"I still don't get it, Dad." The setting sun cast long shadows on the ground in front of them as Jane and her father walked toward Mindoir's city limits. The sky was lit by a thick patch-work of fiery clouds hinting at impending rain.
"What's there not to get?" The older Shepard rolled his neck and shoulders slowly, listening to each pop of his joints with a grimace. He wiped the sweat from his face and glanced toward the city in the distance.
"If the turians belonged to the Council, why did they attack us? I thought they had rules about how to interact with a new species." Jane pull her shirt away from her back and tried to coax cooler air against her warm skin.
"What did your teacher tell you?" They reached the dirt road leading to the city. He was avoiding the question just like every other time Jane had tried to ask him about his time in the war.
"That the turians were trying to prevent humans from opening a relay. It's against galactic law or something."
The older Shepard shook his head with a sigh. "That's the official reason they gave us. That doesn't justify what they did. There was no warning, no crease-and-desist. Just an unwarranted attack, and then more attacks. They weren't looking to enforce galactic law – they were looking for a fight. To be the conquering heroes."
"But they were already heroes, I thought. They ended the Krogan Rebellion. They're on the Council." She examined the new freckles on her forearms to avoid catching her father's eye – she knew she was treading on thin ice.
"The rebellion ended over a thousand years before they encountered humanity." He looked out at the wheat fields to his right – the plants were nearly waist high. "The turians only have as much power as the asari and salarians want them to have. What the turians don't like to admit is that their economy is now completely reliant on the volus. The Council used the turians like they did the krogan: cannon fodder. Only, instead of castrating the species, they crippled their economy slowly over several decades. They were given a seat of the Council, but the asari and salarians run the show – always have, always will."
"Is that why so many people don't want humans to work with the Council?" Jane hesitated long enough to take a nervous breath. "Why we're out here on the edge of Citadel space?"
Shepard looked over at his daughter and smiled at her nerve. "That might have had something to do with it." He threw his arm around her shoulders. "But mostly it was because your mom and I wanted you and your sister to grow up away from the crowds and the politics on Earth. It can make a person bitter and angry. Here we have space, clean air and water, and can work the earth instead of fighting through traffic to get to a tiny cubical to do a meaningless job for a gigantic company that doesn't give a damn about you."
"You just kind of proved your point, I think," Jane said with a small smile.
"Well I think we both know you inherited your brains from your mother, not me."
Stacks of prefabricated homes came into view as the clouds above them began to rain down. Hours in the fields made the light drizzle a welcome relief. "So rumor has it a certain young man has been trying to catch your eye." Shepard gave his daughter's shoulders a squeeze before pulling away to study her reaction.
Jane felt her face begin to burn. "There may be some truth to that rumor."
"Oh, is there? And when do I get to meet this whelp?"
"Um, never," Jane said rolling her eyes. "Not after you scared off the last boy even remotely interested in me."
"Aw, come on. He was a pretentious little shit. I did you a favor."
"And scared off anyone else who might have been interested for nearly a year."
"Glare at me all you like, kiddo, but that's a win-win for me," he said with a chuckle. "Aw, come on. Are you sure it wasn't your mom's cooking. That varron meat we tried from Illium was awful. I don't know what Bob was thinking when he bought that stuff. Asari delicacy my ass." Shepard squinted north toward the city. "What the hell is Lang on about?" Jane followed his stare and saw a man in a security uniform waving frantically at them, urging them toward the city. "Let's not keep the man waiting."
They splashed through small puddles at a jog until the wailing of the town emergency sirens made them jump. "Shit, let's pick up the pace, Jane."
"Get to the bunker, Jared! We have incoming hostile ships approaching from the south and west!" Lang yelled over the noise once they reached him.
Shepard grasped the security officer's hand briefly. "Thanks, Ed."
More security officers raced past Jane and her father as they set off toward their home. They ran through masses of people pouring from the prefabs lining the dirt roads. "Stay close," Shepard called back to Jane as they cut through the crowd. "We need to get your mom and sister!"
It was slow going with the streets so crowded; many people yelled angrily as the older Shepard as he pushed his way between his neighbors.
