Alright, here it is… Virmire. Don't worry, I won't give anything away in this intro section. I know some of you may not appreciate the choice that was made here… but a decision had to be made. I really hope that I don't lose anyone because of this, but I think it is best for the story. Now, since we are focusing on such an important mission, it does follow some of the gameplay and uses the dialogue from the game in certain sections, so unfortunately, I didn't get to branch out like a lot of previous chapters. Hopefully, I was still able to keep my own touch of creativity with the story, though.

I have to say, I am very relieved that I was able to get this chapter out in time. I was a little worried there for a moment. I even played through this part of the game again to get the dialogue correct and to capture the feelings of what happened. Granted, my only character that was close to that point was my renegade male Shepard, so I had to save at precise times. I did a couple playthroughs so I could see what it was like saving one over the other, really get the feelings and locations correct… I hope I did anyway. Once again, a very big thank you to everyone still with me in this. Thank you to all of the readers/followers/favoriters and reviewers. I hope I don't have too many mistakes in this chapter too, I only got the chance to review it all the way through once… sorry. Alright, that's enough from me, thank you again, and here is the chapter.


Chapter 11

Jane rubbed her eyes; she didn't think she would ever get used to staring at a screen for too long. Checking the time, she rolled her neck, cracking it in several places, Time for rounds. Usually she preferred to get her paperwork done, but she hated being late for rounds; she would have to come back for it. Picking up the two mugs of tea she had prepared, she exited the room. She looked around and found Kaidan standing at his console.

Recently, he had been acting differently, but in a good way. She had always seen him as a friend, but now she was sure of it. "Kaidan, how are things?"

"Shepard. Good, come to check in before we hit Virmire? If Saren really is there, things could get pretty intense."

"I agree. We will have to be ready for anything. What happens here could make or break the mission."

"True. Well, I wish you guys luck, then. If you need another person, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thanks, I'll keep you in mind." Jane turned to leave, but felt him tap her arm.

"One other thing, before you go, Shepard. You have a good crew here. I think any one of us would obey any order you gave. We all know that your decisions are never easy. Just know that, if you need someone to put their neck on the line for you, I'm your man."

"Thanks, Kaidan, but let's hope that it doesn't come to that."

"Of course, ma'am."

Jane nodded her goodbye to him and made her way to the elevator. As the door shut, she allowed herself to slump against the wall. She hated hearing people talk like that. It was hard enough asking someone to risk their lives, and if she had to choose someone… she wasn't sure how she would handle it.

Garrus heard the elevator door open; Jane was on her rounds, right on schedule. Something was going on, he knew. When she got back to dinner the other night, she had been quiet, lost in her thoughts. She had announced they were heading to Virmire and turned in to sleep soon after that. He wanted to talk to her, but he would have to wait until she spoke with Wrex and Ashley, which was good since he didn't really know what to say anyway.

Jane approached Wrex as he leaned against the wall, "Hey, Wrex."

"Shepard," he nodded. He looked down at her hands and saw the two cups of turian tea. "So, we are heading to rescue a bunch of salarians… my favorite."

"I understand, Wrex, but they have information on Saren and we have to get there quickly. Especially if the information is good or if Saren is there. I would like for you to be on the ground team. But I need you to have a clear head, no grudges against the salarians."

Wrex nodded and gave a grunt, "I'll keep my head. You can count on me, Shepard."

"I know I can," she smiled at him. "You, John, and Garrus are on the team for the initial drop."

"Let's try not to go scale any mountains, Shepard. I would rather not have to worry about keeping my lunch," he smirked.

"Shut it, krogan," Jane gave a half smile. She walked away to the sound of his guttural chuckle and made her way to Ashley. "Hey, Ash."

"Commander, good to see you."

"How are things?"

"Good. All weapons are in great shape, and I am feeling pretty good, too. The shore leave really helped focus me."

"Glad to hear it," Jane turned to walk away but paused when she heard Ashley speak up again.

