers down below began opening up on the Yorktown. Two of the pulses missed, but the third one found it's mark. The Yorktown was rocked heavily. Bradshaw made corrections to his trajectory, then banked to the right. As he made his second pass around the rovers fired again, he did a quick barrel roll narrowly missing the pulse fire. He armed his cannons and fired one volley. One of the rovers exploded sending parts everywhere. Another pulse however rocked the Yorktown once more. "SIR! IF WE TAKE ONE MORE HIT I WONT BE ABLE TO KEEP THE YORKTOWN UP!"

"Understood. We are preparing the landing parties now. Give us a couple of minutes. Lose them." Morrison said. His voice might have sounded calm but he was a little shook up. He might have been in multiple campaigns, but each time his crew was in danger, he was put on edge. He made his way to the cargo hold and saw that Shepard and his team were ready. "Shepard. We may have to change your drop point."

"Understood sir." Shepard said. "We can adjust fire. How soon will be drop."

"Now" Morrison said as he activated the cargo doors. "GO! AND GOOD LUCK SHEPARD!"

Shepard nodded. He turned around and motioned to his team. As the ship's cargo doors opened the ship began to slow and get closer to the surface. The ship's doors became so low to the ground that it almost began scratching the surface. The ship's engines continued to slow until it was at optimal speed for the drop to happen. The ship then turned to the left and as it faced the direction it came from the team assaulted out quickly. Everyone took up 360 security of the surrounding area and Shepard signaled the Yorktown to take off as the last man was off the ship. The Yorktown gunned it's engines and took off back the way it came. As the ship disappeared from behind a ridgeline, Shepard activated his comm link to Gentry. "How far off of course are we."

"Six kilometers sir. We are east of our location. If we high tail it now, we can be there in an hour or so," said the Gunnery Chief.

"No need to rush it Gunny. We can take our time. Chances are the Batarians will be expecting us. Keep your heads on a swivel" said Ardmore. "Wedge formation. Landers and Klotsky you two have point."

"Everyone keep the chit chat to a minimum. Take precaution, and remember, assume nothing." Shepard said cautiously.

The squad moved into a wedge element and headed west towards the mine field. The air was very cold and the ground was very rocky. Luckily for them this meant the chances of tracks being left was a very low possibility. An hour and a half later they found themselves over the summit of a hill. They took position behind a couple of boulders while three troops pulled rear security. Gentry readies his Raptor sniper rifle and scans the area.

"I have the complex in site. I see two sentries posted up on the outside of the main entrance." Gentry said as he surveyed the area.

"I have thermal imaging up, I can see the mines. Sure enough each mine has a spacing of 8 meters in between." Landers said.

"Orders sir?" Gentry asked.

"What's the distance to the complex?" Shepard asked.

"1 kilometer sir. The minefield starts at 450 meters sir. Right at the bottom of the hill." Landers said. "Kind of a shitty situation if you ask me" she added.

"I'm sure you have experienced worse." Shepard said.

"Yeah, a date with Mendoza," she smiled.

Everyone laughed at that comment. Ardmore regained his composure. "Can it Landers. That was pretty good though."

"Not cool." Mendoza grunted, obviously disgruntled by that comment.

Shepard smiled, at his team. He quickly regained his composure again, then made his way to Landers. He grabbed her binoculars and scanned again. "Operations Chief. What do you think?" He asked as he handed him the binoculars.

"I'd say keep three people on the hill. One for rear security, one spotter, one sniper. Plant a couple of mines in the area and hole up here. There doesn't appear to be a surveillance camera on the back entrance which is a bit odd, but I'm guessing that's why they have the sentries," Ardmore said.

"Sounds good. As far as the mine field, we will only have one shot at this. We will need to make it quick," he turned and signaled the rest of the team. Landers and Gentry kept watch. " We will make a run for the complex. Don't get too close to the mines. Once we get into the minefield, your omni tool will let you know if you are getting too close. Overwatch will take down the sentries if they spot us. Expect them to have tight communication. We have only one shot at this. Mandilow, once we get in, we will cover you, and you work your magic. Good luck."

Everyone takes a few moments to collect themselves. Shepard gives the nod, and he slowly crawls to the top of the summit and then looks at Gentry, who then gives him a nod. Shepard gets up and begins to rush to the mine field with his team following behind. They kept their distance, but were moving at a fast pace. Shepard looked on his omni tool as he neared the minefield. He felt his pulse quicken and become harder as he moved. Finally they entered the mine field, the omni tools flashing steady pulses as they navigated it. Each time they got closer to the mines the flashes would increase. So far the flashes were steady. Everyone kept pace behind him. The flashes were bright enough for them to see, but dark enough that they couldn't be seen from a distance of more than 25 meters away. Shepard's breathing was increasing, the armor was heavy and made it more difficult to maneuver, but he retained the knowledge from N7 training, that proper breath control even in the most extreme conditions will help your stamina increase, and make your cardiovascular endurance last longer. He kept his eye on the prize and his team still falling behind him. They were tough as nails, and they knew it.

Gentry kept eyes on the two sentries as they patrolled back and forth. He was guessing they had been there awhile. One of the Batarians was smoking a cigarette while the other one had his back to the minefield. His weapon dangling from his hand. He never took his eyes off of them. Landers watched as the breach team navigated the mine field. Her breathing increased and he worry increased with every step they took. They were her comrades and she entrusted all of them. To lose one of them would be more than she could bear.

"Landers. How much more distance have they got?" Gentry asked.

"400 meters." She scanned up and noticed the Batarian that was smoking drop his cigarette. "Gunny, prepare to engage." Gentry sighted in on the Batarian as soon as she said 'Gunny' and he took a slow easy breath and as he exhaled he squeezed the trigger. The thermal clip rattled as the projectile traveled downrange at lightning fast velocity. Before the smoking Batarian could react, the round went through his head. He fell to the ground. The other Batarian raised his weapon to fire, but Gentry already had him in his sights. He fired again, but this time the round didn't hit it's mark. It hit the rifle instead of hitting the Batarian's chest. Gentry cursed himself. The rifle fell to the ground, and the Batarian stunned, stood there for a split second, but then made a made dash to what looked like a terminal. Gentry shot again with his sights in front of the sentry for corrections, but the bullet hit the turf in front of him. The Batarian was almost to the terminal and was getting ready to hit the switch when Gentry took one last breath and exhaled as he squeezed the trigger and the round entered the left side of the Batarian's head and exited out the right. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Too close" he said with a sigh.

"Still got him Gunny. Good shot," Landers said with a slug to his shoulder.

"Overwatch this is breach team, we are almost through the field." Shepard said.

"Roger that Breach Team. Both Sentries are down, you probably have a matter of minutes before someone tries to get a hold of them" Gentry said.

"Roger," Shepard said, clearly almost out of breath. His lungs were on fire.

A couple of minutes later, Shepard's team cleared the field. They made it to the back door. Mandilow although exhausted, hacked the Batarian Omni tool to the same channel the Batarian's operated on. Luckily for him, the Batarian's omni tool he hacked has his voice recorded on there. Possibly as a personal log. He used the Batarians voice and input it into his omni tool. As he was finished with his hacking. He heard the comm channel link get keyed in.

"Rear Guard this is Command, status report," said the voice.

"This is Rear Guard, all is clear, nothing significant to report," Mandilow said as he spoke into his omni tool the comm link had him sound like the Batarian.

"You sound out of breath Rear Guard. What have you been up to?" the voice said.

