Prologue: Mindoir
Corra Shepard let her head rest against the soft teasing grass that lined many of Mindoir's rolling hills. She closed her eyes, opting to enjoy the feel of the grass and breeze through her short, dark brown, feathery hair. Shepard lay on the hillside, her girlfriend, Rosanna, holding an ice pack to Corra's swelling right cheek. Shepard had decided to settle a score with a classmate who didn't understand that Rosanna wasn't single. After Shepard found out that the asshole had the guts to pinch some cheek, it was inevitable that her fists would find those guts and bruise them.
"You're an idiot. You know that?" Rosanna's voice caused Shepard to open her icy blue eyes and stare up at the concerned frowning face of her girlfriend.
"Maybe. But Nick the dick won't be giving your ass any more trouble." Shepard shrugged. The fight had taken place at 00:00 hours standard time in a back alley by the school yard. Nick easily had fifty pounds on Shepard. He was bigger, stronger, and meaner. He was also slower, stupider, and had a lot less training. Shepard thought the combat training was one of the few perks of having two ex-Alliance marines as parents.
"I still can't believe you snuck out to fight him…" Rosanna's voice trailed off. "Rosie, I sneak out all of the time. Sometimes to fight. Sometimes to give
trouble to pricks who give your ass trouble. And sometimes to give your ass trouble myself." Shepard's hand wandered down to give her girlfriend's behind a small squeeze. Rosanna giggled but stopped at Shepard's arrogant half smirk.
"Hey, stop it. I'm still mad at you." The smile in Rosie's eyes gave away that she wasn't angry at all. Shepard played along anyway, putting up her hands in mock defense.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Can we just enjoy the rest of our victory date?" Shepard flashed a white grin.
"Don't you have some sort of project due tomorrow?" Rosanna leaned down and gave a small peck to the teen's lips. Shepard responded to the question by rolling on top of Rosanna.
"I have a pretty girl and a bright night sky right now. Screw homework." Shepard pressed her lips roughly against Rosanna's to punctuate her point before deepening the kiss.
"Mmmm, wait. You sure your parents won't find us out here?" Rosanna broke the kiss and put a finger to the other teen's lips.
"Rosie, would you stop worrying? I doubt they'll even realize I'm gone." Unfazed, Shepard played with a loose strand of her girlfriend's hair; Rosie always worried.
"But if they do? Your mom is head of security, and your dad's probably the best tech guy in the whole colony. What if they hack the cameras? Or send out a search party? Or-"
Shepard silenced Rosanna with another kiss before giving her a smug lopsided smirk.
"Have a little faith. I know how my mom works, and dad's taught me everything he knows. We'll be fine." Shepard gave a small wink. The two were about to resume kissing but a child's shrill laugh caused them to pause. A voice followed.
"Whoa, now. Talitha? How did you get out of your house? Come on, sweetie. Let's get you back to your mommy and daddy, and no more running off. It's dark out here."
Rolling off of Rosanna, Shepard glanced quickly over the top of the hill. An Alliance marine carried a small child back to her porch where her parents came out of the house. Shepard turned back to her girlfriend.
"Okay, so maybe it's time to go. Lieutenant Zabaleta always has my mom's ear." Corra stood, but remained crouching, offering a hand to her girlfriend. The two of them snuck their way behind some irrigation pipes and tractors in order to avoid attracting the marine's attention. Once they were back into area of the square, white, double-leveled colony homes, it was easy to blend in with the small lingering crowds that scurried from their last destinations back to their homes. The two teens were nearing their block when a pair of hands grabbed the two's shoulders. Shepard and Rosanna turned to see sharp blue eyes staring at them. The eyes belonged to a tall, agile, but heavily armored asari commando with a Kessler Pistol at her side.
"Officer T'Lin. Um… How can we… help you?" Shepard fumbled out. T'Lin was an older asari nearing her matriarch years. After serving in Thessia's military for most of her life, she decided to spend her twilight years aiding human colonies that were on the fringe of Alliance space and therefore "vulnerable." Shepard thought the asari was paranoid. No one would want to attack some little agricultural colony. She was also strict. If T'Lin weren't serving as Security Chief Shepard's second in command, she seemed to be pestering the younger Shepard about the responsibilities that came with being the daughter of two ex-Alliance Marines.
"Don't play the idiot with me, Corra. We both know you snuck out, and so do your parents. Your mother's inside. Goddess calm my temper. I have better things to do than play the babysitter to the Security Chief's renegade daughter." The old asari grumbled and pointed the teens to a large white building behind them. Shepard rolled her eyes as she climbed the bleached stairs to the security outpost.
"Yeah, right. There's never anything happening on this rock. If she didn't chase me down every once in a while, her heart would stop from boredom." Shepard let a smirk cross her face as Rosanna tried to stifle giggles. With another grumble about Corra Shepard's seeming lack of respect for authority, the asari officer gave them a final nudge into the outpost.
Security Chief Hannah Shepard stood waiting for them. Like all humans of the twenty second century, Hannah Shepard had multi-racial traits in her appearance, but DNA coding by the Alliance had identified her racial heritage as primarily Brazilian, Filipino, and Caucasian. Her dark tan skin, large brown eyes and dark brown hair that was wrapped tightly in a bun all seemed to confirm it. With a toned physic, sharp eyes, and a Katana Shotgun strapped to her back, the ex-Alliance marine made an intimidating security commander, and an even more intimidating mother. She stood at her full height, with arms crossed and scowl present. Corra could feel Rosie beginning to shake under the piercing eyes of the retired vanguard.
"Mom, it's my fault. I snuck out. I convinced Rosie. She didn't want to… I… I made her." The younger Shepard managed to stumble out. The other officers in the room stole glances at the scene over their paperwork, gun cleaning, and cups of coffee.
"Rosanna, I've notified your parents that you're in my custody. I understand that my daughter can be persuasive, but I expect anyone dating my daughter to have some backbone." Hannah Shepard never took her brown eyes off of her daughter's blue ones.
"Y-y-yes, m-ma'am," Rosie squeaked. Satisfied with Rosanna's answer, the Security Chief nodded her head back toward an office door. Apparently the ex-marine was through publicly embarrassing the teenagers –for now.
Giving a small reassuring smile over her shoulder to Rosie, Corra followed her mother into the privacy of the vacant office of the outpost's commander. The door hissed shut behind them. The Chief resumed her intimidating stance. Although the younger Shepard didn't quite reach her mother's height of 5'10", Corra wasn't about to be so easily intimidated. The teen mirrored her mother's stance and gaze, going on the offensive.
"That was unnecessary. I told you it was my fault, not hers." The younger Shepard let her voice drop low.
"Oh, I have no doubt of that. But if I can't get through your thick skull, maybe I can at least reach her. She at least seems to understand the concept of respe-"
"What respect?! That's not respect people have for you in there! It's fear! I guess your time in the Tenth Street Reds never taught you the difference!" As soon as the younger Shepard let the words escape her mouth, she regretted it. Hannah Shepard's piercing brown eyes widened then grayed. She slowly lowered herself in an office chair. "Mom… I'm… I'm sorry. I, I didn't mean to…" The Security Chief's childhood had been pitiless. Having grown up on the streets of New York as an orphan, the woman had learned since she could stand how to survive and be strong, but the isolation and brutality had left its scars.
