I've been reading Mass Effect fanfiction for a while, but this is the first idea I've had that I decided to publish. I haven't written anything in ages, so I would love to hear what my readers think; good or bad, any critique would be greatly appreciated! Also, I want to send a huge thank you to Sereneffect, my wonderful editor and beta. She is absolutely amazing!
Author's note: This chapter is the prologue; there is a small bit of back story in it and it also gives a little insight to some character relationships. The prologue takes place in 2200, 14 years after the end of Mass Effect 3; the main story will take place in 2204, 18 years after the events of Mass Effect 3. This chapter is pretty tame, but, I assure you, there will be interspecies smut in the near future; thus, this story is rated M for graphic depictions of violent situations, adult language, and some very mature content. And, as we all know, Mass Effect and its characters belong to Bioware.
"You be careful, alright? Don't let your dad do anything too crazy." Jane knelt down and tucked the strawberry blond curls behind her daughter's ears.
"Mom, I'll be fine," the young girl huffed out, rolling her eyes at her mom. She was holding her dad's hand, standing close to his legs, with her backpack slung over her shoulder.
"Okay, I'll miss you. Just… be careful. And have fun. I love you sweetie," she said, bending forward and kissing her daughter. Jane stood up and looked over to her husband.
"Be safe, okay? I don't want either of you coming back with anything broken."
"Jane, we'll be fine. You know I would never let anything happen to her."
"I know, I just… I don't like you going without me."
"Jane—" he moved towards her, wrapping her in his free arm, but she cut him off before he could finish, pressing the side of her face against his chest and reaching down and smoothing out her daughter's hair once again.
"I know, I know. Father-daughter time," she mumbled. "I get it. Just… be safe. Please? Both of you?" She looked down pointedly at her daughter who, once again, rolled her eyes.
"We will." He stooped to pick up his daughter, settling her on his hip and heading off for the skycar. All their gear was already packed up and the range wasn't that far away; it was a nice day – though still a bit too chilly for his liking. Hopefully they could actually get a good amount of practice in. He opened the side door and set his daughter down in the seat, making sure to secure all the clasps on the belt. Shutting the door, he turned back towards the house and walked back over to his mate.
"I love you, Jane," he said, bending down and pressing his brow plates against her forehead, a gesture she returned immediately. She reached up, standing on her tiptoes, and wrapped her arms around his cowl, brushing her cheek against his unscarred mandible and planting a kiss on his mouth plates.
"I love you, too, Garrus. Ping me if you need anything," she said, pulling away from him. He nodded before turning back and walking towards the car.
"Alright, we are going to be using a stand today. When you get a little older, we can train without it, but for now, you'll need it to hold the rifle steady."
"Did Gaius need it when he started?" Emma looked sideways at her father as she waited for an answer and Garrus realized that she wanted to know if she was doing better than her brother. She hasn't even started shooting and she's already competing. She's so much like her mother…
"Yes, your brother did. Even I started out using a stand – your mother too," Garrus said as he started unpacking all the equipment. Jane had called in a favor or two, reserving the entire open air shooting range for them today: one of the many benefits of having Admiral Jane Shepard as your mate – besides, the Alliance had plenty of indoor ranges that could be used for drills. Once all the bags were out of the skycar and swung over his shoulders, he reached down and grabbed his daughter's hand and started off over the hill towards the first set of targets.
"When did Gaius stop needing it?"
"Ahh… I think it was around this time last year – just after he turned 13."
They reached the first grouping of targets and Garrus started unpacking the rifles and equipment, while his daughter started roaming around the area – he was thankful that the whole range was deserted; having a 10 year old wandering around a busy marine shooting range was not a comforting thought. He got the tripod stands set up, trying to approximate her height for now, and got both their rifles out. Jane had bought him the newest version of his prized Widow a few weeks back, and he was still modding it, trying to make sure all the specifics were tweaked to his liking; this would be a perfect day to test out his new scope.
"Emma, come on over here and let's get started." She trotted over, her eyes immediately catching the brand new Mantis that he was holding out for her.
"Is that one mine?" her eyes lit up as she quickly ran over to him.