Mandilow was stumped he had no idea how to answer that question. He then looked at the other Batarian and noticed it had a cigarette next to him. He quickly frisked the Batarian he was pretending to be, but found no evidence of cigarettes. He keyed the comm link "I tried a cigarette to pass the time. Not a good idea"

"Ha. Why don't you grow a pair and quit griping Morlak. Keep your eyes peeled. Alliance ground troops are making their way to the base. Command out."

"Understood." Mandilow let out a huge sigh of relief. "I didn't think that was going to work.

"Good shit homes." Mendoza said with a slap to his back.

"Don't break out the champagne yet. We still have a base to infiltrate. You heard the Batarian, our forces are on the ground. Get to hacking Morlak," Ardmore said.

Mandilow activated his omni tool and began hacking into the rear entrance. Shepard took some more time to catch his breath. Mandilow was working furiously. Marchbanks made her way to the terminal and began hacking into it. She was working furiously at finding out more of the base defenses. "Hold it Mandilow. There is an "Oh Shit" alarm on there. If you activate it , it will alert the rest of the base."

"Thanks. Send it to me." Mandilow. Marchbanks sent him the electronic route to the panic alarm. Mandilow quickly made his way around it and took it down. He then located the minefield and set it to his omni tool so he could deactivate it when told to do so.

"How much time Manny?" Ardmore asked Mandilow.

"Sixty seconds."

"Hurry it up," Ardmore pressed. Mandilow worked furiously on his omni tool. He hit two more keys, then the door entrance lit green, and everyone had their weapons raised at the ready. Mendoza, and Marchbanks took point on opposite sides of the door. Scruggs was behind Mendoza, Ardmore behind Scruggs, and Shepard behind Marchbanks. He gave a nod to Mandilow and he hit the keys to open the door, as soon as the doors flew open Marchbanks and Mendoza threw concussion grenades in and turned back around and prepared for the flash and bang. As soon as the concussion went off, they all bolted into the building and took cover behind walls. No contact so far. There was a narrow hallway that stretched for 25 meters. Shepard nodded at Ardmore who squeezed Scruggs's shoulder, who in turn squeezed Mendoza's shoulder who then squeezed Mandilow's shoulder. Mandilow and Marchbanks both popped their corners and moved in unison down the corridor. There were no obstacles in their path. From what they could tell there were no surveillance cameras in the area. As they approached the door, they realized that this could be the last chance they have to be silent. There could be any number of enemy elements in the area. It could range from two Batarians, to maybe a dozen. They could be in casual attire, or they could be in full armor. They could take them by surprise, or they could be the ones taken by surprise. So many maybe's and possibilities. Too many risks.

"Hold up," he whispered. "We don't know what's behind that door."

"See if you can reach the fleet," Ardmore suggested.

"Shepard to Yorktown, we have gained access into the compound. Request SITREP.

"This is Yorktown, the Fleet has been engaged by the Batarian forces. It's ugly up here, but we are holding. Ground forces are converging on the base as we speak."

"Understood. We will hold up in our current location until ground forces have engaged."

"Roger. Yorktown out."

CHAPTER SIX

Gornak saw the ground forces moving closer into position. He checked on his terminal and saw that the mine field was still active, meaning nobody has tried approaching from the rear entrance. "Activate the turrets. When the Alliance is in range, engage their forces."

"Yes sir," said the turret control.

"Gornak this is Brack. What's the situation?"

"The enemy is closing in. ETA six minutes."

"Good. Make sure everything is ready. The Alliance will be shaken today for interfering with us. They will understand the full extent of our superiority," Brack said proudly.

"Yes sir," Gornak said with a grin.

"This is Hammer Team, we are three minutes out from the base. Expect heavy countermeasures. Has breach team made it in?"

"Roger Breach Team is in place."

"Understood," said Lieutenant Commander Jeffries, he turned to face his team behind him, "We are first wave, we have a high probability of being hit the hardest. Once we clear the danger area from turret fire find cover next to the building. ETA 90 seconds,"

"Aye aye sir," chanted everyone behind him. There were thirty Mako vehicles in all moving in a lazy "W" formation. Just a few moments later, they began receiving fire from the turrets at the base. Turret fire began ripping through Mako vehicles. The one closest to Jeffries' Mako had it's front end blown out, tires went everywhere and the vehicle slammed on it's nose and flipped over on it's end and did cartwheels. The rate it was moving caused it to propel like a tumbleweed. More vehicles were being decimated by the aggressive fire. Overhead a small squadron UT-47 Kodiak shuttles converged on the turrets and engaged them to draw their fire from the Makos. One turret shifted it's fire and began shooting shuttles down from the sky. The Particle Accelerator ripped through the shuttle's chassis like it was paper. Jeffries' gunner in the Mako began opening fire on the turrets but the shielding protecting the turrets was too powerful. They formation moved in closer, and as the first Mako came to a screeching halt in front of the complex, the troops began to dismount and make a mad dash to the building. A smaller turret raises outside of the complex and begins laying down suppressive fire on the approaching Alliance soldiers. The first Mako that made it into position was immediately destroyed by the Particle Accelerator turret. As Soldiers closed in on the complex entrance, a door opened and grenades were shot out blowing some of the troops to the ground. If the initial explosive didn't kill any troops the shrapnel did the rest of the job. The victory for the Batarians on the inside was short lived because another approaching Mako that was also supposed to drop it's payload of troops instead picked up ramming speed and smashed into the doors killing some of the Batarians inside and wounded the others. The overhead clearance prevented the Mako from going in any further, and even though the driver knocked himself out cold, everyone else was still alive. The Alliance troops opened the rear hatch and began pouring out. The team leader for this Mako raised his comm link.

"This is Viper Team, we have gained entry to the base."

Gornak watched as the Mako smashed into the front entrance and watched as Alliance troops began pouring in. "WHAT KIND OF IDIOT WOULD OPEN THOSE DOORS? THOSE DOORS COULD HAVE KEPT THAT VEHICLE OUT!" Gornak was furious. He activated his comm link. "ALL UNITS WE HAVE ALLIANCE TROOPS IN THE FACILITY. MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE NORTHERN ENTRANCE NOW!" As soon as he ended the transmission he smashed his fist into the wall. Everyone else looked at him. "What are you looking at morons? GET YOUR WEAPONS AND GET YOUR ASSES TO THE ENTRANCE! GUNNER STAY FOCUSED ON EVERYONE ELSE!

Mandilow smiled as they all listened in at the entrance team's progress via the Batarian channel. "That guy sounds pissed."

"He has no idea how hard he is going to get hit," Mendoza smiled.

"Alright, everyone ready? Once those doors come open, hit them with grenades. Then sweep in. If you see the enemy, gun them down. Do not hesitate. They sure as hell won't," he raises his comm link. "Overwatch we are going to breach the main part of the complex, Mandilow will disarm the mines then you guys move into position."

"Roger that sir."

"Now Mandilow," Shepard said.

Mandilow nodded, then hit disarmed the mines, then at the same time hit the door to open it, Mendoza and Marchbanks lobbed two more concussion grenades inside and everyone faced away from the blast. As the grenades went off, loud screams could be heard from inside. The team pushed forward and Marchbanks saw a Batarian stumbling from the across the room. His hands over his eyes. She fired two burst into his chest and he quickly fell. Two more Batarians attempted to get up and grab their weapons but Shepard shot them both in controlled bursts. They swept through the room. All announced clear when there were no more targets in sight.

Mandilow found an open terminal and began hacking into it. He began getting a layout of the area. "Right now we are in the security lounge for this entrance. That door over there leads to the staircase to the lower levels, that one there leads to the command center. On the lower levels we have prisoner levels."

