"So that was your old boss?" Courier asked as she loaded incendiary rounds into her rifle. "He seems alright."

"Glad you approve," Garrus said as he set up his rifle at the bridge.

"What are the chances of us getting out now?" Courier asked.

"Shepard has always been good at what he does. He'll see us through," Garrus said with unflinching confidence as he destroyed another mech. Courier noticed this.

"That some confidence you got there, will it be enough? We still got a lot of targets left." Courier shouldered her rifle and sighted an Eclisp Merc that was hiding behind a mech. It didn't as he was suddenly missing his head a moment later.

"I've been on more than a few missions with the guy. He doesn't know how to fail." Garrus replied as he took down two more of their LOKI mechs with a pair of impressive headshots.

Courier heard the steel in the alien's voice and smiled under her helmet. Fighting beside Garrus reminded her of Boone in a lot of ways, sniper skills notwithstanding. During a firefight, neither of the two talked much and were reserve to end fights quickly.

A Mass effect round bounced off her helmet. She needed to refocus on what she was doing. The Courier could think about friends from the past later. Dropping low, she pulled out an MFC grenade and twisted the top to prime before tossing at the group that was shooting up at us. The little yellow cylinder bounced once before detonating in front of two mechs and one merc with a missile launcher, destroying the machines and turning the mercenary into green goo.

While the sniper pair had been shooting any targets from afar, Shepard's group had been on the ground floor and keeping anyone from coming through the front. Shepard and Zaeed had their assault rifles out and firing any mercs that came close while Miranda shot out her biotics with a throw to keep them out. All three of them were surprised by the sudden green explosion from the bridge.

"What kind of shit was that?" Asked Zaeed.

"I think that came from our mystery person in power armor," Shepard replied as he spotted the pile of goo. "Whatever it is she is using, I don't want to be on the other end of it."

"We should get a sample of what she's using in those explosives. It could be useful to Cerberus." Shepard shook his head a bit at Miranda's blunt loyalty to the organization that is funding them. He said nothing as he fired at an Eclisp Vanguard that was making a run across the bridge.

Only for her head to snap back at an angle that neck wasn't supposed to bend and her body jerking back like she been closed lined before hitting the ground.

"Anyone have an explanation of how a weapon as old as the one our armored friend is using is taking down people with mass effect fields like they were nothing?" Shepard said to his two followers.

"The thought of something as old as that gun taking down opponents with superior tech is baffling me, Shepard," the Cerberus operative replied before sending an Overload at a mech.

"Mass over speed."

The Solder and operative looked over at the old merc with surprised looks. Zaeed gunned down a pair of Eclipse troopers before ducking down and seeing the two looking at him with faces wanting an explanation. "Back in my early days working the DMZ's, some radicals were using old pre mass effect era weapons that were decades old. It baffled the higher-ups as to why they were using them. More so, when a few of our guys ended up dead because of them. One guy figured it was because our shields couldn't take the dense mass that was bashing against us."

Shepard was getting what Zaeed was saying. "You're saying that because of the rounds are heavier. They can hit harder when they hit shielded targets?" He simplified.

"Like a god's damn sledgehammer to the chest." Zaeed nodded.

"Or a rifle that's firing heavy concussive shots without the need for a cooldown."

The thought of something so outdated being used in today's and trumping over some techs ideals is something Shepard never thought he'd see. But he guessed with all that has happened to him since becoming a Specter craziness seems to find a way to him. Still, at least it didn't make for a dull life.

"Commander, they've deployed the heavy mech," Garus reported over the comm.

"That problem should take care of itself." Shepard looked around the corner and saw the YMIR mech turn around with its guns pointed at the Eclipse. It then started reacting exactly as Miranda programmed and started firing at anyone it saw. The mercenaries were entirely caught off guard and started shooting back at it. With many of them already on the bridge and with no cover, they were cut quickly cut down.