"Yeah, it's… ah… brand new. Your mother wanted you to train on one of hers, but… your dad figured that you should have your own," he trailed off, mandibles flaring in an impish grin. Jane had almost insisted that he train their daughter on one of her old rifles, saying that there was no need to go buy Emma a brand new one, considering they weren't even sure she would like shooting. He'd almost agreed; but then Emma had started asking him questions about his Widow one day, and he'd promptly decided that she should have her own. If she was anything like her mother – or him – she would appreciate it; there was something special about having your very own rifle. And, if Emma's current smile was anything to go by, that was apparently the right choice. He smiled lovingly at his daughter as she reached out to accept her new gift.
"I love it! Thanks, Daddy!" she said, quickly grabbing the rifle and just as quickly almost dropping it. Garrus reached out and grabbed the barrel of it before it landed, laughing.
"And that's why we'll be using the stands today. Heavy, right?"
"Yeah," she said, still looking over the Mantis, lightly tracing the edges of it; he chuckled. At least she appreciates a good rifle.
"Alright, here's the one you'll be using when standing – we are just going to be focusing on aiming today so you get an idea for how this is supposed to feel. Most of the rifle weight will be on the stand, but you will still be able to feel the pressure against your shoulder and arm. And depending on how you do on this, I may show you how to shoot while lying down. But we'll be practicing this a lot, so don't worry if we don't get to it today." He motioned towards the tripod situated in front of her, set up alongside his own stand.
"So, ah… the barrel of the rifle lays here. Your shoulder will help support the back end." Garrus pulled his Widow up to the stand, situating his arm to demonstrate to his daughter. "And then you'll look down the scope, finding your target in the sights." Once again, he demonstrated, measurements immediately flickering across his visor as it calculated the distance, height, gravity, and wind speed, displaying the trajectory the round would take – his daughter wouldn't have the luxury of a visor, so he'd be teaching her the old fashion way; she'd pick up everything eventually, it would just take time and practice.
"Can you help me get this up? I can't… pick it up myself," Emma said, trying to hoist the butt of her rifle up off the ground.
"Yeah, just hold on a second. You need to be wearing, ah… protection things… for your ears." Garrus rummaged through his bag once again, pulling out a pair of large round cushion things that were supposed to protect Emma's ears from loud noises. At this point, he was hardly surprised anymore whenever he learned of a new way humans were fragile and soft; he was immensely thankful that Jane had thought of these ear protection cushions – he couldn't bear the thought of his daughter getting hurt, especially if it was because of something he did or didn't do.
"Here, put these on." She grabbed them and slid them over her head, situating them over her ears. "Now here, let me help you with the rifle."
She immediately reached up and removed one side of the headpiece, her face questioning as she looked up at him. "Dad, I can't hear you when you talk that quiet. Remember? These block out noise," she said amusedly.
"Oh, ah… right," he said, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. "Well, just wait then and put them on right when we are about to start shooting."
"Okay," she said, pulling the headpiece down and resting it around her neck.
"Alright, here, let me help get you set up." Garrus reached down and helped her pick up the rifle and situate it on the stand so that it was balanced. "Now, you come stand here and hold it like this" – he moved her so she was positioned behind the end of the Mantis, the butt of the rifle resting against her shoulder – "and then you put one hand here – yes, that's good – and the other goes back here, so your fingers can grasp the trigger – yes, perfect." He barely had to help her position herself and once the rifle was firmly nestled against her shoulder, her fingers resting on the trigger, she glanced over to him and cocked her head to the side, raising her eyebrows.
"Daddy, I know how to hold a rifle. You are always messing around with yours in the house."
"Right… well, ah… the hand positioning can be tricky to get if you are trying on your own the first time, but, yeah, you seem to have a good grasp of it." He rolled his eyes, chiding himself: Here you go, underestimating your daughter. Didn't Jane teach you to not underestimate humans?
"I'm not a kid anymore, Dad; I know what I'm doing. I'm almost 11."
Spirits, she's growing up too fast.
