The year is 2164, seven years have passed since the First Contact War and twelve before the Skyllian Blitz.

Blake Miller begins running down the hallway of the hospital

panting "Hold on Miranda, I'm almost there. I won't be late." He hears screaming coming from down the hallway and looks for the room its coming from.

"Dammit...which room. Ah, here it is." He bursts through the door to see his wife "Blake!" she cries out to him. Her hair glistening in the light of the hospital room and sweat rolls down her face. "Look." she begins to uncover a newborn baby. Blake walks up to her with tears beginning to well up in his vision. "He's so beautiful." he says. He looks at the baby, his new born baby boy and all he can do is take in every detail of the boy. He notices how much his face . "I'm sorry I missed it" he says as he looks at his wife. Miranda looks at him with kind eyes...the eyes he fell in love with. As he looks at her more and more all he can think about is the day they met. It was a routine service check for his skycar, he walked into the mechanic's garage and began searching for the owner.

As he was searching he felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned around to see a woman standing behind him. She mistook him for the mechanic and they both laughed when he told her otherwise. Now he's looking at her and he feels the same joy he felt when she said 'I do' "Its okay...I love you." she says. Blake looks at her and kisses her forehead "I love you too." he looks at his newborn son and begins to feel both a sense of pride for creating such a beautiful creature, and worry as this is he and Miranda's first child together.

He looks at the baby, his new born baby boy and all he can do is take in every detail of the boy. He notices how much his face resembles his own, from his blonde hair to his baby blue eyes. He continues looking at his newborn son until eventually he decides on a name.

"Ethan...". Miranda looks at Blake, and then their son "Ethan."

18 years later, the year is 2182. The Skyllian Blitz has since come and gone, Commander Shepard single handedly held off an entire enemy platoon on her own and has since been rewarded for her bravery. The day after the anniversary of the attack a now 18 year old Ethan awakes to find he is almost late for class on the final day before his graduation a week from now.

I wake up and look at the time "Oh shit!!!" I exclaim as I hurridly begin to grab my uniform and text books. "I'm late!!" I run down the hallway through the kitchen and toward the door but something stops me. "Where do you think you're going?" The voice calls out "I'm gonna be late to class. Its the last day before graduation." I say in a weary tone. I begin to start sweating when I hear footsteps coming toward me.

"You didn't seem to care about being late for curfew last night. Why should you care about being late for class?" The voice calls out.

"But dad if I'm late for class I won't be able to go to the graduation ceremony."

My father puts his hand on my shoulder "What happened? Freddy keep you out later than expected?"

I turn around "Yeah...we were out looking for parts for his dad's shuttle. We were planning on taking it down to the coast over summer break."

He frowns and looks at me "When were you planning on telling me this?"

I'm starting to get impatient "Dad I have to get going."

He looks at me again, his eyes filled with both love...and worry. "Ethan, you're already late so let me talk to you. You're mother and I are worried about you." when he said that I shake his hand off my shoulder and leave for school.

I'm already late enough...I just hope I can make it before the first class starts.

Luckily I manage to make it to my first class on time and my day goes on fairly normal. I start walking toward the cafeteria as the lunch bell rings when suddenly...

"Ethan!" Freddy Martinez, my best friend spots me and starts walking to me

"Whats the matter Ethan? You look like you had a rough morning."

"I wouldn't call it rough." I say as Freddy and I find a table and sit down "My dad saw me and tried to start the whole 'You're mother and I are worried about you' talk and I just left before I had to listen to it."

Freddy and I grab our lunch from the service mech passing out trays. "You think he knows? About you wanting to enlist?"He asks hesitant on what to think.

"I don't know...maybe." I say

My parents are both career millitary, my father is a Marine and mom...mom is a fighter pilot. Its not like my parents being in the Alliance isn't well known, on Elysium basically everyone has been enlisted one way or another.

My father has always told me that he doesn't want me to enlist, he says its too dangerous. Its not like I don't know that but...I want to do something with my life other than just live.

I want to see what the galaxy has to offer, I want to be able to tell my kids one day that I fought to protect them. Ever since I was a kid I wanted to be a marine since my dad was always telling me stories about all the places he'd been. Pallevan, Sur'Kesh, and even some colonies near the Terminus systems just to name a few.

"Even if he does its not gonna stop me. How did your parents react when they found out you were enlisting?"

We finish eating our lunch and he starts talking "Well my old man wasn't to thrilled when he found out. Once he calmed down and heard about it from my point of view he warmed up to the idea. He has a whole going away party planned for when i ship out for basic and everything."