"Thank god! Jared, we have to go!" Jane's mother yelled as she and her younger sister hurried down the stairs of their home to meet them.
"I know, I know!" He hugged both of them and led the way to the city bunker. The crowd ahead of them was thicker now. Over the sound of the sirens, Jane could hear the first sounds of gunfire behind them. "Dad, that sounds really close!"
"Just keep going," he said as he let his wife and youngest lead and fell behind Jane. He drew his pistol as he and Jane glanced back at the smoke coming from where they had met Lang not minutes before. "Take a left up here!"
The crowd was now nearly in a full-blown panic. Over the sirens and gunfire were desperate shouts to family and friends – voices full of fear that Jane felt acutely. To the right, two or three streets over, an explosion sounded.
"That can't be right. Ed said they were coming from the southwest!" Debris rained down on them as the drizzle continued to fall. Whoever was attacking was already surrounding the town, boxing them in.
Terrified screams filled the air around them as more gunfire came from the direction of the explosion. Jane looked back only to have her father prod her on the shoulder. "Just keep going."
We need to keep up, Jane thought. There was safety in numbers and they were losing it. The crowd was thinning as people panicked and veered off the main road to the city center. "Hannah! Pick up the pace!"
"Come on, Elli," her mother said calmly as she tightened her hold on her youngest daughter's hand. Jane heard her sister's labored breathing hitch with fear. Behind them, Jane heard shouting in a language she'd never heard before.
"Shit – Go left! Take that street!" The screams and gunfire were closer than ever now, all around them.
"How far are they, Jared?" Her mother's voice was still calm and clear as she took a left and then a right, still moving quickly toward the bunker.
"Within range." It took Jane a few moments to realize what he meant. Within firing range. She tried to focus on her dad's steady breathing behind her rather than the chaos around her. They're catching up to us.
"Don't look, sweetie. Just keep going," her mother said quietly to Elli. To the left were bodies of other colonists, gunned down, staring with unseeing eyes. How could they be into be this far into the city already?
"Hannah, wait!" Her dad eyed the body filled street shrewdly. There was no crowd anymore, just a few terrified looking people running past them. "This way. The batarians have been through here already. They're moving towards the city center, toward the bunker."
"Okay, where are we going then?" she asked as she led the way with Elli.
"To the woods if we can make it." His voice was quieter and her mother took notice and slowed their pace, being careful check the next corner before moving forward. "Jane, take your sister's hand. Hannah-"
"I know," she said quietly as she pulled a pistol identical to her husband from the small of her back. "I need you girls to be very quiet, okay?"
Jane and Elli nodded. The screams and gunfire were still all around them, but farther away now. The sirens continued to wail overhead.
The streets here were full of more dead, rain water mixing with blood splattering the white prefab walls. Mom moved with measured steps, both hands on her gun. Dad's breathing was quiet now. Elli's hand was clammy. Jane was shivering.
"Wait." Mom stopped and dropped to one knee as she looked around the next corner. "Three of them, all armed," she whispered to Dad. He crouched next to her and looked. He pulled her back towards their daughters. "Stay here."
Jane watched as he backtracked and turned down the next street toward the batarians. The wait seemed to last forever before they heard the gunshots. Mom glanced around the corner and urged them forward. "Quickly," she whispered.
They moved together past the now empty alley. Heavy footsteps thudded behind them as all three turned to see Dad running up to them. "Left!" he mouthed, pointing to a gap between two prefabs. It was another body-strewn alley. He skidded to a stop on the wet grass and followed them. "I think we're clear."
Jane let out a shaky breath and squeezed Elli's hand. Elli was staring at a woman slumped against the wall in front of them, red staining the front of her shirt. "Don't look, Elli," Jane said as she pulled her sister into a hug.
"Alright, let's keep moving," Dad whispered as he put a hand on each of his daughter's shoulders. Far off to the right there were a series of large explosions, forceful enough to rattle the windows of the prefabs around them. "Now, let's go."
Mom moved forward and checked around the corner, but drew back immediately. Her eyes were full of fear for the first time. Dad swore softly and closed his eyes. "Under the prefab, girls. Hurry!"