"I know Emma, I just…" he trailed off, shaking his head. "You really are just like your mother… Okay, since you obviously have been paying attention, let me run through some specifics so we can get to the shooting part – I know, you probably know all these, but just let me run through them anyway. Quickly, I promise."
She nodded, absently looking through the scope of the rifle while her father continued. "Now, you are going to be looking through the scope with your right eye. The left you want to keep open so you can maintain a sense of distance – if you close it, you won't be able to tell how far away the target really is. Now today, the targets are closer, but as you keep practicing, I'll move us farther and farther away. I just want to you get a good feel for everything today."
He moved in behind her, checking her hand placement, and then continued. "Now, you want to make sure that the rifle is fit snuggly up against your arm; you want to be able to feel the weight of the gun – almost like it is part of your arm. And, when you take the shot, the kick is going to be pretty strong, so I'll be standing behind you to make sure you don't fall backwards. That's also why you are wearing a padded vest – I don't want you getting hurt. I'm also going to have my hands over yours, stabilizing the rifle a bit" – Emma huffed and looked back at him, giving him the classic 'Jane Shepard eye roll' she had perfected over the years – "I know, you can probably do this by yourself. But, just let me, please?" She sighed and nodded, turning her head back to the rifle and looking through the scope again.
"Okay, now, once you line up your target – aim a little above the very center – you'll want to count your heartbeat and try to make sure it's steady. You want to find the rhythm and then start counting your breaths. After everything is lined up, inhale, then count to three and make sure your crosshairs don't move. Shoot before you exhale. If you inhale and you lose your focus or the target moves in your sights, don't shoot – just exhale and start over. Never take the shot just to take a shot. Make sure it counts."
"Can I go ahead and try?"
Garrus chuckled. "Sure, let me go grab the thermal clips and you can help me load everything. Then you can try." They loaded the Mantis – she obviously had been watching him around the house as she did most of it by herself – and then he helped her get the rifle back up on the stand and got her positioned again. She pulled the ear protection over her head and leaned down to look through the sights; Garrus situated himself behind her, making sure to support the rifle a bit, placing his talons over her fingers. It took her a few minutes to get everything lined up and stabilized, but Garrus just stood there, patiently waiting, not saying a word; years of practice allowed him to stand in the same position, not fidgeting, for a while – a skill he never could have imagined he would need in any situation other than a firefight. He was still amazed that he had a daughter. He was brought out of his reverie when Emma's fingers twitched over the trigger. When she finally took the shot, it barely missed, just clipping the edge of the target; she bounced back, the kick knocking the butt of the rifle into her shoulder, but Garrus caught her, holding her steady.
"Good! That was great Emma!"
"But… I missed…" she whined, sounding thoroughly disappointed.
"You grazed the edge of the target. That's very good for your first shot." He gave her shoulders an encouraging squeeze. They reloaded the rifle and she tried again, this time missing the target entirely. Garrus merely told her that most people don't even hit the target the first time and she had grazed it, so missing the second time around was perfectly fine; she just needed to be patient and try not to rush anything. She kept practicing, each time trying something a little differently as her father continued to offer her tips about her aim or stance.
After a couple of hours at the stand, she was starting to drag.
"Daddy… this is hard. I'm not good at this," she whined. She almost dropped the rifle when her arm faltered, but Garrus reached over and grabbed it, helping her lower it to the ground so it was propped up against the stand.
"Emma, you're doing fine. It's always hard at the beginning, but you'll get better. We'll practice a lot."
"But my shoulder hurts and it's heavy."
Garrus chucked, mandibles flaring outward in a turian grin, as his daughter continued to complain. "You know, your brother was never this difficult…" he teased, bending down and pressing his brow to the top of her head.
"He's a lot bigger than me, Dad! It probably wasn't as hard for him…"
"Yes, he is bigger than you. He also didn't do nearly as well as you are doing on his first time. You're a natural. Take after your dad," he rumbled, turning her around and brushing back the hair from her face. Her frown wavered slightly as she looked up at him, a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth; he knelt down and hugged her. Spirits, he loved this girl. No one could have ever prepared him for how strongly he would feel for her; he remembered his father telling him how overly protective he was of Sol – about how he cared for her more than anything – but he never could have imagined the feeling. It wasn't until Jane had told him that she was pregnant that he understood, and even then, the full feeling didn't sink in until Emma was born. He would do anything for her; anything for his family.
