AUTHOR'S NOTE: I took a couple of artistic liberties with the mission N7: Quarian Crash Site. And with the revenge on Arl Howe. That bastard deserved more! lol ;)

The Normandy drifted along sparkling silver seas, on endless expanses of rich velvet-darkness. Her course was smooth, not a ripple left in her wake from the soft hum of machinery which propelled her onwards where there was no wind to carry her. The unequalled beauty of the rainbow nebulas passed by, like the iridescent bodies of godly beings leaping and diving through the same great waters as the passing ship. The Normandy was on her way to the Hades Nexus, her course fast but not urgent.

Within the belly of the ship, in the mess hall, sat Elaine Cousland and her friend Kasumi Goto. The pair indulged in a small spot of breakfast whilst Kasumi showed Elaine the wonders of modern entertainment – the downloadable omni-magazines. Whilst the Warden didn't seem to fully grasp its purpose of the concepts brought forth within it, she still appreciated her friend trying to include her. She was beginning to understand that almost nothing got between Kasumi and her desire for the utmost gorgeous trends in fashion – even though Elaine was certain she didn't wear them, what with being covered by a hood most of the time. Kasumi was part way through deciding if she could rope Elaine – and maybe some others – into another shopping trip when they finally reached a place she called 'The Citadel'. Elaine didn't know what this place was or why it had such a neutral name, but the way with which Kasumi and a few others spoke of it made it seem somewhat important. Didn't Tali and Garrus mention a battle had taken place there once?

At that moment, the Battery doors opened wide, and Garrus strutted down the hallway. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him as he pottered about in the kitchen to get himself something to eat. Her focus paid particular attention to his left arm. She didn't want to think she had caused him some injury from their fight yesterday. That would have eaten her alive.

Surprisingly, the Turian didn't retreat to his workstation once he had his prize of food in hand. Instead, he came and sat opposite her at the table. "Morning ladies," he greeted, but Elaine noticed his sky-blue gaze flicker to her shoulder, a bandage poking out beneath her shirt. "Um, how's the arm doing?"

Evidently the fight was playing on his mind as well. Although, there was really nothing for him to fret over, she told herself. With Chakwas's care, as well as her own quickened healing thanks to her Warden abilities, the wound was practically gone now. Elaine rolled her eyes in an overly dramatic fashion to cover up her own previous worry. "Fine, thank you, mother-dearest. You can stop worrying now."

Perhaps her eyes were deceiving her, but he actually looked a little sheepish.

They continued on with their breakfast, Kasumi animatedly going into more detail about her magazine, to which Garrus feigned interest for as long as he needed to come up with snappy retorts. Eventually, he and Elaine managed to get off the conversation of fashion – or whatever else was in the dreaded magazine – and decided to talk about other things. Elaine was again interested in the strange appearance of the Turian's breakfast. It looked like a freakish purple oatmeal, but he quickly expressed that it was far from that. Turian teeth were not really designed for mashing any kind of vegetation, seeing as they had no molars, until some other species. Their ancestors were carnivores, pack animals, and it was only the very rare substances that acted like vegetables did for humans to offer those kinds of nutrients. Elaine found it extremely fascinating, and was like a child when she asked if he'd show her his teeth. Garrus had been a little embarrassed to open his mouth wide for her inspection. From the way Kasumi tried so hard to hide how it freaked her out, Elaine assumed that she was supposed to be unsettled by the neat rows of sharp needle-shaped teeth. But instead, she found it interesting, nothing frightening at all.

The interruption to their breakfast only came when Tali strolled into the mess hall, a slight lightness to her steps, and her head tilted ever so slightly as if she were contemplating something. She managed to gather her own breakfast, though a little distractedly. And when she came to the table, she sat next to Garrus.

"Hey Tali," they all greeted her. Kasumi leaned forward, her fingers playing across her cheek coyly. "You look happy. Get a call from that Reegar guy?"

"What? Oh, no it's not him." Tali waved away dismissively. Then she seemed to realise what was said, and her head snapped up in alarm. "Why? Did he contact Shepard or something?"

Kasumi was practically grinning from ear to ear at the girl's reaction. "Oooooooh, someone's got it bad."

Even Elaine was interested and leaned across the table with a mischievous smile for her friend. "Tali, I don't think you've told me about a boy,"

"There is no boy." The Quarian snapped defensively.