They heard heavy footsteps from behind, turning they saw the mysteries Courier walked over to them with her strange floating robot. "Your handy work, I take it?" She said to them to which Shepard nodded. "Nicely done."

"Thanks, what are you doing down here?" Shepard asked the armored women.

Courier walked over to one corner of the area they were fighting in and reached down and pulled out a small head held brown package with a red light on the side. She flipped a pair of switches on the side, turning the light off. "Satchel charge," Courier said as she lifted the now disarmed explosive. "Had a few of these placed so we can watch our back better. When Garrus told me a few of them detonated, I asked if he knew which ones. He said only the two upfront but not the one in the back. Figure I take care of this little surprise, so it doesn't go up in your face by accident."

"I appreciate that," Shepard said with a smile. "I don't feel like having my legs blown off while in the middle of a mission."

"Not a problem," Courier replied before taking the explosive and putting it in the floating robot as it seems to have a storage compartment.

"Don't think I've ever seen a robot like yours before. Where did it get it from?" Shepard asked curiously.

"ED-E?" Courier said in mild surprise. "Found him within an old office with an older gentleman that ran an old delivery service. He had it for a while and was going to get someone to fix it up but never got around to it. Said if I fixed it, I could have it. Been a helpful little guy ever sents." She explained. Before Shepard could comment, Garrus spoke up through the Comm.

"Looks like the mech took out Jaroth," he said with vicious satisfaction. Which sounded odd coming from the former C-Sec officer. "But that YMIR mech has turned around and headed to towards us."

"Looks barely functioning," Zaeed commented as Shepard couldn't help but nod in agreement.

It was still standing, but its armor was mostly gone. Scorch marks covered its once white paint, and loose panels were now showing off its insides. Indeed, it looked like it was on its last legs.

"I got this." Turning to the Courier, Shepard watches her switch out its boxy magazine for a new one in her old AT-rifle. The N7 Soldier felt like something was tricking his eyes. In one fluid motion bearly over a second, she lifted the big weapon and fired off a single shot at the approaching mech. The result, the YMIR's head went missing,

Starting up its self-destruct initiative.

"Take cover!" Shepard ordered before the thing went up. He and his team hunkered down with Miranda behind the wall and the men under a barrier, Courier...didn't move.

The YMIR detonated, and the blast wave swept the area. Shepard clenched his teeth as his body shook. When it was over, he looked over his cover and saw the bridge was scorched black. The Commander then turned to the Courier.

"Aw, I love the smell of fusion explosions in the morning!" The strange woman proudly proclaimed as she casually reaches over her shoulder and "casually" picks up a severed hand that landed on her armored shoulder plate.

Shepard was about to say something, but Miranda beat him to it.

"Was that necessary?" Miranda said in irritation.

The Courier looked at the women, then rased up the detached hand up to eye level and pushed its middle finger up. This infuriated the Cerbures operative to no end, while Zaeed laughed at the gesture, and Shepard shook his head in disbelief of this woman. It was then Gurras contacted them.

"Looks like that's all of them. Come find me before they regroup." Hearing the call, the four of them doubled back upstares where they saw Garrus waiting for them.

"You're kicking ass Shepard, they bearly touched us. And we got Jaroth in the process. I've been hunting that little bastard for months." The turian said with much satisfaction.

"Why were you after him?" The Commander asked.

"He's been shipping tainted eezo all over Ciditel Space. Half the goods I seized at C-sec came from his team on Omega." Garrus explained. "I took out a big shipment a while back and killed his top lieutenant in the prosses. Not surprising he decided to work with the other mercs after that."

"I say good riddance, that guy had been sending wave after wave of robots at us. Was getting tired of it to be quite honest and wondered just how many they got in stored back there?" Courier commented.

"We still got Blood Pack, and Blue Suns left. Think we can make a break for it?" Shepard asked.

"Maybe. Let's see what they're up too." Garrus said as he and Courier walked over to the balcony. Courier raised her weapon and looked down the scope while Garrus sued his visor to zoom in.