"Um, Shepard. I did want to speak to you about something."

"Sure, Ash, anything." Jane set her cups on the edge of the table.

The Alliance soldier gave a weak smile and leaned back against the weapons table. "You know, I have been thinking about the mission a lot. With all that we have been through, I mean, countless slavers and low-life species of every kind, thresher maws, rachni, geth… it's a wonder we haven't lost anyone yet. What I am trying to say is… hell… look, I know all of us won't make it out of this."

Jane winced at what her friend was saying. She had known this from the beginning and had been surprised she hadn't lost anyone yet; death always seemed to follow her. But Jane had to keep a strong face, "Ashley, come on, we shouldn't be talking about this. We have to stay positive for – "

"Yeah, yeah, I know… keep our heads on straight and stay optimistic. But you and I both know that isn't how the real world works. Hell, it doesn't always work in fairy tales either. You know my family's history. How my family has been screwed by the Alliance because of something that happened during the First Contact War, but you have given me and my family another chance. Just having served with you for this short time has given us better standing than I could have ever thought. I just want to say that, if worse comes to worst, I would rather die for a real cause, something that I believe in, not doing some standard guard duty that goes wrong on a colony. And, I don't mind dying for the Alliance, I couldn't imagine someone dying in my place."

Shepard wanted to protest, she really did, "I understand, Ashley. But I don't want it to have to come to that."

"Don't worry, Commander," Ashley stood up straight, wearing a strong expression, "I'll always be at my best." She gave a sharp salute and waited for Jane to return it before turning back to her work.

Picking up the teas again, Jane turned to make her way over to her next target. She didn't necessarily believe in a higher power, but she did pray to whoever would listen that she wouldn't have to lose anyone. "Hey, Garrus," she said holding out the cup.

Looking up from the console, he accepted the tea, "Thank you." He watched Shepard take a deep breath before taking a sip from her own cup; he was getting better at reading humans, especially this one. "I know that you are on your rounds and here to check on me, but are you sure that someone doesn't need to check on you?"

Rolling her eyes, she huffed out a laugh, "I'll be okay," she smiled. "You ready for the mission?"

"I'll be there to cover your six. And you know, take the shots that you can't."

"Yeah, whatever, big guy. Anyway, we'll be there in about three hours. We will probably have to take the Mako down first."

He watched as she began to move away, reluctantly it seemed. "Jane," he whispered as he gently grabbed her elbow, "are you sure you don't want to talk? I know something is bothering you. We could all tell the other night and it is obvious right now."

"Thanks for your concern, Garrus, but I'm good." She touched his hand with her fingertips and gave him a smile, her fingers still lingering on his hand as he removed it from her. "See you in a few hours."


John leaned against the console and looked around the room at the other engineers. They all seemed pretty consumed by their work but he inched a little closer to Tali so he could whisper. She moved away from him and he moved a little closer.

"John! I am trying to work!"

"Shhh! I just want to talk to you."

"Then talk."

"It isn't exactly something I want people overhearing." She moved to where she had been before and nodded. "You and Jane are good friends… I was just wondering, is there something going on between her and Garrus?"

Tali stopped her work and turned to him, "Why are you asking me? Garrus is your best friend, just ask him."

"If there is something between them, do you really think he would tell me?"

"Yes. I think they would both tell you. But, from what Jane tells me, you are a little overprotective and you snoop."

"She said that?!" he said indignantly. Tali put her hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes. "Okay… yes, guilty. I just don't want her to get hurt."

"I have a feeling she has been hurt both physically and emotionally already and I am sure that ninety-nine percent of the time, there wouldn't have been a thing you could do about it. So, let her make her own choices, John. As far as I can tell, there is nothing happening between Jane and Garrus. So, don't stress over it."

"I know, it's just that…" he stopped when he heard the door open and saw Jane walk through, "Hey, sis!" John said in a bright voice.