Kasumi nudged Elaine's arm. "That's right, Elaine. Kal'Reegar is all man."

Tali glared at the thief. "Shut up, Kasumi."

"Oh, yeah." Garrus decided to wade in on the conversation with a chortle. "I can totally see the appeal. All that red armour – would match very nicely with your purple."

"Garrus. I have a shotgun."

"Maybe we'll talk about this some other time, then."

"So hang on a minute," Elaine interrupted. "You said its 'not him'. Does that mean you did receive a message from someone?"

"Just from my father," Tali shrugged. "He wants me to send him more materials back to the fleet for his latest project."

"I don't think you've ever talked about your father and mother,"

"Mother was quiet. She blended into the background when compared to my father. She died seven years ago – a virus swept through the fleet. Happens sometimes, you know?" Though she shrugged as if this was something she'd dealt with a long time ago, Elaine could tell by the way her voice went quiet that it was still a painful scar on her heart. "Father? He's… Well, he's a senior member of the Admiralty Board. They are the collective admirals of the Flotilla, who help to govern our people alongside the conclave. He's responsible for the lives of 17 million Quarians."

"Wow… no pressure on you,"

"Exactly. My people put great importance on community. We all work together as one big, extended family. That puts some expectation on me because of who my father is. And it also means my father expects more of me as well. A military man through and through."

Kasumi snorted. "Did you have to drop down and give him twenty pushups if you misbehaved?"

"We're not Turians." Tali laughed.

Garrus feigned outrage. "Hey! I resent that!"

"What was your father like then, Garrus?" Elaine asked.

"Um… wasn't that different from Tali, really." He murmured, surprisingly seemeing to deflate, his good mood sapped away like water through a Siv. "My father was C-SEC, one of the best. I grew up hearing about his accomplishments or seeing his picture on the vids after a big arrest. Mom raised us on Palaven, on the family estate. With dad working on the Citadel, he wasn't home much. And when he was, he pushed me hard to achieve the high expectations he set me. He did the same with my sister, I guess. But he expected his only son to follow in his footsteps. 'Do things right, or don't do them at all', he says."

"You disagree?"

Tali threw a thumb in her neighbour's direction. "Garrus is quite the hothead."

"No, I just think the results shouldn't be held back because of the means," he snapped. Realising that was unnecessary, he sighed and visibly tried to reign himself in. "When he finally got me into being a C-SEC officer like him, he always disapproved. I would work my ass off to try and bust a drug-ring or some slimeball bringing in illegal weapons on the Wards, and my father would dismiss my findings because they were not done by the book. He despises organisations like the Spectres. Hates the idea of someone having unlimited power with no accountability." He glanced at Elaine. "He wouldn't like you or the Grey Wardens, I don't think. No offence."

"None taken."

"My father and I don't really get on. Solana – my sister – always says the house sits on top of a volcano whenever we're in the same room together. I mean, the last time we talked face-to-face was when I left the Citadel to join Shepard… he wasn't very pleased about that."

Silence fell over the table. Elaine wanted to reach across and comfort her friend, but didn't know if he would appreciate it, or if that would be entirely appropriate. To be so distant from one supposedly as close to you as your father… Elaine couldn't comprehend that. It sounded so isolating to her. And the same went for Tali; her father sounded more like a commander, a business superior more than family, from the way she spoke of him.

Kasumi leaned back and scratched at her collar uncomfortably. "Geez, now I feel lacking – I don't have a parent-sob-story to share!"

"You have a family?" Tali asked, surprised.

"Mom was an antique dealer. Dad was an archaeologist." Kasumi shrugged, a slight smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "They took me everywhere with them when I was a kid, made me realise the real value of things all across the galaxy. Came in handy later on in life."

"They know what you do for a living?"

"They don't ask questions. Just accept the Christmas checks I send home every year. As well as the quick phonecalls to tell me when new expensive items are making their rounds on the market."

Garrus waved his hand. "Wait a minute, how do we know this is real?"

Kasumi grinned. "You don't."

They all chuckled at that. It brought that feeling of warmth back to the table. The comradery, the banter, the jokes, it helped to dash away all the horrible shadows the dogged them. Elaine appreciated it, and welcomed that brightness as it made its return to her friends.

"What about you Elaine?" Tali asked.

And instantly she felt the warmth vanish from her bones. "Huh?"

"Yeah," said Kasumi. "You've never talked about your family."