The teenage Shepard slowly knelt before her mother, placing a hand on the calloused fingers of the over-worked Chief.
"That was really a stupid and terrible thing to say. I'm sorry…" Corra tried to make eye contact with the retired vanguard.
"Yes. It was. But you get nasty whenever you think someone is attacking your girlfriend." The older Shepard gave a small smile to her daughter. It was quickly returned. "This doesn't get you off the hook for sneaking out."
"I know." The teenager gave a slow nod.
"I'll go easy on Rosanna. She's a nice kid. But you… You seem to enjoy bending or breaking rules. This isn't the first time you've snuck out, nor is it the first time we've talked about it." The Chief's voice grew more stern.
"Yea… I just don't see what the big deal is..." The teen didn't deny her mother's accusations. After all, Corra Shepard wasn't one to shrink away from the truth.
"'The big deal' is that it's almost 2:00a.m. You have agricultural lessons tomorrow in school and afterward your father wants your help with calibrating surveillance cameras for the security force and some farming equipment that the neighbors have been complaining about. Besides, you're not armed and out on the fringes of the colony at night. I shouldn't have to explain the importance of safety." The older Shepard's words made the younger groan.
"Mom, come on. Nothing ever happens on Mindoir. It's a colony of farmers. You and dad have given me enough self-defense lessons and firearm training. Next to you two and T'Lin, I'm probably the most dangerous thing on this rock."
"Mindoir is also on the fringes of Alliance space. Farmers are not what concern me." The Security Chief stared out blankly into the room. The younger Shepard blinked. Her mother wasn't one to share her concerns.
"Okay, but I don't care about farming equipment and agriculture. I'm bored out of my mind on this colony. Why should I care about school when all it teaches is how to be a better colonist?" Shepard asked. The ex-marine sizzled in response.
"You want a reason? Here's one: Stop bitching about the good life your father and I have provided for you. It's quiet here and secluded from the dark places of the galaxy. You will be grateful. I got to grow up on the streets. Your father got to grow up in space with no real place to call home. So stow it." Hannah Shepard was back into marine mode. Her voice boomed with authority that left no room to argue, but the younger Shepard was stubborn.
"But-"
"Butt? Yes, butt. Your butt. And until you're eighteen, it's my butt to kick into shape. And you're going to get that butt back into the house and behave, or you won't go on another date until that butt is wrinkled and old. Do as I say, Corra Shepard." The ex-marine had won. The teen knew when a discussion was done, and this one was overcooked.
"Yes, ma'am." The younger Shepard's voice held resignation but she looked her mother in the eye.
"Speaking of the house and dates. You will not leave our house except for school and chores for one standard week. No rendezvous with Rosanna. No extranet privileges. No firearms practice. No mixed martial arts training from your father or myself. If you want something to do, you can clean guns and the barracks at security command." The Security Chief glared down at her daughter, waiting for confirmation.
"Yes, ma'am." The teen knew better than to protest. The last time she did when her mother was this serious, she got to clean the male latrines at one of the security outposts.
"And Corra?" The younger Shepard looked up at her mother's voice. "I trust that Nick got the message to leave Rosanna alone?"
"Wha-? How did you know?" The teen stood, jaw agape.
"I am the Security Chief." Hannah Shepard chuckled. "Get home and get some ice on your cheek while you finish your project. Your father will be home in-"
"Security Chief!" The door to the office hissed open fast. An armored officer holding an assault rifle burst into the room so fast that the mother instinctively pushed her daughter behind her. Her fists came up in a fighting stance.
"Officer Gomez?" As soon as the ex-marine's mind registered her ally, she dropped her stance.
"Chief! Report just came in! Outpost B24 just 3 kilometers south of here has been overrun by heavily armored troopers! Enemy ships and rovers are spreading throughout the colony! Ma'am, they're headed right for us!" The officer spat out his report at lightning speed. The Security Chief marched out of the office and into the main lobby. Corra was fast on her heels. Officers scrambled, grabbing guns and donning armor. The older Shepard walked up to the outpost's main terminal and slammed her hand against a palm reader before pushing a button and speaking into the terminal.
"This is Security Chief Hannah Shepard. Code red. All units report for duty at your posts. This is not a drill. All civilians, obey colony security and avoid the invaders." She took her finger off of the button. "Gomez, status! What are we facing?" Wild brown eyes whirled on the officer.
"Ma'am, the invaders appear well armed, heavily armored and very much prepared. The rovers and ships match known terminus signatures. From what I could get before B243 went dark… They're batarians…" Everyone in the room went silent.
Batarians.
Shepard's mind skipped before it registered. She had heard the word before. They were an alien species. They had four eyes and were hardy, but they didn't look all that different from humans or asari. They operated primarily out of the terminus systems as mercenaries or gang members. Tensions with the Alliance had been growing as both humans and batarians settled the Skylian Verge. Batarian government and culture was a hegemony, complete with castes and slavery.
Slavery.
Shepard shivered. Batarians were known to keep other races as slaves. Was this why they were here?
"T'Lin!" The older Shepard's voice snapped Corra from her thoughts. The asari officer stepped forward. "Get as many children to security command as you can! Take four officers with you to help secure civilians. Make sure Corra and Rosanna get there. After, coordinate with Tech Specialist Shepard. He'll need help securing the colony's automated defenses." Hannah Shepard's voice remained cool.
"What about you?" T'Lin asked.
"I will remain here to coordinate with the outer outposts. We'll try to slow the batarians down and buy civilians more time." The Security Chief didn't waver in her response.
"Aye Aye." Officer T'Lin went to grab Corra's shoulder but the teen dodged her and grabbed onto her mother.
"Mom, wait! No, I can help! I'll stay too!" The teen pleaded.
"Corra…" The mother squeezed her daughter before grabbing her shoulders. Icy blue eyes looked up into brown ones. "I know you could. But I need you to help the kids of this colony. Help Officer T'Lin get them to safety. Find your father. He'll be waiting for you."
"But I can't leave the fight. I can't just leave you. Please." Tears spilled out of the corners of the younger Shepard's eyes.
"I love you." Hannah Shepard pulled her daughter into a hug.
"Mom… I love you too." The teen mumbled into her mother's shoulder. The elder Shepard gave her daughter a final squeeze before allowing Officer T'Lin to grab Corra's shoulder.
"Wait! But mom!" Shepard reached out for her mother.
"Chief, they're nearly here!" Gomez's anxious voice rang out.
"Corra, go. Now." The older Shepard gave her daughter a commanding gaze that only a marine could muster. The teen obeyed as Rosanna grabbed her hand. Officer T'Lin pulled them out the outpost door and into the streets.
The streets were pandemonium. Civilians rushed toward the center of the colony as the sound of gunfire drew closer. It was all the two teens, the asari officer, and her four subordinates could do to keep from getting trampled by the rush of stampeding frantic colonists. T'Lin ordered the group to keep moving no matter what and not look back. Based on the asari's haunted features, Shepard figured T'Lin had looked back, and regretted doing so.