"Hey, John, Tali," she looked at the space (or lack-there-of) between them, "Um… do you two need a room for a bit?"

Tali turned around and looked over to see how close John was standing to her. She jumped to the side and pushed him away, "Shepard! John and I were only talking."

"Sure, sure," she winked. "Just checking to see how everything is going. John, we're only a few hours out. We'll be making the drop in the Mako."

"Don't worry, we've got this," John smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "So, that is the turian tea, huh?"

Jane looked at her mug, "Yup, this is it, my favorite." Turning back to Tali, she asked, "Anything you need before I go?"

"I'm good, Shepard. We'll hold things down on this end."

"Glad to hear it. I'll see you after." Jane gave a half wave and left. She would be returning to her quarters to finish reports until they arrived.


Jane stared at the controls of the Mako; they were just about to make the drop. "John, when we land, get up here for the guns."

"Whoa, when did I get a higher ranking than Scaly?"

"I'm feeling generous with you right now. Don't blow it."

"I'll be on my best behavior, then."

They could feel the shift in gravity as they were dropped from the Normandy. Jane could barely hear Joker talk to her as they landed in the shallow water and sand.

Garrus watched the side of her face as she pushed the Mako forward. Her face was unreadable; it was, more or less, her Commander mask.

"See something you like, turian?" Wrex rumbled in his best whisper.

"What?" Garrus eyed the krogan across from him.

"You really should grow a pair, or a quad, however many your species has, and just tell her. It is hard to say the time that is left for all of us."

"I don't know what you are talking about, Wrex," Garrus shook his head and stared at the floor.

"Yeah, sure you don't."

Continuing to study the floor, Garrus sighed, Wrex is right, we don't have any guarantees, but Jane and I are just friends. She isn't interested… and I wouldn't betray John's trust. Right?


"We are not a mistake!" Wrex boomed at the salarian captain, thrusting his hand into the man's face. Wrex didn't even look at Shepard as he stormed away.

Captain Kirrahe sneered at the raging beast stomping away from him, "Is he going to be a problem? We already have enough angry krogan to deal with."

Jane tried not to glare at the captain, Wrex was still her friend. "He'll be fine, I'll talk to him." Rubbing the back of her neck, Jane watched as Wrex seethed in his anger. He pulled his pistol and began firing it into the distance. It looked like he was aiming at a target, but she couldn't tell what.

John and Garrus stood off to the side. They were soon joined by Liara and Tali then Kaidan and Ashley.

"I wouldn't be so worried if it wasn't for Wrex. It looks like he's going to blow a gasket," Ashley remarked.

"Should we give her backup?" Kaidan piped up.

"She can handle it," John said calmly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "But… we might want to be ready. Just in case." They all nodded as they watched Jane lower her arms to her side and move slowly through the sand.

Damn this is getting more and more complicated, Jane thought. Geth were bad enough, but an army of krogan? And a cure to the genophage? How am I supposed to ask Wrex to agree to this? Fighting his own kind while hunting Saren was one thing, he even said that he saw it as just another job… but to ask him to help destroy the saving grace for his people… even I have problems swallowing that. She took a deep breath and closed the distance between her and the hulking krogan.

Wrex lowered his pistol and turned his head to face Jane, his red eyes boring into her. "This isn't right, Shepard. If there's a cure for the genophage, we can't destroy it." He looked away again.

"I understand you're upset. But we both know Saren's the enemy here. He's the one you should be angry with."

He could feel his rage building within him, but this was Shepard, she had done so much for him. With every ounce of his self-control, Wrex took a few steps closer to her, trying to keep his pace slow and not charge her. "Really?" he spat, "Saren created a cure for my people. You want to destroy it. Help me out here, Shepard. The lines between friend and foe are getting a little blurry from where I stand."

His words cut into her, but she understood. "This isn't a cure, Wrex. It's a weapon. If Saren is allowed to use it, you won't be around to reap the benefits. None of us will."