"I suppose because… I don't have one." Elaine murmured, staring at the table as if it were the most fascinating thing she'd ever seen. A trapped nerve made her legs shake, a deep twisting emotion making her stomach feel rotten as memories threatened to come to mind. "They, um… they died, even before I was found on Horizon."

"What were they like?"

Garrus seemed to see the way Elaine's fingers tightened on her cutlery, and gently tried to pull the Quarian back. "Tali–"

"What? It's just a harmless question."

"It's okay," Elaine held out her hand for Garrus to stop when it seemed he was going to argue the point. She didn't want this to became estranged, and to refuse to talk when the others had already selflessly told her everything about themselves would seem wrong. She remembered the experience Samara had summoned, of reliving everything: the joy and loss. She didn't want to do it again, but the words seemed to spill from the centre of her being in a way she couldn't stop. "My family… they were great. I was the youngest child; me and my brother, Fergus, we hated each other for the first six years of our lives, I swear. We used to fight constantly, over toys, cakes, the best seats at the table, even who got to go with father out into the village. Mother would always be the one to smash our heads together and tell us to pack it in… right before she sang us to sleep. Growing up as a Teyrn's daughter, I had it better than many. We were the highest of the nobility, second only to the Royal Family, or so my mother would constantly remind me."

"Lots of parties, I imagine?" Kasumi's smile was almost wistful.

"Not far from the truth. As a noble, one must always be called upon to the latest Landsmeet, or tourney or any such event. We have to in order to stay in the middle of the Great Game. Mother excelled at it. She was a great battle-maiden in her youth, but she most enjoyed the intrigues of court. I can't count all the times she had me dress up to push me towards choosing a suitable husband. Fergus was the eldest, so he was next in line to be the Teyrn after my father; but I was still expected to marry well, as my husband would receive plenty of power from my family because of the match." Despite herself, a smile began to form across her face. The pain and the guilt melting away as she began to let herself go into happier times. "It mortified her when I completely threw away the trappings and dresses for armour and swords. She always said 'It was the finer arts that landed me a husband'. She was terrified I would end up a spinster. And when my brother got married, she grew worse."

"Sounds pushy," Tali said.

"Oh no! Mother always meant well, and compared with other noble-mothers, she was always so gentle in her urgings. Though she wanted me to marry, she never wanted to force me into anything that would make me unhappy. She lived for her family. Fergus eloped with an Antivan noblewoman from a minor family. It was considered a scandal! Fergus was supposed to marry well, and it wasn't even twenty years after we had freed ourselves from the Orlesian Occupation. Though my parents were furious at first, they couldn't begrudge my brother for falling in love. They welcomed his wife, Oriana, into our family. And in time, she gave Fergus a son. My little nephew, Oren…" Her smile grew wider, warmer, a glow seeming to permeate her entire being. "My mother and I were there when the servants helped Oriana give birth. I was the first one to hold him… Oriana suffered a wilting sickness shortly after the birth. Fergus and the physicians feared she might die. Oren was so small, I had to look after him. Mother said it was the most gentle and maternal she'd ever seen me. I loved him so greatly, it was as if he were my own. I stayed in Oriana's room with her and the babe, and I cared for him over the weeks until his mother had recovered her full strength. Even after that, he was always in my shadow: escaping the governesses, wandering away from the teachers and even his own father, to find me. The only person that rivalled me for his devotion was my father. Nothing comes between a grandfather and his grandson."

"What was your father like?" Garrus asked with a gentle smile.

"The best man I ever knew. He was not a Teyrn simply by blood, he would've been given that title by right in any other circumstance. A hero from the war, a fair and just man who was beloved by the common people and the nobility. He was something else… larger than life, a force all his own… yet kind and gentle to all he loved. Father knew I despised the ways of conniving courtly she-snakes, and when I asked to learn the ways of the warrior, he taught me without hesitation. It was through him that I regarded the ways of justice and honour so highly. I could talk to him about everything. To him, I was as fierce as a mabari, a great knight, yet was still his pup, his little girl. Sometimes the contradiction frustrated me, but now… now I wish I were back in that time."

"…Elaine?" Tali said in almost a whisper when Elaine's voice trailed off into silence. Ice blue eyes glanced up, and could see the knowing-sorrow already in the Quarian's bright gaze. "What happened to your family?"

