Elysium: The right place at the right time. Luck. Sure, Shepard was exceptionally skilled – hell he was one of the best – but the truth was that he got lucky on Elysium. It was a miracle they didn't take more losses. Once the civilians were rallied, holding the Batarians off until reinforcements could arrive became doable. The Skyllian Blitz was one of the worst conflicts with the Batarian Hegemony the Alliance would ever go through. It was challenging, tough as hell, and brutal. It got the adrenaline going, but Shepard wouldn't say he felt fear. The only thing he felt was a raging anger at the invading slavers.

Eden Prime: The Geth may not have bled like organics would, but they fell all the same. They were no different to conventional forces. Each species has its own advantages and disadvantages, each military has its own doctrine. The Geth were no different. It wasn't the machines Shepard hated; it was the Husks. At that point they were the most gruesome thing the N7 had ever seen. They were Human, transformed into grotesque hybrids of flesh and metal. He had killed Humans before, never once hesitating to end the life of a criminal or mercenary. For a brief moment, however, his finger refused to pull the trigger. These were civilians god damn it – emphasis on 'were'. It was disgusting, it was depressing, it was infuriating, but it was not fear-inducing.

The Citadel: Sovereign was… immense. What was previously thought to be a dreadnaught turned out to be an actual Reaper. Cameras caught him and his team ascending the Presidium Tower and footage was leaked by unknown sources to the public. For many, this cemented the image of Shepard: the fearless warrior fighting the good fight to save the galaxy. For Shepard himself, all he could focus on was protecting those he had come to hold dear to him. Failure was not an option. He was a fighter, a cunning warrior with a brilliant mind and a keen tactical sense, yet even for him the Reaper proved to be the greatest foe he had ever faced. Eventually Sovereign was defeated, it's screams holding the voices of a dead race long forgotten. For the first time, Shephard truly felt fear. This Reaper was but a vanguard. The rest waited beyond the void, manipulating the galaxy from afar. How could any one person stop that? A race of immortal machines? He'd try, of course, but it was here that doubts began to crawl into his mind. For now he would fight, and as long as Liara stood by his side he would continue to give it everything he had to make sure he wouldn't lose her.

Lazarus Station: Shephard could no longer believe in gods. First, an ancient race of sentient machines had been proven to purge the galaxy in cycles for billions of years. Now, he had been brought back from the dead. He had literally been struck down in his fight against the Reapers and had been brought back to continue. His own 'cycle'. The Collectors were a threat, yes. Humanity still needed him, yes. He would fight, yes, but would it be in vain? Cast aside by the galaxy as it suited them, ridiculed by those in power, Shepard's doubts and anger fermented throughout his journey. Eventually, a solution presented itself to him. As he made his rounds around the ship one evening Shepard noticed a small group of crewmen at the mess hall gathered around a screen. "Charting the Andromeda Galaxy for habitable planets presents a unique challenge. Observation is limited by…"

The Shadow Broker's Lair: If anyone had told the Commander that the panicky Asari who trapped herself in a Prothean defence bubble would become the most influential woman in the galaxy he would have laughed. The new broker would have as well. With the Yahg dead his partner had access to more funds, contacts, and resources than likely anyone else in the Milky Way. After a less than happy reunion, the two began swiftly covering their tracks – if they could find the lair, Cerberus could too. As they worked he finally expressed his doubts to her, outlining his plan thus far. Liara agreed; the Andromeda Initiative must succeed. There was no guarantee that Citadel Space would survive the coming onslaught. At this point, they had no intentions of going to Andromeda. They had a duty to their friends and family, to their species. That being said, they both agreed that the Andromeda Initiative presented the greatest contingency plan for galactic civilisation.

The Collector Base: Shepard stared Sovereign on the Citadel years earlier and felt fear. Yet now facing this… this monstrosity. This Human Reaper. He felt terror. The Reapers didn't just kill, they harvested species. None had stopped them in billions of years. For god's sake there wasn't even a regular Reaper here and they'd managed to develop a human larva from the bodies of hundreds of thousands. When it screamed he heard the voices of a dead race yet again. This time it was his own, and he felt sick just listening to it. This was an abomination, a slap in the face to every human who had ever sacrificed their life for anyone. Would it really all be for nothing? Shepard never believed in fate or destiny. The Reapers seemed to disagree. All he could do was delay them. How could anybody in face of this reality soldier on?

Aratoht: To most, causing the deaths of over three hundred thousand would be enough to shatter them. To most, causing an entire system to disappear of the galactic map would be enough to ruin them. To Shepard, the only thing he could focus on was the readings the Normandy had picked up before they hit the relay. Sensors detected over twenty thousand unidentified objects entering the system. EDI struggled to record the sheer enormity of it and was unable to confirm what they were. Shepard, however, had no doubts. No doubts about anything, in fact. The Milky Way was doomed. Retreating to his quarters he sent a message to Aria, who forwarded it to Anderson, who forwarded it to Barla Von, who forwarded it to the Shadow Broker. No telling who was watching his extranet usage. EDI kept finding bugs and Cerberus programs throughout the ship, so for now he'd maintain secrecy for his most important business.

"Dr T'Soni," Glyph chimed, "I have received a message from the Commander Shepard"
"Do share," she responded as she quickly shut down her terminal to give the VI her full attention.
"It reads: Execute Case Novus, data inbound"
The Asari sighed, anxiety washing over her as she pondered. This was not a decision to be declared lightly. Shepard must have seen something truly horrible – even more so than the Human Reaper – to do so. As quickly as her doubts arrived, she pushed them aside and got to work. They wouldn't have much time. Well, it would be more accurate to say that the Milky Way wouldn't have much time. In Andromeda, they'd have all the time they could ask for.

Salutations!
Recently I've been reading a lot of ME fanfics (and I mean a lot) and I finally have the motivation to try writing one of my own. Typically, we imagine Shepard as a warrior who fights against impossible odds to eventually save the galaxy. I hope to give Shepard a chance to be a builder.

Imagine being in Shepard's position. Personally, I'd be terrified. In this story, Shepard gives up on the Milky Way and throws himself into the Andromeda Initiative. I know that Mass Effect Andromeda is a very controversial area to write in. Hell I have my own fair share of issues with it. Because of this I will be treating Andromeda as a prompt, ideally this story will be less disappointing than the original game.

With all that being said, I hope you all enjoy the story!

:}