Prologue

The Collectors have been beat almost to extinction, thanks to Commander Shepard. Now a new threat poises it's self on the galaxy. The Reapers. They are known to be an unbeatable force, but rumors have it that Shepard beat a human Reaper while destroying the Collector's base. Reapers are bigger than any starship. Most of them look like a metal hand with giant spikes to walk. Where an eye of sorts should be they have an opening for a laser beam that kills you instantly and rips through metal. Commander Shepard is the leader of the defense against the Reapers. He has taken out the collectors and the galaxy now depends on him and his squad to take the Reapers out. The Reapers have arrived.

Chapter 1 "I owe you my life"

I woke up looking at a man. He was vaguely familiar his chin was dusted with stubble. I blinked a couple times to focus my eyes. The man was yelling but it sounded distant and I couldn't make out what he said. There was an explosion and he yelled something before hoisting me up over his shoulder. He carried me across a room. I saw my purple blood drip from my hanging arm. I am an asari. My species is normally blue or purple with special markings on our faces no asari has the same markings as another. 'What's going on' I thought. Two other people ran next to the man and me. One of the others was a Turian. A species with a brown lizard like body only more like a man. They have a man like completion with mysterious black eyes. The other was another human. They were covering us. We entered a shuttle and started taking off as the door swung down closing us off from the wave of fire.

He laid me down on the shuttle bench. I groaned from a sharp pain in my stomach. I looked down to the blood covered Alliance uniform I was in. "Can we get some medi-gel now!" The man who carried me said urgently.

"Shepard?" I crocked out. 'It's Shepard! Commander Shepard!'

He looked down. The Turian injected a sedative.

"You'll be ok." He said as I passed out.

I woke up in the infirmary of a ship. It was big, well for an infirmary, it had nine beds. Not including the one I was in. I sat up and winced from the deep pain in my stomach. A woman dressed in a Alliance doctor's uniform stood up from her desk.

"I didn't think you would be awake yet. The sedative should have lasted longer. The only other person I've seen wake up that fast on a sedative is the Commander himself. Anyway where are my manners. My name is Dr. Chakwas. The SSV Normandy's sick bay nurse." The woman said with a little salute, more like a wave.

I looked down I was in a white tank top with N7 on the right breast. Covering from my waist to my knees were black cargo pants. I lifted up my shirt uncovering my stomach. It was wrapped with the bandage stained a slight purple.

"You're lucky Shepard got you when he did. You would have died without him." Dr. Chakwas said quietly.

I nodded. "Yes I am lucky."

"Do you have a name?"

"Nila." I replied.

She nodded. "You should rest."

I laid back down and soon I fell asleep.

I woke up latter. The doctor was at her desk. I sat up the pain had decreased by a lot. I rubbed my face with my hands.

"Hey doc. can I walk around for a few minutes?" I asked.

"Um,-" she said examining a data pad, "-yes for a while but then come back."

I nodded and then left.

I walked around following a path and almost ran into the Turian who covered Shepard when he was carrying me.

"Oh excuse me," he said side stepping, "We never officially met, I'm Garrus."

"Nila." I replied.

He nodded.

"Are you feeling ok?"

"Yes I'm quite well…is there a restroom here?" I asked.

He nodded and led me there. I thanked him and entered. I leaned over the sink and looked into the mirror. My blue skin looked pale. The purple streak from my bottom lip running down my neck stood out in the light, along with my purple speckles along my brow line. I turned on the sink and splashed water up and rinsed off my face. I wiped my face on my shirt and left. Garrus was leaning on the wall. I gave him a small smile.

"Hey, do you know where Shepard is?" I asked.

"Yeah he's most likely on the CIC."

"CIC?"

"Combat Information Center."

I nodded, "Ok thanks."

Garrus led me to the elevator and I headed down.

Shepard was at his galaxy map.

"Shepard." I said coming up next to him.

He turned around.

"Ah yes." He said and stepped down. "I never got your name?"

"Nila."

"Nice to meet you, Nila." He said shaking my hand.

"What happened at the base, the last thing I remember is the station going under lockdown and I ran to my room to grab my personal items for evacuation. The Reapers came. They are massive, they almost blew me to bits but instead I moved in time to miss the beam but get flung across the room and hit the corner of the head of my bed…."

"Go on, it's ok." He said and grabbed my arm in sympathy.

"Then you. You saved me Commander. I owe you my life. I request to stay and fight with you. I can handle myself and can shoot well. I am a-"

"Ok." He cut me off.

"Ok?"

"Well I thought you'd be happy."

"I am. I just didn't think I could convince you."

"I can and will take all the help I can get to face the Reapers. You will stay in the Starboard side observation room, on deck three."

I saluted.

"I will call you when I need you to come with me." Shepard said turning back to his map. I headed back down and went to the med bay.