Suddenly, she was shivering, a cold having settled over her body. A pressure had appeared behind her eyes and nose, a spluttering cough rising in her throat. Her jaw trembled, her eyes burned and her vision swam. An explosion was about to detonate inside her. The air was too thick, she couldn't breathe. The walls were pressing in, she needed to move. Heartache of such magnitude can never really leave, it lingers in a chokehold that slowly kills you little by little. Elaine remembered her father's ghost, the words he'd said: 'No more must you grieve, my girl. Take the pain and the guilt, acknowledge it, and let go. It is time…' But how could he say that to her? How could she let him, or any of them go when she still loved them so much?

She couldn't talk about this. She'd never spoken of it before, not even to her friends back home. None of these faceless bodies now surrounding her at the strange table were familiar to her, she did not recognise them. The panic was too much to bear, she felt exposed, naked, about to be struck down. Hurriedly, she tried to stand. "I… I can't…"

"Hey," said a voice. A hold surrounded her wrist, gentle yet firm, and held her in place. She spun, and found her gaze captured in eyes as blue as the sky. She could make out ever fleck and shadow, every detail and blending colours. It took such focus to take in everything in those eyes, that in that moment, it was the only thing she felt was real. And then that voice spoke again, deep and resonating. She recognised it, it brought her back to reality, and once more she was back, Garrus right in front of her, his face unbelievably kind. "It's okay."

"It… it was the Blight," she found her voice speaking out in a croak. "Darkspawn had arisen. The King had called on all the nobles to bring their armies south to help him fight them back. My brother and father were to leave off into war. I was chosen to stay behind and govern my father's lands in his stead. One of my father's oldest friends, Arl Rendon Howe…" The name left her lips like a cobra spitting poison, "he had come to the castle to ride with my father as they once did in the days of old. He said his troops were delayed, so they couldn't leave straight away. My father sent my brother and our men ahead, so that he could stay behind, with Howe as our guest. We all thought everything was normal… we trusted him…

"Later that night, we awoke to screams as Howe's men invaded the castle. They slaughtered everyone they could find. Servants, squires, soldiers, knights. It didn't matter. I ran from my room to check on my mother. The soldiers had already broken into the family chambers. We fought our way free, but–" she couldn't go on as the memory flashed in front of her eyes. A soft pale neck, torn open, gorgeous brown eyes lifeless and cold. A sob burst from Elaine's lips as if she were choking on it. Tears were streaming down her face, burning her nose. "Little Oren! We found Oriana stabbed to death… and my little Oren… the bastards butchered him! He was only nine!"

Body too heavy to keep upright any longer, Elaine collapsed into her hands on the table. She wept, she didn't care who might see her. The dam had been broken, and the raging floodwaters crashed against her walls and they buckled under the pressure. Her shoulders were shaking. She couldn't seem to take a breath long enough to gain any air before it was quickly expelled back out on the next sob. The hand that still held her wrist was moving, the cool thumb tenderly rubbing circles on the back of her knuckles.

"Howe had tried to murder my father. But he got away, and we found him by a secret exit out of the castle, in the Kitchens. He was waiting for us… but he was so badly wounded! He said he wouldn't survive long enough for us to escape. A Grey Warden was in the castle, Warden-Commander Duncan. He bargained to take me and my mother to safety, if I joined the Grey Wardens."

"Your family were dying, and he wanted to bargain?!" faintly, she heard Kasumi's voice rise with indignation.

"Believe me, I was furious myself. I tried to refuse, tried to have my mother and father come with me. But then… mother wouldn't. She stayed behind with father to hold the soldiers back whilst Duncan and I ran." Her flesh felt rotten, even as she sat there alive and breathing. Shame and self-loathing made her want to reach inside her own chest and make her own heart stop beating. She howled. "I abandoned them! I should've stayed! I should've stayed!"

"Hey, hey, hey…" Garrus murmured and she felt his other hand tentatively on her shoulder. "Come on, there's nothing you could've done."

And then the anger set in. The shake of her sobs turned to trembles of cold fury. She withdrew from the touch of all those around her, shrivelling into a husked shell. If anyone touched her, she feared she'd kill them as the rage made her guts boil to the point of pain. "But there was. I swore I wouldn't let Howe live, he was going to pay for their murder! I wanted to go after him. But it wasn't until a year later, after I'd seen and learned so much during the Blight… I finally found him."