Her stomach made a growling noise and he abruptly let go of her, pulling back to look at her. He suddenly realized that they had been at this for hours and she was probably hungry. "I think your mom packed lunch for you… Do you want to take a break?" he asked apologetically; he'd gotten so caught up in watching his daughter fire the Mantis that he'd forgotten about everything else. Emma looked so much like Jane when she was firing – her eyes would light up when she hit the target or her mouth would form a thin, frustrated line when she missed – and he got lost in his memories.
"Yeah… is that okay?" she asked him, hugging him back tightly.
"Of course it is. Here, let me take that" – he stood back up and reached over to where her rifle was resting against the stand – "and you go grab some food. I think it's in your bag."
She wandered over to the skycar, trying to locate her bag while Garrus took her rifle and went to grab his Widow. He had propped it up against his own stand after his initial demonstration and it had stayed there, virtually untouched for the majority of the morning. He'd just have to come back sometime and actually test out his new mods… maybe, he could get Jane to come with him. They hadn't gone to the range together in a while; maybe they could get someone to watch Emma for a day while they went out and practiced…
"Dad? Are you going to eat?"
He shook his head dispelling his thoughts and strolled over to the car where Emma was sitting, eating her sandwich while her legs hung, dangling out of the door. Laying the rifles in the front seat, he grabbed a dextro ration pack – he'd gotten so used to eating them over the years on the Normandy, the taste didn't bother him anymore; and it was such a convenient way to eat – and rested his shoulder against the side of the car, turning to face his daughter who was busily munching at her lunch.
"Are you having fun at least?" he asked, hoping that she was still enjoying herself a bit. Jane had promised that he could teach Emma to shoot – it was something that meant a lot to him; his own father had taken so much pride in teaching both him and Sol and he wanted to be able to do the same for his daughter. He had originally thought it was a turian thing – to want to teach your children how to shoot a gun – but Jane had told him she thought it was simply a father thing – regardless of species.
"Yeah… I'm just… not very good at it."
"Emma, you're doing great. Honestly, you really are doing fine. It just takes some practice. When I first met your mother, I had to give her some tips – even she needed some, ah… practice."
"Really?" her face seemed to perk up a bit at that, looking a little less downcast.
"Yes. As a matter of fact, my sniping abilities were one of the main reasons that she always took me along on missions. She would take the short range weapons, and I'd use my rifle. Now, ah… don't tell you mother I told you this, but we kept a running tally of every, ah… shot, and… Well, I won," he scratched the back of his fringe remembering all the times they had made bets on who would come out of a mission with the higher kill count.
She grinned up at him and he grinned back, his mandibles flaring out.
"Can you tell me another one of your stories? About you and mom?" she asked before taking another bite of her sandwich.
"Sure," he started racking his brain, trying to think of what stories he'd told her and which ones he hadn't. "Hmm… Have I ever told you about the time your mom yelled at a krogan scout who was hiding in a hospital room, too afraid to move?"
"No." Emma's eyes widened slightly and Garrus chuckled; she loved hearing about all their missions. He wouldn't be surprised at all if she ended up joining the Alliance when she was old enough, following in her mother's footstep. That thought broke his heart a little though. Their son was already antsy enough to get off Earth and go to Palaven to join the military; he didn't like the idea that his daughter would be following the same path as well. Any good turian would be proud their children wanted to join the military, fight for their species, but he couldn't bring himself to be happy; he was already scared to death his son would get injured in combat – he didn't need his daughter risking her life as well. And, Jane… Spirits knew he never stopped worrying about her – he couldn't imagine life without her in it. He cared for her far too much. He shook his head, once again, trying to drag his thoughts back to the present, and started telling his daughter the krogan scout story.
Maybe one day she'll find someone who means as much to her as Jane does to me – someone who can give her the same love and camaraderie, someone worth fighting for…
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the prologue! I'd love to know what you thought!
