"Jane! Jane!" Her mother called out. Jane was playing in the tall grass in front of her house. She was running around with her arms out pretending that she was flying.

"Mama, mama!" Jane ran toward her mother and hugged her legs hard.

"What were you doing sweetie?" her mother asked.

"I was pretending to fly around and save the universe like you mommy."

"Oh yeah? Were you on a pretty ship?"

"Oh mommy, the prettiest! I want to have my own ship and fly everywhere!"

"One day you will honey and you will meet all kinds of people."

"And aliens?"

Her mother giggled, "Yes sweetie, and aliens."

This thought ran through Jane Shepard's mind as she looked out of the window of the ship she was on, the Normandy. Her reddish brown hair flowed along passed her shoulders, kissing her light colored skin. She can see her green eyes reflect in the window. They were heading toward a mass relay out in space on the far reaches of the Sol system. She missed her mother, it has been a few years since she last saw her. Both busy, with their military backgrounds they were always in different places. Jane was currently on the way to Eden Prime, a human colony in the Utopia system.

They were getting closer. Jane decided to head up to the cockpit of the ship after she finished getting suited up in her armor and loading up her guns. Her armor had splotches of a camo pattern on it with different blues clashing together. Her weapons of choice were a pistol and a long range sniper rifle, a present from her mother once Jane had joined the military. Jane looked at her rifle to make sure it was in order, after all it was her ultimate weapon that she loved to use. Having such power like that in her hands gave her butterflies. To this day she thought, no one was as good as her in sniping.

She walked out of the locker room hearing Joker, their pilot, over the intercom. Joker loved being a pilot. With his brittle bone disease, being in a chair navigating a beautiful ship through space was his calling. He always wore baseball caps where ever he went. He thought it might help hide his face from some people because he always got swarmed by humans and aliens alike. They always told him that he looked like an old actor from the vids.

"The Arcturus Prime relay is in range. Initiating transmission sequence."

Jane walked by a crew member as he salutes, "Commander."

"We are connected. Calculating transit mass and destination."

She continued walking, she passed by Pressly, an older man, typing away on the hologram keyboard.

"The relay is hot. Acquiring vector. All station secure for transit."

Jane arrived at the cockpit where Joker was sitting. Nihlus, a turian, was standing behind him to his right, over looking every command he typed into the Normandy's computers.

Turians are a fairly tall alien species. Standing on average of 6 feet for males and a few inches shorter for the females. Most people think the turians looks like an evolution of a bird and raptor. Their predator like eyes shifting and concentrating on the things around them. They also have 4 mandibles around their mouths, 2 on each side that sometimes flare out. They have 3 fingers, 2 long ones with an opposable thumb each equipped with talons. Their feet have only 2 large toes also equipped with large talons. Their skin and body is slender and has metallic bits in it to withstand their planet's atmosphere. Mostly all turians have their clan markings tattooed across their faces, most single colored. As for Nihlus, he had white markings.

"The board is green. Approach run has begun."

Joker was bringing the Normandy closer to line up with the mass relay.

"Hitting the relay in 3… 2… 1…"

The relay lit up bright blue and a charge of the blue, almost like a lightning bolt covered the Normandy as it flew by. Then, the Normandy shot out farther into space.

"Thrusters… check. Navigation… check. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift… just under 1500 K."

"1500 is good. Your captain will be pleased." Nihlus stepped forward. Then turned to walk away.

Joker turned his head back and watched as the Turian stepped away from his seat. "I hate that guy."

Kaidan, his co-pilot, turned to him, "Nihlus gave you a compliment… so you hate him?"

Kaidan, another human aboard, was a bit more muscular than Joker. He was part of the teams that went out in the field. Slight stubble on his face, thick dark brown almost black hair. He had a solid jaw line, Shepard was sure he was an idol with the ladies. But gosh, sometimes he was too serious.

Joker typed away on the holo board, "You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom? That's good. I just jumped us half way across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pin head. So that's incredible!"

Jane giggled slightly.

"Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having him on board. Call me paranoid."

Kaidan looked over again, "You're paranoid. The council helped fund this project. They have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

"Yeah, that is the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story."

Shepard sighed, "You may be right Joker."

Joker looked up at Jane, "Bad feelings are an occupational hazard. We don't go anywhere unless there's a good reason, so what are we doing here?"

Captain Anderson came over the com, "Joker! Status report."

"Just cleared the mass relay, Captain. Stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid."

"Good. Find a com buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime."

