Sam Shepard collapsed onto her bed. Her supple body wracked with sobs as she wondered just how she was supposed to pull this off. After what seemed like an eternity, she made her way to the bathroom, throwing herself into a cold shower.
As much as Sam did not like Cerberus, or Miranda, the woman had a point. This wasn't some extranet game where every failed mission could be reloaded from the last checkpoint, all the enemies' locations revealed by the latest Primo Strategy Guide. It wasn't like she knew everything in advance and just failed to act properly—sub-optimal mission outcomes arose because of circumstances no one could have rightfully prepared for.
She sighed. "Shit happens, now how do I make the best of it?"
Walking over to the alcove formed by the cabin wall, desk and model-ship collection, Sam stopped. Transfixed by a single item, she stood at attention and saluted.
If a tiny flicker of hope gets me through, then I'll take it.
Returning to the bridge in anticipation of arriving at the Omega-4 relay, Shepard waited.
Millions of years passed as republics, empires, alliances, and all manner of civilizations rose and fell. Some looked inward, but others cast a wider net in search of others like them. The most current government, now spanning six galaxies in the cluster rather than just its home, was called the Trans-Galactic Republic, itself a sub-member of the Federated Cluster Union, a loose association of similar (multi-)galactic states controlling space for tens of millions of light years.
The TGR focused on economic expansion over military conquest. Combing star systems for unexploited resources, a survey team discovered a curious artifact drifting in a nebula. Marking it down as a possible "navigational hazard" (it was multiple kilometers in length), the survey team continued on its way. Several similar relics were located in various star systems, seemingly inert. Unable to determine the devices' function, TGR explorers ignored the behemoth constructs.
Commander Sam Shepard was well-aware of the purpose of mass relays. Having returned through the Omega-4 relay after taking down a Human-Reaper, destroying the Collector Base that housed it and flipping off the Illusive Man, she could hardly believe nothing "bad" happened (unless Joker's bouts of pain after firing an assault rifle counted). Unsure of how to proceed, Sam decided to head for the Citadel. In the meantime, the crew could begin repairs to the Normandy.
Even though the current Republic was not aggressive, it also did not take chances. As a result, the latest line of Heavy Multirole Militarized Starship, Explorer (or "HMMSE," usually pronounced "humsee") packed more firepower and weapons than previous iterations. Republic doctrine dictated that having lots of guns would hopefully mean not having to fire any of them. Named the Curator-class, at 2,500 meters in length, these ships carried impressive firepower. 88 quad turbolasers, 56 ion cannons and an assortment of more powerful weaponry dotted the hull. When over a hundred weapons firing wasn't enough, the large batteries mounted to the sides of the bridge block could be brought to bear. Each turret carried six barrels and had an overall output several times greater than its quad brethren. Nestled among these six-gun turrets were a pair of heavy ion cannon mounts per side capable of overloading the most advanced shields, leaving enemies helpless. If the captain was feeling particularly sadistic, five DKA-133.7 double turrets represented yet another level of increased destructive power. When It Just Had to Go Boom, long-range turbolasers at the bow left nothing alive. Capable of hitting targets over 10,000km away with devastating amounts of energy, these weapons were only eclipsed by superlasers.
Deployed as explorers to "see what's out there" while still retaining the ability to defend themselves, several had disappeared recently. Wanting to find out more, probes were dispatched to the locations where ships vanished. Only one common factor was evident: the presence of the strange artifacts.