While the three were running, T'Lin had been giving orders to passing officers as well as guiding civilians. Several more children and teens had been handed off to the group. Every officer, including T'Lin, held a child in their arms as they ran. Shepard, Rosanna, and some of the other teens had also carried some children who couldn't keep up or would get trampled otherwise. With one hand holding the three year old little boy close to her chest as she ran, and the other hand pulling Rosie along, the teen continued to keep pace with T'Lin and the others as they made their way to Security Command.
Although Shepard hated leaving her mother, the teen found some comfort in that she could hear her mother and guess at her situation from the orders she was giving over the officers' radios. From what the younger Shepard could understand, civilian casualties were high. Officer morale was dropping. The armored batarians were better equipped than the colony security. They were absolutely ruthless. They killed the adults. They dragged the children away. They were pushing hard for the colony. But Hannah Shepard was holding her ground. Barricades and a perimeter were set around the outpost. She was keeping the aliens at bay. Several survivors had made it to the outpost. The chief had requested reinforcements.
"What's the ETA on those officers?!" Hannah Shepard's voice hissed out of the radio.
"Three minutes! We're on our way!" An officer's voice responded.
"I needed you five minutes ago! Double ti- Wait! They're falling back! The batarians are breaking away from our perimeter!" Hannah Shepard's words put a smile across Corra Shepard's face as she ran. "Reinforce the barricade! Man the-… What do you mean?! What are they doing?!" The panic in the elder Shepard's voice caused ice to flow through the younger Shepard's veins, her smile gone. "What is-?! Oh God!" Corra turned her head enough to see an orange flash. Her blue eyes lit up wide with hues of red, yellow, and white. The following shockwave from the blast knocked her off her balance mid run. Her body rushed the ground. She turned enough where the toddler in her arms landed on her stomach as her back hit the pavement. Hard.
Shepard wasn't the only one the blast had knocked to the ground. Shaking off the shock, she rolled the toddler into another teen's disoriented arms before pushing onto her shaking legs. A tall black billow of smoke burst from the horizon of the buildings, marking where her mother's outpost was. Shepard willed her jelly legs to stiffen as she screamed her mother's name and began sprinting toward the blackened warzone.
She hadn't run seven yards when she felt her body lifted from the ground and pulled back. She landed in the grasp of Officer T'Lin.
"Let me go! She needs me! I have to help her!" Shepard struggled in the asari's grip, reaching her hands out toward the smoke, wishing she could grab onto her mother and pull her from the wreckage.
"Officers, keep going!" T'Lin ordered the others ahead. "Corra, stop!" Shepard struggled harder. The asari snaked an arm around her neck and held her in place, putting enough pressure on the human's neck to cause the teen to grasp at a blue arm instead of struggling. "We don't have time for this! She's gone!"
"No!" Shepard threw her elbow into the asari's stomach, but the alien only grunted and applied more pressure until the teen coughed for air. "Let go of me, you bitch! Let go! I have to help her!" She ducked down and began to slip the asari's grip before T'Lin used her biotics to hold Shepard in place.
"Corra! Enough! She's gone! There's nothing left! I'm sorry!" T'Lin's words shot through Shepard's heart. The teen's eyes stung with liquid through the dirt and smoke. She didn't struggle. She just stared at the rising smoke. Silent static on the radio. "She wanted you and these kids to get to safety! She died for that! She died to protect all of you! Don't let that sacrifice be in vain! Help me!" The teen nodded. The alien released her grip. The two resumed their sprint back towards the group of children.
It was easy to catch up. With so many child civilians, the group was slow. T'Lin and Shepard had them in sight. Mindoir's Colony Security Command was just blocks ahead. Almost there.
Zing.
A spray of blood burst from the back of an officer and one of the children he was carrying. The other child landed on the officer's still chest. Shepard flew to the screaming bloodied toddler that sat on the limp body, scooping her up. The teen spotted a red laser zooming towards another officer. On instinct, Shepard ripped the Kessler pistol from the dead officer's holster and followed the red laser up to its four-eyed owner.
Shepard slammed her finger again and again on the trigger until hot air spewed from the vents of the pistol.
The batarian slumped then fell. Blood pooled around the dead alien. Shepard felt as though her chest was on fire. Her lungs heaved. She stared from the venting gun to the alien. Then back. She had never fired at anything alive. Shepard felt lightheaded. Then nauseous. She wanted to puke but stopped when a beam of light lined up on her. Another red dot caught her eye. This one was on her chest, next to the toddler in her arms. Icy blue eyes widened.
Zing. Zing.
Purple. A bullet stopped in front of Shepard's chest. Held in place by purple. It fell to the ground. Shepard heard a throaty scream and looked up in time to see two batarian snipers lifted high into the air, then dropped. They both landed on their necks. Dead. Shepard looked down again. One bullet. But she heard two shots.
"Ugh…" Officer T'Lin's groan snapped Shepard's head in the direction of the asari. The ex-commando fell to the ground, holding her stomach.
"T'Lin!" Shepard ran to the officer's side, horrified as liquid oozed past the asari's fingers. "Officers, help!" Shepard motioned for the officers to come over, but the blue alien held up her hand.
"Don't."
"But-"
"Those were just scouts. More will come. And you need all the time you can get." T'Lin looked up at the officers. "Move out! Get them to safety!" She coughed up blood. The officers nodded and began herding the children and teens towards Security Command. Shepard didn't move away from T'Lin.
"No. No. No. No! You can't! I won't just leave you! Not you too. No one else. I couldn't help Mom, but… But Command has medi-gel. You have to get up! You have to!" The teen shook her head. More tears spilled from her eyes.
"That's not going to happen and we both know it. There was two bullets and only time for one barrier." T'Lin wiped away blood from her mouth and pulled the pistol from her holster, giving it a check.
"You… saved me instead of yourself?" Shepard's voice hitched. T'Lin laughed through the gurgle in her throat.
"Goddess, Shepard. Do you really always say the stupidest things?" The asari leaned back against the wall of a building.
"I thought you didn't like me." More tears flowed down Shepard's cheeks, leaving clear paths through the dirt on her face.
"Who said anything about liking you? You kept things interesting, that's for sure. If I hadn't had chased you down every once in a while, my heart would have stopped from boredom." T'Lin gave a lopsided smirk but coughed when she tried to laugh. "Goddess, you are a pain in the ass. But you were my pain in the ass." The asari tapped the gun in Shepard's hand. The teen didn't realize she was still holding it. "Now, it's time for you to be a pain in the ass for the batarians. Others depend on you now." T'Lin motioned toward the bloodied toddler still in Shepard's arms. "Try to remember, two to the body, one to the head. Pause to keep it from overheating. Take care of them, Shepard." The teen looked down at the innocent brown eyes of the child in her arms. "Goddess… Feels like years since I just… sat down…" The asari's blue eyes met Shepard's. "It won't be long now. Go. They're coming. I'll hold them off. I'll even tell your mother you said hi." The asari patted Shepard's shoulder. Eyes filled with tears, Shepard nodded and stood. First her mother, now Officer T'Lin. The teen turned toward her destination. The white roof of Security Command peaked over the other buildings in the starlight. Her father would be there. Energy returned to the teen's tired legs. One thought brought her back to a sprint: Get the kids to safety and get to Dad.