"Aye, aye, Captain. Better brace yourself, sir. I think Nihlus is headed your way."

"He is already here, Lieutenant."

Joker looked down and murmured to himself, "Shit…"

"Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the com room for a debriefing."

Joker looked up at Jane, "You got that Commander?"

She nodded and smiled slightly, "I'm on my way."

Jane made her way to the com room. Nihlus and Captain Anderson started debriefing Shepard on the mission ahead.

Captain Anderson was a slightly older man, maybe in his late 30's. He was born in London, though he didn't have much of an accent. He had a closely shaved head almost like a buzz cut and balding. He had milky chocolate brown colored eyes. His skin matched his eye color pretty close, maybe a shade or two off.

They explained that the science team dug up a Prothean beacon on Eden Prime. Her mission was to assist Nihlus in retrieving the beacon and bring it back to the Citadel for more research. Captain Anderson also explains that Shepard is being evaluated to possibly becoming a Spectre. Shepard was feeling pretty good about the news of her evaluation.

Suddenly, their conversation gets interrupted by Joker.

"What's wrong Joker?"

"Captain! There's a problem. Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You better see this!"

"Bring it up on screen."

A woman ran by on the screen, "Get down!"

Another person appeared, "We are under attack! Taking heavy casualties! We can't… argh! … -eed evac! They came out of nowhere. We need—

"Everything cuts out after that. No traffic at all. Just goes dead. There's nothing."

Anderson tells Joker to head in and land the Normandy. As they get closer to the ground Nihlus jumps out of the ship onto a high hill and heads out on his own. Shepard, Kaidan and Jenkins hop out a little farther on. Once on the ground Shepard contacts Nihlus for his position and heads toward his direction. They round a corner and out of nowhere Geth recon drones fly at a high speed toward them. Shepard and Kaidan quickly take cover. Jenkins… wasn't so lucky. Unfortunately, he got shot through his shields and killed. After killing the drones, Shepard headed over to Jenkins body. Teary eyed, "He didn't see them coming. He was a good solider. We need to come back for his body, he needs a proper burial. I'll tell his family."

Kaiden put his hand on her shoulder, "It's alright Commander. He will live on."

Jane shrugged his hand off and looked at him, fixing her composer, "We must move on and find survivors."

They pressed on, Nihlus contacted Shepard again telling her to meet up passed the dig site.

The team saw shooting up ahead, the quickly homed in. A woman running away from the shooting and taking cover behind some large boulders. They ran in and took cover behind them as well. After killing more drones they approached the woman. Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212.

She had her dark brown hair in a pony tail. Her skin was a little darker than Jane's, maybe it was because of the hours she spent outside on Eden Prime. Her deep brown eyes, which were almost like Kaidan's, looked up at Shepard. She explained what

She was patrolling when the attack happened. Communications were cut. She was the only one left. She said the get were the ones who were attacking. Shepard thought, the Geth haven't been in this side of the terminus system in ages.

"They must have come for the beacon. The dig site is close. Just over that rise. It might still be there." Ashley said in disappointment, shaking her head.

Shepard reassured her, "Come with us, we could use your help. You know the land here better than us."

"Aye aye, ma'am. It's so time for payback."

Kaidan looked her up and down, "It's uh... good to have to aboard Ms. Williams."

Ashley smiled, "Thanks! I just hope we can avenge my unit. Though Geth..." She paused, "They were gone in a split second, they never had a chance."

Shepard and Kaidan patted her shoulder in reassurance.

"Let's move out team." Shepard signaled them to follow and press on.

Ashley talked about the Geth on the way to the dig site. How she studied them in school, what they were made of, how they were created. Everything. Shepard was still trying to figure out as to why they were over in this area of the system. Then Ashely went on about the beacon. This beacon was causing more trouble than it's worth it seems. Killing a whole colony, and for what? Just something left over from the beings of the past. It was silly to her but, it still didn't make since. Why were Geth after a Prothean beacon? Her mind boggled for a while before she ask Ashey about the turian that came with them.

"Hey Ashey. Have you seen a turian around. One came down with us but at a different drop point. We are trying to get to his position before we ran into you." Jane was a little worried about what happened to him, they haven't heard from Nihlus in a while.

Ashley thought about it for a second, "No I haven't seen any turians recently. On Eden Prime there aren't any other alien species that are here."

Shepard put the thought aside, maybe he was up ahead taking a spot to secure. "Let's press on, he has to be up ahead."