"Does the prisoner level have a roster?" Shepard asked.

"Batarian slavers usually don't keep rosters. I can check though," he scans then he brings it up. "There are about 1500 prisoners here. I don't recognize any names on here," he continues scanning when suddenly he sees a name. "S-s-sir?"

"You okay Mandilow?" Shepard asked a little confused.

"There's, there's a….Miriam S here."

The name rocks Shepard. He moves quickly to Mandilow. "Where?"

"Cell block 7B."

Could it be? After all this time? Could his sister still be alive and on this complex? Was it a coincidence? What if there was another Miriam but with a different last name that just had to begin with an S? He had to find out. "Let's go."

"Sir?" Ardmore asks confused.

"Miriam S. That…that could be…..that could be my sister," Shepard said exasperated. In a panic he makes his way to the door to the prisoner level.

"SIR, HOLD ON!" Ardmore yells, "DAMMIT! COME ON!" he said to everyone.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Alliance teams began pushing further into the base. The mission aside from the landing seemed to be going according to plan. Call-signs began notifying the upper echelon on the progress.

"Viper team pushing forward. We are making headway into the base."

"Understood Viper. Keep the pressure up. Behemoth, and Tigershark is converging on the location.

"This is Dragon, we are pushing the enemy back. They are retreating further into the base."

"Roger that Dragon. Hammer team, what's your status?"

"This is Hammer, minimal resistance, we are however making way into the Prisoner Cells. We will need medical teams to get down here. We will be approaching Cell Block C next."

"Roger that Hammer team."

An Alliance Admiral appeared on the deck of the SSV Saigon, Admiral Carlson.

"What's the word on the ground Captain Hackett?"

Captain Steven Hackett turned to face him, "We have teams in the complex. Our fleets have taken massive losses from the defense capabilities of the Batarian Slavers. We have lost fourteen ships and cruisers so far. Our casualties and KIA numbers are climbing but we are making steady progress."

"Good, Alliance Branch wants this over quickly."

"Understood sir. We will have to take into account though that this is a heavily fortified base, and the Batarian's are very good defensive fighters," Hackett pointed out.

"So were the Turians, but that never stopped us. Get it done Steve. If this is a success, you will be looking at a promotion," Carlson said, he then walked out of the bridge.

Shepard blinded by the possibility of being reunited with his long lost sister, he continued on his path down the staircase. He flies past entryways to other cell-blocks, skipping past other steps as he goes down. He makes his way to Cell Block C, and activates the door. His heart sinks as he looks inside. There are prison cells that were only knee high. They weren't even cells, they were more like animal cages. They were stacked four high and stretched down the hallway. He saw humans, asari, salarians, turians, and volus. The cell block reeked of death, and urine. The sight of everything made him sick. Ardmore slammed in behind him.

"SIR YOU CANNOT JUST…" Ardmore's words are cut off as he looks around "Oh….my God in heaven." Shepard moves forward, taking in all of the prisoners. Some of them are so delusional and malnourished, some of them didn't even seem to notice them. There were small bowls in each cage which only seemed to indicate that they were for food and water, but he could tell they were all bone dry. He could hear the moans and groans from the prisoners. He couldn't believe what he was seeing and was so overcome with emotion, he didn't even notice the body in front of him, until he heard something familiar.

"monsters….does not become a monster…..abyss…long enough…" the body said. He looked down to the body and saw it was the body of a woman. Dark hair, put it was obvious most of the hair was ripped out and missing. There were scars all over the body, but one stuck out. It all came crashing down on him. His sister Miriam read Freidrich Nietzsche, and the stumbled words were one of his famous quotes. The scar that he saw on her leg was the same one that she had suffered all those years ago. He threw down his weapon and took a knee in front of the cage. He cried out to her, "MIRIAM? MIRIAM?" He begins clawing at the cage until he managed to grip the gate to it and practically ripped it open. He reached inside and pulled her out. She weighed so little, she just slid right out. He rested her back on his knee and brushed her hair from her face. When he recognized her completely his heart sank. She was missing almost all of her teeth, those not missing her broken or rotted. She had one eye, and the other one was rolled back. Her lips were parched and her nose looked like it had been broken numerous times. There were ligature marks all over her neck, and bruises that were all over her body. She couldn't have weighed more than 30 kilos. She was frail and had obviously been broken all over her body. Her breathing was labored. He could feel the tears streaming down his face. "Miriam? Can you hear me?" she continued to labor her breathing. "Miri? Answer me. Please….it's John. It's me, your brother…. " He held her head to his chest and rocked her back and forth, then he heard something.

"J-j-jhonny…..?" her voice was so faint he barely heard her. He leaned her head back and he saw that her eye was back in focus. She looked at him with her good eye, "J-johnny…?"

"Miriam! Oh thank God. I…Miri…I…I thought you were dead. I…..I….I'm so sorry, had..had I known…I"

"I…" she struggled to speak, "you dead…"

"I'm alive Miri, I'm alive and I'm going to get you out of here. I will take care of you…Oh God Miri….what did they do to you? What did they do to you….Oh God I'm so sorry…..I'm sorry," his sobs were breaking up his speech. Ardmore looked away and leaned against a cage and put his hand over his eyes. Everyone else was watching in stunned silence. Shepard held her again tightly. "I'm going to look after you Miri. I swear to God, I will….."

"Johnny…?" She said sounding so much weaker, "I l-lo-lo…"

"Oh God…..No. Miri, stay with me. Please don't leave me. Miri..?" He begins to panic. He quickly applies some medi-gel to her. "You've got to stay with me. Please Miri….." the tears continued to flow as saliva left his mouth in his panic.

"I…..love….you" Miriam said. That was the last thing she told him. She coughed violently and began to spasm out of control from the instant treatment from medi-gel. The only water she had left in her body foamed at the mouth.

"OH MY GOD! MIRI!" Shepard screamed in a panic. Miriam's body continued to convulse, then she was still. "NO. NO NO NO! Miri? He placed his hand below her head and tried shaking her awake. He tried applying more medi-gel and tried chest compressions. Mandilow put his hand on Shepard's shoulder.

"Sir…I'm sorry..she's…she's gone."

"NO SHE ISN'T!" Shepard pushed him away. "DON'T SAY THAT. DON'T YOU DARE!" He turned back to Miriam. "MIRI? PLEASE WAKE UP!" When Miriam didn't move anymore, he kissed his sister's forehead and put his forehead on the spot he kissed. He was completely broken inside, it seemed everything that was good left in John Shepard died with his sister. He held her and continued to rock her back and forth. The team just stood there and watched as their Staff Lieutenant held his last relative. Nobody said anything for a few minutes. Ardmore broke the silence.

"Sir?" when Shepard said nothing, he moved forward and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Sir?" Shepard still said nothing. "LIEUTENANT!" Shepard looked up down the corridor slowly. The tears continued to pour out of his face, saliva continued to ooze out of his mouth. "We have to keep moving sir." He felt like an asshole saying it, but they still had a mission to accomplish.

He saw Shepard's expression change. His expression went from inconsolable and wailing, to a face of fury. His face reddened and his lips curled back in a snarl. They heard a noise coming from the side, but before anyone could raise their weapons they heard the voice of an Alliance Marine.

"FRIENDLY?" yelled out the Marine.

"MARCO!" yelled out Mandilow.

"POLO! Nice to hear from you Maniblow," the Marine joked.

"Now ain't the time dude," Mandilow said.

"Why, what…hap.." the Marine looks at the sight before him. "You okay sir?"