They crawled on their stomachs and shimmied underneath. From here, Jane could see five pairs of boots that must have belonged to the batarians. She craned her neck and saw her parents' boots move toward the corner of the prefab. The sound of her parents' pistols made Jane and Elli jump – it took too long for the shooting to end.
"Girls let's go, come on! Quickly!" Jane tried not to focus on how much her mother's voice wavered as she pushed Elli forward and followed. Dad was slumped against the wall holding a hand to his side – blood trickled between his fingers.
"Dad?" He looked up and smiled at her. "Help me up, kiddo." His voice was light, but his eyes were squinting through the pain.
Jane took his free hand pulled back with all of her weight. He rose slowly with a grunt of pain. "Let's get moving. They'll have noticed that."
They moved together like before, but every few steps Mom would look back at Dad, the stain on his shirt growing with every step.
"Take a right . . . up here." His voice sounded so quiet and uneven; Jane turned back to look at him . . . and watched a group of batarians spill from one of the side streets.
The look on her face must have given her away because he turned before she could say a word and leveled his pistol at them. "Run!" he hissed. He waited to fire until the batarians noticed him. By then, Jane and her mother and sister had rounded the corner of the nearest prefab.
There was no ignoring the gunfire behind them or how short it lasted. Jane felt her eyes sting sharply, but gripped Elli's hand tighter and followed after their mother.
There was no glancing around corners or trying to keep quiet. They could hear the batarians' heavy footsteps following them, their rough voices shouting impatiently.
Two corners down opened into a wider street near the outskirts. There were portable blockades between each of the prefabs and batarians keeping watch, their backs to the city center. Mom skidded to a stop and braced as Jane and Elli ran into her back. She shook her head and led them back the way they came.
By a stroke of luck, their pursuers overshot them and were jogging along the road perpendicular. Mom waited for them to pass a few more prefabs before moving forward after them along a parallel street. They had gone a few dozen meters when the sirens finally stopped. The silence was unnerving and was immediately interrupted by shouts of victory from the batarians, revealing just how surrounded they were.
Mom kept up a swift pace, constantly glancing down side streets with her pistol ready. There was no time to notice the bodies along to road or how much colder the rain felt. Jane kept a vice-like grip on Elli's hand, scared that her little sister would snap from the stress and fear at any moment. She was barely keeping it together herself.
"Down here, hurry!" Jane and Elli scurried down another alley. More batarians came into view as Jane tried to stop herself and Elli from barreling into the next street and into view. Mom came up behind them – Jane could hear the fear in her labored breathing.
She tugged them back the way they came slowly. They'd nearly made it back to the end of the street when a batarian noticed them and shouted. More batarians voices sounded. "Go, go, GO!" Mom shouted as she pushed Jane and Elli ahead of her, putting herself between them and the batarians. Shots fired – behind them, their mother screamed out in pain.
The way was blocked by an armored batarian. He smiled in a sinister way as he raised a shotgun, but an explosion of red mist replaced most his head before he could fire a shot. Jane looked back and caught her mother as she staggered forward, the pistol in her mother's hand forced into Jane's chest. She could feel warmth of the barrel through her soaked shirt. "Take it . . . and run, sweetie," her voice shook violently. She took one last rattling breath before she went limp in Jane's arms.
"Elli, come on!" she shouted as she grabbed hold of her sister's hand again. She pulled her around the corner away from the other batarians, but as she did, Elli stumbled and cried out. Jane crouched down and tried to pull her to her feet, but stopped when she saw the blood staining her sister's thigh. "No."
Elli was crying and clutching fearfully at Jane. "Don't leave me, Jay! Don't let them get me!"
Jane looked desperately around for help, for a miracle, but found none. "I'm here, I'm not going to leave you," she said as she hugged her. She felt warm tears running down her face, mixing with the rain and batarian blood. This was it. She positioned herself and aimed with shaking hands at the corner of the prefab and waited for the four-eyed monsters to appear.
The first one looked startled as Jane fired nearly pointblank into his face. The second one jumped back in shock as he was sprayed by bits of gore from his companion – Jane fired again before he could aim his weapon. She sucked in a quick breath and pivoted around the corner and caught the last two staring at their fallen comrades with wide eyes. More shots fired. The last two batarians fell on top of her mother's body.
