Hey everyone! Welcome. This story will vaguely follow the events of the first game, focusing on the relationship development between characters. It is simply my reinterpretation of a great story, and the characters I fell in love with.
I am not any sort of writing perfectionist or grammar savant, so any feedback is helpful.
It all belongs to BioWare. So yeah, enjoy.
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Green eyes stared back at him from the mirror.
Shepard let out a sigh, rubbing a hand over the scruff on his jawline. I should probably shave. Anderson gets pissed when we don't shave. A final glance looked over his disheveled, wet black hair, the bags under his eyes, and the jagged scar across his cheek led him to a final conclusion.
Screw it.
He ran a towel over his hair once more, combed it back to show a little added effort, and threw on his casuals before heading to his locker to suit up. Another colony run. He couldn't help but think Anderson was starting to do them just to get to him.
With a curt nod towards Pressly after stepping out of the elevator Shepard took a few more commanding strides across the CIC – just in time to meet Nihlus' gaze.
The Spectre quickly continued on his way, leaving Shepard as frustrated as ever. The turian had given no explanation as to why he was coming along on this mission. Despite its co-development, the Normandy was an Alliance ship. There had to be a reason he was here. He continued towards the cockpit, picking up the tail end of a conversation as they cleared the relay.
"Nihlus gave you a compliment. So, you hate him?"
"Remembering to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom? That's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of pinhead. So that's incredible!"
Cocky bastard, isn't he? Shepard glanced between Alenko and the ship's pilot. Obviously, Joker got away with not shaving. No reason he couldn't. The XO lifted his gaze towards space, half listening to the pair's bickering.
"Yeah, that is the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story." Joker continued, obviously unable to help a backwards glance at Shepard.
Oh, he wants my opinion. Great. "They don't send Spectres on shakedown runs," The commander murmured shortly, earning a baffled glance from Alenko. Shepard hadn't taken the time to get to know him, and apparently his ability to speak had taken the biotic by surprise. Joker smirked.
"Right. So there's more going on here than the Captain is letting on," The pilot gloated, earning an eye roll from Alenko.
Any further babbling was cut out by Anderson's voice. The captain was short and concise, with an edge to his voice that made Shepard quirk his brow. He headed quickly to be briefed, suffering through a conversation with an over-curious Pressly and an over-eager Jenkins. They both needed to focus on their jobs. He walked confidently through the automatic door into the briefing room, only to become wary by the sight of the lone turian.
"Commander Shepard, I was hoping you'd get here first. I wanted a chance to talk."
Well, shit.
"Is this about why you've been watching me nonstop these past few days? Cause I've got to say, it's getting a little weird." Shepard deadpanned, and watched as Nihlus' mandibles dropped with an irritated snort.
"We'll get to that. I wanted to hear what you think of this world we're going to. Eden Prime – it's supposed to be something of a paradise for your people, isn't it? A symbol of humanity's progress."
"What's your point, Spectre?" Shepard met Nihlus' green eyes with his own. He forced himself to crush down the feeling of discomfort welling up inside of him.
"Its proof humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them. But how safe is it, really?"
Shepard clenched his fists. He could tell from the glint in the turian's eyes that he knew exactly what he was talking about, but he couldn't understand why. Why would he care? What business did a Spectre have poking around in his past? Squaring his broad shoulders, he took a step forward to tell him exactly whose business it was, but was cut off by the captain's entrance.
"I think it's about time we told the commander what's really going on," Anderson said quickly, his brow furrowing as he took in Shepard's tense posture.
"Captain?" Shepard turned towards the older man, curious and still more than a little agitated. The turian nodded, mandibles fluttering as he refocused his attention on Shepard, and continued.
"This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run."
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Owen grinned broadly, the sun warming his tanned skin and creating ripples of light over the ocean of gold before him. He ran fast, cutting a path through the grain. His breathing was labored as he jumped the final few paces to plant his hands on the field's only tree. The boy collapsed in a laughing heap, rolling onto his back with closed eyes and running a hand through his dark hair.
"You so cheated! You said on the count of three!" An indignant voice was suddenly upon him, and his grin only widened.
"Forgive me?" Owen chuckled, leaning back on his elbows and slapping on a winning smile. "It's not my fault you're half cheetah, I needed some kind of advantage."
He watched as the girl fought a smile, and gave him a firm prod in his side. "Oh, whatever. Come on then, we need to get back."
Owen groaned, laying back and throwing an arm over his face. "Do we have to?"
"Yes, we have to."
"Come on, Cass. It's still light, and curfew can't be for another couple of hours," he groaned, reaching up to take hold of her wrist. "Your parents won't even know you're gone." He pulled at her arm gently, and she gave in with a sigh. Long blond hair splayed over his chest as she settled in beside him, laying her head on him and looking up at a nearly cloudless blue sky.
"You know, my sister thinks you're a bad influence,"
"Your sister hates me because I stole her juice in the third grade."
Cassidy chuckled. "Well, I think that only proves her point," She turned her face towards his, grinning. "I think it might also have something to do with beating up Troy. And Parker."
"Hey! I had perfectly legitimate reasons for both of those occasions."
"Like?"
"They were both assholes."
Cassidy let out a groan, rolling her blue eyes. She still didn't let go of her grin though. "Okay, tough guy," The girl rolled over, propping herself up on her elbows and leaning her face towards his. "But if you keep going at it at this rate, it's just going to be you and a colony full of 'assholes' that you pissed off." She searched his olive eyes, watching as he grumpily avoided her gaze. "Seriously, Owen. Why do you keep messing with those guys? You're going to get kicked out of school."
Owen sighed. "Why does it matter? They were being idiots." He smirked. "And they wouldn't kick me out, you're the only one that beats my scores. Somebody needs to make this shithole look good on colonization reports."
"Oh, of course, Mr. Humility." She rolled her eyes again, but he couldn't miss the affection in the gesture. "So, someone of your high caliber must have big plans for the future, right?" Her voice was teasing and warm, and he couldn't help but inhale her floral scent.
"Just getting off this rock," he murmured, running a hand over her white blond hair, before settling on her neck. "I want to do something. Go places. I couldn't stand just taking over the farm, becoming some shortsighted colonist who couldn't care less about the rest of the galaxy, all the while expelling tales of the virtues of the simple life." His eyes wandered over her face, past her short nose and to her small mouth with full lips. He glanced back to her blue eyes as those lips parted to speak.
"Deep thoughts at sixteen," She said with a giggle, her hand coming up to fiddle with the fringe of dark, wavy hair above his brow. "Mindoir's not that bad, you know."
He smiled warmly. "Yeah, I know. I just don't want to get stuck here. I'm thinking I might actually join up with the Alliance."
Cassidy abruptly stopped the mini-braid she was working on in his hair, and it stuck up from his forehead like a unicorn's horn. "You've got to be joking. You, a soldier? You know there's trouble with the batarians. What if you were sent to fight?"
"Hey, it can't that bad. A ton of people do it. Besides, you're always saying I need an outlet for my aggression." He smirked, the quickly silenced the concerned whine rising in her throat with a kiss. It was quick and sloppy, but in his short experience it was the most fantastic thing there was. He drifted, his hand burrowing into her hair at the nape of her neck while the other slid around the small of her back. She smiled against him.
An acrid scent cut into his nostrils, banishing the smell of her perfume. His eyes opened as he pulled away from her, and she returned his confused stare. They both sat up, eyes drifting over wheat and back towards the settlement. Smoke was blooming in a cloud over the homes of their families.
The wind carried hundreds of screams.