"Lukes, how many you got left?" Ardmore asked. "Wheres Jeffries?"

"He's dead Operations Chief," said Lukes with his head hung low, "Got hit by a grenade once we made entry. We have fifteen guys."

"Good we will need them. Send a signal for the medical team to this location. We can't do much for these people right now but post guards. Leave two men here and cover the exits. Any idea where the main body of the complex is?"

"Yeah it's right behind us, down the staircase," Lukes said.

"Roger that. Alright people we move in…." Before he could finish his sentence the snarl he saw on Shepard became feral. He became grunting, and breathing hard. "Sir?" Shepard's face was red, he looked like he was ready to explode. He watched as Shepard laid his sister to the ground, and snatch up his weapon and sprang out of the kneeling position and push past Alliance Marines and charge down the steps. "Shit. SIR!" He looks to everyone else, " LET'S GO GODDAMMIT BEFORE HE GETS HIMSELF KILLED!"

Gornak watched as Alliance Soldiers continued to move into through the facility. He was deep into the ground of the complex. Brack stands behind him. "How many prisoners did we move?"

"A couple hundred of the healthier ones. They are in the storage room." Gornak said.

"That's good enough. Get ready," Brack said.

"Ready," Gornak said as he flipped a switch.

"Do it," Brack said. Gornak hits the switch causing a massive series of explosions in the complex. Alliance Marines are seen being thrown off of their feet on cameras before the cameras went dark. The facility shakes and the lights begin to dim, but them quickly return to normal. "Berserkers, move in."

The explosion rocked every Alliance Marine to the floor. Dozens of Marines are killed instantly by the blast and parts of the facility is caved in, burying people within the facility. A few corridors suffer some damage, but only key parts of the facility that were just a moment ago filled with Alliance personnel were demolished. In the barracks area, a few Marines were beginning to recover when a door slid open and Batarian Berserkers stormed in killing everyone still on the ground. One Alliance Marine attempted to get up and butt-stroke Armack, but Armack knocked the weapon out of his hands and as he cocked back his fist and blade clicked out and he drove it deep into the Marine's head splitting it in half. He raised a shotgun and turned another Alliance Marine at close range turned into a pulpy mass. The Alliance Marines were at a complete disadvantage at this point. Viper team leader Staff Lieutenant Pentigrass watched in horror as his team was being mercilessly gunned down in a hallway. He tried to raise the other teams, but felt two hands under his chin and on his head and it was jerked quickly at an awkward angle. He slumped to the floor in a heap after his neck was snapped. A Batarian Berserker stood over him. He raised his comm link.

"Sector 2 is clear,"

"Good, make your way down to the prison levels. Clean up the mess down there. Have Armack report to me when complete," Brack said as he ended the transmission.

CHAPTER EIGHT

The image of his dead sister raced in his mind. Her broken body and the scars over her were burned into his memory. His pain became his fury, his sadness became his power. He rounded a corner and saw two Batarians standing there, without hesitating he raised his rifle and leveled them. He proceeded down the hallway. He rounded another corner but stopped in position, and wheeled back around the corner as rounds peppered the corner he was at from a turret they had in place. Ardmore closed in behind him. "SIR STOP RUNNING OFF LIKE THAT BEFORE YOU GET SOMEONE KILLED, YOU GET ME?" Shepard didn't hear him. He popped the corner and released a hail of gunfire then popped back behind the corner. Ardmore looked at his expression. His face was red with rage, and his breathing was heavy, not from exhaustion, but impudent anger. "SIR?" he shouted. He then took his hand and slapped the back of Shepard's head. "HEY!"

"WHAT?" Shepard yelled.

"GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF SIR! WE NEED YOU TO GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER BEFORE YOU GET SOMEONE FUCKING KILLED!

"THEN LEAVE!" Shepard said as he withdrew a grenade and lobbed it into the room. It detonated seconds later, and he popped the corner and advanced on the position. The team followed behind him, Ardmore was furious, but he couldn't let Shepard do this alone.

"He's going to get someone killed," thought Ardmore. In a way though, he completely understood why. Personally he pitied Shepard, but he was still an NCO and his Soldiers relied on him, and right now wasn't the time for personal vengeance. Shepard eyed a door in front of him and he lowered his shoulder into it and dove with all of his weight. The door came crashing open. A small team of Slavers were caught completely off guard due to their looting of Alliance Marines that lay in a bloody mess. Shepard landed on his shoulder and opened fire, bringing down two in one volley. He followed another Batarian with his fire but is rifle overheated before he could bring him down. He stood up quickly and drew his Hahne Kehdar pistol and continued firing as if nothing happened. The Batarian returned from a down position with a shotgun and firing a Carnage Round at Shepard, narrowly missing him, but hitting a different target. Shepard never saw Mandilow get knocked back as his chest cavity was blown open. Mandilow however, never felt any pain, he was dead before he slammed into the wall. Shepard recovered quickly and leaped over the counter as the Batarian was bringing his weapon to strike Shepard with, but Shepard knocked the weapon out of his hands then grabbed the Batarian's head and began smashing it onto the counter-top he was hiding behind. His grunts became violent as he mercilessly smashed the Batarian's head open like a melon. Shepard didn't stop until he felt the blood splatter on his face and he looked down to see the Batarian was clearly dead. Shepard grabbed the shotgun and proceeded on. Ardmore glared at him, and urged everyone to press on. Mendoza at first took a knee, then closed Mandilow's eyes, he began muttering to his dead comrade.

"Hail mail full of grace, help us sinners now and at the hour of our death….." he was cut off by Ardmore.

"THERE'S NO TIME MENDOZA. LET'S GO."

Shepard continued to move through what looked like a mess hall, when the door opposite to him and his team flew open and a large force of Batarian Berserkers poured in. One of them fired a grenade at them. Shepard and Ardmore dove out of the way, but one Marine from Hammer Team took it right in the dead. The grenade never detonated but there was no saving him. His shields were already too low due to the heavy fighting going on, he never had a chance to replace a shield battery. Shepard flipped a table over and pushed it towards the opposing force. They were only ten meters from all of them, and one Batarian caught the blunt force and was temporarily knocked over and Shepard fired rounds from the shotgun taking out one of the Berserkers at this range. A Berserker attempted to rush Shepard but didn't get very far when Shepard struck the Berserker with the buttstock of the weapon and then charged the weapon and blasted the Batarian at point blank range. He then threw the weapon down as another Berserker made his way to him, but Shepard grabbed a knife sitting on the counter top and parried with the Berserker's weapon and then drove the weapon into where a human jugular vein would be. At this range, shields meant nothing, especially with bladed and blunted weapons. The last three Berserkers that were firing at the Alliance Marines then had their attention drawn to Shepard how once again had his pistol drawn and he squeezed off three rounds at their heads. Two of them were killed instantly, and the last one was knocked off balance and fell to the floor. Shepard ran up and raised his foot and stomped on his face, breaking everything to include his neck. Shepard stood there, grunting and growling. Ardmore assessed the damage. Four more Alliance Marines were dead. He knew there were more Berserkers on this complex and he needed as many Marines as he could possibly get. They wouldn't get far if Shepard continued on in this rage.

"Any Alliance element this is SSV Saigon over."

"This is Breach team. We are pushing through the facility. We have what's left of Hammer team with us. We will need more support. Over," Ardmore said.

"This is Saigon, that is going to be difficult. Every team has taken significant losses and right now we need to recover what we have left. A lot of the elements in the facility were wiped out in the blast. We can try to assist, but right now most of the fleet up here has taken too much damage. You will need to make do with what you have right now over."