"Alright, Elli. We have to go." Jane scooped her up and tried to set her on her feet, but Elli cried out, "I can't, I can't!" Her voice was filled with panic and pain.
"We don't have a choice! Lean on me and I'll help you walk." Jane hated herself as she forced her sister to her feet again and wrapped an arm around her. Elli was choking back sobs and clenching tightly to Jane's shirt. She'll never be able to make it to the forest . . .
The sun was set now and the lights around the city still hadn't turned on. The rain continued to pour.
"Not too much further, Elli," Jane whispered. "We just have to keep going." Elli didn't answer. Her eyes were shut tight against the pain. Just keep going.
There were shouts from batarians and screams of pain ahead. Jane pulled Elli into the shadows of the nearest prefab and waited. A group of batarians was leading a line of humans in chains to the western edge of the city. The humans looked bloodied and scared.
Jane helped Elli hobble back onto the street and set off toward the wooded area northwest of the city. They still had a long way to go.
"You're doing great, Elli. We're almost there." Her sister's breathing was shallow and her pace was slowing. "Just keep going."
"Jay . . . I'm tired . . . I can't . . . I can't-"
"Okay, okay," Jane whispered soothingly. "Over here." There was a small space between two prefabs. Jane lowered Elli to the ground and sat beside her. She pulled Elli into her lap and wrapped her arms around her.
"I'm so cold."
"I know, Elli." Jane ran her fingers through her sister's wet hair. She wanted to just stay here, just close her eyes and pretend this was all a terrible dream, but Elli's shallow breathing kept her alert.
They couldn't hide here for long – these batarians were slavers. Every colony in the Traverse had a plan for slaver attacks. Theirs was simple: go to the bunker or get as far away from the city as possible. Slavers were thorough, every slave captured was worth a small fortune for them. They knew where to look and how to flush out their prey.
The rain had finally begun to let up when Jane decided they needed to move forward. Elli was sleeping, at least she hoped she was and hadn't passed out from blood loss. Knowing she wasn't strong enough to cradle her sister in her arms, Jane pulled her carefully into a fireman's lift. Elli moaned in her sleep, but didn't wake.
Jane ignored the fatigue weighing her down just as much as her sister's weight and kept her pistol ready. Behind her, in the distance, she could hear more of her neighbors being led out of the city against their will. The fighting must be over . . . No one is coming to save them . . . to save us.
Just keep going . . . just keep going. Jane trudged down a side street. Her clothes were soaked and she was chilled to the bone. No one is coming . . . just keep going. Behind her, she heard heavy footsteps splashing through the puddles she had just passed. No . . . She tried to turn around, but was backhanded viciously. She lost her footing and she and Elli feel to the ground.
Lights were still flashing beneath her closed eyes when Jane felt a sharp kick to her diaphragm. Her mouth opened in a silent scream. She felt her mother's pistol digging into her rib cage where she had fallen onto it. The crunching of boots warned her of another attack.
Jane rolled away from the kick onto her back and pulled the gun from beneath her. Her shots went wide, but were enough to cause the slaver to take several steps back in alarm and draw his own pistol. She focused through the pain and fired. The batarian roared in pain as the bullet obliterated the top of his skull. He shot blindly as he fell backward and began to twitch wildly, before suddenly stopping.
"Shit . . ." Jane pressed her hand to her chest. That hurts, that really fucking hurts. Her hand was covered in her own blood. Elli, I need to get to Elli.
She rolled onto her side and gritted her teeth. Elli was on her side next to her. Just keep going. It hurt to breath. Jane pushed herself onto all fours and rolled her sister toward her. No . . .
Elli's face was so white and clammy. "Elli, Elizabeth!" Jane began to cough and collapsed next to her sister. Blood filled her mouth. With a shaking hand, she reached out and searched for her sister's pulse. No, please, no. Her eyes began to burn mercilessly. "Elli . . ."
A/N: This story will span from the death of Shepard's family to just before being assigned to the Normandy - OCs are kept to a minimum. The whole thing is already written, so I was thinking about posting a new chapter each week unless anyone has any objections. Thanks for reading (and reviewing if you choose to).