And then she was right back in that horrid dungeon. She relived it as clearly as if it were happening once again. The stone floors were slick with damp, making their boots threaten to slip every other step. Rank odours of rot and dankness made one's upper-lip curl at the assault. The screams, both fresh and those of memories, echoed around the entire party. Elaine led her group through the heavy oak door in a rush, Sten, Zevran and Oghren coming to a stop right behind her as she skidded to a halt. There. Right there. He stood brazenly before her, arms crossed, smirk firmly in place for all to see, just like the same sadistic look in his eye. Around him his men held their weapons at the ready, causing the Warden's party to freeze in place.

Howe grinned. 'Well, look here. Bryce Cousland's little spitfire! All grown-up, and still playing the man. I thought Loghain made it clear that your pathetic family is gone and forgotten.'

Elaine couldn't stop the anger, the sorrow, the confusion from taking over her. 'Why betray us, Howe?! My father was your friend!'

'A clumsy appeal, child.' Howe sniffed. It stung, not as a slight to her, but more for the fact that he seemed to hold no remorse or guilt for the murder of her father, who had looked on Howe as a best friend, had risked his own life for the man. 'He was a traitor to me and a coward to his nation! Trips to Orlais, gifts from old enemies; all while I sank in obscurity. Your family squandered glory that was rightfully mine. How suitable that their deaths should raise me to the ear of a King."

Like a wolf, Elaine bared her fangs and spat her curse. 'Their memory drove me to you.'

'Ha!' Howe seemed delighted. 'Your parents died on their knees, your brother's corpse rots at Ostagar, and his brat was burned on a scrap heap – along with his Antivan whore of a wife.'

A whole had just carved its way through her chest. Her heart ceased to beat. She felt like she was about to vomit. To think of her little Oren… burned as if he were a piece of trash! She wanted to sink to her knees, howl like an insane abomination, the thought was too awful to bear. And Fergus, dead too? It couldn't be true! Everything she'd once been… gone, forever.

'And what's left? A foolish husk of a daughter likely to end her days under a rock in the Deep Roads. Even the Wardens are gone. You're the last of nothing! This is pointless. You've lost.'

His words brought her back, reignited that fire of vengeance that made her want to rip him apart like a Mabari. No, he would not break her. She wouldn't fail her mother and father a second time. She glared Howe in the eye, and pulled out her sword. 'The game's not finished Howe, not until one of us lies dead!'

'There it is,' he murmured, as if stunned. 'Right there! That damned look in the eye that marked every Cousland success that held me back. But if you think that you can take all this from me… that I would allow it… You are very much mistaken!'

The memory's spell over her was broken and she realised she was still sat at the table, breathing ragged and the others staring at her. After a moment, she tried to regain control of herself. A cold mask settled itself firmly in place as she let loose a calming breath, and straightened her spine. Hands dashed across her cheeks, coming back soaked.

"He tried to have me killed." She croaked, and cleared her throat of the lump still there. Though she tried to seem indifferent, she couldn't stop the bitterness creeping in. "We fought. I won. It wasn't enough."

When Tali spoke, she sounded almost afraid, yet was still compelled to ask. "What did you do?"

Again, she was back in that cursed dungeon. Blood dripped from her armour and coated the blade of Starfang. Sten cleaved through the last of Howe's men. The traitorous Arl himself lay at Elaine's feet, trying to crawl away from her, one hand clutching his side where he fell open, half disembowelled. Yet even then, breath faltering and blood dribbling between his teeth, he had the nerve to turn around and hiss at her. 'Maker spit on you! I d-deserved… more!'

'More?' Elaine echoed emotionlessly. The word struck a nerve. That was the reason behind all this? Starfang clattered loudly across the ground when she tossed it aside. Before Howe could move away, she was on him, straddling his foul, blood-soaked body. One hand grabbed hold of the front of his armour and yanked him up so their noses were inches apart. Her other hand slowly shook off her shield. 'My Mother deserved more than a shallow grave!'

Letting Howe fall, she grabbed hold of her shield in both hands. SLAM! The point drove down into Howe's skull. Bone crunched, and Howe screamed. His body convulsed but Elaine held him pinned. She raised the shield again.

'My nephew deserved more than a butcher!'

SLAM! Grey pulp began to leak from the hole in what used to be a face. Gore splattered her face, but Elaine was beyond caring. His body was still twitching. It wasn't enough. A scream blasted out of her.

