Authors Note:
This story is a labor of love written around 6 years ago! Returning now with edits so I can finish it! Each chapter has been edited for tone and pace and additionally re-editing to remove formatting errors. Hope you enjoy!
When Shepard first joined the Alliance years ago she used to thrill at the view of the star through the training ship's windows. She would gaze for hours at those tiny points of light and dream of adventures, just as she had as a child on Mindoir. And yet,her career had been nothing like the musings of those far away dreams. As if to punctuate that melancholy point, the pilot at the helm of the shuttle gave a bellow, fruitlessly pressing the holographic controls as their tiny ship careened towards the blue and green planet rapidly filling the viewport. Claxons blared as the Batarian ship in pursuit slid laboriously into position to fire again.
Fresh off her suicide mission through the Omega-4 Relay and here she was, about to be a smear on some unknown mudball. Reaching down to her belt, Shepard grabbed her helmet, sealing it shut as she tossed a casual glance at the Alliance soldier sweating in the seat beside her.
"First crash?" she asked, calmly securing her crash webbing as the pilot at the front let out a litany of curses.
Wild eyed the man nodded, "Yes ma'am"
"Hm, best buckle up then, kid and maybe we'll see each other on the other side."
Gulping, he reached with shaky hands to his own belt, abandoning the pistol he had pointed at her chest. Voluntarily surrendering to the Alliance for her actions on Arhatot had granted her a few graces, but how many could a former Cerberus operative really be afforded?
The whistle and groan of the shuttle hit a crescendo as they broke the atmosphere. Shepard held her breath as they began to level out, the pilot gaining control in inches. Abruptly the ship dipped downwards, the shriek of tearing metal loud as the Batarian ship made good on it's threat, blasting the engines to dust. Letting out her breath slowly, Shepard listened to the panicked cries of the Alliance crew, calm descending as she watched the ground rush to meet them. Cheating death once had already been a bonus. Closing her eyes she settled more firmly into the seat. Maybe it would be better this way, and with that thought she relaxed as the ship plowed into the ground below.
Time passed, though how much she couldn't tell. Her head and body ached, chest constricting angrily as she tried to suck in greedy gulps of air. Desperately tugging on the webbing she gave a grunt, activating her omni-blade to slice through the thick material. Staggering to her feet Shepard paused, swaying at the rush of vertigo and blinking away the tears clouding her vision. Through the smoke and debris she could just barely make out the form of the Alliance soldier, crushed against the side of the hull unmoving. A sigh left her lips. Activating her Omni she checked the vital signs for both him and the pilot, flicking it off angrily at the flat line displayed. How do I always survive these things?
Coughing,she exited the ship, tiredly examining a misshapen clump that may have once been part of the ship's drive core. With a sigh she ran a check on the planet. At least it seemed levo compatible with an oxygen based atmosphere. It would be just my luck to land somewhere with an ammonia atmosphere, or clouds that rain acid, she thought sarcastically.
Searching through the remains of the shuttle, Shepard grabbed anything that seemed even remotely handy for survival and shoved them into the various pouches on her armor. Dried rations, extra thermal clips, her shotgun, and there was even an Alliance issue thermal blanket and first aid kit. Hesitantly, she moved towards the driver's side of the cockpit. The poor pilot had taken a piece of the shuttle's dash through the chest on impact. "Sorry friend", she murmured quietly, shifting him so he lay next to the burned out husk of the cockpit.
Fleetingly, she wondered which system she was in. How long would it take for the Alliance to send someone to rescue her? Hours, days, months? Pulling up the galaxy map on her Omni-tool revealed nothing but static and the vague buzz of her fried tool's communication array. "Well…. shit." With an angry jab, Shepard attempted to boost the failing signal, dropping her arm as it spat out a wave of static. "Of course, I just had to land on a planet and smash my damn comm link. Is it too much to ask for a nice normal crash landing every once and awhile? " Unbidden, an image of Tali flashed through her mind. The quarian had always warned Shepard about the older model of tool she preferred. With a groan she flicked the tool off. "Well sue me for not wanting to shift all my music over."
Thinking of Tali made her breath catch and an ache bloom in her chest. Forcefully she shifted her attention to the towering trees surrounding her crash site. They looked remarkably earth-like in the glowing light of the sun. Even the flowers seemed mundane and familiar. "Well, things could be much worse I suppose." Shepard sighed with a shrug, glancing down at the shuttle pilots still body.