Shepard brought up the end of civilian teens and children that T'Lin and her officers had gathered. The batarians hadn't made it to the heart of the colony; they encountered no more of the ruthless aliens on the way to Security Command. The perimeter was devoid of most personnel. Once the group reached the main doors to the white building, the large bulkhead slid open. Shepard made sure everyone was inside before looking back behind her. There was smoke fast approaching Security Command. Gunshots in the distance grew louder. The teen estimated that the four-eyed slavers had reached the place where T'Lin was shot.
"Thank you, Officer. You bought us time. They'll be safe." Shepard mumbled. The bulkhead closed. The teen followed the group of children and the two officers leading them farther down the hallways and into the main command room. Several tech specialists sat in an otherwise empty room full of terminals, barking statuses out.
"Outpost Alpha 12 just went silent!"
"Make it double for Charlie 4!"
"Officers of Bravo 13 are falling back to Bravo 5! Casualties are high! Medigel depleted!"
"Alpha 3 is failing! Requesting reinforcements!"
"There are no reinforcements. They're all deployed." A strong, sturdy voice carried over all others in the room. Corra Shepard recognized her father as he stood from his terminal. The ex-marine had been soft spoken and preferred time alone with his tech work after his haunting experiences as an infiltrator for the Alliance in the First Contact War. But now his voice boomed and he stood tall, as if he had never left the military. "Tell all retreating officers to fall back to Security Command if they can't hold position. Escort all civilians they can. Have them fortify positions around the security turrets that man the perimeter of this building." Rafael Shepard's voice maintained a confident calm despite the intense situation.
Several "Yes, sirs" sounded out.
"Dad!" The teenage Shepard ran to her father and crashed into him. His arms shivered as they wrapped around her.
"Corra! Thank God. I got a report that you were at the same outpost as Hannah when…" His strong voice quieted into a shaky whisper. "At least I still have you…"
"I know, Dad… I… know…" The teenager buried her face in her father's shoulder as tears bled into his shirt.
"Sir, officers are falling back to man the perimeter, but turrets are going offline. Cameras show sniper fire." A tech specialist spat out while twitching.
"Shit." Rafael Shepard swore under his breath. "I sent the Alliance distress beacon out as soon as we got reports that batarians were hitting us. The Alliance has to have received it by now. We need more time." The man looked over to the officers and civilian children. "Tech Specialist Amber, take the civilians to the bunker and lock them in with the rest of the refugees. Officers, grab some gear and man the perimeter. We hold here until the Alliance arrives." The tech specialist ran a hand through his short, black, feathery hair. The civilians began to disappear down a hallway after a tech specialist had taken those too young to walk from the officers.
"Wait, Dad! I can help!" The younger Shepard protested.
The two Shepards stared at each other. Icy blue eyes met icy blue eyes. Corra gazed into her father's features, silently begging not to be left behind. She studied his face thoroughly.
Through the nuances of her father's features, the younger Shepard could make out the Thai and Israeli heritage that DNA coding had identified in his ancestry. However, his pale skin and rare blue eyes that he had passed onto his daughter revealed he also had Caucasian genes. Corra's complexion was somewhere between her mother's and father's, but she looked like her mother. She had the same build. The same facial structure. The same hair color. The same commanding presence. But she had her father's hair type, his eyes, his patience, his penchant for technology, and his natural affinity for the sniper rifle.
"Yes, I think I can use your help." Rafael Shepard frowned. "But you're to do everything I say without hesitation and without question, no matter what. You don't leave my side unless I say otherwise."
"You have my word." The younger Shepard gave a solemn nod. The tech specialist reached behind him and pulled out his prized Volkov Sniper Rifle, giving it a quick check before handing it to his daughter.
"Remember what I taught you. Squeeze, don't pull. Account for wind. Aim for head and heart. Breathe. Line up your shots. Compensate for kickback, and by God keep your head down." Tech Specialist Shepard grabbed another sniper rifle from a weapon's rack, extended the barrel, and motioned for his daughter to follow. "Keep me updated via comm. We're on the 3rd floor balcony." He shot back over his shoulder to the other specialists.
The two Shepards arrived at the 3rd floor balcony overlooking a city square. The sound of auto turrets firing rang through Corra's ears. Rafael dove behind a balcony covering, shoving his daughter behind the one next to him. The overhanging roof just a floor above them provided shadow from the sun and would aid in making them less visible to the enemy.
"I'll take the first shot. I'll call out my target. Focus on his friends. Fire while my rifle is cooling. One shot after the other. We'll cover each other. The wind up here is about 9.5 kph." The older Shepard called out. The two adjusted their scopes. "Batarians going after the auto turrets get priority. If you see the dot of another sniper, call it out. Priority switches to them. You ready?"
"Yea. For Mom." The younger Shepard nodded. Her father nodded back. The two aligned their rifles on the banister.
"Three batarians, lower east side agriculture shop. Ten o'clock." Father stated.
"Got it. Ready on your fire." Daughter confirmed.
Pow.
Corra Shepard saw the middle batarian's head explode into a bloody mess. She set her sights on the left one and fired. Miss.
"Dammit!" As she swore, the missed batarian fell over as he clutched his chest.
"Argh, damn standard issues!" The older Shepard yelled as his rifle vented hot air. He turned to his daughter. "Fire where they will be not where they are!"
"Sorry, Dad!"
"Don't worry. Find the next batarian group. I'll take out the last of the three. He's in cover." Rafael lined up his rifle again as the vents on the weapon closed. As Corra lined up the next group, she heard her father's rifle fire again.
"Three at the eastern most auto turret. Second story. They're trying to get close to shut it down!" The younger Shepard screamed as she lined up her scopes on a batarian's chest and fired. The alien slumped to the ground, dead.
"On it!" The older Shepard yelled back. Before ten more seconds had passed, the small group of batarians were dead. Corra scanned for the next target as her father did the same. However, a red line flashed before her scope.
"Snipers! Third story building, two o'clock, across the street!" The teen ducked down behind the banister. Her father raised his rifle and fired once before ducking behind cover.
Zing. Zing.
Two bullets hit the cover the older Shepard was behind. The younger Shepard prepared to peak out over her cover.
"Don't even think about it, Corra!" The tech specialist yelled to his daughter.
"But Dad! They've seen you! I can cover you!" She protested.
"Don't even try firing at those two snipers! I can handle it! Stay out of their sight until they're down!" Rafael emphasized his order by pointing at the ground. He took a deep breath, counted to three, and shot up out of cover rifle-first.
Pow. Pow.
Two shots fired from the older Shepard's rifle, causing the weapon to overheat. Corra watched as her father held the weapon away from him as the hot air poured from its vents. But two pairs of icy blue eyes went wide as they saw a red dot staggering around Rafael and finally find its way to his chest. Time seemed to move in slow motion.
Without thinking, Corra popped her rifle out of cover and aimed where she guessed the rogue sniper would be. By pure luck her scope centered between four beady eyes. Shepard fired. Before she could register that she had fired the Volkov, the batarian's headless body fell to the dirt.
"I told you not to fire." Rafael fell back into his cover, panting.
