I DO NOT OWN MASS EFFECT OR HALO OR ANY OTHER VIDEO GAME TITLE! just the plot of this story is mine, along with a few of the chars that i have made up.

Hello my peeps! Infini0n here to give yah a little intro to the Story "Our Legacy" so let's get the hard stuff out of the way first so you can figure out right away if this is for you or not.

1-This is a Halo/ME fanfick (along with some other inspirations that i could not list because i was only given two options)

2-This is Rated !M! for a reason. mostly because of very violent action and the blood and gore that will follow and mild through very suggestive themes. also for possible later themes (i have not made my mind up one way or the other, so don't bug me about it... too much. B-)

3-This story is following the Mass Effect Story-line but WILL NOT BE CANON. though it will follow the story, it will not be the same, i have changed a good bit of it to (hopefully) make it flow easier and more smoothly together.

Now for timing and basics of the story itself.

1-timing is set in the late 27th century.

2-Halo events occurred in the early to mid 24th century

3-right now, i envision this to run from ME1 all the way to and beyond ME3. note that i have a good bit of the plot already down, so the Real ME will most likely be very different from my stories version.

4-Chapter will most likely NEVER reach more than 2,000-3,000 words. i hope they never reach any higher because i am sure it will give me a headache.

5-please, be generous with your comments, whether they be flames of hate or laurels of adoration

6-but please, this is my first public showing of anything i've written other than school essays. though, i really don't think that those count.

7-last but not least. if you like it. read it. if not. don't complain. i accept constructive criticism, not whining.

hope you enjoy

Part One : A Spartan?

Chapter One : In The Hazard Room

Date: January 10, 2681

Time: 0421 Hrs

Location: Alliance Council Chamber, Arcturus Station

Tension filled the air like living membrane as thick as brick. Captain David Anderson resisted the urge to reach out and grasp it. After stifling a shudder, he looked around at the other occupants of the room. Sitting around the circular table sat the most powerful men and women of the Alliance races.

What in hell is keeping the President? This thought, even though trivial, had come from the seasoned mind of one Captain David Anderson. He and the other joint chiefs of the Alliance had arrived mostly at the same time about 20 minutes ago.

21 minutes now. David thought as he looked at this watch.

This was very strange, given the man that the call originated from.

So, seated around the circular table of the council's meeting room 5 of the 6 most powerful people in Alliance space sat waiting. It was intimidating to say the least.

There was a Sangheili Counselor, Kiga Ronome. To 'Ronome's right sat the short yet stocky form of the Chancellor of the Unggoy Republics, Ganda Dinwal. Then there was the Elegant Nikka Gikrka the Empress of the Kig-Yar Imperium. to her right sat the massive orange form of the Lekgolo representative know as Reck and lastly, to David's left, The Prime Matriarch of the Yanm'ee Horde, Zeem'Nee.

All the individuals in the room sat in their short-backed chairs with a simple raised holographic console built into the table in front of their seats.

The room, in spite of the company within, was actually very similar to most that Anderson had been in. it was simple. There were 8 chairs in the room, two of which were empty, sitting around a ten foot wide octagonal table that had no center. Instead, on the floor where the table's center would be was a holographic projector that currently displayed the Alliance Seal in bright sapphire blue that floated in a beam of bluish light that went from the floor to the ceiling 3 and a half meters above.

The room, known to the few who knew it existed was called the "Hazard Room" and rightly so. Since it's construction after the Covenant/Human War, over 300 years ago, the Hazard Room has been the place from which the greatest of the Alliance's decisions have been made. It has been used only 27 times since it was built. This meeting would mark the 28th. That is why everyone was so nervous. Whatever was about to occur in this room was probably going to change the Alliance forever and it was certain to be no small change.

Other than that there were no outstanding features about it. Nothing adorned the walls save the glass orbs emitting the rooms light. The door itself had no seam and disappeared completely when shut. Although Anderson made a point to take the seat directly opposite of the door he had to keep reminding himself that it was, in fact, still there.

