[Author's note: I've done a bit of writing and RPing in the past, but only posted one other story. After playing and finishing Mass Effect 3, I felt inspired to publish something else. Now I love the Mass Effect series, starting years ago when the first game came out. But Mass Effect 3 left me wondering 'what if?' regarding a lot of characters and plots. 'Decimation' is my own AU take on ME3. Let me know what you think. ]

-1.1-Kar'Shan-

The growl of a varren jolted Commander Shepard awake. Lying prone on a cold cement floor, Shepard met the hungry gaze of the beast. A chain lease tied around the varren's neck was the only thing that kept it from pouncing on Shepard. The leash was held by a humanoid – in the darkness of the cell, all Shepard could make out was a pair of legs behind the varren.

Shepard tried moving. No luck. He reached down to feel a similar chain leash wrapped around his neck. The tight leash had left welts where it rubbed hard against his skin. As soon as he touched the leash, another humanoid pulled on it, hard.

"On your feet, human!" A not-quite human voice growled. If not human, than what was it...?

Great, a Batarian. Shepard grumbled once he figured it out.

Groggily, Shepard stood up. He moved too slow for the Batarian, who pulled Shepard by the chain. Once Shepard stood up, he looked back down at the varren. The varren growled at Shepard, and licked it lips.

"We would have fed you to the beasts already." The Batarian holding Shepard's chain said.

"But for what you did to us? The Hegemony will make sure you suffer." The other Batarian, holding the varren's chain, added.

"I'm sorry... for what happened..." Shepard rasped out. His mouth felt lined with sandpaper "I had... to choose make a choice..."

"You chose to slaughter our people!" The first Batarian yelled, and punched Shepard in the stomach. "It's too late for excuses!"

Shepard doubled over in pain, landing hard on his knees. The Batarians snickered at the sight at first. But when Shepard started to weakly laugh, they got angrier. The Batarian holding Shepard's chain grabbed him by the shirt collar and lifted him back to his feet.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"It's too late... for everyone." Shepard said weakly. "The Reapers are coming."

Unsure of how to respond, the Batarian instead snarled at the second guard "get him out of here!"

The second Batarian walked up to Shepard, and flung a black hood over his head.