"WE DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FORCES RIGHT NOW SAIGON. WE HAVE LESS THAN TWENTY MARINES DOWN HERE, AGAINST AN UNKNOWN AMOUNT OF BATARIAN FORCES. GET SOME FUCKING PEOPLE DOWN HERE, NOW!"

"This is Admiral Carlson, pull it together Breach Team. Get the mission done. Saigon out."

After Carlson ended the transmission Hackett looked up at him. "Was that really necessary sir?"

"I've seen units hold off forces more competent than a bunch of Batarian Slavers. They can do it."

"Those are Batarian Berserkers from what I understand on the ground. That's the equivalent to our N7 forces. Twenty Alliance Marines against an unknown amount of Berserkers? Their chances are dwindled at this point. I'm sending in more forces.

"No you're not Captain. You do not posses the authority to make that call."

"According to Alliance Regulations 7-1 Chapter Seven Article Fifteen, "Any Alliance Officer who possesses tactical command of the Operation at hand makes final command decisions. The Officer of the rank of Captain or Major and above can override the command of Alliance Admirals within reason and if a mission is runs the risk of being compromised. This is my operation, I have tactical command which supersedes your rank. We are sending whatever we have down there now."

"I'll see to it you are brought up on charges for disrespect and mutiny Captain," Carlson very harshly. Hackett ignored him completely.

"Get on the comm and get some Alliance support down there, send word to the Arcturus fleet that we need more troops. This mission got more complicated and we need more support. Make it happen. NOW!

After Shepard charged his weapon and looked at his team. "We are moving out."

"Sir. A Moment?" Ardmore said very stern like.

"Not now Chief."
"SIR! We are talking even if I have to drag you the ground." Everyone in the room was silent. Shepard glared at him.

"This isn't a time for one of your goddamned pep talks." He points his weapon to the doorway, "We have enemy forces that will be swarming this position soon and we cannot let them get the drop on us"

"Sir, we are possibly outnumbered on their turf. We are not rushing into battle with the amount of forces we have. Get your head in the game before you get more Marines killed." That last comment stunned Shepard.

"Who do you think you're talking to Chief?" Shepard said to Ardmore as he walked to him. " I just watched my oldest sister die in my arms. After years of wondering if she was even alive, I saw her only for only a couple of minutes, and I watched as she sucked her last breath, and you have the balls to blame me for what's going on?"

"With your reckless behavior right now? Yeah, I am." Ardmore was fuming.

"Marines. The enemy will be closing in our position soon, and we can either talk, or we can move in on them. They might have knocked us down, but if we don't bring these assholes down, you will end up like them." He motioned to the dead Marines. "Marines die. You said so yourself Chief. Either we fight our way out of this or we die. I plan on fighting, and crushing these guys, so they never harm another soul ever again." Shepard snatched up the Batarian's weapon, "Stay here if you want Chief, I'm putting these animals down.

Everyone watched as Shepard popped a corner at the doorway, and reluctantly made their way out the door. Mendoza closing in behind Shepard. Scruggs, Marchbanks, Scruggs and the team from Hammer closed in behind him as well. Ardmore brought up the rear. He pushed forward and approached a doorway. He activated the door way and threw a flashbang grenade. They all shielded themselves from the concussion, but then moved back into position. They found two doors, one said Storage, another one said Docking Bay and Administration. "We might be able to find some supplies in the storage room. Sweep forward" Sherpard ordered. "Marchbanks, hack the door."

"Aye sir." She worked quickly and efficiently. She wasn't as proficient as Mandilow, but she was good at what she did. She finally unlocked the door when it opened, she was face to face with a Batarian Berserker who was on his way out the door, they locked eyes, but before he could react she raised her rifle and his head cocked back as she squeezed the trigger. There were more Berserkers in the room who then spotted Marchbanks and began firing as well. Marchbanks took bullets to her shields, until one bullet hit her leg. She yelped in pain, and fell to the ground. Mendoza pulled her to safety before more rounds landed in her position. "Goddammit that hurts." Mendoza applied some medigel to her.

"Easy Marchbanks. You'll be ok." He pops the corner and let loose a hail of bullets but hit nothing but a few storage crates. A Batarian from an overhead position with a sniper rifle fired a round knocking Mendoza's helmet off of his head. "Maricon," He popped the corner again and fired another volley forcing the sniper to move positions. "I count six inside sir."

"Pretty ugly in there sir. What should we do?" Scruggs asked.

"Anyone here and engineer?" Shepard yelled?

"Sir. I am sir," said one of the Hammer team Marines.

"Let a drone loose and detonate it when I tell you to."

"Aye aye sir." He set the drone on his omni tool. "Its set for stun charges. It has about three bursts before it needs a recharge."

"No time, just detonate the damn thing when I tell you to," Shepard belted.

"Yes sir. Ready."

"DO IT!" Shepard yelled. The Marine let the combat drone go and it flew into the room taking some fire from the opposing forces. "HIT IT!" The Marine detonated the drone and a small shockwave shook the room, as Shepard crossed the threshold with his team behind him. He swept forward and brought one Berserker to his knees before finishing him off with another shot from the rifle. Mendoza threw a frag grenade at two Berserkers that were attempting to get up, but the never got to their feet. The sniper however out of the blast zone took another shot at Mendoza. Lukes saw what was about to happen and jumped in front of Mendoza to take the bullet as the sniper fired. His head exploded, and blood splashed all over Mendoza's face. Mendoza screamed as he took proper aim against the sniper and brought him down quickly. A Berserker jumped from behind a crate and charged Mendoza and swept his legs. Mendoza lost his weapon and landed on his back getting the wind knocked out of him. The Batarian raised his fist as a blade protruded from his wrist, but he was quickly brought down by a Marine with a shotgun. The Batarian was thrown back and laid to rest on the ground. Mendoza quickly got up and fired four round into it's head, just to be sure.

"Chupa mi la verga," Mendoza cursed at him then kicked him in what was left of his head.

"Status?" Shepard said.

"That's five. Where's six?" Scruggs said scanning the area. Just then the lights went out. Then a barrage of gunfire rang out and a few screams were heard as gunfire was exchanged between the remaining Batarian and the Marines. The Batarian might have had the element of surprise but he was no match to the superior fire power to the Marines who zeroed in on his position.

"Somebody get the goddamn lights on," yelled Ardmore yelled. A Marine activated his light on his weapon and moved to where the Batarian laid on the ground. The ground was wet and sticky, but he proceeded until he found the switch to turn the lights back on. As the lights came back on, all six Batarians were in fact dead. However in pools of blood lay four more Alliance Marines. They swept into the ground and clustered together. They were easy prey, that never had a chance. "GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!" yelled Ardmore as he slammed his fist into the wall.

"Keep your eyes peeled. There might be more around," Shepard said.

"Sir," Scruggs said from behind a few containers. "You might want to have a look at this." Shepard made his way to Scruggs' position. There was a hatch where sets of eyes could be seen. Human, Asari, Turian slaves all huddled together. They were so close to one another they could barely move. "What should we do?"

"Keep some people here to watch over them. Marchbanks!"

"Yes sir," Marchbanks said.

"Can you walk?"

"Takes more than a bullet to bring this girl down sir."

"I need you and Scruggs to stay here and watch over these prisoners. We can't let them out, they'll run rampant and get themselves killed."

"Understood sir," she said as she hopped from around the corner. "You can count on us sir."

"Send a message to higher up, anyone who comes into this room will need to respond to your challenge "Clash" they say "Titan" clear?