Another minute passed with little to no change then the door slid open with a near soundless hiss and in walked two figures. The first was a lean white male with a full head of grey hair wearing a naval officer's suit. On the shoulders, chest, and hat which he wore under his left arm he bore the seal of a fleet Admiral. Anderson knew that face anywhere. The strong jaw line, and steel grey eyes belonged to none other than the legendary Admiral Hackett the commander and chief of the entire Alliance Fifth Fleet.

Directly behind Hackett walked in the man who sent the message to gather these people together. He was the President of the Human controlled regions of Alliance space. President Daren Allan Greensburg.

The president, though just ass imposing in person, with his still brown hair, green eyes, and powerful body build, was much shorter than Anderson envisioned. He probably stood no taller than 5'7". The thought almost made him smile. He seemed taller on the Holo.

When the Admiral and president found their seats all eyes turned to the president. He seemed to ignore them as he pressed a few buttons on his console till the door slid shut sealing them all within. He cleared his throat and looked from leader to leader till he met eyes with Anderson then spoke.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said with a grim expression. "Welcome to the Hazard room." Nothing but stares were returned. He went on without pause, "Today we have a difficult decision ahead of us. As you all know, we, the alliance, have been in a state of Cold war with the Citadel Council since the end of the relay 314 incident 24 years ago. What you also know is that since a decade ago the last three presidents, Myself included have been in constant negotiation with the Citadel Council to attempt to establish a peace with them that will be far more 'Permanent' than our current standing treaty. Seven days ago I was granted an audience with the Council, and we reached an understanding and they gave me an option that previously has been unavailable to us." He looked directly at Anderson then said, "Their going to allow us another chance to join the Spectres."

There was silence for several moments as he let this sink in. the first to reply was Counselor 'Ronome.

"Am I to assume then that this is why you asked for the compilation of the list?" The Sangheili spoke in clear English.

"Yes, all of you were asked to bring a list of possible choices of your races most promising individuals from which we will choose a single person to become the Alliance's face to the Citadel races."

Empress Nikka spoke next in a voice that was surprisingly soft and musical. "Then what is He doing here?" she asked gesturing to Anderson. "All of us" she gestured again to the others around the table, "Are the leaders of our peoples, people of consequence. But he is a mere Captain."

Greensburg Smiled. "Ah, yes. Allow me to introduce you all to Captain David Anderson. Captain Anderson was our last Spectre Initiate."

At that her already large birdlike eyes got even wider in surprise. Everyone in the room seemed to take that bit of information sourly, except Reck. Who just seemed to rumble a bit.

"Thanks to his knowledge and experience with the Spectres he will help us to judge whom we select as our Spectre candidate."

The surprised silence extended another few seconds till Ganda Dinwal spoke up in the shrill high voice of his species. "Well, lets get started then shall we?"

And with that he opened his list file on the holographic projector in the center of the room and Continued.

"Malki Dwoon," he began then continued on with the first of the lists.

3 and a half hours later the group was tired and annoyed with their progress. Or lack of progress as it were. Every list contained at least a dozen names and each of them were outstanding soldiers, leaders, or problem solvers. But none of them seemed to have the mix that Captain Anderson wanted to see or at least enough of those traits to allow considering.

He was surprised with how easily his rejection of the chosen individuals was taken. Sure, he got a few trying looks every now and then, but on the whole, it seemed that the joint chiefs of the Alliance had made him the official Decider of who the Spectre would be.

Name after name and soldier after soldier were knocked of the list till they stopped coming. Anderson looked up from his Consol when no one gave him another name.

"That can't be it." He said, almost desperately. The joint Chiefs only looked around the room at each other.

Nikka seamed insulted. Her feathers on her arms, neck, and face rose and she seemed to almost growl. "what do you Mean that can't be it. These are the best of the best in all our respective civilizations and all you have to say is THAT CAN'T BE IT!"

"Calm down Nikka" Reck Rumbled more than a little bit tersely.