Red started to cloud his vision, "That's a chance we should be willing to take. This is the fate of my entire people we're talking about," he snapped and thrust his head forward, his face inches from hers. "I've been loyal to you so far. Hell, you did more for me than my family ever did. But, if I'm going to keep following you," he took a step back, "I need to know we're doing it for the right reasons." He shifted his weight, and whipped out his weapon pulling it on Jane.

Jane pulled her weapon out of instinct and felt the tension rise behind her. They had an audience.

"Oh, Jesus," John said as his body tensed. "My God… we need to do something. What the hell, do we do?"

Everyone had frozen, afraid to make a move, let alone speak. They all wanted to help, but this was Wrex, their friend, someone who they had all fought alongside.

"I've got a shot," Ashley said as her hand began to move again.

"I do too but this is Shepard's choice," Garrus ordered. "Wait for a signal from her."

Her breath was catching in her throat. She couldn't shoot her friend. Slowly, Jane lowered her weapon and holstered it on her back, her hands out to the side.

Spirits, Jane. What are you thinking?

Jane looked at the krogan, begging him to listen to her, "Wrex, these krogan are not your people. They're slaves of Saren. Tools. Is that what you want for them?"

His crimson eyes stared her down over his gun. Take the shot, his mind said to him. But this is Shepard, he responded to himself. "No. We were tools for the Council once. To thank us for wiping out the rachni, they neutrered us all. I doubt Saren will be as generous." He continued to hold his gun pointed on her, But she let a rachni queen go. She risked making everything we did for the Council all for not. "All right, Shepard," he sighed and holstered his weapon. "You've made your point. I don't like this, but I trust you enough to follow your lead. Just one thing. When we find Saren, I want his head."

"Well, we may have to fight over the killing shot, Wrex," Jane gave a weak smile. "And, Wrex, if the genophage was cured here, we can find someone to do it again. And who will do it right, so your people are free to forge a new path. I swear to you."

"I'll hold you to that, Shepard."

"So, whenever the salarian comes up with a plan, do you want to be on the ground team? I know it is a lot to ask. You are more than welcome to stay on the Normandy and I will take someone else with me."

Wrex smiled as Jane referred to Kirrahe as his species and not his title, Just for my sake, I'm sure. "Honestly, if I had to stay on the ship, I might punch a hole in the hull. I don't think Joker would appreciate that."

"I don't think any of us would appreciate that. Glad to have you back, Wrex." Jane smiled at him and began to make her way back to Captain Kirrahe. Glancing at her crew that had gathered on the beach she nodded to them, "Show is over, just give him a little space."

"Jane," John grabbed her arm, pulling her off to the side, "are you fucking crazy?"

She shrugged, "Sometimes."

"Why the hell would you square off with him? And lowering your gun first? Leaving yourself defenseless?"

"What would you have me do? Shoot him? He had a right to be upset. That is Wrex, John. He is our friend and he wouldn't hurt me."

John released her arm and took a step back. "I'm sorry, Jane. I just wish there was more I could do to protect you. I guess you know best… sometimes."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, brother. Now, let me go talk to the captain." Jane nodded to him and walked over to the tent.

John sighed and moved back over to the team, rubbing his brow.

"I believe that Shepard can handle herself, John," Tali said, crossing her arms.

"The commander is a formidable individual. Crossing paths with a krogan seems to be a pastime for her," Liara smiled.

Ashley glared across the beach, "Makes me wonder if we can trust him on this mission, though."

"I know what you mean, Williams," Kaidan nodded. "What if he snaps in the middle of fighting his own kind? Then what?"

"Shepard knows what she's doing," Garrus said a little harshly. He knew that krogan were unpredictable, but then again, so were most species. "Everyone deserves some faith, including Wrex."

"Hmm, that coming from a turian really carries some weight," John nudged his friend.

