A/N This story was kind of inspired by Malukah's song Reignite on you tube. Also I don't own Mass Effect.
John Shepard stood tiredly watching. The last assault was almost ready. It was time to take the world back, or watch it burn. He struggled to hold back thoughts of despair. He knew that this war was near hopeless. It was a matter of beating incredibly low odds. He sighed. His thoughts returned to his time at Akuze.
Everyone he trained with, his team, his family, gone in a matter of minutes, leaving him to pick up the pieces. Later it was Jenkin's death at the hands of a Geth drone. A stupid, lucky drone shot at Jenkins and killed him because of faulty shields. A bright spark extinguished. A young man who should have been chasing skirts on the Citadel, was left broken and bleeding into the dirt. Then it was Liara. Sure she was still alive, but a piece of her innocence was killed when Benezia died. In some ways it was even worse than the actual loss of life itself. Liara's sense of wonder was killed in that moment. Dead with her mother. Next came Kiaden. Oh Kiaden. He was a stable piece of ground after Akuze. The biotic had become almost a brother to Shepard following Akuze and during the weeks of therapy. Gone at the hands of Saren's troops on Virmire. What a waste.
Later, was just as bad. While he didn't lose anyone on the Mission to stop the Collectors he had over the last few months lost several people. Mordin was gone because the Salarians just had to interfere with the shroud. Legion was dead to free the Geth from the control of the Reapers. Thane was killed because Cerberus was too blind to see that they were irrelevant, and were causing harm.
The weight of the bodies was beginning to crush Shepard. The weight becoming more than he could bear. He blamed himself for the losses. It woke him at night. The thoughts weighed heavily on his mind and they wouldn't let go.
"Shepard?" Wrex asked quietly. "You're thinking about the dead again aren't you?" The Battlemaster paused and the silence answered the question for him. "Those deaths aren't your fault John." The use of his name surprised Shepard and it must have shown on his face because Wrex began to chuckle. "I know your name Shepard. It's just such a habit to say your last name that I don't use it often." John laughed a little bit. Wrex continued "Don't think about the past John. Or rather do think about it, but don't blame yourself for it. Every man on the team gave their life for something they believed in. Let their death be the catalyst that drives you forward. Never surrender, Shepard."
John filled the silence "How do I do that Wrex? The body count is high and getting higher. So many, Wrex. I'm neck deep in the corpses of my loved ones. How do I go on? How do I keep fighting when the war never ends?" A slow pause filled the air. The quiet choking the air. "You don't let their sacrifice be in vain John. We all die. We all continue living after the deaths of those around us. This is when we redefine who we are to meet the new circumstances. Crush our hearts into embers and we will just reignite."
"We use their deaths to drive us forward?" John asked quietly.
"We carry their strength. They won't let us give in, no matter how tempting it is or seems." The massive Krogan responded. "What would they want you to do Shepard? What did they do? They fought until they couldn't fight anymore. Then they died, leaving an example so others would carry on fighting for what they believed in."
"I… I know. I'm just so tired. The war goes on and I can't help but wonder who I will lose next. The Reapers keep coming, keep killing. Who will be next? Liara? Tali? Garrus? You? What do I do then Wrex?" The old Krogan let the silence continue for a few moments. "I won't say that they won't die John, but if we don't fight then they definitely will." The tired Battlemaster paused before continuing. "Besides they wouldn't be anywhere else right now. They were, and still are willing to die for the cause. And in many cases die for you." The Krogan finished quietly.
"That's not exactly a comfort" John said quietly. "But I see what you mean."
The old Warlord chuckled. "You are way too young to be having this kind of experience Shepard. I didn't have this talk till I was young pup of a hundred."
John chuckled as well. "Well, you know us humans, live fast die young is our motto. Thanks Wrex. I needed the talk." Wrex gave a terrifying grin and said "I know."
John turned to leave and Wrex called out to him "Oh Shepard one more thing. If you ever tell anyone about this conversation or ever make any indication I'm going soft, I'll kill you." John laughed and said "Bigger monsters than you have tried and I suspect there may be a que so I would suggest getting into it you old Dinosaur."
Wrex chuckled and swore softly to himself. 'I'm getting to old for this. See if I ever give him a pep talk again.' He grumbled to himself.
In the background the preparations continued. It was time to free both Earth and Sky.