Sorry for the long intro, it is my tale of how I got here, and why the story may have flow issues. If you don't want to read it, feel free to skip to the prologue.
Introduction: Allow me to introduce you to my story here, and why it is coming into existence. After starting Mass Effect in the month of April I began to fall in love with the series, when I had the money to buy the third, I thought that maybe the ending's reputation was just a bunch of unnecessary pouting. I couldn't have been more wrong.
After being torn away from the fictional characters I came to love by just a single colorful blast, I began to read fan-fiction. More specifically, the Tali stuff, hoping it could give me a better sense of closure than the actual ending. When it came high time for the extended ending, I had one last flicker of hope. I was again disappointed with the results; don't get me wrong, at least they tried to make it better. But to me it was basically being told why the pile of dung smells then actually cleaning it up.
The screen caps were nice looking, especially the green versions. After the EC's release I went back into my world of fanfics, after all the time and reading of these phenomenal pieces of work, I decided to give it a shot myself.
Be warned however, I am not a literary master, I will keep my grammar from getting out of hand the best that I can, and I may become a comma whore without even realizing it.
This story is actually based off of the indoctrination theory, the rest I will have as my own creation and what Shepard does with himself after the war. So without further ado, here is the prologue to the story.
Prologue
"I want you to go back to Rannoch, build yourself a home." Tali started to cry, no longer able to hold back her tears. "I have a home." She responded, with weakness in her voice. She reached for Shepard and said her last goodbye.
"Come back to me."
He wanted to tell her everything will be fine, but he wasn't even sure himself. What if I don't make it back? He thought to himself, what if I can't keep my promises?
He couldn't find the strength to answer her; he just looked into her eyes, for what could possibly be the last time.
Just then there was a loud explosion off in the distance. "Go!" he yelled, "Get her out of here!" he started to turn and finish his dash towards the Citadel beam. As the hangar for the Normandy began to close, Tali reached out for the love of her life to come back to her.
Shepard continued his sprint, evading Harbinger's beam as it ripped apart the moving vehicles and the remaining ground troops. As he was nearing his destination, a piece of rubble was hurled beneath him, causing him to get knocked off his balance.
When he regained his footing he looked up in horror as Harbinger was staring straight at him. "You will serve us!" It yelled as its eyes started to flare. Shepard was unable to move as Harbinger's laser began to charge. As the reapers laser fired, he closed his eyes before a white flash bled through his eyelids.
Then, there was nothing.