"Alenko, Williams," Jane shouted. She twitched her finger, calling them both over. Damn it, I don't like this, Jane thought. But they are the only ones officially under my command. They are both great soldiers. Maybe we can turn the tide of this fight. Once they had joined her, Jane started, "Captain Kirrahe is dividing his men into three teams and we are going to place a bomb, a nuke, to destroy Saren's facility."

"Nice," Ashley grinned. "Drop that nuke from orbit and Saren can kiss his turian ass goodbye."

"Not exactly, Williams. It is too well fortified, we need to place the bomb at a specific location. And the captain has requested that I put one of you under his command."

Kaidan perked his head up. This is my chance. I can prove myself to her, to everyone. Prove everything I have ever said and promised. "I volunteer, Commander."

"Not so fast L.T. Commander Shepard will need you to arm the nuke. I'll go with the salarians."

"With all due respect, Gunnery Chief, it's not your place to decide."

"Why is it that whenever someone says 'with all due respect' they really mean 'kiss my ass'?"

Jane really didn't want to hear their bickering right now, but she had a feeling there might not be another time. All the same, she turned on her heel and gave a sharp look at both Alliance soldiers, who quickly shut up and straightened. Turning back to Kirrahe, Jane said, "Who would be better suited for the mission?"

The salarian captain shifted his weight and looked at the two humans. It was awkward asking for someone under another's command, let alone a human. "Either of these two will do, Commander. Both seem willing to sacrifice their lives if necessary, though if we are lucky, such sacrifices won't be required."

Jane nodded and took a deep breath, "Williams, you'll accompany the captain. No heroics, understood?"

"Aye, aye, Commander!" Ashley nodded.


Jane watched them unload the bomb from the Normandy. Everything was coming together, but it was still too soon to celebrate.

Kaidan straightened and activated his radio, "Bomb is in position, we're all set here – "

"Commander!" Ashley voice crackled over the radio, "Can you read me?"

"The nuke is almost ready. Get back to the rendezvous point, Ash!"

Ashley's voice seemed panicked and out of breath, "Negative, Commander. The geth have us pinned down on the AA tower. We've taken heavy casualties. We'll never make the rendezvous point in time."

Jane could feel her chest tighten with anxiety, No… "Get them out of there, Joker! Now!"

"Negative!" Ashley shouted. "It's too hot! Can't risk it! We'll hold them off as long as we – "

As the radio cut off, Jane could feel her own adrenaline start to flood through her. They needed to help Ashley, but the bomb wasn't set yet….

Though her back was turned to them, they could each see the war going on within Jane. Kaidan took a step forward, "It's okay, Commander. I need a couple of minutes to finish arming the bomb. Go get them and meet me back here."

Jane nodded to him and looked back at John, Garrus, and Wrex, "Up to the AA tower! Move!"

They stayed right on her heels as she rushed over to the breeding facility hallway to make their way to the AA tower. As the door slid open, they were greeted by krogans and geth, their heads all turning to look at their new guests. Bullets filled the air as they rushed forward to find cover behind the breeding tube stands. Wrex and John fell back into cover on the right, Garrus and Jane on the left.

Leaning over the edge, Garrus snapped a quick shot off at the geth hopper, tearing through its systems and bringing it down. Peeking around the corner Jane fired off her pistol a few times. Looking over at her, Garrus saw her concentration was on a different enemy but a red beam had marked her chest. Grabbing the back of her armor, Garrus pulled her back into cover just as a bullet whizzed by.

"Thanks."

"Where is your head?" he propped his gun up and took out another hopper.

"There is a krogan warlord. We have to take him out. If he gets close to any of us, we are done for." She looked over at the rest of her team, "Krogan warlord! Take him out!" John and Wrex nodded in acknowledgement. Moving out from cover again, she began to unload her weapon at the massive krogan. He went into a rage and roared in his charge. "Shit! Heads up!" He was closing in fast and wasn't going down. Throwing her hand up, she lifted him into the air with her biotics. As his inertia carried him over their heads, they finally ended him in time to turn back and see the two krogan soldiers charging at them.

