This is my first attempt at writing a fanfiction, so please be merciful.

Male Paragon Sentinel

"So. I never did get a chance to catch up on what you did after the first Normandy. Mind telling me the story?" Asked Tali.

"Well, after the ship hit the fan, I tried going back to C-Sec, but it was even worse than when I left the first time." Said Garrus, leaning back in his gunner's chair and propping his feet on the console. "With Shepard gone, I was just going to be tied down with red tape anyway, so I decided to try some mercenary work. I got a team together and spent the next year or so raising as much hell as possible on Omega. Eventually, I pissed off enough mercs that the Blue Suns, Eclipse, and Blood Pack all joined forces to take me down."

"How did you manage that? Those three would rather kill each other than work together!"

The Turian's mouth twisted into a wry smile as he leaned even farther back in his chair. "Yeah, that's what I thought. So I gave myself a big pat on the back for a job well done. Then I holed up in a really good sniping position and picked 'em off as they tried to get at me. I kept at it for a couple days, shooting the head off of everything they threw at me. Then, out of nowhere, Shepard shows up, kills the leaders of all three factions without even popping his tech armor, and drags my unconscious ass back to the ship. Sometimes I miss working as a lone gunman, but having support more than makes up for it."

"Wow. You're story is a lot better than mine. All I got to do was a couple recon missions into Geth space." Behind Tali's visor, Garrus was sure he could make out a slight pout.

"I still can't believe we beat the Collectors." She said, trying to change the subject.

"I was a little skeptical at first but it's pretty hard to doubt Shepard. And when I saw the team he was building, I started to feel bad for the Reapers."

"He does have a certain knack for building teams. And we made it through the Collector base without losing anyone! I bet the Council is kicking themselves about now."

"I was a little worried about Mordin when the bullets started flying, but he's a surprisingly good shot. I knew he was in the STG, but I guess I'd forgotten how high their standards were. And the council will always have a reason to kick themselves, mainly because of the Turian asshat they've got."

Laughing, Tali replied, "I think I overheard Zaeed talking about how he caught the explosion on video."

"It was a damn big boom. I'll have to ask him for a copy."

Over the intercom they heard EDI's voice "All combat personnel report to the FTL Comm. Room for briefing."

Garrus looked puzzled "Looks like story time's over. Do you know what Shepard wants?"

"Not the slightest idea."

His voice dripping with sarcasm, Garrus inquired, "And I thought all that whispering he did in your ear was tactical information. "

Embarrassed, Tali quickly shot back, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing." He could have sworn he saw her blushing behind her mask.

With barely concealed satisfaction, he asked, "Do Quarian visors have a tint setting?"

"Newer models usually have one. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. Come on, I bet everyone's waiting on us."

"I hate giving speeches! Why didn't I get Miranda to do this for me?" Thought Shepard as he paced around the Comm. Room, waiting for his team to assemble. "In fact, she'd probably enjoy it." He laughed to himself as he remembered reminding Miranda of his authority when he first met her and Jacob.

After a few more minutes of pondering, Shepard took his seat at the head of the room as the team began to file in. Jacob arrived first, snapping a crisp salute as he walked into the room. Mordin appeared with Grunt in tow, the two of them locked in a debate over the ethics of the genophage. Miranda strode into the room with her usual confident gait. "Maybe I can actually surprise her with this!" Shepard muttered. Thane arrived not long after, followed by Jack and Samara. The two biotics were visibly tired from what Shepard assumed to be biotic sparring. "How does that work?" He wondered. Thane and Zaeed sat down and began to banter about the best method of cleaning a sniper rifle. Legion announced his presence by saying, "Reporting as requested, Shepard-Commander." "For something I would have shot on site two years ago, Legion's as loyal as a dog. Well, maybe a robot dog."

After sitting for a few minutes, Jacob finally spoke what the majority of the room had been thinking. "Where's Tali and Garrus? They're usually the first ones here."

At that moment, the door slid open to reveal the two of them standing there. "Sorry we're late!" mumbled Garrus as the pair took their seats.

"And what have you two been doing?"Asked Shepard.

With a smile, Garrus joked, "Just... discussing Quarian culture."

"I'm sure you were. Did you pass Kasumi on your way here?"

"Yes, they did" A silky voice replied from the back of the room.

