Just getting started here, lets see who our favorite Specter ends up with (if anyone)... I don't own anything, I'm just playing in their sandbox.

Laurel Shepard charged forward, unleashing a barrage of fire that blasted the advancing centurion into dust. She slid to a halt behind a toppled stone pillar and crouched under the incoming fire from the gun ships. Cerberus continued to funnel troops into the jungle clearing with no end in sight, but Shepard had to reach the Marines sheltering in the ruins before they were overrun. Garrus Vakarian's body sailed over the barricade and planted next to her in the mud. He peered over the pillar and sprayed suppressing fire into the air.

"Running low on thermal clips Shepard. We need to clear out of here soon." He yelled as she fired another volley.

"I'm not leaving those Marines out there to die Garrus." She shouted back, and he nodded with an anxious glance at the enemy forces.

Shepard fired a grenade into a descending gun ship's hatch and ducked back down as it blasted several troops out of the hold and into free fall. In the lull this caused, she and Garrus sprinted to the ruins and barely made cover before two Atlas mechs dropped into the LZ and began stomping their way, firing their mass cannons. They were never going to suppress them long enough to extract from here. Laurel tapped her comm link and yelled for EDI to bring the shuttle around behind them to an extraction point on the other side of the dense jungle foliage. She ordered Garrus to lead the remaining Marines in the platoon back into the jungle.

As she turned to follow she noticed a hulking figure charging at one of the mechs. Her mouth dropped open in disbelief as a human Marine without armor or weapon hauled himself up the side of the mech and ripped open the driver's pod, peeling the Cerberus trooper out of the cockpit with a scream. The Marine then proceeded to wedge his massive body into the driver's seat and began firing at the oncoming troops. Shepard could see his dog tags bouncing against his massive chest as the turrets cycled, shaking the mech and its apparently insane pilot.

Knowing her conscious wouldn't let her leave even this idiot behind she charged again, ducking in low under the other mech's range of fire and jammed her last grenade in the unarmored gap of its left armpit. A second later it exploded, launching the body minus left arm sideways into the air. It landed with a screeching crunch of metal and was finished off with a blast from the Marine driven mech's cannon.

A few moments later the guns fell silent and there were no more troop drops to be seen. Smoke drifted across the clearing, and from it emerged a grinning Marine in a plain white t-shirt and BDU pants, covered in mud. He stepped up to Shepard and snapped out a cocky salute.

"First Lieutenant James Vega, awaiting orders Commander." He continued to smirk and Laurel was sure she could smell the crazy wafting off him.

"At ease Marine, and wipe that smile off your face."

"Yes ma'am." Vega managed to compose his mouth into a more neutral expression, and clasped his hands behind his back.

"EDI, change of plans. Set down at the original LZ, but make it quick. We don't know how long we have before reinforcements show up. Garrus, get back here for extraction."

"Shuttle inbound Commander." EDI replied. A moment later they ushered the survivors aboard the Kodiak and headed back to the Normandy.

The Alliance Marines were dropped off at the Citadel docking bay to rejoin with their unit, and Shepard's group went to the refugee camp to see if they could help out in any way while they were docked. Laurel was assisting Dr. Chakwas treat minor injuries in the makeshift medical bay when she looked up and saw First Lieutenant Vega standing over her.

"Well, First Lieutenant, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

James Vega saluted barely suppressing the idiotic grin and said, "Reporting for duty Commander."

Shepard crossed her arms and leaned against a supply crate, looking questioningly at the Marine.

"I don't have any Marines on my crew Vega. I think you took a blow to the head during that skirmish that has you confused."

"I was impressed with your skills on Sur'Kesh taking out the other Atlas. It was so crazy I would have done it. I felt like I belonged under your command and I requested a transfer. My superiors were only too happy to let me go for some reason." He handed her a data pad with a transfer order from General Kahn and approved by Admiral Hackett. She scanned to the bottom and noted that, as a post script, the general had added "good luck with that."

Shepard massaged her eyes with her fingers and sighed.

"Welcome aboard the Normandy Mr. Vega."