The soldiers were drawing closer. Shepard's team took out the one closing in on John and Wrex, but the other had reached her. Leaning back on her heels, Jane looked up in time to see the krogan roar over her cover and swing his weapon at her. The assault rifle crashed into her left side and glanced off the side of her face, tossing her out from cover leaving her sprawled face down on the ground.

The soldier roared again as more bullets found their way past his shields. All he saw was read, and the weakened woman he had already hit, but she was still breathing; he would at least take her out. Rushing forward, a tunnel vision on his target, he brought up his foot to crush her.

Jane twisted onto her back and lifted her hands, releasing a large blast of biotics, throwing the krogan up into the air. She heard a sniper rifle go off and saw a spray of krogan blood dissipate into the air. She groaned, turning on her side to try and lift herself back up. She felt a three fingered hand wrap around the right side of her waist and pull her upright.

"Are you alright, Jane?" Garrus asked as he released her. She swayed slightly but put her hand up when both he and John reached out again to help her.

Jane straightened and took a deep breath, "Yeah, I'm good."

"You have a little something there," John tapped the side of his face and Jane raised a hand to wipe the blood that was streaming down the left side of her face.

She looked down at the red on her black glove and could then feel more trickling down. Nothing more than a small cut, she sighed. "We need to move."

They fell in line with her and Garrus studied the side of her face, red was smeared from where she had wiped the first stream, but another was taking its place. It looked like a lot of blood, "Jane, you should really use some medi-gel. That looks bad."

"It's fine," she waved him off as they waited for the elevator to rise. "It is just a small cut. Human head wounds, even superficial will bleed quite a bit. Don't worry, I'm fine." She soon began to tap her hand against her leg as they waited in the elevator. Nothing moved fast enough for her, she felt as if she could climb faster than this. Finally, the doors slid open and Jane bolted forward, vaguely hearing the steps of the three men behind her, trying to keep up with her. She ran across the roof but skidded to a stop as a ship flew in front of them.

"Heads up, L.T." Ashley said with sorrow in her voice, "We just spotted a troop ship headed to your location."

"It's already here! There's geth pouring out all over the bomb site."

Jane looked ahead at the door leading to the AA tower, then back in time to see the ship lower over the bomb's location.

Wrex looked at Jane and lowered his head, knowing that she would have to make a difficult decision. Yes, there was a tiny part of him that had wanted her to know how much he hurt and what a sacrifice he was making by going along with the destruction of the cure, but he would have never wished it on her. Whoever she chose, he would be losing a comrade too.

As Jane turned to see the ship, John looked in the same direction. Maybe I can do something, John thought. I could go and help whoever she can't. We can all make it out alive.

Garrus felt his heart ache for Jane. The odds were not looking good and a sacrifice would have to be made, and he had an idea of what it might do to her.

"Can you hold them off?" Jane began to pace, stealing glances at the ship.

"There's too many. I don't think we can survive until you get here. I'm activating the bomb."

"Kaidan! What are you doing?" Jane practically shouted over the comm-unit.

"I'm just making sure this bomb goes off. No matter what." There was a short pause as he typed in the final code, "It's done, Shepard. Go get Williams and get the hell out of here."

"Screw that! We can handle ourselves. Go back and get Alenko."

Garrus watched as Jane turned her back to them, her hands gripping the handrails as if she would crumble without the support. John moved forward to place his hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off. With what he knew about her, this choice was the worst thing that could happen. Yes, she was used to making sacrifices, but it was always at a cost to herself. She would never make a choice that would affect someone else, and now she had to decide who would live.

She looked down without seeing. Why… Why can't I save them both? Jane could vaguely feel her fingers protesting at the force she was putting them through, but honestly, her focus was barely hanging on by a thread. How could she choose? They were both friends. They were both excellent soldiers. Why couldn't it have just been her life on the line?