"At those other two snipers. He was on his own." The teen held the rifle to her chest.
"Excellent shooting. You saved my life." The two Shepards grinned at each other.
Father and daughter continued to cover the auto-turrets and snipe the invaders, but once the batarians had regrouped, the armored aliens were approaching the command building in force and strong numbers.
"Dad, there's too many! We're losing auto-turrets left and right! I can't keep up!" The two Shepards sat against their respective covers as incoming sniper fire pinned them down.
"Specialist Shepard, the batarians are on our front door! Mechs are down to 20% Auto turret shield strength is at 14% We can't hold them! Wait… Mass Effect energy signatures are confirmed! The Alliance has just arrived through the Mass Effect relay! They received the distress signal! Oh God let them reach us in time!" A voice from the com buzzed.
"Hold the batarians off as long as you can! We have to give the Alliance more time!" Tech Specialist Shepard screamed back into his radio. He turned to his daughter. "We have to get back inside. I have to get you to the safe bunker with the other refugees. It's too dangerous out here."
"But, Dad! What about you?! You can't just… Sacrifice yourself!" Corra fervently shook her head.
"Not to worry, Corra. I was an infiltrator with the Alliance, remember? I will lead these batarians on a merry chase right into the hands of the marines. That should keep them off of the civilians and give the Alliance enough time." Rafael grinned and winked at his daughter. She gave a small smile back and nodded. "Good. Now back into the building. Keep low and fire out behind you. Use the rifle as cover. Keep with me. On my mark. Ready? Mark." The two Shepards rolled out of their cover and fired into the streets as they backed into the building.
"I can't believe we just did that." Corra breathed once her father sealed the doors behind them.
"It's not over yet. Keep close, move fast, and stay quiet." The specialist motioned for the two to trade rifles. Corra handed her father the Volkov. "Cover me with that pistol. Its close quarters here on out. Wait for me to strike first." Raphael pulled a long serrated knife from his belt and quickly sheathed it. The younger Shepard nodded, understanding; if an infiltrator couldn't strike with a sniping rifle, they would get… closer. "Let's go. Follow at a distance. Keep the pistol. Lose the rifle. You don't have anywhere to put it anyway."
"I… I have your six, Dad." The younger Shepard tried to steady her voice but failed miserably. Raphael gave a reassuring smile anyway and motioned for his daughter to follow.
The two Shepards made their way towards the elevators that would take them to the safe bunker fastest. Raphael had linked his omni-tool to the cameras around the base. He could see and hear where the batarians were moving. That knowledge let the two Shepards avoid the areas that were concentrated with the ruthless aliens, but the sights and sounds coming from Raphael's omni-tool were harrowing enough to make Corra have to swallow bile every time something would come over the feed. She had stopped looking at the orange-filtered camera, but the sounds, although dampened, would haunt her sleep for years to come. Screams of dying people echoed through her ears. The only sound that was worse was the people being dragged away.
Father and daughter arrived at a corner near the elevator. Raphael held up his fist. Corra stopped. The older Shepard held up four fingers as he carefully peered around the corner. A shiver traveled up the teenager's spine. There were four aliens. Shepard had seen through the scope on the balcony that the slavers were armored. Her father had only the small amount of shielding provided by an omni-tool, and he was going to attack. Corra swallowed the puddle of vomit in the back of her throat, and held up her Kessler. She put her finger on the trigger. She nodded. Shepard slid beside her father.
"Remember, wait for me to strike." Raphael held up the silver knife. Corra couldn't find words so she only nodded. He gave another peak around the corner before holding up three fingers. Two fingers. One.
The specialist's infiltrator-training took over. He crouched then silently slid from cover. Corra took his place and peered around the corner. Ten meters off from her father, the batarians stood at the elevator with their backs turned. The four aliens were in two lines. Raphael was sneaking up behind one in the back line. Shepard raised her Kessler pistol. Lined the sights with the back of the other batarian's head. The gun shook in her adrenaline-twitched hands. She took a breath. Locked her right arm straight. Steadied the gun. Squeezed the slack from the trigger. Her father was only a meter from the first batarian. His knife was raised as he slithered into position. Shepard held her breath.
Squirt.
In one swift movement, the tech specialist had used his left fingers to rip the batarian's head back by the nostrils, exposing the neck that he then slit. Before the body hit the floor. Before the other batarians could react, Corra squeezed the trigger repeatedly. The bullets fizzled at his shields but didn't penetrate.
It didn't matter.
While the surprised batarian tried to unlock his assault rifle from his back, Rafael was already in action. The older Shepard plunged his knife between the eyes of a batarian that had turned around while kicking the rifle out of the hands of the batarian about to bear on Corra. The teenager continued to fire at the unarmed alien while her father wrestled with the other remaining slaver. The four-eyed olive-skinned creatures were stronger and bulkier in their armor. Rafael had to dodge and roll to avoid getting smashed.
Meanwhile, Corra managed to drain her target's shields just as he grabbed his rifle from the floor. With two shots, she managed to hit the weak areas in the knees, causing the bulky alien to fall backwards, screaming in some unknown baritone language. The screams distracted the older Shepard's opponent long enough for Raphael to plunge the barrel of his Volkov into the alien's stomach and fire. Red blood spurted out of the alien's mouth and four eyes went wide then black. The batarian fell to the ground, dead. Corra approached the injured batarian, gun trained on its head. It was grunting in his native language seemingly at nothing.
"Dad, what do we do with this one? It's injured and blubbering." Corra fell backward as the batarian's head exploded.
"Shit." Raphael approached the alien and smashed a small blinking red light on its armor. She sat on the ground in shock. Pieces of olive skin covered in red blood were splattered around and on her. Shepard stared at the gory hole that used to be the batarian's head.
No words came. Icy blue eyes continued to stare.
"He was radioing for backup." The tech specialist scanned the elevator with his omni-tool. Three yellow dots appeared on a virtual hologram of the rising elevator. "And apparently backup will be here in two minutes. Dammit!"
Raphael wasted no time in searching the four batarian corpses. He began pulling circular-shaped devices from the bodies of each alien.
"Neural-suppressant collars for captured 'slaves.' Normally they just give a nasty shock that can incapacitate if a human doesn't cooperate. It's not supposed to be fatal." The older Shepard began locking the collars together. After he had about seven linked and locked, he pulled up his omni-tool. "But with a little manipulation and hacking to access the significant charge of the battery…" The orange lights on the collars began blinking as small alarms started ringing from the collars. A small warning beep also came from the tech specialist's omni-tool. Raphael turned to his daughter. She was still sitting on the floor, eyes blank, staring at the splattered batarian's remains.
"Corra, focus! This isn't the time! Ten seconds to arrival! Get beside the elevator door and take cover! Now!" Raphael screamed. Shaken by her father's yells, Corra's body automatically dove for the side of the elevator and covered her head with her arms while holding onto the pistol. Her father got on the other side. "Stay down!" The beeping from the flashing collars got closer and closer together until they were almost one continuous alarm.
Ding.
The elevator doors were opening. As soon as the metal slider cracked open, Raphael threw the chain of collars in the cab and slammed his omni-tool against the control-panel. The slider instantly shut. Corra could hear the muffled screams and buzzing coming from inside the elevator cab.
