Disclaimer: I do not own mass effect or any of its characters. I do own these OCs though.

This is my first story that is not a spoof and I want to see how good I am at serious story telling. I, like nearly everyone else on Earth, want to better myself and I need criticism to find my weak points, so be honest in the reviews. Keep it classy though. No swearing or offensive name calling. Thank you.

Note: This story takes place in 2158, a year after the conclusion of the First Contact War.

Act One

"A New Beginning"

"Thomas, sweety, wake up!" cooed a motherly voice in Tom's ear.

Seventeen-year old Tom McCreary groaned, reluctant to wake up from his dreamless sleep. He stirred, trying to find a more comfortable position to sleep, only to realize he was sitting up in a rather uncomfortable chair. His back ached and his eyes burned due to the sterile white light that shined in his face.

"Sleeping Ugly, wake the fuck up! Get your bags, we're landing!" A younger, sharper voice cut its way into Tom's eardrum.

Reality came flooding back to Tom. His eyes shot open, vision coming into focus. The two unidentifiable shapes in front of him turned into his aunt, Helena McCreary and his twin brother, Jacob. The other shapes behind them turned into a few turians and many, many asari, who were casting the trio of humans disapproving looks.

Tom brushed his unkempt hair out of his eyes and, along with his Aunt, shot Jacob a withering glare. Helena gave Jacob a hard slap upside the head.

"Watch your language young man! We haven't even gotten off the shuttle yet and you've already given the other passengers a bad impression on humans!" hissed Helena in Jacob's ear. Her glare morphed into a warm smile as she turned back to Tom

"Thomas, hon, grab your luggage," Helena said sweetly as she looked passed Tom, through the window of the shuttle, "We're here!"

It wasn't until that moment that Tom realized what was happening. He began to remember the events that led up to this point. He remembered the Siege of Shanxi, the resulting panic on Earth, and Jacob's frantic attempts to contact Dad. He also remembered the funeral, Helena taking custody of the twins, and Helena's decision to move "in order to start over".

Tom understood why Helena wanted to move. The protesters and riots that plagued Earth as a result of the "First Contact War", as humans were now calling it, left painful memories for both Tom and Jacob.

What Tom didn't understand, however, was Helena's choice. Tom personally thought that Bekenstein would be a nice place to call home, maybe even Eden Prime. Tom didn't think that moving to a predominantly asari colony (in the Traverse, no less), especially in the aftermath of a violent confrontation of a Council Race, would help take their mind of recent events.

Jacob, however, did not share Tom's concerns. Jacob was the more enthusiastic of the two when Helena told them. Tom knew exactly why: as far as physical appearances go, the asari are basically blue-skinned women who can meld minds and have weird head tendrils instead of hair.

"Don't forget that they practically never age!" Jacob told Tom one day while they were packing. This was true, as the average asari can live for up to 1000 years and, as far as the twins could tell, their looks never diminished.

"You do realize that each and every one of them can flay you alive with their minds?" Thomas remembered warning his brother in that same conversation.

This didn't faze Jacob, who looked even more excited as the two brothers followed Helena through the crowded docks.

The docks? Tom looked around in surprise. He didn't even remember leaving the shuttle. This would happen on occasion, where Tom would get lost deep in thought and set himself on autopilot for a short time.

"Our apartment is on the other side of town, according to this map." Helena stated as she held her hologram-covered hand up to her face. Helena turned the device off, her omni-tool bleeping and withering away.

Both Tom and Jacob groaned. The asari were the most advanced race in council space and yet they had no knowledge of a taxi system.

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They were going to live in a small settlement called "Verina", after a famous asari matriarch that neither Tom nor Jacob had ever heard of. It was located a mile and half from a prothean dig site, which Tom and Helena found cool.

The settlement was also lush with vegetation that appeared to merge perfectly with the asari architecture. The trees and the grass were as green as you could possibly get and the flowers which were radiant with color seemed to reach for the stars.

Their home was one of many prefabs (small portable homes and buildings used for starting colonies) that were located at the edge of town. These portable buildings were said to be placeholders until the colony could get some more materials for construction.

Jacob was not happy when he heard this.

To Tom it didn't seem too bad. The house was nice actually. Homely.

Tom mentally kicked himself for describing the home as homely. That's the point you idiot.

"Isn't this nice, boys? We get our very own house!" Helena exclaimed as she practically leaped throughout the house, exploring each nook and cranny.

"It would fell nicer if I didn't feel like I could break everything here just by flicking it." Muttered Jacob as he cautiously picked up what he believed to be the remote for their small vid-projector.

"Well what did you expect Jacob? The asari are a race comprised entirely of women. Did you really expect to find any manly-men things here? Stuff here is delicate. Feminine." Helena replied as she moved to the next room.

Tom ran a hand through his wavy, dark brown hair. He turned toward where she left.

"They're not women Aunt Helena, they're mono-gendered." Tom corrected her, "They just look like women."

Jacob scoffed at Tom, his short military buzz cut seemed to stand up straighter.

"Tommy, my boy, if it looks like a woman, smells like a woman, and tastes like a woman, then it is a woman." Jacob declared haughtily, a shit-eating grin consuming his face.

Tom rolled his eyes at his twin.

"Okay, I can understand that you've seen an asari," Tom began, "But when the hell have you ever tasted one? Or even smelled one for that matter?"

Jacob's confidence ceased to exist.

Flustered and tomato-red, Jacob couldn't come up with a believable story quick enough to satisfy his brother. Instead, Jacob quickly started for the door.

"I'm going to check out the town."

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Tom called after his brother.

"Fuck you!" was Jacob's curt response.

Thomas burst out laughing.

It was the first time he laughed since the funeral.

A "new beginning" indeed.

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Well there you go. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Act 1. I intend this story to be an epic set over the course of these two brother's lives through the Mass Effect universe, so it might take awhile to finish. I also have to deal with school so there might be times when I don't update for a while. Just so you guys know.

Next chapter: Jacob's out on the town and enrollment in school.