"How can I be calm," She growled. "This Captain has refuted and denied every individual that we have named off to him." She hit a button on her consol and the entire list came up in the hologram. All of the 109 names that were chosen and listed came up on the holo.

"Any of these Men or Women could work for our selection." She continued shrilly, then paused and took a quick breathe. "all of these individuals, are the best of the best."

"And that, Empress Nikka, is just the thing that you don't understand."

"Excuse me?" she turned to Anderson stood then slammed her small fists into the table. "Pray tell then, Captain, How do I not understand?" she sneered angrily which changed her usually such beautiful voice into a near cringing Caw which was much more familiar to the Kig-Yar form.

Anderson looked at her, than calmly typed something onto his consol when he finished, his name popped up in the list about two-thirds down the line between the names Michal Sheol and Dreek Sii.

David Anderson looked back up at Nikka and calmly replied, "Empress, I Am One of these people."

She seemed perplexed so he went on. "What the medals I've earned and the awards I've won say is that I Am The Best. My records declares it, and my men would swear it." He paused for a moment and shook his head. "But when my chance came to be a Spectre, I still lost."

Understanding seemed to Dawn in her eyes as her feathers dropped to their normal position and her growling stopped. "Oh," was all she said.

"yah, we need more than just the best. We need Gods damned perfect. Or at least pretty close to it. I've done the amazing and lived to tell about it. But what we need is someone that does the impossible with nothing. We need a person that 'WILL' make the hard choices and never look back. We need someone that survives the suicide missions. We need a person that, when death comes to claim them and everything that they have, they will stand up, stare death in the face, insult him, laugh about it, then get away with it." He stopped his little impromptu speech to look at the joint chiefs.

"Then what we need, Captain," Admiral Hackett interrupted, "Is John Shepard."

Anderson raised a brow in confusion. "That name is not on the list Admiral."

"And for good reason, but first," he turned to the President. "Sir, it's a branch of the Spartan Program."

Understanding showed in Greensburg's eyes. "Go ahead Hackett."

The Admiral nodded then continued. "You all know of the Spartan program and our goals. To create and maintain an army of super soldiers to serve as a policing agency for the outer colonies and as a wild card for especially hazardous conflicts"

Nods came from all around.

"recently we found a way to not only replicate the Spartan II genetic manipulations, but also to potentially Double the intended affects. We named this division, the Spartan IX Program and the result of all our hard work was John Shepard."

He tapped a few keys on his console then he pulled a small black thumb sized rectangle from his breast pocket. He set it on the table and pressed a button on its top and it began blinking red. A Hologram of a young woman blinked into existence over top of the item. Her body was made of transparent orange light. She smiled lightly at the Admiral then said aloud, "Hackett, how may I assist you today?"

"Wanda, Please open ONI file, Code Name Spartan, Serial SS9-001"

"Sure, code please."

"Saturn's Cyan Ring."

She smiled again. "Thank you Admiral. Opening ONI-file/Spartan/SS9-001"

She said goodbye then her form vanished and the small rectangle want dark. Hackett picked it up and deposited it back into his breast pocket. Then pressed another few keys on his console and a new file came up in the Hologram. It showed a large Caucasian human male that looked to be in his upper twenties dressed in common military fatigues, a short sleeve shirt, pants, and combat boots. But his size wasn't the muscle, though that to was quite impressive, even Anderson had to admit, but the man stood easily seven feet tall, maybe taller. His hair, closely trimmed, was black as midnight, and his eyes, though a bright deep blue showed the sharpness and experience of a man twice his age. On his face were two scars that seemed to harden his looks into what would be called, stern, but not unfriendly. One scar was a small mark on his right eyebrow. The other was a long white scar that rode from just above the left edge of his mouth to just under his left ear at the corner of his strong jawbone. there were other scars on the mans arms and neck, but most were rather small when compared with the one on his cheek. To the images sides were numbers and measurements that Anderson wasn't familiar with.

"Joint Chiefs and Captain Anderson, let me introduce you to ONI's poster boy for the last decade. John Shepard, and the Galaxies only Spartan 9."