Another pop from his omni-tool and the tech specialist opened the elevator door. With sniper rifle up, he hopped in front of the entrance and squeezed off a few rounds. Corra could hear a few dying gargles before the pungent stink of burnt flesh assaulted her nose. Before she could try to stifle the vomit, it was lunging out of her mouth in violent assaults.
"I'm sorry, Corra; we have to keep moving. Get in the elevator." The older Shepard grabbed his daughter by her arm and pulled her in the cab before punching a series of orders into his omni-tool. The elevator lurched then started to descend. Shepard made the mistake of looking at the bodies.
It wasn't like looking through a scope. Through a scope, it didn't look real. Splattered blood, chunks of skin, and black juicy crisp lined the walls of the elevator cab. Shepard looked down at herself. She was covered in it. Frantically she tried wiping it off, but her clothes were stained. Without fresh air to temper the stench of burnt bodies, the air became unbearable to breathe. She gagged on it, only to vomit again and again, which left her gasping for air and caused her to vomit more. It was a vicious cycle. The carnage was overwhelming. After all of the contents of her stomach and then some were gone, Shepard could finally tolerate breathing with only the occasional dry heave –if she didn't look at the bodies.
"I'm sorry, Corra. Even most soldiers don't have to get used to that smell. Helmets filter it if it's there. And it's usually years into their career until they've seen this much… horror." Raphael managed to cough out to his daughter through his own gags. "I'm sorry. I didn't have much choice." The older Shepard patted his daughter's back to soothe the retching teen. "Damn these elevators. At the best of times the rides are eternally slow and ridden with occasional awkward conversation or redundant extranet news."
"In other news, colonies are getting warnings from the Alliance that there may be new, dangerous threats to colonial development. Officials advise that increased security on the fringe worlds is both safe and necessary." The update from Alliance News Network on the extranet rang through the elevator cab.
"Oh for hell's sake… Fuck. Elevators." Raphael mumbled.
"To think I used to find the long ride relaxing…" Corra shook her head as she groaned the words and picked a bit of batarian brain off her shirt…
Three minutes later (although it felt like fifteen), father and daughter got off the elevator. The older Shepard checked his omni-tool.
"The entire building has been captured. We're almost at the bunker. Once you're in there, I have to lure them away. Come on!" The two Shepards took off at a sprint.
"Just a little further, Corra! We're at the-" Raphael began to round a corner but stopped without warning. "bunker?"
"Dad?" Shepard was just a step behind her father. She came up beside him. He took a step back. Corra's eyes widened in horror as she saw a large curved knife sticking out of her father's abdomen. All air punched out of Shepard's stomach as a grimy olive hand ripped the knife from Raphael's torso. Time seemed to move in slow motion. The older Shepard was falling to the floor while the ambushing batarian was swiping at the younger Shepard with the bloody blade. She tried to move but her legs were putty under her. The alien slashed at her throat. Shepard managed to jump back, but not before the blade seared its way across her chin, leaving a nasty gash.
"Bast-tard humans! You not only ones who can hack sys-tem!" The alien grumbled out English. Corra brought her pistol up, but the alien knocked it away and swiped out again at the teen. Shepard rolled, dodging the vicious attack and picking up the first thing her hand touched. As the slaver followed up with a flurry of strikes with his blade, the teen was able to parry using her father's Volkov as a shield. Shepard tried to open the rifle to fire at her foe, but the alien kept too close to give her a chance. Corra was forced to give ground and back away from the much larger adversary to avoid getting crushed. As the slaver gave a feral snarl and lunged at Shepard, she jumped out of the way, landing hard on her hands and knees. Quickly rising to her feet, she got in a fighting stance and backed up a few steps.
Shepard felt something hard against the back of her heel. She turned her head slightly and realized that the alien had backed her into a corner. Panic hit Shepard's chest like a tank through a barricade. She hadn't paid close enough attention to her surroundings, and had lost her maneuverability because of it. Dodging was the only real defense she had against the much larger armored opponent. The batarian laughed as she saw her mistake. The alien twirled his blade through his olive fingers, yellow nasty teeth grinning at the teen. The slaver pulled a collar from his belt and threw it at Shepard's feet. He pointed at the symbol of enslavement.
"Live." He caressed the edge of his knife. "Die."
To Shepard it was an easy choice. She tightened her fighting stance.
"I've had enough of your depraved arrogance! Come and get me!" She screamed out, a last show of frustrated defiance. The batarian's grin grew wider before he began a full sprint toward the teenager. Shepard dug her heels into the ground, ready to leap at the right moment.
Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop.
Four sparks hit the batarian in the knee. The alien faltered. Shepard saw her chance and charged. The slaver gave a forward slash at the teen, but she was too fast. She used her momentum to catch the alien's elbow and grab his hand. Wrenching an olive wrist back, Shepard disarmed the knife and shoved it between four eyes. The batarian twitched and let out a gurgle before falling to the floor, dead. Behind the alien, Raphael Shepard sat holding his bleeding abdomen and a smoking pistol. With a grunt he fell back.
"Dad!" The teen ran to her father's side. She looked down at the red ooze seeping past his fingers. "No. No. No. You're okay. You'll be okay. Medigel. We just need to find-"
"Corra…" The older Shepard coughed out his daughter's name. She stopped her rambling and looked up into her father's matching icy blue eyes. "The… The codes to get into the bunker… in my omni-tool. Take it." A bit of blood oozed out past his lips. He coughed out the red liquid and continued. "After you make it in, the omni-tool will… randomize security code with a virus. No one will… get in past you."
"Right, okay, just give me your arm and we can get going. It's just up ahead, right? Just put your arm around my shoulder. We can make it there. We can-"
"Corra…" The older Shepard took a few deep breaths. His chest rattled with fluid as he tried to force out the words. "I've… lost too much blood. Even if you could get me to the bunker, all the medi-gel was… used on the wounded civilians or… taken for the security force. There's none there."
The younger Shepard stopped trying to pull her father to his feet. Creases in her forehead deepened as she frowned.
"Okay, I'll just go and find you some other medi-gel." Shepard went to stand but Raphael caught her wrist.
"No!" The yell caused a bout of coughing up blood that took Raphael several minutes to recover, but he held fast to his daughter's arm until he could speak again. "I did not… go through all of that to get you… here just so you… could throw it away by running back to… the slavers!" Another fit of coughing took the tech specialist until he had spurted up enough blood to cover his chest.
Tears rolled down the teenage Shepard's face as she cradled her father's head in her arms.
"Dad… please…" Sobs started to wrack her body. "I've seen you in action. I can be a good infiltrator. Please, just let me try. Just let me get the medi-gel. I've seen you use it. I can do it too!" She sniffed and wiped her nose on a clean part of her sleeve. Raphael cupped his daughter's face and caressed her cheek with his thumb. Shepard held onto her father's hand with her own, icy blue eyes soaked in water silently begging.
"I know you can. But not today..." The dying infiltrator's voice was barely above a wheezing whisper. "Corra… My body is broken. You… have to go…"
"No! I can't! Don't ask me! I can't! We've already lost Mom! Please. Please, don't go! Don't go! I can't lose you both!" Shepard cried out as her vision blurred. Her chest burned as it heaved. Saline water fell on Raphael's face, washing away the red in small streams.