"Some of the Blue Suns are leaving their posts with Blood pack filling them in with their troops. Plus, they reinforce that wall they got over there with some extra guns," Courier reported.

"But they're not crossing over the bridge yet. What are they waiting for?" Garrus said in wonder before a sever explosions went off, and an alarm started going off.

"What the hell was that?" Miranda asked as she looks downstairs.

Garrus brought out his Omi-tool and typed in a few commands. "Damn it, they've breached the lower levels. Well, they had to use their brains eventually. "

Several other explosions soon followed, shaking the room around them.

"And they found the presents I left down there," said Courier. "That should buy us a few minutes."

"You better head on down there, Shepard. Courier and I will keep the bridge clear." Shepard nodded this arrangement.

"How do I get to the basement?"

Garrus pointed back at the stairway. "Go down a level. The basement door is located on the west side of the main room, behind the stairs. I'll radio directions if you need help... But you've got to get down there quick." The turian instructed. "Good luck."

"Wait!" Courier stopped them before pulling out a satchel charge. "I left a few of these down there and there motioned censored. They will blow up in your face if you are not careful, so watch your step," she warned.

"How do we get passed them?" Shepard asked.

"Their sensors are standard and can be tricked by staying low to the ground, but the trigger is what you have to watch out for. Ones it detects you'll have bearly a second to get out of the blast range."

"Can we disable them?" Miranda questioned.

"Press down and hold this button before flipping this switch here down. If you go ahead and flip the switch without pressing down the button, the satchel charge will pre detonate and kill yea for trying." Courier pointed at the controls of the explosive in her hand as she gives the instructions.

"Thanks for the heads up," Shepard thanked the women before turning around and leading his team downstairs.

Courier went to the ledge and to set up. Vorcha across the bridge were gathering up for another attack on them.

"Out of all the things that I've fought, these guys sure are competing on being the most annoying!" Courier said as she goes and shoots one that had its head out before blowing it to meat chunks. "I mean, if you hit them anywhere that is not the head, they just freakishly regenerate from it. Where the fuck does evolution come into play to allow that?" Garrus nodded with me.

"I don't get it either, and that's only one of the dangers about them. When they come at you close, they just go at you like a raving animal." He fired at a few of Blood Pack troopers before his Omni-tool lit up. "Damn their almost through."

"Get to the console and close that shutter before they get through!" Garrus called Shepard over the comm. A few moments later, a "Beeb" alerted that one of the shutters have been closed. "There's two more shutters. Get them closed fast!"

"Here, they come!" Courier said as she switches to the All-American.

Over two dozen Blood Pack troopers had jumped the barricade and were running across the bridge. The two began firing, downing a few as they crossed the bridge. Garrus focused more on headshots while Courier poured as much led downrange as she can for suppression. Luckily there weren't too many of them...yet.

Changing mags, Courier saw that she was starting to get light on match loaded rounds. When she first got to this place, she was well off with a hefty sum of three thousand rounds after her retreat from the Legion. After constant fighting and having to use ED-E's onboard ammo press a few times. She was down to nearly two hundred, and she was out of material to build more. On her EFS, she spotted a few red dots coming from behind them. Rushing from her spot towards the window overlooking the living area. There, at the door leading out on the other side of the kitchen, stood a few Vorcha messing with door controls. Not giving them the time of day, she pulled out another MFC grenade and threw at the center of the group. The blast sent one flying out the window and turned two of them to goo.

"What was that?" Garrus yelled over the incoming fire from the bridge.

"Some got by and were going for the door in the back of the kitchen!" Courier replied as she fires at another Blood Pack trooper. But notices something about the door, sparks were flying flew it. "Garrus! We've got a problem!" The turian ran over to see what was happening and saw the door was being cut from the other side.

"Damn it. Get back here, Shepard. They're coming through the doors." Garrus said over his Omni-tool. The door opened, and three Krogen and several Vorcha walked in.