"Jane," John whispered. "I could go help one of them. We could all make it out of here."

"No, John. You can't guarantee that. No one can. We can't lose two people."

The seconds had barely passed, but it could have been hours and it wouldn't have made the decision any easier. She knew what she had to do.

"Alenko, radio Joker and tell him to meet us at the bomb site."

"Yes, Commander… I –I"

"You know it's the right choice L.T."

"I'm sorry, Ash. I had to make a choice."

"I understand, Shepard. I don't regret a thing."

Jane squeezed her eyes shut and pushed off the railing. "Come on," she snapped as she pulled out her pistol.

The men all shared a look with each other. They all knew there was nothing to say. The only sound that came next was the engaging of weapons and footfalls as they ran back to the bomb.


Ashley fell back a few more steps, her assault rifle getting dangerously hot in her hands. She looked to her right, to call out to whichever salarian was still there. Just as she opened her mouth, several shots tore through his chest.

He had been the last.

Behind her, she could hear the engine of the Normandy as it began to pull away. Tossing a grenade, she bought herself enough time to look back and see the amazing ship tear through the atmosphere. Now she was really alone. I believe in you, Shepard. Show this galaxy what humans are made of.

Turning back to the battle, she activated the overkill on her weapon. She would take out as many as she could before that bomb went off. A Williams doesn't roll over and die. Her shots ripped through the geth's systems, fluid and wires spraying everywhere. A krogan charged through the fray. He was closing in fast. He managed to clip her just before he collapsed from his wounds, the assault rifle scalding Ashley's hands. Pulling out her pistol, she took out three more geth. She felt her shields flicker and she fumbled to activate her shield boost, but it was too late.

She screamed as she felt the bullet tear through her shoulder; a sniper, but thankfully even a machine wasn't guaranteed perfect. Her pistol fell out of her hand and she scrambled to pick it up. Even firing it in her offhand was better than nothing. Her fingers gripped the handle just as an explosion at her feet through her out of cover, her body slamming into a wall.

Rolling onto her side, she looked over the edge and took a split second to admire the beauty of the water. There was no gun in her hand, her assault rifle lying too far away from her and her one decent arm now too wounded to reach for anything else. She felt the blood trickle from her forehead and fall over her eyelashes. Pushing to her knees, she paused and coughed, more red splattered the floor below her.

Pushing herself back, she plopped on her ass, her back leaning against the wall, and looked up at the geth juggernaut. He seemed to study her, the light serving as his eye tilting to the side as he raised his pulse rifle.

Ashley glared right back at him. She spit on his armor, "Burn in hell you robotic son of a – "


Jane flinched as she felt the Normandy shake from the explosion of the planet below. The radius of the blast was massive; nothing in the area would have survived. She could hear the faint movement behind her, but it didn't register in her mind.

Kaidan was being taken to the med-bay with the assistance of Tali and Liara. Wrex paced next to the lockers. John and Garrus stood by the Mako, staring at Jane, wondering when would be the right time to approach her.

Her hands gripped the edge of the weapons table. She couldn't stop thinking about how empty the area seemed; how Ashley should be standing there with them. Yes, they had destroyed Saren's krogan army and wiped out a number of his geth. Her biotics flared all over her body as she slammed her fist down on the edge of the table, breaking off a corner.

This was hardly a victory.


I know a lot of you didn't want Ashley to die… I didn't want anyone to die, but I felt like saving both wouldn't be true to the storyline of the game. I did a lot of thinking about this while building up to this moment… I just didn't see a big enough role for Ashley later down the road. Now, I am not sure if you guys have played the first game in a while, but I have to say, I was surprised that they didn't give a little cinematic clip for whoever was at the AA tower. If you don't choose whoever is on the bomb, they get a last stand clip, what about the other person? So I added my own in. If you have any questions/comments/suggestions, feel free to PM me. I will be expecting your angry reviews and PMs over the next week… just kidding… I hope.