"Crystal sir."

"The rest of us will head into Docking Bay and Administration. We are going to finish this."

CHAPTER NINE

Brack was sitting in his chair smoking another cigarette when Gornak burst in the room. "We have a serious problem"

"It can only get worse after that fuck up at the main entrance. What idiot opened those doors to begin with. That completely fucked everything up," Brack said in an angry tone.

"Where is Arnak?" Gornak asked.

"I don't know and right now I don't give a damn. I have fifteen merc's left. How many have you got?"

"Six" Gornak grumbled.

"Six? What your men forget how to shoot?"

"There are N7 Soldiers in this facility still. One of the still working cameras showed on Soldier bludgeoning one of ours into the counter top. This one is dangerous."

"Show me." Gornak walks up to Brack and shows him the footage from the cameras. He sees Shepard grabbing the Batarian's head and slamming it repeatedly into the countertop. It them shows him raising his head so he could see it clearly. "I can't believe it."

"What that a human could be capable of that?"

"No." He stands up and grabs his rifle, "I'm putting that animal down for good like I should have done years ago."

"What do you mean years ago?"

"I'll explain," said Brack as he stepped outside. His men stood at the ready and he motioned for them to follow him.

Shepard and his team continued into Administration. They slowly made progress deeper into the room when a door opened to their right and a cluster grenade was thrown in. "DOWN!" yelled Ardmore. They took cover but one Marine was too late as the grenade exploded and he took shrapnel to the face. Berserkers entered the room and began firing into all directions.

"KILL THEM ALL!" yelled Arnak as he entered the room. He raised his shotgun and began firing rapidly at the Alliance Marines. Shepard found cover behind a wall and began laying down suppressive fire. An Alliance Marine fired a Carnage shot and it deflected off of a Berserkers shields knocking him backwards when Ardmore finished him off. Ardmore rolled into cover and hit another Berserker with Overload draining another Berserker of his shields when Shepard hit him with a burst to the head. Arnak spotted Ardmore and began to charge at him with his shotgun raised and firing. He fired one volley which hit Ardmore's exposed leg, shredding it completely. Ardmore yelled in agony as his leg was almost completely torn off. Arnak round Ardmore's cover and Ardmore watched as his hand cocked back a large blade popped out of position and began to come crashing down on top of him when Shepard tackled Arnak. Arnak's weapon was lost from his grip as he fell, and Shepard lost his weapon as well. Arnak stood up in a fury, "You think you can best me human?" He then took a fighting stance. Shepard charged at him but Arnak launched a phasic net on Shepard which almost enveloped him, but Shepard dodged it and sprang up and clocked Arnak in the face. Arnak stumbled as Shepard follow up with a left hook to his jaw, knocking two of his teeth out. Arnak slashed down at Shepard's arms and made a nice gash on his right arm. Shepard coiled back in pain but kept his composure. "You will make a nice trophy human." Shepard said nothing. Arnak made another charge but Shepard anticipated the attack, and gave him a leg sweep knocking Arnack to the ground. As soon as he hit the floor Arnak sprang up to his feet and followed up with a kick to Shepard's temple. Shepard was mildly dazed but blocked Arnak's next blow. He kicked Arnak in his nether regions sending searing pain up his groin, and then head butted the Batarian in the face. He then tucked his leg behind Arnak's and pulled him to the ground. Arnak however was much tougher than he looked. He rolled Shepard on his back, and once again the deadly blade showed itself. "You…die now…" Shepard held fast but he could only hold out so long. He then used one arm to hold off the finishing blow and with another hand stabbed Arnak in his lower left eye. Arnak howled in pain and fell backwards. Shepard jumped up grabbed Arnak's hand that had the blade on it and then jammed it upwards into his jaw. The Batarian was killed instantly. Shepard panted loudly. A couple of Berserkers that saw this looked up at Shepard and realized their fearless leader was bested by a human. They were completely dumfounded and were distracted so much, two Alliance Marines seized the moment and mowed them both down.

"Status report!" Shepard shouted.

"Hawkins is dead, Perkins is down, Lafayette is dead. We have six more Marines then you and the Operations Chief." Shepard lowered his head as he put his hands on his knees.

"Understood," Shepard's muscles were burning and his lungs felt like they would burst any second. However, he walked over to his pistol. He saw Ardmore still crouched behind his cover. He walked over to him and applied his last medi-gel to him. The Chief cringed but would feel better momentarily. "I'm sorry Angelo. I…" the Chief waved him off as he still felt the searing pain.

"Sir…," he continued panting, "you did…..a reckless thing, but….after all that's been happening…..I think we should stay focused on what's happening now. We'll conduct an AAR later."

"If we get out of here," Shepard said also panting.

"Sir?" One of the Marines spoke. "I hear engines starting up. The docking bay."

"You go, Shepard." Ardmore, "I got this."

"I can't leave you alone," Shepard said.

"You can and you will goddammit. If you don't I'll kick your ass. Get the bastards before they escape." Go. I'll be fine."

"You better be." Shepard motioned to the last troops he had. The docking bay was in the next room, he motioned for them to ready their weapons, he activated the door and the Marines threw three flash bangs as hard as their arms could throw them. They detonated seconds later and screams could be heard from inside as Shepard and his team charged in guns blazing. The Marines too cover and Shepard dove out of the way in the opposite direction. As he did so a loud shout was heard.
"CEASE FIRE!" The firing suddenly stopped. "COME OUT HUMAN! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE HERO!"

"I'M NOT COMING OUT. YOU THINK IM AN IDIOT?" Shepard barked.

"YOURE AN IDIOT FOR COMING TO MY PLACE OF BUSINESS ENOUGH AS IS. SHOW YOURSELF!

Shepard looked to the Marines, they shook their heads telling him not to. Something told him to stand up. Shepard stood up and faced the Batarian. The Batarian glared at him from across the way. The ship had been shut off. It didn't make any sense to Shepard as to why. "So now what Batarian?"

"I had to look my opponent in the eye, before I shot him like a lame varren."

"What's stopping you then?" Shepard asked.

"I just had to also be sure I wasn't seeing ghosts."

"What?" Shepard was confused.

"You don't remember me do you?" Brack said while an evil grin.

"Should I?" Shepard asked.

"You should, I gave you that scar on the side of your head." The words slammed into Shepard. "Aaaahh, so you do remember? I wasn't sure you would. Human minds are so fragile. So tell me, human, did you find your sibling?" Shepard's eye went fire red. "Awww did that little slave whore finally meet her demise. Pity, she was a good fuck." Shepard lost control of himself, he raised his rifle and began firing. Brack jumped out of the way, and one of his mercenaries took the volley. Shepard screamed as he moved forward. The Marines began laying down covering fire. Shepard's weapon began to overheat and almost exploded when he threw it down and drew his pistol firing at everything that moved in front of him. One shot went through a Batarian's skull, another one through his hand. Another Batarian attempted to disarm Shepard but he counted with a blow to his face and Shepard jammed the pistol into his mouth and fired the weapon. Brack then appeared and fired a volley with his shotgun but Shepard saw him and pulled the Batarian corpse to him causing the corpse to take the full extent of the blow. Before Brack has a chance to reload, Shepard grabbed the dead Batarian's knife flipped it by it's hilt and threw it at Brack. The blade hit the Batarian's hand and he dropped the shotgun. Shepard ran towards Brack but another Batarian blocked his path and punched him square in the jaw. Shepard took the blow full force but his adrenaline was running ten-fold. He cocked back his hand and landed a punch to the throat shattering his neck. The ship's engines fired back up as the docking bag doors began to open up above. Shepard tried to get to the door in time, but Brack has already sealed it. Shepard looked down at the landing gear on the ship and ran to it. He snatched up Brack's shotgun in the process and then fire a Carnage shot into the landing gear's components shattering it completely. The ship fell on it's side, knocking Brack inside of the cockpit before he could get properly seated. The pain in his hand was overwhelming. Shepard ran to the front of the ship where he could see Brack and fired another volley of Carnage into the glass shattering it completely. He crawled inside and before Brack could get up, Shepard laid a devastating blow to Brack. Again, and again, and again, he struck the Batarian. "WAIT! WAIT!" He held up his hands. " I AM AN IMPORTANT MEMBER OF THE HEGEMONY IF YOU LET ME LIVE I WILL STRIKE A DEAL BETWEEN OUR PEOPLE. THERE WILL BE PEACE BETWEEN THE RACES. WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE AN ONGOING WAR BETWEEN OUR SPECIES?"