Muttering under his breath, Shepard wondered, "How did you... never mind." Kasumi's disappearing act had become all to common lately.

With an audible sigh, Shepard began his briefing.

"I know it's been a long time since we've had a battle that wasn't in a closed space, but we need to be prepared for anything in case we have to make an all out assault on the Reapers' army. We're going to be running a modified version of the program from Pinnacle Station, which EDI is preparing as we speak. I've already instructed her to keep it under lock and key, so no cheating, Legion."

"We are shocked that the Shepard-Commander would suggest that we would utilize such an underhanded tactic." Replied Legion, his usually monotonous voice tinged with what almost sounded like the Geth equivalent of sarcasm. This uncharacteristic elicited a suppressed giggle from Kasumi and a look of surprise from the rest of the team, especially Tali.

"It's nice to see he's getting used to organic culture. Now if only EDI could make as much progress." "We're going to be dropping blind into a hot LZ, so I'll let EDI fill you in on what we know."

In an emotionless voice, EDI listed the specifics of the simulation. "As the Commander has already stated, you will be landing in enemy occupied territory without any on-the-ground reconnaissance. You will, however, have access to planetary fly-bys, along with estimations of enemy disposition and assumptions of their location."

Shepard took over, "We don't know what else the Reapers may have in store for us, so expect anything from Vorcha to Armature units. We're going to split into four teams to cover more ground, designated Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta. We'll also have one man on Over-watch. Jack and Tali, you're with me in Alpha. Miranda, Thane, and Grunt, you're Bravo team. Samara, Jack and Kasumi will be Charlie. Jacob, Zaeed, and Mordin, you're on Delta. Legion and Garrus, you're Over-watch."

As he paused to bring up a holographic map of the surface, he addressed the room, "Any questions about the squad assignments? No? Okay then. We're going to be assaulting a well-fortified base at the end of a long canyon with two large energy barriers along its length. Alpha and Delta will landing in a large field just beyond the range of their AA guns. Charlie and Bravo will be setting down on a rock overhang that's only big enough for one shuttle. Over-watch will land on the East edge of the canyon." Shepard paused to outline the paths each squad would take. "Charlie and Bravo will go South-west down off of the overhang to take out the station powering the first energy barrier. Once its gone, Charlie and Bravo will meet up with Alpha and assault a sensor outpost. Delta will also be taking down a smaller sensor post. Over-watch will follow Delta and provide fire-support. When the sensors are offline, Delta will regroup with the other teams en route to the station that powers the second field. Once we get close enough, the Over-watch team will be lowered down into the canyon with biotics. Once they're on the ground, they will flank the East side of the power station, while the other teams assault the front. When the second shield is down, all teams will regroup and assault the main base. Any questions?"

"You mentioned Armatures, will we be able to get the Hammerhead down to the surface if we meet heavy resistance?" Grunt asked, a tinge of excitement hidden beneath his normally gruff tone.

After a few second's pause Shepard replied,"If we do hit enough resistance, then yes, I'll get Joker to drop the tank, but we'd have to make sure that any AA guns nearby were down. I don't want our tank getting shot out of the sky."

Grunt leaned back in his chair, satisfied with Shepard's answer.

"And one more thing." Announced Shepard, "This simulation is designed to be as realistic as possible, so if you get hit, it will feel like you had actually been shot. It will hurt like hell. If you "die" the rest of your team will have to either drag your body to the Extraction point, or leave you there and pick you up when we're done, so Grunt and Legion, try not to get shot."

Grunt and Legion nodded their heads in acknowledgment.

"That being said, the simulation accounts for random eventualities, so weapons will jam, radios will break, shields will malfunction, and the enemy will get lucky. If we play it safe, it should be over in about one solar day. Any other questions? This is your last chance."

"Will our own weapons and armor be compatible in the simulation?" Asked Jacob.

"They'll work, EDI made sure of that. So grab your Claymore or Widow and your favorite color armor. Anything else? Alright. We'll be beginning the simulation a 0500 tomorrow. Don't be late. Dismissed."

To Be Continued (Depending on reception and alignment of the planets.)

So... How'd ya like it? Please review. I'll continue the story based on this one's reception. Also, by all means, give suggestions for future chapters. I would love to get some additional input.