June 7th 2184 CE 19:20
Jane Shepard
Location: New Bedroom on Ground Floor of Archangel's Base

It was different, strange really. Being here. Being alive again. After years of pretending to be a mindless drone, she wasn't sure how to act. She could hear laughter rolling in from the living room. The entire squad was reveling in some down time after a particularly grueling training session. They were preparing for some big job – a raid they were calling it.

In order to fool the Ubralle's crew, she became what she dreaded most – an empty shell. Apathy had sunk into her so deeply, that she feared never being able to return from the abyss. It had been at least a year since the night they dragged her away from Sciffy – the last connection to her humanity. And the sole reason she was on a gods' forsaken star-ship. Maybe she hadn't been pretending all that time. Maybe she died inside, it'd be no less than what she deserved after getting the kid killed. At least, that's what she told herself on the particularly bad days. Only Sciffy was alive. She had a family, a home. Part of her – a large part – was ashamed of the jealousy that burned in the pit of her stomach.

Jimmy had been alive all these years. If she hadn't been a foolish dolt, she never would've set foot on The Ubralle. She could have been there when he attacked The Rotund. Instead, in a haze of short-sighted stupidity, she shared her rations. Survival came at a cost. That was a lesson she learned young. But that little girl woke something in her that she hadn't even realized existed. And when they were cloistered on the floor of that cage, she would stare at Sciffy's protruding ribs. She tried ignoring those hungered cries, the pain the kid was experiencing as her stomach ate itself in desperation. What good came of that seemingly selfless act? None. Sciffy wasn't poorly enough to die of starvation – not yet anyway. When they sold her off, that little girl was left alone with no one to stand between her and their captors' cruelty. And maybe, just maybe, her brother wouldn't have been on The Normandy when it was attacked. Maybe that incremental change in his life would have been the difference between life and death.

"How did he die Nalah?"

"Sweetie, you need to rest. You can look into all this later."

"Please. I need to know. I won't sleep one wink if you don't tell me."

It was only her third night back at the base. But she couldn't wait another moment. For fourteen years, her big brother had been dead. To learn he had been alive all that time only to have him ripped away gave her whiplash.

Then came the revelation – he died the same way she was about to – in the cold vacuum of space. He died gasping for air that would never come. How many slaves had she seen spaced over the past couple years? She shivered. If it hadn't been for Garrus, if he had waited even five more minutes, that too would've been her fate.

However, it didn't answer the question that haunted her every moment: who killed Jimmy? It only served to puzzle her further. According to the wiki page of Historical Facts Regarding The Human Military, The Normandy was the most advanced star-ship her people had. What the ever loving fuck happened?

The more she researched Commander Shepard, the man her brother became, the more certain she was that there was more to this story than Garrus was letting on. The few times she'd caught him alone, he dodged the , Garrus had her focused on disassembling and reassembling guns. 'In order to use a weapon, one must learn to respect it.' Yet, she hadn't survived this long without being able to read people, regardless of species. Whenever she brought the topic up, there was the slightest quiver in his mandibles. He was hiding something.

Another belt of laughter rolled in. Every inch of her wanted to join them. Why was this so difficult? How could she be these two contrary things? Ready to train in the art of death yet terrified of hobbling a few steps and sparking up a conversation with the team that saved her life?

Someone named Anderson was currently supporting her. While she was grateful, it made her incredibly uncomfortable. She wasn't about to allow herself to become a burden. Garrus had set up a financial account for her. And it was time she figured out a way to eek out a living. In her eyes, there was no greater sin than being useless.

At least she had one talent – music. Entertaining had been one of her duties as a slave. Despite the fact she frequently practiced in dismal conditions, she could close her eyes, feel the harmony, and be swept away to far flung worlds. Worlds of magic and freedom. Worlds where she could soar from the bare stone floor, past the Rigiri Mountains, and kiss the stars. Omega was different than what she was used to – static, artificial. She found herself lost in the silence. The edges of her room crept in, suffocating. And in her darker moments, she missed the jungle – the night sky called to her. Those years where her and Sciffy lived free and wild.

Her Rendini 4/4 violin was on its way along with recording equipment and a book of scales. And it couldn't reach her fast enough.