They came over a small hill and saw a small town up ahead. They saw large spikes that has some of the colonists skewered on them. Shepard didn't notice at first until Kaidan pointed them out.

"Shepard, look! The colonist, they... they've been impaled."

"Those poor people!"

Kaidan stepped up, "I hope they were shot before they were impaled."

Shepard had to walk away, it was too much. They didn't deserve this. Someone has to be punished.

Suddenly, the spikes came down and the colonists that were impaled turned into these crazy zombies with glowing blue eyes and pale gray skin. Once on their feet, they looked around and spotted Shepard and her crew then bolted toward them.

"What the hell are those things!", Kaidan shouted as the crew ran for cover.

"I have no idea but this is creepy!", Shepard shouted as she was picking them off one by one.

Meanwhile, Nihlus came over a hill. Slowly scoping out the area. He heard something to the side of him. "Saren?"

Another turian stepped forward. He was a shade of light gray almost white with long cheek bones that went back out around his head. He had glowing blue eyes, they almost left a stream of color as he turned his head. Saren was also a Spectre. Nihlus knew him from a while back.

Saren looked over, towering over Nihlus, "Ahh Nihlus. It's been a long time."

Nihlus was confused, "This isn't your mission, Saren. What are you doing here?"

"The Council thought you could use some help with this one." Saren smirked.

Nihlus shifted to his side and looked toward the beacon, "I wasn't expecting the Geth here. The situation's bad."

Saren slowly walked behind Nihlus as he was talking. "Don't worry. I've got it under control."

*BANG*

Saren shot Nihlus in the back of the head. He fell to the ground with a loud thud. Saren smirked. "Yes, all under control."

Ashley shot up from scavenging through a bag, "What was that? It was not too far from here."

Shepard looked around, "Let's move out."

Her team gathered and moved on.

Ashley turned toward Jane and stepped ahead, "We aren't that far now, just over…" She stopped dead in her tracks. She saw a dead turian on the ground and gasped.

Shepard ran over, "Damn… Nihlus is dead. Kaidan, scout ahead, see if there is anyone that could have done this."

"Aye aye." He pressed on looking through nearby bushes.

Ashley was still hovering over the dead turian, a little shaken. "This was the guy you were trying to meet up with?"

Shepard sighed, "Yeah, he was a Spectre too." She continued to investigate the body, trying to find how he died then stopped at his head. "This was no ordinary shot, this was an execution style. Whoever did this Nihlus knew or trusted. He wouldn't let anyone sneak up behind him."

Kaidan yells, "Get down! Get inbound!" Shots were being shot from behind him, just barely missing his armor.

"Damn it Kaidan! Who did you piss off?", Shepard yelled.

The Geth were making an advance toward their position.

Shepard and Ashley run into cover behind some large rocks. Once Kaidan ran into cover they strategically shot down the Geth. Shepard looked over the rock, in the distance she saw more of the spikes like before with more "humans" on them. The spikes lowered and the bodies stood up. They moved very quickly, "Here come more enemies kill them fast!" Jane was fumbling with her gun, she couldn't believe that they were once human. They were turned into monsters. She turned back over the rock, steadied her rifle. *BANG* head shot, that's one down. She reloaded her rifle, turned again, *BANG* another head shot. As she cocked her gun, Ashley yelled, "Enemies clear!"

Shepard stood up, and gathered her team. "I don't know what they were but geez were they creepy."

Kaidan and Ashley shook their heads.

After battling through more Geth and creepy mutated humans, soon named husks, they made their way to the spaceport platform. The team tales a train to another platform where they soon to find out that it has been rigged to explode. They all scurry to disarm the bombs while fighting their way through more Geth. Once everything has been disarmed, they find the Prothean beacon.

"Joker, bring the Normandy around. The beacon is secure." Shepard was ready to go. She also wanted to figure out what the hell was going on.

Ashley walks over to Jane, waiting for extraction. Kaidan walks toward the beacon curious of what the thing was. After all, is was some interesting alien artifact that was over 1000 years old. Suddenly, the beacon starts glowing green and a beam shoots out at him. He was lifted into the air, stunned. Shepard turns around and notices him. Jane runs over and pushes him out of the way. But now Shepard is being lifted into the air. All she could think was, crap... crap... crap, what's going on, ugh my head! Suddenly, visions of synthetics and humans started running through her mind. The transfer was so extreme that the beacon exploded and Shepard fell to the ground. Ashley and Kaidan panicked and ran over to her. She was unconscious.