"Raaah! Rip them to shreds!" One of them ordered. The leader by the looks of him with the heavy armor he wore. The Blood Pack trooper next to him went down with a headshot from Garrus.

"Another old friend of yours?" Courier said playfully.

"Yea, one that I can do without."

It was then Shepard's team had come back from their trip downstairs and started firing on the Blood Pack. But they were too slow as their leader, and two Blood Pack Warriors came running up the stairs.

Courier holstered All-American and drew her war club and Blood-nap in her right and left hands, respectfully. She learned early on that most of her weapons were useless against the heavy armor Krogan wear. The only things that did seem to work were Red Glare and her AM-rifle, with both of those options were off the table going in close quarters.

Courier saw the first warrior come through the door and charged in, tackling the Blood Pack Warrior to the wall. When he was pinned, she swung her war club repeatedly against the Krogan's head. Courier was quickly tackled by a second Warrior to the ground. She started thrusting upward with Blood-nap. But that only seemed to make the guy angrier as he stared throwing fists to beat her down. She held up an arm to stop the next swing when it connected. She pushed it aside, reached out to the alien's chest, and brought him into a headbutt.

Which she regretted a moment later as even with an Enclave helmet on, it still hurt. It also pissed off the Krogan more as he grabbed her helmet and headbutted her back.

If her brain had a voice again, it would be cursing her six ways to Sunday then all the way to the new year.

That headbutt slammed her back into the floor. It was like the time she got picked up by a Deathclaw and smashed into the dirt. Before anything else could happen, the alien above me suddenly started to float upward and began to be riddled with shots as Shepard and his team finally showed up.

Courier tried to get up to help but felt her world go vertigo as her hand slipped, and she fell back on the ground. She gritted her teeth as she pushed herself unto her belly before pushing herself and getting her feet under her. Note, she's doing this in power armor, which is challenging to do on account of how bulky it is.

Having gotten her feet under her, she saw the Blood Pack leader get firebomb by the yellow merc on Shepard's team. Followed by that strange blue space magic that chick in the catsuit was doing to throw him over to where the bunk beds were at. It was then the four of them together started firing a full load at him, tearing him to shreds.

"Rest in pieces!" The sacred merc on Shepard's team said after they were done.

Courier sighed in relieve now that that was over. She walked over to picked up her discarded weapons before going over where Garrus was standing and leaned up against a table.

The sniper saw her and put a claw on her shoulder. "You alright, Courier? That was some hit to the head you took."

She wasn't, as she now noticed a big crack in the HUD screen as pull up her health and showed a little vault boy with a bandaged head, and a pair of x's over the eyes. "I'll be okay in a bit, just need to sit down for a bit. That headbutt he gave me was a lot harder than what I was expecting." She reached up and pulled off her helmet and got a good look at the damaged it had on.

Shepard blinked when he saw Courier's face. She looked physically to be in her late twenties, but with the look in her eye made it look like as old as Zaeed's age.

"That's what you get for trying to go toe to toe with a Krogen." It was than Shepard, and his team walked up. "Thanks, Shepard. They would have had us if not for you."

"Yeah, Krogen almost had me if it wasn't for you guys," Courier said in kind as she puls out a stimpack and applies it to her neck. Feeling the pain raced as the cells in her body regenerate

"And we took out Garm and his Blood Pack. This day just keeps getting better and better. He was a tough son of a bitch."

"You've fought with him before?" Shepard asked.

"Yeah, we've tangled before. Caught him once alone. None of his gang to help him. I still couldn't take him out. I've never seen a Krogan regen that fast. He's a freak of nature." Garrus explained.

"Was, a freak of nature, Garrus," Courier corrected her alien friend. That made the turian laugh a little.

"Yeah. Anyway, he just kept at it till his Vorcha showed up. It was close, but I had to let him go," Garrus finished.