"No." Shepard said. He then grabbed the Batarain by his throat, "I WANT MY SISTER BACK YOU SON OF A BITCH!" He then grabbed the Batarian's neck and snapped it quickly. He then fell backwards and let out a sigh of relief. He let himself space out for a little bit. He looked around on the ground and looked up at the ceiling and then found himself falling apart once again. He put his hands to his eyes and wept once more.

CHAPTER TEN

As the Alliance Marine reinforcements swept through the facility, they found no Batarian survivors. They did however end up liberating what was left of the 1500 slaves that were still alive in the cell blocks. They also managed to recover the 200 in the underground cellar. They began to do a total estimate and triage on all who were wounded or killed in action. The numbers were colossal. For an operation like this, the numbers on the ground were in the hundreds. Although the mission was a success, it seemed as though the ends didn't justify the means. Captain Hackett walked through the area, despaired at the amount of Alliance Marines that were slain. His head hung heavy and he could feel his stomach turn. A young corporal approached him. "Sir?"

"Yes?"

"We found the rest of the Breach Team. It's bad but some of them are still alive."

"Who's their team leader?"

"His name is Shepard sir. He wiped out the rest of the Slavers. Brack is dead."

"Where is this Shepard?"

"He is in the docking bay. He isn't saying much. He lost a lot of his Soldiers here today."

"We all lost a lot of Soldiers here today."

"One of the Marines that was with him said his sister was a captive here, she died in his arms. They said he went into a rage and ran off. Some of them are saying he got his men killed."

"If you lost your relative to slavers, wouldn't you be in a rage?" He continued to survey the scene. "Get them back their ships for a debriefing."

In the debriefing room, most of Shepards team to include what was left of Hammer said nothing. Gentry and Landers were filled in. They were saddened at the loss of their comrades. Gentry was shaken up, but Landers was devastated. Mandilow was like a brother to her, and she took his death really hard. They sat in the debriefing room some of them sipping on some coffee. They were all tired and worn down and filthy from the Operation. Everyone thought that the silence would last forever when Mendoza broke the silence. " When I first got to the unit, Manny used to joke about my accent. He told me, "You remind me of this one movie I watched a long time ago. It was about some guy from Cuba who went to Miami to become a cartel drug overload" what was the name of that movie again?" Nobody said anything still. Mendoza drank some more water.

"What happens now?" Landers asked.

"They come in, ask questions on what went right, what went wrong and the overall success of the mission." Gentry said smugly.

"I wouldn't call that a success," Scruggs said. He stared at his coffee cup and shifted it around with his fingers.

"Sir?" Marchbanks asked. Shepard didn't look at her he just stared at the table motionless. A stranger would have mistaken him for a statue had it not been for his blinking and breathing. "Lieutenant Shepard? Shepard?"

"Yes?" he asked without looking up at her.

"Are you okay sir?"

"No. I'm not."

"Their deaths are not on your hands…" she began to say but Shepard cut her off.

"Yes they are," he finally looked up at her and all of them, "I…I made the call to keep moving, and I got them killed. My own personal vengeance was the overall cause of their deaths. As your team leader it was my responsibility to get you all out of there alive. I failed to do so. Simple as that. I let my emotions affect the mission and I failed you all. I am no longer fit to lead."

Everyone looked up at Shepard, but they said nothing. The door opened and Admiral Carlson entered with Captain Morrison, and Captain Hackett. Everyone stood up "As you were," Carlson said. "You are all excused," he paused, "except for you Shepard. You stay." Everyone slowly began to move out of the briefing room. Once everyone left, Carlson took a seat directly across from Shepard. He placed his hands on his abdomen and rotated the seat back and forth. "Do you mind telling us what happened on your end Staff Lieutenant Shepard? Why some of your men were gunned down when up against a superior Batarian force?

"I won't lie to you sir.." Shepard started to answer.

"Good that will make things easier, " Carlson interrupted.

"When I was sixteen, my entire family was killed on Mindoir. All of them were gunned down, except for one, my eldest sister Miriam. She was eighteen at the time. I thought her for dead. However, when we were on the cell block's I heard a body start to mumble some words. It was speaking Nietzsche, the famous philosopher from long ago. She loved Friedrick Nietzsche, so I bent down and saw that she had the same scar on her leg that she once had from a varren that bit her when she was younger. It was her. I had finally found my sister," he swallowed hard. "She didn't last long however. She told me one last time that…" he swallowed hard and a tear began to form, "that she loved me. Then she convulsed and then passed away. I…" he paused again, "I was so overcome with despair and I was so distraught over what happened, I felt the very last part of my innocence ripped from me. When Operations Chief Ardmore spoke of the main part of the facility where the base of operations was, all I had was one word on my mind. Revenge. Even after all the things the Slavers had done, nothing compared to this. I grabbed my rifle and charged off. I lost a few Soldiers along the way to include one of my techs, and some members of Hammer team. I nearly lost Ardmore and Marchbanks. I found the Batarian slaver who was initially responsible for my sister's demise. He was also the Batarian who gave me the scar on the right side of my head on Mindoir. He attempted to make an escape but I sabotaged his ship, and began to beat him to a pulp. He then tried to make a deal with me."

"Deal? What kind of Deal?" asked Hackett.

"He was an important member of the Hegemony, and he was offering peace between the races. His comments regarding my sister however, sent me into a rage. So I killed him by snapping his neck. So now here we are."

Admiral Carlson soaked in all the information "So, what you're telling me is that in a blind rage you and your team wiped out the rest of the Batarian forces and you managed to kill some high ranking Batarians, one of whom was offering peace between us and the Batarians, just you could bring closure?"

"Yes sir." Shepard said, he never made eye contact.

"Well, that's a goddamn shame. Staff Lieutenant Shepard, I am hereby relieving you of your duties as Team Leader, and will see to it that you are court martialed. You put your own selfish desires ahead of the mission and shown you are incapable of leading Soldiers on the battlefield." Shepard never looked up. He knew this was what was going to happen. "You are dismissed." As Shepard was getting ready to stand up the door opened and in walked a tall dark figure.

"He isn't going anywhere sir," said the man.

"Captain Anderson? What brings you here?" Carlson asked.

"I was supposed to be a part of this briefing or did you not get the memo sir?" Anderson said.

"What memo?" Carlson was confused.

"I am here to be a part of this debriefing, under order by higher headquarters. I was to receive full cooperation from the fleet. Seeing as though that order was dismissed, I believe I will exercise Alliance Regulations 5-27 Paragraph C. "When a member of the Alliance Military is asked to participate in a debriefing and is not included all decisions made at that point in time are hereby withheld until further notice" I'm pretty sure you don't write the Regulations Admiral."