"My strong, strong daughter… You never will. I… We… love you so much." Raphael's labored breathing had slowed to almost nothing. He took one last deep breath. "You did good, child. I'm… proud of you..." The last bit of air slipped from his lungs. Icy blue eyes went dark.
"Dad?"
There was no answer.
Shepard hugged her beloved father's face close to her as bellows of pain ripped from her chest. Screams turned to groans. Groans turned to whimpers as Corra Shepard rocked her dead father in her arms.
Ping.
Raphael's omni-tool let out a small beep. The teen lifted her swollen eyes to the display. More armored batarians were rushing through the base.
Shepard wiped her eyes and nose on her sleeve before closing her father's eyelids. She slid the omni-tool from his arm, picked the Kessler from his hand, and stood.
"I'll miss you." Shepard whispered as she looked down at the blood-stained body. Finding her feet heavier than they ever had been before, the teen forced herself to move. After a few steps, her shoes stumbled upon the barrel of a sniper-rifle.
"Dad's Volkov…" Shepard picked up the customized weapon and hugged it to her chest as she made the final journey to the bunker.
When Shepard arrived, she did as Raphael instructed, inputting the codes from the omni-tool. The bulkhead door unlatched then slightly popped open. As she was about to enter, a bullet zinged by her ear.
"Easy! Friendly coming in!" The door opened more to reveal a plethora of burned, bruised, and beaten familiar faces. All were terrified.
"Shepard? Is that you?"
Corra lifted her gaze to the person holding a smoking pistol. 'Nick the dick' lowered his weapon. His face was still bruised from the beating that she had given him, but also charred with ash and lined with wrinkles of fear.
"Yeah. It's me." She walked in and waved her father's omni-tool, sealing the doors behind her.
"Wait! Isn't anyone else with you?" He grabbed Shepard's shoulder but pulled his hand away at the blood. Corra's mind wandered back to her father's dark eyes.
"No… I'm… It's just…" Icy blue eyes felt utterly dry. How more tears threatened to spill over was a mystery. Her voice faltered.
"Nevermind. I know…" Nick's voice trailed off.
Cries and whimpers echoed throughout the bunker. Corra turned from the bulkhead and looked around. The bunker was designed to hold around three hundred civilians. Only thirty to forty sparsely littered the area. Most looked to be children under sixteen. Shepard recognized the group that had been saved by Officer T'Lin. Rosanna caught the corner of Corra's eye. She sat in a corner, crying as she cradled a few kids who were wailing.
"Is this all that made it?" Shepard deadpanned, her emotions too spent to make it to her voice.
"Yea. An officer gave me a pistol before he…" Nick looked down. "He tried to go after Talitha, the little girl. She's my neighbor. We saw them take her. Killed her parents right in front of her. He thought he could bring her back. Took out his assault rifle. Gave me the pistol. Told me to come here and wait for him. Said he'd be ten minutes. It's been hours…" Shepard tried to find something to say but her head felt too heavy to think of anything. Nick broke the silence. "A lot of the people who made it here… They don't look so good. I don't know what to do. Figured I'd stay here. You know, in case…" His voice failed.
"I know some first aid. I'll go help." Shepard broke the silence then started to wander off. "Nick?" Her classmate turned toward her.
"Yeah, Shepard?"
"Keep your third sight up. And squeeze, don't pull." She continued to walk away.
"Got it." He yelled over to her. "Rosanna might have a clean towel for you."
Taking Nick's advice, Shepard made her way over to Rosanna.
"Hi, Rosie…"
"Hi…" Rosanna stared blankly up at Shepard. Corra tried to give a small polite smile, but if the other teenage girl noticed, she didn't react.
"Nick said you might have a towel…" Shepard issued down at her bloody shirt. Rosanna tilted her head to the side and vomited. Corra patiently waited for Rosanna to wipe her mouth on her sleeve before pulling an ashy, stained towel from behind her. "Better than nothing." Shepard took the towel and tried to wipe off the drying bits of carnage and entrails from her face and body. She looked back up at Rosanna after finishing.
"You remember what first aid I taught you?" Corra went to put her hand on Rosie's shoulder but pulled away as the traumatized girl flinched.
"Sorta." She meekly replied.
"I guess there's a lot of kids around here who could use our help…"
"No." Rosanna shook her head.
"No?" Shepard frowned.
"No more. I've tied tourniquets and bandaged burns and held hands as my friends have…" Her voice trailed off. "I don't want to see it anymore. I can't do it anymore. No more. No more. It's not real. It's just a bad dream." Rosanna put her hands over her ears and shook her head.
Shepard shook her head, put her father's Volkov next to Rosanna. The teen then checked that the Kessler was still secure between her pants and her waist, and set out to find someone to help. It didn't take long.
There were plenty of people wailing and moaning at burns and cuts. Her father was right; there was no medi-gel left. At least most of the older kids were helping the younger ones. By the time Shepard had arrived at the bunker, the seriously wounded were either helped to the best of the abilities of the stable, or dead. Still, the teen approached the people who seemed to need the most help and couldn't manage on their own or looked completely dumbstruck.
Shepard had finished tying a broken arm in a make-shift sling, crafted out of a torn shirt and a shoe lace when a panicked yell caught her attention.
"Shepard!"
"Nick?"
"Shepard, help!"
Corra jolted back to the front of the bunker where Nick stood. The boy's pistol shook in his nervous hands as he aimed toward the bulkhead doors.
"They're on the other side! The terminal by the door keeps beeping! They're trying to get in! What do we do?! What do we do?!" Sobs racked Nick's voice as tears and snot dribbled down his face.
"Nick, grab someone, anyone who can hold a gun! Tell the rest to hide! And grab my sniper from Rosie! Now!" Shepard ran to the terminal as her classmate temporarily disappeared. Looking at the display, it was obvious that a hacker was trying to undo the scrambling that her father's virus had done; the hacker was making progress. "Fuck!" The teen rapidly began typing into her father's omni-tool, desperately trying to remember what he had taught her. She managed to program some minor firewalls into the hacker's way, but he wasn't being slowed down much. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Come on." Shepard tried to re-randomize the code to the bunker, but exhaustion, confusion, and lack of experience and training made the attempted maneuver impossible.
"Shepard, Jen says that sometimes she's shot some nathak that have gotten into her family's wares." Nick arrived with a girl a couple of years younger than the two of them. Corra took the safety off of her Kessler.
"Here." Shepard handed 'Jen' the gun. "The kick isn't as bad as you'd think for a pistol that big and you have several shots before it overheats." Jen nodded. "The bulkhead doesn't open fully without my dad's codes. The batarians will be bottlenecked in."
"Here's your sniper." Nick handed Shepard the Volkov. She nodded her thanks.
"You two get back. I'll try to slow the hacker down as much as possible…" Corra went back to the terminal but not before extending the Volkov into firing position. Jen and Nick stood back, aiming the pistols at the door. Shepard could hear the both of them whimpering as she focused on Raphael's omni-tool.
