MASS EFECT

REBORN

Commander Calen Hannah Shepard.

Mass Effect and the characters within belong to Bioware and EA games, all I own is Calen Shepard and the odd OC or three or four. I am making no money from this and this is purely for entertainment value.

PROLOGUE

Two and a half years before.

Calen Shepard opened one sleepy grey eye and finally the other as her vision adjusted from being in a deep and contented sleep to waking up. That moment that the bliss of sleep was broken by the thoughts of the waking world. She moved her arm across to the other side of the bed and smiled as she felt the warm soft skin of the woman beside her.

It had been Six months since they had defeated Saren, Sovereign and the Geth. She had offered to take her new friends home, but they had refused. Tali'Zorah had become such a part of the Engineering crew, Calen was worried that Adams might mutiny if she returned to the Flotilla. Of course Tali would have to return at some point, but for now she was happy to remain as part of Adams crew, and Greg had promoted her to assistant Chief Engineer. Everyone adored Tali, even Ashley was over protective of the Quarian, to the point that on a recent shore leave on Mindoir, Shepards home colony, she almost glared the skin off anyone who so much as looked at Tali wrong.

Garrus too had stayed, unsure as to whether he wanted to return to C-Sec after all the fun he had whilst hunting down Saren and the Geth. Wrex, well Wrex was happy to travel along with his new friends and those that had become more than that to him. In fact it was not unusual to see him and Garrus sparring together, even teaching Shepard a few things that she did not know about. A bond had forged between them all, even Ashley had relaxed more around the Aliens on her crew and it was not unusual to see her having a wrestling match with Garrus, and Wrex observing making his usual sarcastic remarks.

However, as much as Calen had grown to love the Krogan, Turian and Quarian, none of them held her heart quite as much as the woman beside her. She had promised Liara that she would return her to a Prothean dig site, Liara had refused to go. Telling Shepard that she had been rather spoilt by the guns, explosions and besides, they had been sent on Geth patrol duty, some of those patrols took them by former Prothean worlds which meant that with an archaeological team from the Normandy Liara had gone anyway. Joker had remarked that you might take the Asari from Thessia, but you couldn't take the Archaeologist out of the Asari.

It had come as no surprise to the crew that Liara spent her nights in the Commanders quarters, and none of them battered an eyelid. In truth it had been Pressley that had quietly suggested they share the Commanders quarters. Seeing as the attempts at sneaking around had failed, miserably. Liara had gone a slight hue of red, Ash had remarked that it was nice to see Miss Prothean expert blush.

Now Calen couldn't imagine not waking up to the sight of Liara in the morning, it seemed to set her day just right. She closed her eyes again, today was her off duty day and later she would be having a friendly firearms contest with Wrex, Ash and Garrus. Now though she just wanted a couple more minutes.

She opened her eyes again as she felt Liara move and watched as she moved gracefully from their bed and cross to the coffee machine, set it for two mugs and pulled a gown around her.

"Did you have to cover such a gorgeous body right at this moment?" Calen asked, her voice at the tone that Liara loved to hear, her morning voice was husky and a little deeper than normal.

Liara glanced over her shoulder and said nothing until she had got Calens mug, crossed to her side of the bed and set it on the table. She perched herself on the edge of the bed, leant forward and brushed her lips lightly across the Commanders. Calen sat herself up and held Liaras hand for a moment.

"You know, we are meeting the Flotilla at the end of the month" Liara reminded her.

"Yeah, time for Tali to return to her people. I am gonna miss her so much" Calen scowled a little.

"She said she would return" Liara reminded her.

"Yeah but the Normandy runs a lot better after Tali's worked on her,"

"That sounds like Joker talking" Liara scoffed.

"He's right too. Tali has a gift for engines, Greg is good, but Tali...hell Adams reckons if the Alliance ever started recruiting outside humans, she would be chief engineer in weeks" Calen let go of Liara's hand and picked her mug up pausing before she sipped it to see a chain hanging from the handle. "What's this?" She asked curiously.

"Well I am leaving soon to join the dig on Ilos."

"Don't remind me" Shepards Scowl deepened.

"Wrex is going home and Garrus...well I think he will return to C-Sec and take up Spectre training, you know he idolises you"

"Don't change the subject" Calen arched an eyebrow.

Liara chuckled a little "Its something I picked up on Mindoir last month, I've just been waiting for the right moment to give you it. I believe its a human token of...affection"

Calen carefully took it from the handle of her mug and setting it back on the table looked at the necklace to see half a heart hanging on the end.

"My parents had one of these. Whenever mum was off doing surveys for Alliance colonial affairs, or dad was off world doing an engineering project, apparently the two half's would bring them both together even when they were far apart."

Liara took it and put it round Shepards neck, lowering her arms around the Commanders neck as she did.

"Oh very smooth T'Soni"

"I try. I did not want it to cause you pain Calen"

"It hasn't. I managed to get them before the Batarians ransacked the bodies. Its all I have left of my parents apart from memories. This," She looked at the heart and realised that Liara's name was delicately inscribed in Asari script on the centre, on Liaras half was her name in italics. "is a beautiful thought and I will wear it until I see you again T'Soni"

"You better Shepard" Liara warned mockingly.

The Asari went to kiss her when the ship was suddenly rocked by a huge explosion. "What the hell was that!" Shepard jumped out of bed now wide awake and was in her armour quicker than Liara could move out of her gown.