'My father deserved MORE!'

SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!

Back in the present, Elaine looked round at the others, and quickly glanced away. "I beat his head in with my shield until it was a pulpy mess."

They were silent. Elaine let them make their judgements. She deserved it. Even with the grief and the anger re-awoken within her and finally let loose in all its fresh agony, it still didn't justify the small piece of her that had been taken away that horrible night. It was by far the most brutal thing she'd ever done in her life. Nothing could erase it from memory, nothing could make her move on. It was something that haunted her whenever she tried to think back on that dark time in her life. Even here, in this new world, new time, Howe and his awful actions still hounded her.

And then Garrus was the first to speak with conviction. "You did nothing wrong. That scum deserved everything he got."

She expected that. But it changed nothing. "I know."

"Well," Kasumi mumbled. She then suddenly raised her coffee mug into the air, a sad smile on her lips as she squeezed Elaine's shoulder. "A toast then. To shitty childhoods,"

Tali joined in. "And to being with new family now."

"Family?" Elaine echoed dumbly, blinking up at the others.

Garrus shrugged and raised his mug too. "We're all with Shepard. That has to count for something."

Tearily, the Warden felt the smallest smile tug at the corners of her mouth, and shakily held out her own cup of tea. Gently, the four of them clinked mugs as one. And then, suddenly, Garrus and Tali got up from their side of the table and walked round. Elaine was most confused and flustered when they began to surround her. And then Kasumi had stuck herself to Elaine's side, arms wrapped around her waist in a tight squeeze. Tali was next on her opposite side, linking her fingers around Elaine's neck as she knelt on the floor. Garrus was last, bending over with a slight chuckle at the absurdity of this, and wrapped the whole group up in his wide-reaching arms; his forehead resting on Elaine's crown. The Warden herself sat, unable to move for a moment, just taking in this surprising turn of events. And then, with what little movement she could, she reached up tried to hug her friends back in return, leaning into their touch with a teary smile.

"Go through it with me again, Samara,"

"Shepard, my answer will be no different than the others I have given you over the past days."

"But there has to be something! I just… I can't wrap my head around this."

"Perhaps we are not meant to."

"And you're sure you saw no hint of any delusions or something that would cause this?"

"No. Elaine's memories were… extremely lifelike. I felt her pain when she swallowed a foul poison that changed her entire being. I saw monsters and men fighting in a way that your own species would declare to be mythological. I saw people twiddling fire, ice and lightning across their fingers as easily as I would my biotics. If these memories are indeed manufactured, then they are of the best make I've encountered."

"So… w-what do I do now?"

"You ask my opinion? I did warn you that this would not be as easy as you wished. But Elaine is still a capable warrior, and though her abilities and claims may still be a mystery to us, that does not change the fact that she is a good ally. We shall wait to see if further proof of her past comes to light. If not, then it is just that: the past."

"Uh, Commander? EDI's picked up something I think you should come and have a look at…"

"EDI's picked up a signal in this cluster." Shepard said in front of his assembled squad as the shuttle carried them off. Elaine sat at the back, making sure her gauntlets were firmly in place, even though she had no idea if she was actually doing any good. She was still a little shaken from her ordeal at breakfast earlier this morning. It was difficult to focus on Shepard's words. "Apparently a Quarian ship's gone down due to engine failure. Survivors are requesting immediate emergency evacuation."

"I don't think it's engine failure, Shepard." Tali spoke up a little defensively. "Quarians keep all of their ships in top working condition. We rely on them too much to let things like this endanger the fleet."

Shepard levelled the Quarian a look. "So you're saying there's absolutely 0% chance that this was an accident? A fluke no one, not even the Quarians, could've foreseen and stopped?"

She faltered. "Well… I, err, I guess–"

"That's what I thought." He nodded and turned back to Elaine and Garrus. Elaine was rather surprised and glad that Shepard had announced that in this one instance he'd thought on her earlier advice to go with a squad of three instead of two for this mission. "Okay. Shuttle's gonna be landing as close to the crash-site as we can get. When we get there, we search for survivors. The Quarians put this on the emergency level. So expect some form of hostiles. If they appear: Tali, Elaine, you two are to cover and protect the survivors, offer support and make sure they make it out of this. Garrus and I will focus on hostiles."