As if summoned by her traitorous thoughts, an inhuman roar echoed across the serene landscape around her. The trees shook with the footsteps of something big approaching. The rumble of multiple smaller footsteps melding beneath the deafening din. Unslinging her shotgun from the small of her back, Shepard turned to face the tree line, body bracing even as her muscles screamed in pain. Her mouth dropped open as an alien in full plate armor carrying a sword and shield burst into her clearing. Without slowing it seized her arm in a vice-like grip, dragging her along with it.
"Whoa, wait!" She gasped as it attempted to yank her around the shuttle's exterior walls and further into the forest. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Running." Came the muffled reply. The distinctly male voice was lightly accented and strained with fatigue. Golden brown eyes peered at her from beneath the silver helmet's visor.
"From what?" she demanded.
With a thunderous crash an enormous creature tore through the trees behind them. Easily fifteen feet tall, its massive head was adorned with curling horns and sharp teeth. With a roar it lumbered toward them, kicking the shuttle and sending it hurtling into the trees above their heads. Behind it, a dozen smaller creatures raced, dressed in the oddest assortment of dirty armor.
"Oh, shit!" With a burst of speed, Shepard gripped the strange alien's gauntleted hand and dragged him to the left, wrenching him to the side. Pausing she blinked in dumbfounded surprise at the wooden arrow shaft now quivering in the tree beside her head. The sharp whistle of air as another struck the foliage at her feet had her lunging forward, dragging the alien by his hand. With an indignant squawk he staggered as she shoved him forward. The two of them weaved their way between the forest's dense foliage, listening to the clatter and hiss of the creatures giving chase. "What the hell are those things?" she shouted.
Ducking beneath a low hanging branch the man twisted slightly, using his sword to hack through a bush. "Oh you know, tainted monsters, brought down upon us by the Maker for touching His Golden city, joyful sort aren't they?" With a shove, he kicked aside the mangled foliage and dragged her forward. As they burst through the forest's tree line, they stumbled to a violent stop, staring stricken at the sheer drop off of the cliff they faced. "Well, this is inconvenient." He murmured. Spinning around he shoved her behind him. "Start climbing down the cliff, I will hold them here as long as I can. Perhaps I will buy you time to escape."
Shepard snorted in disbelief. Who the hell is this guy? "I don't think so." She regarded the distance between their small patch of land and the valley on the other side. Though she had crossed distances close to this in battle before, she had never thought to use a biotic charge as a means of transportation. With a mental shrug, Shepard leaned forward wrapping her arms around his plated waist, hauling him closer to her against the protest of her ribs.
"Andraste's flaming sword! What are you doing?" he gasped, nearly dropping his shield in surprise. She could feel him stiffen beneath the layer of plate he wore as she wound her hand into his belt.
With a spray of wood, the trees in front of them exploded, the creatures pouring forward, the biggest one letting out a ground shaking roar.
"Just hold on tight!" She ordered. Twisting them both she signed the mnemonic for charge, feeling the familiar tingle of her biotics rippling across her skin. Time seemed to slow as she launched them forward, feeling the pressure of the air rushing past them. They were flying. The opposing side of the cliff rushing to meet them. Whatever Cerberus had done to her with their fucked up resurrection plan, the new L5 implant had definitely been a bonus. With a thunderous crash and a tangle of limbs, they careened to a stop safely, barely skidding past protruding evergreen trees.
"Maker" the alien whispered after a moment, laying stunned on his back.
Shepard gasped and sprawled on the ground. Damn, but he had been heavy. Groaning, she rolled onto her stomach, grasping her head in pain. Note to self, this is why you never take someone for biotic piggy back rides. Shaking her head Shepard rose, clutching a tree for support."Are you okay over there?" she inquired breathlessly.
With a cough he struggled to his feet, plate armor clanking laboriously around his torso. "Normally, an apostate would be something I'd be rather worried about, but, given the circumstances, I'm certainly not about to complain."
With a tilt of her head she regarded her strange (human?) knight. "Apostate? What's an apostate?"
He blinked and stared at her curiously, taking note of her odd armor and accent. "You're not from around here, are you?"
"Can't imagine what gave me away." Shepard drawled. With a whistle an arrow soared across the gap separating her and the stranger from the creatures, embedding in the ground dangerously close to her feet. "Maybe we'd better move a bit further into the forest." She paused, regarding him closely. "Are you okay?"
With a nod he climbed to his feet, grabbing his sword and shield. "Right as I can be given the situation." With a faint limp he started forward "Come on then. From what I remember of this area, we're close to the Imperial Highway, and I have friends making camp there." Straightening, he pointed to a bridge far in the distance, just barely visible in the afternoon light. "We should be able to reach it by nightfall if we move quickly. I don't know about you, but I certainly don't feel like becoming darkspawn food." With that he began a slow amble forward.