We start walking toward the courtyard after we eat and sit down on a bench near the door. "I just hope my dad understands why I haven't told him." I say

as I put my hands over my face.

Freddy starts talking but the class bell rings and we stand up to go back to class. "Keep in touch alright."

I start walking toward my next class "I will."

After the last bell rings I start walking home to face the inevitable verbal thrashing I'll get for not only missing curfew, but also shrugging off my dad's attempt to talk to me but, when I got home the only thing I saw was...

"What are the police doing at my house?"

I walk inside to find a Millitary Police officer from the Alliance base talking to my mother.

"Mom, whats going on?" I ask. My mother is sitting in the living room in tears and when she sees me she stands up and runs to me with tears in her eyes

"Its your father sweety, hes...hes gone."

I'm confused "What do you mean gone?"

The officer stood up "I'm sorry son." He said. I'm starting to lose my patience

"Who the hell are you?! Wheres my dad?!" I yell

He walks over to me and places his hand on my shoulder "There was a robbery at the local goods shop. Your father attempted to stop it. Sadly he was shot and died from his wounds shortly after."

Died? But...but my dad can't die he's he's supposed to see me graduate. He just can't die, not like this. I look up at my mom while tears are starting to stream down my face

"Mom...tell me this, tell me its not true."

She looks at me with tears in her eyes. "I wish it wasn't...but it is."

She breaks down and starts screaming. I take her and hold her close until she calms down. I flinch at the thought of what my last conversation with my dad. He just wanted to help me and I shrugged him off like it was nothing.

He probably thought I hated him. I wish I could've said something to him, just to tell him I loved him. The officer looks at me and sits my mother and I in the living room.

"Blake came to my office last week, he gave me this and told me to give it to you when the time was right."

He opens his Omni-tool and it opens a vid on the screen in the wall. It shows my dad sitting in his office. Seeing his face makes my chest feel like it's about to split open. My mother breaks down again once my dad starts talking in the vid.

"I'm not really sure what to say here, I don't do these very often so I guess I'm gonna just get right into it. Miranda, I know our anniversary is coming up so that's part of the reason I'm even doing this."

Just hearing his voice hurt. I want to turn it off so I stand up, the officer stops me.

"Wait, theres a part in here for you too. He wanted me to play it for you." He speeds up the vid until it stops on the part he mentioned.

"Ethan...my boy, I know you and I don't always see eye to eye but I just want you to know that no matter what I love you with all my heart. Even thought you always try to hide things from your mother and I, we know you plan on enlisting after graduation. I know you're going out with Freddy tonight so I'll talk to you about this in the morning but incase I don't, I support what ever decision you make. I know you'll make a damn fine marine, you're a Miller, its in your blood to be in the Alliance. I love you son."

The vid cuts out after that and I sit back down and look at my mother

"You knew?"

She looks at me with tears still rolling down her face and nods

"We did. you had the same look on your face your father had when he enlisted."

The officer stands up "I think its about time I left. Mrs. Miller I'll leave the vid with you for when you want to watch it later on."

My mother and I walk him to the door and after he leaves we sit in the living room for hours just watching the vid looking at my dads face.

Graduation comes and goes, without my dad it feels like a waste of time. Seeing all these happy faces and smiles just makes me want to puke. The only good thing about it all is the smile on my mother's face when my name is called to grab my diploma. Afterwards Freddy comes up to my mom and I.

"Hey Ms. Miller...I'm sorry about your husband."

My mom smiles and hugs Freddy and his dad when he walks up.

"Thank you Freddy. I know if he was here, he'd be smiling at the fact you and Ethan graduated together."

I smile "He probably would've started cheering when I started walking up."

We laugh until my mother lookz at Freddy and I

"Any news on when you boys would be shipping out?"

The day my dad died was the last day of classes before graduation...luckily it gave my mom and I a week to grieve, his funeral luckily has already come and gone.

"We should be heading out early tomorrow morning."

Freddy says trying to break the silence.

My mom looks at both of us with a smile on her face "Do you know where you're going yet?"

Freddy and I both enlisted in the Alliance Marine Corps, but with all the enlisting being done especially with all the tension between the Turians and the Alliance nobody would be surprised if that tension turned into a powder keg. That all means that Freddy and I aren't going to be shipped to the same training facility. I will be going to Earth for basic while Freddy will be going to Jump Zero.

"I just hope you two are gonna be okay." my mom says while wiping tears from her face. "Don't worry mom, we'll be fine." I say trying to reasure her

The next morning I wake up as early as I can and meet Freddy outside my house since we are leaving at the same time. My mom and I both said our goodbyes last night so luckily I don't have to wake her up. I walk out with my bags and luggage and put them in the back. Freddy's skycar

"Thanks for the ride." I say as I get in.