Not long after that, the shuttle landed with a judder and they all clambered out. An evening sun shone in their eyes through thick green foliage that reminded Elaine of what she imagined Seheron or Par Vollen would be like whenever Sten spoke of it. They'd been dropped off in the middle of a makeshift camp. Torn metal and crates were makeshift walls and tables, one of those 'computer' things placed on top and glowing faintly, jagged sounds coming from it. If this was the summoning spell that brought them here, Elaine didn't know, nor did she care to. Shepard and the others rifled through the belongings and items littered around the place. Apparently they kept finding letters and diaries detailing how the survivors made it after their shipwreck, and were hunted by unseen foes. Yet no matter where they looked, they found no trace of the ship's survivors. Tali was beginning to get a little agitated, her worry for her people, evident.

The group made their way down an incline, rocky walls narrowing the passage. A small clearing opened up ahead, with several openings forking off out of sight. Elaine's grip on her sword tightened a little. It reminded her too much of the deep roads, where a single chamber could have several passages. That meant it was too open, too many opportunities for an attack. She had to take a moment to let her mind slide away from the temptation of more memories. That was enough for one day. Moving forward, she pushed her attention on the search. And then, behind some boulders, she saw a piece of gravel move. Sword-grip tightening, she came around, and saw a two-toed foot. Another two steps, and she was able to see two Quarians, one male, one female, clinging together and huddled on the floor. Their breathing was laboured, their limbs slightly shaking.

"I got them!" Elaine shouted.

Everyone converged on the Quarians quickly. Tali immediately began to pull up her Omni-tool as she knelt beside her people. They were delirious and possibly out of their minds. They kept babbling and shivering, though they complained that it was hot. On seeing the other aliens, the Quarian's were almost panicking. Tali did her best to calm them, speaking in soothing tones, phrases that sounded almost poetic. It eventually made them settle, though not by much. Garrus and Shepard kept their gazes on their surroundings, with Elaine caught between them and Tali, unsure of what to do.

"They're suits are ruptured," said Tali, "slight fever, but it doesn't look too bad just yet. If we get them to Chakwas quick, they'll make it."

"Th-th-they're here!" whispered the female as her hand lashed out to try and grab hold of Tali. "Go! G-get out!"

Elaine knelt beside Tali, placing down her sword and reaching out a hand. "Be still now, we're not here to harm you…"

"N-n-no!" the female shook her head and her movements became more erratic. "You don't understand!"

"Shepard!" called Tali. "We need to get them out of here, now!"

'Negative." Came Joker's voice over the comm. "The shuttle is being intercepted.'

Shepard snapped two fingers to his ear and shouted. "Intercepted?! By who?"

A roar ehoed through the valley. The group turned as one, as three of those scaly hounds they called 'Varren' came charging in towards them. Garrus and Shepard quickly pulled up their guns and began to shoot. Elaine jumped to her feet with sword back in hand and stood with her stance wide to keep the Quarians and Tali in her shadow. The Varren seemed to not be phased by what bullets hit them at first. In fact, it only seemed to make them angrier as their growls grew louder.

"Varren! Don't let them close to the Quarians!"

More of the beasts were appearing from around the many different passages. Garrus fired off an explosion that sent two beasts flying. Another one fell to the hail of Shepard's gun. One managed to slip past them and come straight for Elaine and her charges. The Warden's mind decided to deal with the situation the same as she would a hostile Mabari. Granted, she wanted her own Mabari's help in this situation; but that was a thought for another time. She kicked out at the dog's head when it tried to lunge, and it fell back. Before it could get up, Elaine sliced her sword into its belly and opened it up from chest to groin. As the beast died, she heard a slight hiss. Swivelling, she was confronted with a hideous looking alien, with a pointed head and teeth that looked far too big for its mouth. Bulging red eyes glared at her, and sickly yellow skin made her cringe to think of touching it. Before it could get its gun levelled at her, Elaine swung her shield across its throat, the point and force rupturing any breathing apparatus inside. As the creature fell, a group of Krogan began to charge into view!

"They're here!" screamed the male Quarian.

"Shit! Bloodpack!" shouted Shepard as he and Garrus dived behind a stone wall. Gunfire erupted all around them as if they were in the middle of a thunderstorm. "Find cover and switch to incendiary ammo!"

