"Damn it!" She muttered under her breath as her omni-tool pinged again. The noise made her head throb again and the room tilted precariously on its side. She picked up her head from where she had it buried under her pillow, her chin-length red hair going in all directions. The sound pinged for the third time, driving a spike into her skull. "This better be important." She hit the audio button, whoever so badly needed to talk to her on her one day off could deal with no video.
"This is Commander Shepard." She answered the call as she had been taught, with no hint of grogginess or fatigue evident in her voice. She had perfected the skill of not letting her voice betray anything that she was feeling.
"Shepard, this is Anderson." The voice of her mentor came across the line. Anderson had taken her under his wing in N-school and was probably the reason she had received N7 designation. "I've been asked to take command of a new prototype ship, the SSV Normandy, and I'd like you to be my XO." The throbbing increased and her stomach threatened to expel its meager contents. Of course she would get one of the most important calls of her life in the midst of a migraine.
"Sir, I'd be honored. Where do I need to be and when?" She swallowed and hoped that Anderson couldn't hear the strain in her voice.
"Meet me at the Citadel in two days. We'll be doing a shake-down run to Eden Prime."
"Yes, sir. I will see you then."
"Anderson out." Her omni-tool went dark as he disconnected.
She moved to the edge of the bed and tried to slowly sit up. Her meds were in the duffle across the room. Eventually she was going to have to get up and try to make it the few steps to it. Once again, it felt like the side of her skull was exploding and spots danced across her vision. She cradled her head in her hands and tried not to think about the pain.
There was so much to do so that she could meet Anderson in time. Thankfully, she hadn't even unpacked most of her things. Being an N7 had benefits, the best of which was having her own personal room in the barracks. She had planned on getting out and seeing the sites around Vancouver today, but a migraine had stopped everything. Doctors could cure so many things, but she still suffered from the occasional migraine. But, just like everything else in her life, they had never stopped her from achieving her goals.
Finally she stood up, made her way to her duffle and swallowed some of the bitter tasting meds. They would only take a few minutes to take the edge off the migraine but she needed to get moving. Pulling up her omnitool, she called her mom.
In the dark, the glow from her omni-tool cast an eerie glow across her pale skin and even the faint light of it made her eyes hurt. Finally, an image of an older woman in Alliance uniform came up.
"This is Commander Shepard." Her voice was crisp and efficient.
"Mom, it's Mo." She finally let the fatigue and pain seep into her voice. She didn't have to hide anything from her mom.
"Hello, darling. Migraine?" As if a switch had been flipped, her voice was full of concern and warmness.
"Yeah, but nothing to worry about. Anyways, I wanted to let you know I've been asked by Anderson to be his XO on a new ship. I meet with him at the Citadel in two days." She tried to suffuse her voice with as much pride as she could. This was an amazing opportunity.
"I'm proud of you, Mo. Message me when you get done with your first week. I've got to go. Love you dear."
"Love you too, Mom."
Her omni-tool went dark once again. She stood up and began gathering everything together. She needed to get on a transport to the Citadel right away. Now that her migraine was almost completely gone, she could really think about what this was. It was a beginning, of what she wasn't sure, but a new adventure to go on that was for sure.