++This is Moreau, All hands on deck, repeat all hands on deck we are under attack++

Liara ran through the now exploding corridors, Ashley was beside her, the ship was being attacked by a vessel that no one had seen before. Pressley was dead, killed in the first blast and Joker was trying desperately to stop any more of his baby from being shorn off into space.

Ashley moved Liara to one side, both in their battle armour, as a female crewman flew through the air and landed with a sickening crunch to the floor. Liara visibly winced as she heard the neck snap.

"Tell Calen I am going to evacuate the lower decks," Ash shouted above the screams of the Crew and the explosions of the burning Normandy. "I want to make sure Tali and Adams get out with the rest of the Engineers."

Liara nodded and headed to what had been Kaidans old post to see her lover put her N7 breather helmet on over her black and silver N7 armour, the red and white stripe down one arm clearly visible in the eerie glow of the panel light. Liara could feel the waves of anger emitting from the Commander like a barely suppressed Tsunami, her crew were dying and they were under attack from whatever the hell that ship was.

Coming out from Shepards quarters, Liara had caught a glimpse of it as she had gone to the CIC. It was like a living gigantic tube of flesh, its sheer size should have stopped it from making the turns it made to keep the Normandy in its sights, despite Jeff's skill, no ship could have done that, but then again, that was disproved with Sovereign 6 months ago.

"Shepard, will the alliance get here?" Liara asked, catching a crewman as he stumbled and letting him go to help others.

"They damn well better" Calens voice was dark, the last time it had sounded like that was when she had faced Saren for the last time.

An explosion rocked through the canteen and Liara lost her footing, Shepard caught her and held onto her for a moment or two longer than was necessary.

"I need you to co-ordinate with Ashley and Wrex, and get the crew to the escape pods" Shepard told her.

Liara grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out a small fire near them "Jokers still on the bridge, he's not leaving, and neither am I" The Asari sounded defiant, she was not leaving Shepard ever, she had already made her mind up about that one.

Calen grabbed the fire Extinguisher and moved back "I will get Joker, you just get the crew off the Normandy"

"Shepard!"

Calen stopped by the remains of the Medbay and turned a little, her voice heavy with sorrow

"Please Liara, now!"

"Aye Aye Ma'am" Liara had every faith that her woman would get back to her, and ran off to do as her lover and her Commander ordered.

Liara ran through the Normandy to the Escape shuttles. Garrus came up carrying Tali who had broken her leg in a fall from one of the upper ducts, Wrex was helping Ashley walk Adams and Chakwas.

"Everyone in come on go go go" Liara yelled at everyone in the Escape bay, as soon as they were in and she heard the locks on all the escape pods lock she jumped into her one, the door behind her swished shut and her harness fell over her shoulders.

"Where's Calen?" Wrex asked.

"Going to get Joker" Liara forced her voice to remain steady.

"There's a evac tube on the bridge" Ashley assured them "She'll get Joker and join us then"

Karin got Tali comfortable then sat in her seat, just as her harness came down, she held Tali's hand as the pressure of the pods rush from the tube forced them all back into their seats the lights from the launch tube suddenly vanished to be replaced by the black ocean beyond and, like the surviving crew, they could only watch as the vessel sliced through the Normandy leaving her dead in the water.

Joker was stubborn, Calen thought, in fact she had always known Joker was a stubborn arse, he had no respect for authority, except Anderson, Hackett and herself, but his stubbornness now was bordering on reckless.

"Joker come on!" Calen was loosing her patience.

She understood his feelings, she would give anything to save the Normandy herself, but even she could see that the girl was dead.

"No, I can still save her, dammit Calen, I can still save the Normandy!" Joker insisted.

Calen put her hand on his arm, a little too hard, but it made him wince and look at her "The Normandy is dead Joker, there is no way she is coming back from this, half of her is floating debris, Engineering is gone. Tali and Adams barely ejected the drive core saving your arse. Dying is not going to bring her or the dead crew back!"

Joker looked at his Commander and finally relented. However just as she helped him up and into the escape pod he shouted a warning to Shepard, the alien was coming around for another attack. He could only watch as the beam cut through what remained of the bridge like a knife through butter.

"SHEPARD NO!" Joker screamed as the explosion sent Calen flying out through the gaping hole behind her. Shepard looked at Joker through her helmet visor.

"Goodbye Jeff" She muttered and slammed her hand on the release button, sending him to safety as her ship exploded into its final death throws before disintegrating around her and finally the alien vessel moved away.

Liara slammed her hand against the Tube window as Shepards figure seemed to look around her and look right at her, then grab at her air tubes as a piece of floating debris sliced through her suits air filters. She screamed Shepards name, causing Garrus, Wrex and Ashley to move to her side. Wrex wanted to get out there, he knew that he would survive long enough to bring his friends home, that was why Krogans had redundant nervous systems, not to mention his armour would be enough to get him there.

He was about to do just that but as he watched he slumped, Calen had been caught up in the planets gravitational pull and was too far, too far for him to reach her in time. Ashley closed her eyes and muttered a prayer, Tali's hand on her shoulder, if they could see her face they'd have seen a wide eyed, open mouthed young woman crying as she sat watching the death of her friend with a horrible hollow feeling in her chest.

Wrex and Garrus were beside Liara but, like the crying screaming Asari, all they could do was watch as Calen Shepard, Saviour of the Citadel, Guardian of the Council and the first Human Spectre vanished into the afterlife, alone.