"Not a problem man." He says as he starts the long drive to the Alliance hanger bay.

On the way there we pass the Memorial for the people who died during the Bllitz 6 years ago.

"Hey wasn't it near here where that marine held those Batarians off by herself? What was her name...? Shepard right?" I ask trying to make conversation.

"Oh yeah...it was right here. I wish we had time to stop, I'd love to get some pictures." sayz Freddy as he glances at the memorial.

The ride to the hangar bay is pretty uneventful after that...we try to make conversation recalling things we did when we were still kids but the only thing on Freddy's mind is getting to the hangar before we missed our shuttles.

I'll make you proud dad...I promise you that.

That's the only thing on my mind as we start getting closer and closer to the hangar. Once we finally arrive we get out of the skycar amd grab our luggage. Freddy walks up to me and sets his bag down

"Don't worry man...I know he'd be proud." he pulls me close and we hug.

"Thanks man." I say trying not to drop my bags.

Freddy looks at ne after letting go. "Who knows, maybe the next time we see eachother you'll have to call me sir."

He says with a big grin on his face.

"Not on your life." I say with a slight laugh in my voice.

We both pick up our bags, say our goodbyes and board our shuttles. The next few days are mostly spent getting to know the people that would be in my squad.

First there is Lance Thomas, he had about as much bigotry in his mind as there were bones in his body, he's slightly shorter than most people with long scruffy brown hair and a face that just screams 'fuck off' from what I understand he lost his sister during the First Contact War.

Next there is Aaron James, an absolute mountain of a man with a short beard and red hair that looks like he keeps them well trimmed who grew up on Elysium just like me. His family raised him farther down south than me. He luckily is a bit more open minded when it comes to aliens.

Lastly there is Jason Page, your basic self entitled rich boy with a face that you just want to hit, and a voice that makes you hate him more and more with every word.

Our days are spent shooting the breeze and talking about why we enlisted. Our nights are spent looking at vids of Alliance highlights from First Contact.

I'm laying down in my bunk looking at old pictures my mom sent me.

"Whose that?" I hear a voice coming from below my bunk.

I look down to see Page looking at my Omni-tool.

"You gonna answer me or just stare at me?"

I shake my head a bit and answer "My parents."

He looks a bit more at the picture on my Omni-tool

"They still back home?" He asked.

I start thinking about the vid my dad made and start to turn off the tool.

"My mom is." I say

"What about your dad?" Page asks.

I look down and Page starts to speak "He dead? You mind me asking how?"

"He was shot...trying to stop a robbery."

Just saying the words feels like I'm about to snap. At this point its been little over 10 days since he died.

"Sounds like it could've been avoided." He says as he goes back down to his bunk.

I'm confused...avoided how? "What does that mean? Avoided how?" I ask.

He looks at me with that smug look that never leaves his face and says

"Well if he just gave them what they wanted and stayed out of their way instead of playing hero like an idiot he'd still be alive."

I jump out of my bunk and get in his face "One more word Page...and I'll make you regret it. My father fought in the First Contact War, hes a hero, unlike your father. While My father was on the front lines during the Skyllian Blitz yours was cowering in his private shuttle huddled in a puddle of his own filth."

Page proceeds to get in my face.

"Don't be upset because my father can afford a private shuttle. I bet you've never even seen what a private shuttle looks like. I see whats going on. You're jealous of the fact that I still have a father to go back to while yours is just another corpse in the ground just waiting for the worms to eat away at it."

Without thinking I pinn him against the wall by his throat and begin squeezing with one hand and punching him in his smug face with the other.

"Hey hey knock if off!!!" James comes running from his bunk and pulls me off of Page.

Page proceeds to jump over James and lands a shot to my eye before Thomas was able to hold him back.

"Let me go James!! He's a dead man!!" I scream while trying to fight my way toward Page and shut him up for good. Nobody says that about my father and gets away with it...nobody. James holds me against the wall behind my bunk while Thomas holds Page against his. The yelling is loud enough that it wakes the entire room from their bunks.

Over the course of the next few days until we reached Earth, Page is moved to a different bunk area since he instigated the fight. Once we arrive on Earth and begin our training, our drill instructor: Gunnery Sergant Loomis catches wind of what happened between Page and I and makes us spar to settle our diffefences. He hands us both a full set of sparring gear and escorts us to the courtyard where the sparring matches take place.