They fight became so chaotic, Elaine struggled to keep track of where everyone was. She tried her hardest to stay close to the Quarians, to make sure none of their foes came close. She let loose the warry of the Champion, and watched several of the fanged aliens fall from its force, and her teammates become emboldened in the fight. Elaine pushed forward with shield raised to protect her head from the rain of bullets – and wished so badly for her old runes to be back with her again. She backhanded one Krogan across the face and slid down to her knees before it could try to grab her. She plunged her sword into its chest before pulling it out to slash it across the exposed throat, nearly decapitating it. One fanged-alien carried a gun that sprouted fire, and Elaine ran to kill it before it could get close to the others.

A roar sounded, and the biggest Krogan of the lot came lumbering into view, gun in hand. Old, dark eyes gleamed, his large mouth lifted in a grin. Perhaps bigger than Grunt, he carried himself with an arrogance that spoke of a warrior who had lived long and won nearly every battle he'd been in. "Finally, worthy opponents for worthy salvage!" he trumpeted, eyes fixated on the Quarians.

Tali answered him by setting her wisp on him, which he shot down easily. She then shot short but powerful blasts from her shotgun, gaze angry and defiant. The Krogan's invisible shields seemed to deal with most of the damage, though his smirk began to turn sour, hinting that something must have been hitting him. Still, no matter how much Tali fired, the Krogan came ever closer to his prey.

Cursing her own stupidity to be drawn away from her target, Elaine sprinted back towards her friend, and slid right between them and the Krogan. "I don't think so. You're mine."

She launched herself at the Krogan with a flashy leap that was supposed to be more distracting then it was practical. It worked, as the Krogan took a step back to get out of her way, which Elaine followed up with plenty of slashes and hacks to force him on the retreat. He held up his armoured wrist to try and block her strikes, but all it did was let her blade sink into his armour and chip pieces away. He tried to shoot her, and Elaine barely managed to get out of the way. Using the knowledge she'd gotten from her brief encounter with Grunt, she used it to her advantage, and made more agile moves that the Krogan couldn't counter.

But her luck seemed to falter when the Krogan's arm caught her in the side and sent her back a step. She coughed, but defiantly regained herself to get back into the ready position. "Surrender, Krogan!"

He grinned. "You do not know the Krogan very well if you think I'll surrender!"

"Ha! Have you no concern for your own existence?!" Elaine met his smirk and launched herself back into fight.

Yet this time, he was ready for her. With a roar, he charged at her, unbelievably fast for something of his size. Elaine knew it would end badly for her, and had only a split second to change her course and dived to the side. Converting the move into a roll as she landed, Elaine felt the ground tremble when a gunshot barely missed her as the Krogan anticipated her evasion and tried to catch her. Thinking in just a split second, Elaine brought herself up on the Krogan's flank, and slashed her sword at the back of his legs, what would be his thighs. Starfang sank deep, almost to the bone. The Krogan gasped and screeched as his leg crumpled. The sword bit at him again as it thrust its way through his back, though his hump had made Elaine's aim not as good as she'd hoped, for it missed both his hearts. She reached up to lop off his head –

Something smashed into her back. Elaine fell hard to the floor, the wind knocked from her lungs and Starfang leaving her hands to clutter somewhere far away. She struggled to scramble out of the way as the Varren on her back tried to rip into her suit, though the metal plating held. Just as the pain became unbearable, there was a loud shot, and blood spurted from a hole suddenly carved into the Varren's head. Shrugging the dead beast off, Elaine dizzily began to look around for her sword. Her head was pounding, did she hit it in the fall? Her breathing was uneven and she couldn't think.

"Elaine!" she heard someone shout.

As if sensing something behind her, Elaine turned, blinking away the world spinning slightly. Not far away, she saw her Krogan opponent, his eyes murderous as he crawled towards her. Knowing the danger, Elaine attempted to crawl away, searching the ground for any sign of her precious sword. A flash of blue – there! Amongst the moss covered rocks, just out of reach! She tried to crane her body towards it, but the hilt was too far away for her to grasp. She looked behind her, the Krogan was almost upon her.

Shepard's voice came to her in a panicked shout. "Elaine! What're you doing?! Shoot him!"

Her eyes flickered to the small gun Shepard had given her, still at her belt, unmoved. The thought to use it, to listen to Shepard's orders came to mind. But she didn't listen.

Rising to his knees above her, the Krogan roared and reached for her throat.

A/N: PLEASE REVIEW!