I don't own Mass effect or it's characters. This story starts off as the Normandy is leaving the final battle.


CH1:What Do You Mean

"What do you mean?!"

"We have to go. Now."

He was calm. How could he be calm. He just said that they had to leave Shepard.

"You have got to be kidding me." James Vega says as he runs his hands through his hair before throwing them down. How could he really be suggesting this?

"Joker, we have to go." Kaiden repeats and Joker's hands begins to slow down. He stops flailing his hands around the console. He quits struggling with his thoughts and desperation to save their commander. Staring down at the wheel he closes his eyes and finally just nods. The acceptance of the situation and the orders from Hackett were clear but they weren't any harder to follow or accept.

"Yeah, okay." There was nothing else to say, and James couldn't believe it. Joker pulls the Normandy away from where it's position was in the fighting, waiting for their commander, and he follows the other retreating ships.

"Garrus, are you going to let them leave her?" The lieutenant asks out of desperation of wanting someone to listen to reason. After everything the commander had done for them all and they just left her.

Garrus was sitting on the floor, being looked at by Dr. Chakwas, as he listens. His eyes were hollow, and gave off the look of that of an emptying pool. He doesn't say anything as Chakwas warps up his hand.

"James, help me get him down to the med-bay." Chakwas orders as she tries to help the turian up. Before he had fought it. He had fought for every breath and pained movement that brought him over to the elevator and Joker's cockpit. Now he let himself be lifted up by the soldier and doctor. He let them walk him away no longer fighting the help.

James didn't like this. He could feel the ship's engines starting up and preparing to go into hyperjump. They were really leaving her behind.

He watches with arms crossed as he watches the doctor look over Garrus. He was healing pretty quickly. They could have stayed behind and fought.

"Take him. Go."

"Shepard you have got to be kidding me." Garrus says clearly unwilling to leave her even in his state.

"Not this time Garrus. Don't argue."

"We're in this together till the end." Garrus had said, determined to change her mind and let him stay.

"No matter what Garrus. I love you and I always will."

"I...love you to Shepard."

"There's no Shepard without Vakarian." She adds and kisses the turian's cheek.

"Shepard wait." James shouted and it gave her pause. This was his chance to have his say.

"I'll come with you."

She shook her head.

"Shepard, I can still fight." James had pleaded.

"No. Someone has to get Garrus out of here James. I need you to go."

"I can get him to Chakwas and come back with a new gun and more ammo." James argues. "Please, you don't have to do this by yourself."

"I won't but you two can't come. I need to know that you all make it."

James was going to argue that she could come with them but he knew she wouldn't.

"You shouldn't be alone."

"I'm not. Those are all my allies, fighting out there. They're with me. Now go there isn't any more time to argue." She says sternly before leaving them. She hadn't seen the sorry state of the soldiers who reached out for towards her. Garrus had even opened his mouth to call out to her but he stopped himself. She wouldn't turn around now. Not without getting herself shot by mistake.

Now they were in the med bay with no word of her state.

"There. The bleeding has stopped. Though it seems most of this blood on you isn't yours." Doctor Chakwas says, noting the red stains all over the turian's armor.

"It's not." The dual-tone voice of Garrus gave away how upset he was. Watching him James realizes that Shepard wouldn't have forgiven them if the Normandy had stayed behind waiting for her.

"Rest Garrus."

"I'll rest when it's over. Any news on Earth?"

"It's only been a few minutes. Edi?" Chakwas asks, knowing there would probably be no update.

"There are pr-zzt-blems occ-uuur-ing with my systems. Jeff I'm losing functionaaaality!" Edi exclaims

"That's not good." Vega says before looking at the doctor. She wasn't a technician but she was a doctor and Edi was pretty human for a machine. "What's wrong with her?"

Joker's voice echoes through the ship over the intercom before the doctor could respond to James' question. "Hang on. We're going to perform an emergency landing."

Vega grabs the corner of the table with his left hand as the ship rocks back and forth and begins to tremble violently. Garrus was hanging onto Chakwas and the bedside. Vega grabs the other side of the bed with his other hand and he braced himself for impact.