"Only the Blue Suns are left. I say we take our chances and fight our way out." Shepard said to the two.

Garrus rolled one of his shoulders. "I think your right. Tarak's got the toughest group, but nothing we haven't face before. Besides, he won't be expecting us to meet him head-on-" Garrus said shortly before everyone heard the roar of an engine followed by the sound of glass breaking.

"Heads up!" Miranda yelled as she and everyone else in the group took cover. Courier took a peek behind her cover and saw that Vertibird look alike with the big guns.

"Damn it! Garrus, I thought we took that thing out already?" Courier said as she reached back and pulled out Red Glare and loaded it up with high explosive rockets.

"It's not a hundred percent. We made sure of that!" Shepard said as he fired his pistol.

"There offloading troops!" Garrus calls out as several Blue Suns soldiers dropped in. Courier leveled Red Glare.

"I got this. Fire in the hole!" Courier shouted before she entered VATS. She first targets a Turian's left leg, then she switches over to a human left leg, and then shifted to a third target, and focused on Batarian named Jentha on my VATS' right leg. When she clicked for all three, she released VATS and sent a trio of rockets at them. The rapid-fire of mini-missiles seamed to catch them all by surprise as they were all lifted off the ground and sent back out the window they came in. One of them even landed on the window of the dropship before sliding off. That might may have been Jentha. She didn't have long to think it over as more repelled down.

Courier took cover and let the others fight it out with their guns. She had nearly a handful of rockets left, and despite her love for explosions, she needed to make them count.

"Their rappelling down the sidewall. Ground floor!" Garrus called out. Courier slung her Red Glare and pulled out Ranger Sequoia. She, along with one of Shepard's team, the women in the catgirl outfit, went over to the stairs.

There were a few of them as the wastelander counted a half a dozen with assault rifles coming at them. Courier entered vats and toggled the first merc with a two at 95%. The result was just as predicted with the first shot breaking the mercs shields and the second entering his head.

Miranda threw a throw at the first Blue Suns trooper she saw, sending him into the to the wall with a hard crunch. Her eyes flickered towards the power-armored women next to her when she displayed the incredible and rare feat of marksmanship with a horribly outdated hand cannon. As the two seemingly slaughter the mercenaries with biotics, gunfire, and improvise explosives, the Cerbures Operative kept glancing at the armored warrior. Her mind racing her memories on any files of this woman. Her weapons and armor alone would stand out in day and age. Nothing she thought of could connect this "Courier," to anything in Cerbures data files.

The Courier could practically feel like she was being analyzed by the catsuit woman. She had a look like on her that just wanted to know everything around her and not be bothered by the consequences. Similar to the brains in the Think Tank of Big Mountain, real conformity thought. But that was not why Courier really wanted to be away from this woman as she did not look like she was some kind of thief.

No, despite her appearance, Courier knew when she first laid eyes on this individual that she was trouble. What was worse is she gives off vibes similar to one of Ceasers Frumentarii.

For now, she will do nothing. If this individual or the group she belongs to is anything like Caeser, then they will approach her first. Like last time she will analyze them and bring everything to light. It was how she took care of the Legion after all. Just a few well-placed blocks of C4, a couple of mini-nukes, a quick slash of a knife to the throat of the old man up top, and the most significant event that would decide the fate of the west was all it took.

A few minutes later, when the last one was taken out, a loud explosion came from the second floor where Shepard and Gurras were.

Both of them ran straight back upstairs just in time to see Shepard pulling Garrus into cover. From the amount of blood he was pooling, he wasn't going to last long without some significant medical assistance. Taking cover, Courier saw the gunship spraying and filling the room with bullets. The members of Shepard's team hid in makeshift cover and fired back when they were given the opportunity. Their shots were only damaging the or glancing the armor, not what she did to ground it last time.

Requiring maximum penetration, Courier pulled out her AM rifle and loaded it with her AP ammo before lining up her shot. Last time this thing came around, she damaged it by shooing rockets from Red Glare. Now she was going to see how durable that canopy is.