"You two are here to settle your differences in a good old fashioned sparring match." He says while walking to the two of us.

He hands what looks like a giant padded staff to each of us and puts us in the center of a giant circle carved into the ground. I look at Page and the one thing on my mind is making sure he never dissrespects my family again.

"Hope you boys are ready, because you are not leaving until one of you backs down and admits who the better man is."

Sergant Loomis says as he walks out of the circle.

I'll show that smug prick why I'm the better man. No matter what happens he'll admit it. Page looks at me and shows the grin that causes me to grit my teeth

"Just don't cry home back to mommy when I spank you in front of the Sergant Miller."

"Be sure to have your father buy you a new skycar to make up for the embarresment of having your ass kicked." I say showing Page a smug grin of my own

Sergant Loomis' voice echoes through the courtyard

"That's enough talk now get to it. I don't have the time or patience to sit here and listen to you trade insults."

Page sprints to me as fast as he can, he almost catches me off guard but luckily I'm no stranger to fighting, dad would wake me up and teach me to box every morning because he heard about some kid giving me a hard time at school. I've never had a hard time defending myself since. I side step Page and attempt to hit him in the back. He catches himself and swings the sparring staff, I wasn't expecting him to be able to do that. I block his swing and get some distance between us.

"Try again money bags." I say as I gesture for him to come to me "Wanna try again?"

He gets closer to me, this time he takes his time and doesn't charge right at me. I swing my staff aiming for his chest, he blocks it and sweeps my feet from underneath me. I try to stand right back up but he puts his staff to my chest to keep me down.

"How's that for trying Miller? What's the matter, daddy never teach you to watch your footing in a fight?" He says standing over me with a grin running across his face

I knock his staff back with mine and spring to me feet.

"My dad taught me the value knowing how your opponent thinks." I say as I try to circle around Page.

He swings his staff, I duck underneath it and move closer to him staying low. He tries to kick me in the face, I catch his leg with my arm wrapping it around and hit his other leg with my staff knocking him off balance.

Page stands back up and knocks me back. He jumps up and knees me square in the mouth which causes me to fall backward. Once I land he jumps on top of me and tries to keep me off my feet. His first punch gets caught but the second lands on my jaw. He punches me again and again until he gets careless and doesn't pay enough attention to my legs.

I manage to kick him in the back of the head and while he's dazed I throw him off of me. Once I'm back on my feet I throw the staff to the ground realizing it'll just hold me back. I spit the blood out of my mouth and wipe it out of my eyes. I bring my hands up and get into a boxing stance

"That the best you can do?!" I say as I spit more blood out of my mouth "Bring it on!" I yell

Page swings his staff, this time I catch it. I yank it towards me and punch him in his smug face. He doubles back and tries another swing, I duck down and uppercut him. When I stand back up he knees upward hoping to hit my midsection, I block it by connecting with a knee of my own which lands directly in his stomach. He kneels down holding his ribs

"You done?" I ask, not letting my guard down.

Page grabs his staff and starts swinging it wildly "Never!!" He screams as I either duck underneath or block each swing.

Eventually he tires out and swings again hoping to hit me. I catch it but right as I do he lands a kick to my leg causing me fall to a knee. Page swings his staff again, hitting right across my face sending me to the grassy pavement. He stands over me panting and clutching his ribs.

"Stay down Miller, and admit that I'm the better man!" He exclaims as he sees me trying to get back up

He kicks me in the stomach, I fall back down.

"Stay down!!" He screams again

I can't stay down, if I do...I'd be doing the one thing dad told me never to do in a fight. He always told me to get back up, no matter how hard I got hit. I have to fight through the pain, dad would. Page tries to kick me again, I catch his foot as I stand back up

"Not this time." I say as I throw his foot down and land one more clean punch to his face, knocking him out cold.

"No...you stay down." I say as I spit more blood on the ground.

Sergant Loomis walks up to me while I try to catch my breath

"I've seen plenty of spars in my time but...that was a doosey." He says as he extends his hand to help me up

"Thank you sir." I say as he helps me up

My sparring match with Page earned me a bit of a reputation. Loomis says that since I showed 'undying determination' he named me squad leader, much to Page's dismay, but since his opinion means about as much to me as wine does to a vorcha I'm taking it with stride.

This has been Chapter 1 of my first Mass Effect fan fiction. Thank you for reading and if you have any feedback or criticism or if you simply have questions about the direction I plan to take this story please don't hesitate to ask. I hope you'll be patiently waiting for chapter 2 as I am currently writing it. Again I want to thank you for reading and I hope your have a fantastic day.