"Watch yourself Captain. I am not in the mood." Carlson sneered.

"If I may sir, moods are for cattle and love making. Not in matters that are important to the Alliance." Carlson was fuming, Hackett and Morrison were getting a kick out of this however. "I am here by order of Admiral John McCaffery of the Alliance Higher Headquarters. He wanted me here personally." Carlson said nothing. "After listening in on what had just taken place, it seems as though, the mission was in fact a failure in some aspects. However, most of these actions could not be predicted. Nobody had any advanced knowledge of the facility. The advanced countermeasure in place proved to be a devastating blow against our forces. Many Marines died, as well as many ships were destroyed. We still managed to emerge victorious. The cost may have been very high, but I think you said it yourself sir "I've seen units hold off forces more competent than a bunch of Batarian Slavers"," Carlson glared at Hackett who said nothing. "Which is true, but when Captain Hackett made a request to send more reinforcements, you delayed. You wouldn't do so. For reasons I cannot yet understand, you made call that jeopardized many lives had Captain Hackett not overridden your command. This wasn't just a statement made by Hackett, but also by the members of your own crew. Each one has submitted sworn statements already. Once this briefing is complete, you are to report back to Alliance Headquarters and meet with the brass." Carlson was completely speechless. He just sat there and clasped his hands together and stared at the table.

"Now, when it comes to issue of Staff Lieutenant Shepard, did he make a bad decision? I think we can all agree on that. Could he have saved the lives of his troops had he not stormed off in a rage? There are too many variables there. It is however a possibility. Did he however succeed in his overall mission in wiping the Batarian slaver threat out? Yes. Even though, he did this for personal reason and not for the sake of the mission, he found himself emotionally unstable. To use the term legally insane though, would give him no justice of any kind. Or to that of his fallen sister. One victim, out of many. Staff Lieutenant has demonstrated in the past the ability to succeed in combat situations and has always been regarded as a highly skilled leader, he made a really irrational decision. This is one decision of many he could very well face in his career. However, we must ask ourselves, not as Alliance Officers, but as human beings. Should he throw this officer of caliber to the wolves and see his fate sealed? Or should we allow him an opportunity, to honor the lives of those lost today. We may never know the different outcomes, but we do know this, Staff Lieutenant Shepard is a man of honor, and to bring down would be like bringing the memory of those who fell down along with him."

"What are you suggesting Captain Anderson?" Morrison asked. "Even if we vote to keep in out of a court martial, the brass won't allow him to stay on board this ship."

"I know. I have a new ship that is in the process of being built. It is of both Turian and Human design. It will be the prototype of what could very well be the future of the Alliance fleet. It is called the Normandy. It will be the fastest, stealthiest and most versatile freighter in all the galaxy. I am going to be bringing Staff Lieutenant Shepard along as a member of my crew." Everyone looked at him. "He needs a fresh start and we need someone who has his experience. I couldn't imagine anyone else joining my crew. Should you accept, we will be leaving immediately afterwards."

Everyone took a moment to think it through. "I think Shepard, in light of all that has happened, he should be given that chance. I say "Aye" " Hackett said.

"Aye" Said Morrison with a grin to Shepard.

At first Carlson said nothing, but Anderson nudged him. He growled "Aye"

"Very well. Shepard, gather your things we leave in half an hour. Good day to you all." Anderson quickly stepped out of the room. Shepard was bewildered at what just transpired.

"Captain Anderson is a living legend Shepard. You will have one hell of a mentor to look up to," Hackett said standing up. "Good luck to you son." Morrison stood up and patted him on the back. Carlson just sat there and continued saying nothing.

Shepard was packed and ready in fifteen minutes. He heard a chime at the door "Enter he said." In on a pair of crutches, hobbled Ardmore.

"I heard you've been reassigned"

"News travels fast."

"On an Alliance Freighter, like wildfire." He hobbled over to Shepard's bed. He took a seat. "Captain Anderson is-"

"A living legend, so I have heard."

"Yeah. I've read up on some of his books. I actually adopted some of his techniques."

"I had a feeling you did." Shepard said with a small grin. He looked at his former Operations Chief. "Angelo, again…I'm"

"You don't have to apologize again sir. Shit got crazy down there, and our emotions got the better of us."

"They got the better of me. You were just looking out for the best interest of our guys. Like you always do."

"And you sir. Don't forget that. When you and I first started working together, you had some serious growing up to do. Now, you have proven you learned some things from me." He chuckled.

"Not so much from how the mission went."

"Shepard. I'm going to tell you something. Not as an Operations Chief, hell not as an Alliance Marine, but as a friend. Had I been in your shoes, I would have done the same goddamned thing. You had a really shitty hand dealt to you, and after all that you have gone through in your life, it was bound to happen."

"And some of our men paid for it"

"They paid with their lives so that we might succeed. We did. You can't blame yourself for every death Shepard. If you do, your life will be a dark place where no man should ever venture." He scooted closer to Shepard. "You're going to make more tough decisions in your lifetime. How you live those decisions are entirely up to you. Just know, wherever you may go, and whatever situations you might find yourself in, just know deep inside of your heart that at any second you would give your life to your men and women, and that they will give their lives for you. That's why we are here. That's why we do what we do, so that others might live. Never forget that. You understand me?"

"Yes." Shepard said. Ardmore stuck out his hand and Shepard took it. They gave each other a hug, "You take care of the guys."

"You bet. You take care of yourself. Send me a card of the Normandy's voyage.

Shepard and Ardmore let go of one another and then Shepard grabbed his gear and then walked out the door.

Epilogue

On board the K Class shuttle, Anderson and Shepard sat across from one another. Shepard didn't say much on the trip. Anderson sat in his chair reading an old fashioned paperback novel. It was rare to see such a thing, but Shepard could tell Anderson was an old fashioned kind of guy. Finally Shepard broke the silence. "If I may sir," Shepard asked. Anderson looked up and closed the book. "Out of all Soldiers in the galaxy, out of everyone you could have possibly gone through, why me?"

"Why me?" Anderson smirked. Shepard nodded. "I've gone over your dossier. You have stellar achievements. You surpassed many of your peers at N7 training and since then have proven to be a valuable asset to the Alliance. You never quit and you never falter. You have made some mistakes, but you always seem to show vast amounts of personal growth. What you did on Torfan while many might seem like unprofessional conduct and reckless behavior, you showed great moral character in acknowledging your faults. Regardless of what people might think of you, you acted and got the mission done. It may have been messy, and there was evidence of serious trauma to some of the slavers, you have the strength that could match twenty alliance marines, and that's the stuff we need."

"So I'm a good Soldier and I get the job done. I don't like losing Soldiers under my command."

"Nobody does Shepard. You however, show great care, and compassion. You have so many qualities that I wish I would have had when I was your age. I see a greatness in you, and I am a firm believer that someday, you will make me very proud."

"I will do my best sir."

"I know you will." Anderson took a look outside and smiled. "Look."

Shepard stood up took a look outside the window where he saw construction of a vessel on a spaceport unlike anything else he had ever seen before. The beginning features were truly a marvel to look upon. "Is that it?"

"Yes Shepard," Anderson said standing next to him. He looked down on it "Welcome Home."

All main characters were created by the makers at Bioware and all credit goes to the developers and writers of the Mass Effect series. All copyright is not intended to be sold for any purpose. This is merely a fanfic. I hope you all enjoyed reading.

Signed – Alexander James Kirsch