Taking a breath, she squeezed the trigger the AM rifle, sending a load shot into the view screen of the gunship. The result was very satisfactory as the round entered the cockpit and hitting the pilot.

They watched as the gunship jerk back and fly backward till it collides against the building behind it. The flying death-dealing machine starts to fall apart from the back forward as it loses altitude. Several more crashes were heard outside.

With that over, everyone gathered around their fallen friend. Shepard already kneeling over him and checking to see he was alive. The sound of a loud gasp from the turian gained everyone's attention with Shepard already calling out his name.

"Garrus! We're getting you out of here, Garrus, just hold on!" Shepard said as he started to apply first aid. "Radio Joker, make sure they're ready for us."

Courier stood nearby as she could only watch this happen. She wanted to help, but not knowing turian biology, she would likely be doing more harm than good. She also saw Garrus trying to grasp the barrel of his rifle.

'So a spaceship, huh? Not what I thought one would look like, but then again who am I to judge things,' Courier thought as she stood in the corner of the room that had a big table with an orange hologram of the ship with Shepard and two of his crew. The Commander was pacing with a worried look on his face while two others stood off on the other side of her. One was the catsuited woman now named Miranda, who is Shepards second in command. The black man named Jacob who turned out to be the armor of the ship. He also had a look of worry on his face while Miranda looked impassive about the situation, but her eyes continued to flicker in her direction.

We were all waiting to hear back from the ship's doctor about the situation with Garrus. Having heard that, he took a rocket to the face. No one spoke at first, but it was Jacob that broke the silence.

Commander. We've done what we could for Garrus, but he took a bad hit." That made Shepard look even more worried about his friend. "The docs corrected with surgical procedures and cybernetics. Best we can tell' he'll have full functionality, but..."

Jacob stopped as everyone heard the door to the room open, and the alien of the hour walks right in sporting a new bandaged face.

"Shepard," greeted Garrus.

"Damn, tough sone of a bitch. Didn't think he be walking yet." Jacob said, sounding impressed. Courier to as she looked over the damage her friend had sported.

"Nobody would give me a mirror. How bad is it?" Garrus asked as he walks up to the table. Shepard just crosses his arms as he looks at his friend.

"Hell Garrus, you were always ugly. Slap so face paint on, and no one will ever notice." That made Garrus laugh but quickly stopped as it seems it made it hurt to do so.

"Oh, don't make me laugh. My face is barely holding together as it is."

The two then began to talk as Couror still paid attention but tuned in to her own little world. She has been going at this by ear and opportunity since the moment her teleporter gun had been damaged. She thought by helping Garrus, the first guy she found in this new world, would be a big help, and he has. Even if they were surrounded by mercs for the better part of a few days, they still kicked ass together. Plus, he kept his word on telling her everything she needed to know about the galaxy. But the more he spoke about it, the less thrilled she got.

"Ok, Courier. What to do with you?" Miranda said as everyone now looked at her.

"I'm just at a loss as you are. I haven't got an idea of who you people are and what you do here, so why not start with some questions." Everyone agreed to this as to not try and piss off the seven-foot power armor chick.

"Can we get a name? I feel like it would lead to some confusion for others if we don't have something to call you." The Commander politely asked.

The Courier kept her face neutral while looking ahead. It wasn't an unreasonable request but not an easy one either. She had lost her name the night Benny shot her twice in the head and left her in a shallow grave. Thinking on a possible name she could give herself, one stood out that would work just fine.

"Call me... Amber."

Yeah I decided to put a name for my Courier OC.

I figured it would make writing easer if I had a name instead of says "The Courier" or Courier Six over and over in a conversation. Also sorry that this had taken me so long to write this. Been working on my other story "The Summers Reaper." Check it out and put a review down on what you think about this story and "The girl with the Big Iron on her hip."