2170 CE - Mindoir
Sleepy would be one way to describe the colony, Ember thought as she ran bare-footed across the land of her family's farm. It was rare when they had the chance to just let their hair down and enjoy some free time and luckily, this was one of those days. The Shepard siblings had all agreed to spend it most of it playing hide and seek - but the eldest had resisted, she had a book to finish and Ember didn't want to waste all her free time running and getting dirty.
She looked up towards the sky, clouds drifting lazily while the warmth of the sun flirted against her skin in a reminder that summer was coming to its peak. A small ship on the horizon caught her attention, she frowned slightly at its unusual appearance but she pushed the thought away, content with the feeling of the edge of her skirt sliding through the tall green grasses.
"Three, two, one, this one will find your hiding spot."
Her sister's voice fluttered across the fields, her brother's laughter mingling with Ember's own as they ran even faster - the sounds were rich with joy as it filled the empty space. She quickly ducked out of sight from her youngest sister – a grin etched deeply upon her face; she knew just the spot.
Her small, lithe body filtered through the endless maze of corn - quick and nimble, but most importantly, silently. Her sister's melodic voice was still perched upon the wind.
"Ready or not, this one will come!"
The countdown was finished and her sister began to seek them out. Ember shook her head, making a mental note that Autumn's hanar needed more work before she turned her gaze to the sky once more. The distant sun's bright flare made her squint with discomfort but she relishes the feel of it warming her pale skin. She grinned and looked away, missing another off schedule shuttle disappear into the thick haze of summer heat, just to hear her sister's light footsteps near.
Autumn was getting better, Ember had to admit, but she still couldn't sneak up behind a scent deprived Elcor even if she tried. She sought the shadows again, slinking away in the direction of her destination and within minutes, she found the fox's abandoned home near the back of the overgrown corn rows. She peered down, before landing on her knees to take a good look at her favourite old hiding spot and for a moment she wonders if she can actually still fit in the damned thing. She presses her two hands around the opening and measures in approximation, leaning back onto the heels of her feet - she measures roughly against her shoulders and hips.
Nope, definitely too small for me, now.
She sighed, deciding it wasn't worth dirtying the skirt her mother had made. She heard a crunch of feet behind her and she smirked, realising she took far too long to find a spot. Ember lets he shoulders fall in defeat, stood up slowly with her hands on her hip and sighed dramatically to make a show for her youngest sister.
"Argh, you got me Aut-"she stopped mid spin, her green eyes sparkling as they connected with four unblinking eyes. At first she couldn't understand what she was looking at, eyebrow arched high in wonder for a split second but then... then it dawned on her.
The smile the batarian sent her way was terrifying as his lips peeled back to bare his jagged teeth. She took in a soft, shuddering breath - fear coiling into the pit of her stomach as his putrid breath surrounded her. There was a moment where she could hear nothing except the steady beat of her heart and the ragged breathing of the alien that shouldn't be here.
He reached out and time slowed into a desperate crawl as her toes curled into the dirt, body taunt and ready to spring when her eyes locked on his. His fingers grip her flesh with an unforgiving hold that makes her wince and a heartbeat later, she exploded in a force of energy that knocks him backwards. Blue films of energy wrap themselves around her body in a protective barrier as she disappeared into the shadows of the corn rows. Clutching her arm as the welts of his grip form upon her skin, she heard him curse vividly and the sour sound of his gun warming before it released a shot that grazed her calf while she slips away.
Despite the urgency she felt crawling down her spine, the burning in her legs and the ache in her arm - the reality was that she couldn't move fast enough.
Her long hair snagged into the stiff leaves painfully, unknowingly leaving a trail for any scout to follow. Her favourite skirt was torn and her feet bleed but she ignored the sting, her mind focused on finding her siblings. They would be looking for her, too, but she was the better finder of the three, she always knew where to find everyone.
Ember bites back the urge to yell out a warning - unless she wanted to draw all the Slavers to her location, it was best to keep her mouth shut and work as quickly as possible. Time sped away, seconds ticking by as she runs through the shadows - her breath burns inside her lungs. Faster, faster! A mantra she was far too familiar with, she had to get to her family but something catches her attention to the far right. Her eyes widen in fear, she can hear them, inside her sanctuary, the slavers grunting and speaking in a tongue she can't quite grasp.
She spies one – the same one she encountered at the fox hole but he seemed to have given up the chase, preferring to leave the maze of corn rows and find another more easily attainable target outside.
They'd set fire to the fields – her home, her family's livelihood was turning to ash.
Her desperation began to turn to panic seconds after an explosion shakes the ground she stands on. Her eyes, now wild with fear look up to the sky - she can't see the sun amongst the thick haze of smoke that envelops her. She stifled a whimper when a scream stopped her dead in her tracks. She tilted her head to listen... her mother's voice, hoarse and broken, filled her ears.
The harsh and foreign tone alarmed her, she'd never heard her mother sound like that. She sprinted towards the edge of the field, slowed to a crawl and peers through just enough to see what is happening. A welt of fear sprang in her chest, her eyes burned with unshed tears as she watched her mother fight off one of the slavers, red hair dancing in the wind like liquid fire as her omni-tool flared to life, overloading her attackers. They dropped one by one but Ember knew she wouldn't keep this up for long. The electrical bursts illuminated the surrounding area in an eerie silvery white, its energy running wild in unchecked fury. The batarians drop to their knees, their screams of frustration like fingernails on a chalkboard but her mother seems unfazed by them. Instead, she used the small reprieve to spin around, eyes locking on her daughter's for a split second and she shouted at her. This time there were words in a primal, guttural yell.
"Hide! Go! Don't let them take you alive!"
Her daughter only nodded, her lower lip quivering in uncontrolled emotion but she bites it still as she backs away – feeling like a traitor, a coward at its lowest. Her mother continued to defend her ground, knowing full well that her children were hiding somewhere amongst the stalks. Another flash of silver floods the darkness of shadows, blinding the young woman within it.
Ember's skin prickles, the hair raising on her arms as she braces herself in anticipation. This was an attack she only seen once and she knew her mother was too close to the target to survive it, anguish twisted in her gut as silence filled the air.
"You'll never take The Shepards alive." Her mother's voice, a threatening promise that etched itself in Ember's memory mere seconds before a sharp and devastating explosion knocked Ember from her feet and onto the ground.
She scrambled up, tears freely flowing from her eyes and before it even registers that her mother has dropped dead to the ground, Ember fled.