The hacker had broken through her previous firewalls and was nearly through unscrambling her father's code. Desperate, Shepard hastily put up dead-ends and different barricades, but the hacker on the other side of the door blew past them. As her ideas ran thin, she tried setting up the same firewalls, but it was as effective as doing nothing. Panicked, the teen set down the omni-tool and went straight to the terminal, continuously typing in the order to "shut bulkhead door." Two minutes went by and the terminal lit up with a five second countdown. Shepard jumped back and dropped to one knee, bringing her father's rifle up to bear.
"They're coming through!" She yelled out to the two pistol-wielders. The bulkhead door unlatched. An icy blue eye sat against the scope. Shepard peered through the sites. She aimed at where a batarian head would most likely appear.
"Taller than a human." She thought to herself. Corra shifted the scope a little higher.
The bulkhead door popped.
Zing.
"Damn." She fired in anticipation and nothing exploded in her sights. She shifted the scope down and saw… an Alliance emblem. It disappeared.
"Hold fire in there! Alliance marines!" A deep smooth voice yelled out. It was definitely human, and definitely welcome.
"Nick, Jen, wait! It's the Alliance!" Shepard yelled out to the two teens firing their pistols at the door.
"Don't listen! It can't be them! They're not coming! It's a trap! It's a trap!" Nick's wild voice rang out as he continued to fire at the door until his weapon overheated.
"I saw the emblem! A ship over three stars! They're alliance! Nick, stop shooting!" Shepard screamed at her classmate. He continued to pump the trigger despite it overheating. It got too hot and the boy dropped the gun. He fell to his knees and curled up into a fetal position. Jen continued to aim her pistol at the door.
"If you're Alliance, show me your eyes! I want to see eyes!" The younger girl screamed. Her pistol twitched in her shaking hands but she didn't blink.
"Alright! It's okay! I'm taking my helmet off and coming in! I don't have a weapon!" The smooth voice rang out.
A heavily armored man slowly slid through the gap in the bulkhead doors. His body armor was a navy blue shade adorned with a few small white patterns and the iconic white Alliance emblem on his chest. He wore no helmet. His dark hair was buzzed short. His deep brown eyes peered out from large eyebrows that were angled to make him appear as if he were constantly scowling. His skin was a medium brown. He held up two fingers to his face as he looked at Jen.
"See? Just two eyes. One hundred percent human." Both teens lowered their weapons. Both teens slumped to the floor as tears started to flow again. "It's clear! Have the medics come in! The bunker is full of civilian children!" The Alliance marine rushed over to Shepard as his fellow soldiers began to fill the room. "Take it easy. It's over. You're safe now." He put his hand on the teen's shoulder as she held close to her father's rifle. "What's your name?"
"Shepard. Corra Shepard." Her voice came out flat despite the tears rolling down her eyes.
"Corra Shepard. I'm sorry to meet like this. I'm Lieutenant David Anderson." His kind, smooth voice caused her to look up into his brown eyes.
"Anderson… Please, tell me: Did you find anyone else?" Icy blue eyes desperately searched for any sign of hope. He didn't look away, but his eyes softened.
"We found a Lieutenant Zabaleta guarding a group of four civilian families. Their names were Teagan, Shan, Amell, and Bhaal. Besides that… I'm sorry. We're still looking, but the batarians struck hard and fast." Anderson patted her shoulder then pulled a bottle from the pack on his back. "Here. You've been through hell and it looks like you could use some water."
"Yeah…" Shepard took the bottle and drained it. The constant adrenaline spikes and running had left her mouth parched and the water helped wash away the taste of burnt flesh that hung in the air.
"That your Volkov?" The lieutenant pointed to the sniper-rifle that Corra had in her arms. She gripped it tighter and glared at him. Alliance or no, the marine would have to rip the rifle from her dead hands before she'd part with it. "I can tell it has some excellent customizations. And you're a good shot; if I had been a batarian, you'd have taken my head off."
Shepard relaxed her grip on the rifle as she looked at it; it was obvious from Anderson's tone that he had no intention of taking it.
"It is… It was my dad's. He was an infiltrator in the Alliance. Second Lieutenant Raphael Shepard. Retired. Became a Technology Specialist for Mindoir Colony Security. He… taught me how to shoot sniper-rifles. After my mom had taught me how to shoot pistols. She was a vanguard in the Alliance. Lieutenant Commander Hannah Shepard. Retired. Became Security Chief of Mindoir Colony Security…" Shepard's tears started to fall harder. Her vision blurred. "If I had known more. If I had practiced shooting more, or practiced security protocol more… Maybe they'd still…"
"Hey, none of that. Thinking that way will drive you crazy. That's not what your parents would want for you. You did better than anyone could have hoped. You survived. And your courage saved a lot of lives today. I'm sure your parents would be proud."
"I know." Shepard wiped her eyes on her sleeve.
"Can you stand? We have medics who can help you and your friends." Anderson stood and offered his hand to Shepard. She nodded and took his hand. The lieutenant helped her up then pulled a sterile cloth from his pack. "Put this on your chin; it has antibiotics in it. That's a nasty gash, and you don't want it to get infected." Shepard did as she was told before grabbing her father's rifle and following Anderson out of the bunker.
As they walked through the base and finally out in the open, Corra stared at all of the charred and shot bodies. It was too quiet. The gunfire and screams had been replaced by an eerie silence. Mindoir was normally filled with the laughter of the missing children and the voices of the warm dead.
"There's not enough dead batarians on the floor." Shepard clenched her fist, tempted to spit on the occasional dead slaver they ran across.
"The cowards ran as soon as they realized we were here. Our ship is just a small scouting frigate, but even that was enough to scare off the fearful bastards." Anderson's voice had a rumbling growl to it.
"I don't see many dead children… Only older adults and security…" Shepard's throat ran dry.
"Our frigate is searching the system for the slaver-ships, but… Batarian slavers are known to hit hard and fast, then flee back into the Mass Relay."
The two finally reached a small medical outpost hastily set up by the marines just a block away from the security building. Shepard stopped and looked out. Charred blackness lined the once white apartments. The stink of death assaulted the nose where once the scent of grass embraced it. Smoke billowed up from the sites that used to be the security outposts. Icy blue eyes stared out at one particular billow of smoke.
"Shepard?" Anderson's voice pierced through Shepard's thoughts, but she didn't take her eyes away from the horror in front of her. She pointed toward the billow of smoke.
"That's where my mom was… when she died protecting this colony." Shepard turned and pointed back toward the security command building. "My dad's body is in there. I held him when he…" Shepard walked up to the nearest batarian corpse. "And they're gone! And the colony's gone! All because this fucker wanted some cheap labor!" The teen slammed her heel into the batarian's dead face, causing a snapping sound.
"I'm sorry, Corra. If there's anything I can do…" Anderson's quiet voice trailed off. Shepard stared at the security command building, then back at the billow of smoke.
"There is. Tell me how to join the Alliance. I want to be a marine. Like them. I want to make sure this NEVER happens again. I know I'm not eighteen yet, but tell me what I can do to prepare until then." Shepard looked down at the Volkov she so tightly gripped in her fist. "And tell me how to become an infiltrator."