The ship landed, upright James guesses, considering how they weren't all on the roof. It hadn't been soft but Vega was sure it had been better than what it would've been if they didn't have Joker. "Everyone alive?" He asks as he picks himself up from the floor. He grabs the desk to balance himself as he looks around.

Garrus was bent over helping Chakwas back onto her feet. "Yes. Though I've been better. Thank you Garrus." Chakwas says before she walks over to her desk. She brushes the hair out of her eyes as she rummages through her desk.

"No problem." He turns his attention to James. "Let's go see what happened."

"Yeah." James nods in agreement and follows Garrus out. They run to the cockpit where Joker was walking away from. He trips and Vega catches the pilot my his arm. "Be careful. We'll never get out of here if we lose our pilot."

Joker pulls his arm out of Vega's grasp. He pushes himself towards the door. James watches as Joker smashes his cupped hands against the door. The way he was moving he had to swing his arms before he could smash them against the button. The door opens and Joker stumbles out, covering his eyes with his hand as the sun rays hit his face. James was squinting from the amount that fell through the open door. Garrus moves past James following Joker outside and looking around before offering his hand to the limping pilot. Joker accepts but only for a few steps before letting go of Garrus and moving on his own out of sight of the door. James Vega follows after them outside. He was less affected by the sun, having let his eyes adjust to the amount that had flooded into the ship before hand. He was still squinting.

He joins Garrus and Joker as they were scanning the foreign planet with wide and worried eyes, or as wide as a turian's eyes could be. James turns and does a long once-over of Garrus. He could tell the turian was already making plans on how they would survive this new environment until help arrives. His eyes were still but James could swear he saw the guns firing inside of those blue pupils.

Joker was more beaten up then both of the other men. James wonders how that happened since he had been in the Normandy the entire time, and not out on the field like the rest of them. He was glad Joker had managed to grab the others from the battlefield as well before things had progressed into the disaster it had become when Garrus and him had been sent away. Joker had a cut on his lip that went sideways from the side of his right cheek, straight through the lip, and a little farther down. It was small, despite it's length so he was sure it would heal. His head was bleeding slightly and he was forcing himself to stand upright. He was probably in a whole lot of pain, if it was more from his condition, the fight, or the crash landing James wasn't sure. If he was being honest it was more then likely a combination of all of the above. Yet he kept standing, despite the fact he was holding his side slightly and was barely hiding the fact that he was glad to be alive but wished so many others were there with them. Joker's eyes were steel. Cold, and filled with memories, dreams, hopes, and wishes that had come crashing down. His were so much sadder then the Turian's.

James turns his attention away from them and back to the view in front of him. God it was beautiful, even if this situation was far from good. There were plenty of vegetation, and he could hear the wildlife. So more then likely they could find food, and he was able to breathe the air. So the others could come out as well. Survival was what he was trying to focus mainly on right now, not Earth, or the soldiers they had left behind. Not even on that red-haired, get the job done, commander of theirs. Still he couldn't help it. Just because he was trying to keep those thoughts in the back didn't mean that it worked. His lips crack into a smile. "Shepard would love this sight."

"Yeah." Garrus agrees.

Joker hung his head.

"Well, chicos. We've got some work to do if we're going to last until the Alliance boys come and save our butts."

"If they even can."

"If they can't then I'm sure the Quarians' or Turians' fleets will find us." Tali says as she walks out. Forever the optimist that one.

Garrus nods and takes a step back, casting one more look over the planet's scenery before he turns his back to it and goes back into the ship. Tali follows behind him, rubbing her hands over her arms as if the weather outside was actually affecting the inside of her suit. James makes a move to follow them inside, but he reconsiders it. "You coming?" The pilot grabs hold of his hat and squeezes the front bill of it before pulling it up and away from his face. There was a grim sight if there ever was one. He had expected it to be stone cold, or filled with hurt, or concern, they still weren't sure what had happened to EDI but instead he was smiling. It was broken, and a shadow of what a smile should be but James could tell he was trying. That's all any of them could do.

"Yeah. Just give me a few moments. My legs are killing me."

"You might want to sit down then." He suggests.

"Nah. I'm good. Just, give me a minute."

"If you say so." James walks away from the sight casting one more look from over his shoulder before leaving the pilot alone.


I hope you have enjoyed reading the story. More to come as the inspiration comes to me.