Author's Note: So, this is going to be a thing. By thing I mean story, and by story I mean it will be the story of ME1 alone. Once this is done, I'll probably move onto ME2 and ME3 with a new story. Unless I don't, which by I don't I mean I'll just include the full Shepard saga in this one story.

If you couldn't tell, I'm not the most organized person when it comes to these things. Or the most foresighted.

I don't know why I'm aligning these in the center either.

Disclaimer: Mass Effect and any music I use in this belong to their respective owners, not to me.


"The universe is a pretty big place. If it's just us, seems like an awful waste of space." - Carl Sagan

Prologue

The blackened sky of Mindoir glittered with clustered dots of light. Some were simple transportation vessels with their blinkers on, but the other incandescent objects that glistened against the darkness were not creations of man, but of the universe.

A young boy, only in the thirteenth year of his life with the name of Eric Shepard, blew a burst of air out from his mouth to move that lock of hair that fell over his eye once he had laid down on the grassy field to gaze at the starry night sky. With the bit of blond hair no longer covering his sight, the stunning view above became fully clear to him.

He thought about what was out there, in the depths of space, beyond the relatively isolated colony planet which he had spent his entire life on. He of course knew of the beautiful Asari, the militant Turians, the wayfaring Quarians, the tribal Krogans, and how they all were placed into a sort of galactic hierarchy; but that was almost all he knew of them. Not once had he met even one of the alien species which his mother and father had spoken of so many times.

He had in fact never even dared to venture beyond his small colony home in the outskirts of the country side besides occasional trips to the city for buying supplies, and knew of the universe and its many wonders only through stories and pictures handed down to him by his parents.

Life was simple away from the big city. The cycle of eat, sleep and work was all his family needed to worry about doing, and they had gotten by rather well by doing just that.

But no amount of exhausting labour or plentiful harvests could stop the young farm boy from sneaking out of his bedroom window in the dead of night to escape the rural life, even if it was only in his head, and imagine what his life would be like on those colossal stations which floated silently within the confines of space, or perhaps what it would be like to command a mighty vessel of his own, exploring the vast oceans of stars which would await him.

The stars reflected in his blue eyes like they would calm lake water as he gazed into the astral luminosity, before flickering over to a curious phenomenon which suddenly appeared in the night sky.

In the old times, wise men once said that a event such as that which came into his view only came when the Gods themselves cast their eye down at the mortals from the heavens. From the gap which they would peak through at the mortal world, stars would fall, flashing across the sky, telling whoever bears witness to the event that beings beyond the confines of reality now looked down upon them, and would listen to whatever their heart desires.

Eric pushed himself from the ground where he laid upon, a gasp of wind blowing the tall grass around him as he stood up on his feet, his eyes never leaving the shooting star during this.

I wish, one day, those mesmerizing stars will be mine to explore, that the seas of the universe will be mine to sail, that the deepest and most unknown worlds mine to discover, and all its mysteries and secrets mine to uncover.

He gave his wishes to what he thought to be a shooting star, but when it did not continue to shoot across the sky and disappear before his eyes, he continued.

Was that too many wishes? Am I only supposed to give one? He asked unto the sky, but no one was there to answer his questions.

Well, if you're not going to answer, I have to get going now. He spoke to the void. I have to get up extra early for Church tomorrow, and I've already stayed up too late.

He turned to walk back towards his house, which was only a short trek away from his star gazing spot, but not before looking back at the night sky of Mindoir for what would be unknowingly the last time.

I'll see you again soon. He promised to the stars. Little did the boy know what that fateful wish would entail, and what the shining star that soared across the midnight sky would bring to the tiny farming colony on the edge of the Attican Traverse named Mindoir.

- 13 years later -

Eric shot up from his bed, his body dripping with sweat as he breathed heavily in the darkness of his quarters.

Another damn nightmare. He thought, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

That's fourth one this week… what's happening to me? He glumly pondered, placing his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands.

The intensive therapy he had received from the Alliance should have made the blasted things go away, and for awhile they did. But since the last month or so, they had been back with a vengeance.

And he began to remember all he wished to forget.

Machine guns echoed through the night, cutting down the masses of civilians who tried to flee in vain.

Mortars sound off and blaze the scene, scaring fields that once were green.

He remembers it all.

After the aliens had finished pillaging the capital city of Mindoir, they came for the farms.

The sound of all types of weapons being loaded as he and his family joined a local resistance group, who would rather die than comply with the slavers.

His mother fleeing with his baby sister Jane to keep her safe.

Thousands of the disgusting looking aliens, Batarians his father had called them, charging straight at their defenses as every man, woman and child who picked up arms began to fire into the horde.

The sickening sound of bullets tearing through flesh.

The screams of pain and fury as they fought the raiders with all they had.

His older brother John standing next to him firing his pistol in desperation as the odds turned against them.

There were just too many.

The memories of that slaughter, the sounds of Mindoir, 2170, still haunted him to this day. The awful noises came together like a cruel genre of music, as if conducted by Death himself. A rhythm of destruction, a concert of war, a symphony of death.

The sound of his alarm buzzing broke his train of thoughts. Looking up from his hands, he reached over and set the alarm to 'off' before standing up from his bed.

Today he would need to freshen up more than usual. Anderson had informed him yesterday that a Specter would be visiting the Normandy, and along with inspecting every single nook and cranny of the alliance vessel, he would also be watching its crew members closely. Whatever that meant.

For now, he would try to cast aside the questions surrounding the remerging nightmares. Hopefully their resurgence was nothing more than a random occurrence which could be sorted out with a simple talk with Chakwas. That he would try, but try alone was all he could do. The still questions hung over his head like a foreboding stormcloud, not close enough to pelt him with droplets of water and strike him with bolts of lightning, but yet not far enough away that he couldn't see its thunderous fury drawing ever closer.

Come now, Eric, you are not some sort of emotional mess. He reminded himself. You do not wine, you do not angst, and you certainly do not make yourself out to be any but what you truly are.

You are a soldier. Don't forget, you're here forever. You can use a spear as a walking stick, but that will never change its purpose. He thought, looking up over to the other side of the room opposite to his bed. There, up against the wall, was fixed a plaque with those exact words written upon it.

"Don't forget, you're here forever, Soldier."


There is a small bit of lore breaking in this, as Shepard is three years younger than he is in the actual game (26 instead of 29). But that shouldn't be game breaking or anything, unless there is an age restriction on Specters or N7s or something.

Anyways, this is my first time writing anything related to Mass Effect, so reviews and criticism are appreciated :)