Shepard stilled and watched the way he favoured his right leg before flicking a glance up to his retreating back. "That's very kind of you…?" In the following silence she walked up to his side, slinging his arm around her shoulder.
Gratefully he leaned his weight gently against her. "Ah, you can call me Alistair," He shrugged his shoulders sheepishly as she immediately hefted him higher, taking more of his weight. "I figured that was the remains of your camp that ogre just sent decorating the trees?"
Shepard shrugged "My shuttle actually, nice to meet you Alistair."
A pause, Alistair shifting nervously against her side and then, "A shuttle? What is a-? Nope, nevermind. Not important. Do you have a name as well? Or would referring to you as, say, the crazily dressed woman who can fly be more appropriate?"
"Commander Shepard." Immediately he went rigid against her side. She clenched her jaw in return. Commander Shepard, savior of the Citadel, traitor, murder. She stewed quietly as she pulled him forward. Judgement and condemnation were nothing new when she told people her name.
Alistair cleared his throat pointedly as they hobbled away from the squalling creatures and she stiffened in return. " A Commander you said? Commander of, ah, what? May I ask?"
Surprise slackened her grip. Not the question she had been expecting at all. "A ship." She replied cautiously, staggering as he abruptly relaxed, a soft relieved chuckle echoing from the plate helmet covering his face.
"Feeling a little instant regret there for the offer of hospitality?" she inquired, fumbling through an odd sense of unreality. He had no idea who she was.
"Well, assuming you aren't some secret agent of Loghain, or an evil maleficar about to turn me into a toad, my companions and I would be more than happy to give you a place to rest for the night."
"That's a pretty safe assumption." She acknowledged. "As for the whole, "maleficar" "''Loghain" deal. I have no idea what either of those things are."
With a slightly pained laugh Alistair turned his head to meet her eyes. "That is excellent to hear, truly."
The two of them dropped into silence as they pressed forward , putting as much distance between the monsters and themselves as possible. Shepard wasn't eager to go toe to toe with something that kicked a shuttle like a football while her own chest felt like it was caving in. Eventually she couldn't ignore the wheezing coming from herself or her companion. Bracing her feet she tugged on his arm dragging him to a halt."
"I think we've lost them mr knight, maybe it would be best if we slowed down for a bit."
"Yes, I… that may be… a rather nice idea." With a faint quiver, Alistair's body seemed to realize they had stopped, his legs abruptly giving out from beneath him. Shepard lunged forward, catching him before he hit the ground.
"Shit!" she gasped. Cerberus upgrades or no he was heavy. "I thought you said you were okay?"
"Did I? Must have been someone else. Or maybe it's a sneaky injury? They can be like that, you know." His babbling was interrupted with a wheeze as he lurched forward. Tugging him closer, she maneuvered him onto a nearby stump.
"Where are you hurt?" Shepard leaned over him, running her hands across his body, looking for any blood. Startling slightly, she brushed her hand across his calf, feeling a piece of wood against her hand.
With a strangled squeak Alistair struggled away from the painful touch. "You know that hurts, right?"
"You got hit by an arrow didn't you?" Shepard asked. Harrumphing softly she unbuckled the plates surrounding his leg. The fabric beneath was soaked red with his blood, the dark shaft of the arrow snapped apart at the top. Reaching into one of her belt compartments she retrieved one of her precious packets of medi-gel. "Why don't you have your armor outfitted with shields if you were planning on staying somewhere with monsters?"
"I have a shield." He pointed out reasonably, gesturing to the hunk of metal on his back.
"How about actual shields that stop things from impaling you?" She muttered. Reaching around, she handed him the packet of gel. "Hold that for a second, I have to remove this arrow."
Grasping the packet from her hand, he brought it around peering closely at it. "Ooo, this isn't going to be pleasant is it?" Shaking it slightly he regarded her. "What is this stuff? What is this container made of?"
Reaching down she pulled off his boot, revealing a socked foot with a very human toe poking through. Pausing to mentally re-evaluate her companion she raised her head. "Medi-gel." With that Shepard grasped the arrows shaft and yanked on it, pulling it free. He convulsed, a ragged shout echoing across the tree line.
"Maker's breath, woman!" he gasped. "Some warning might have been appreciated!"
"Where's the fun in that?" Tugging the gel from his hand she tore open the packet, spreading the contents across his wound. He sighed softly at the cooling sensation, turning to watch her carefully.
Shepard regarded him in return. Caution tugged at her chest as she watched the flex of his hands. Human. The toe practically confirmed it, and yet he didn't know what medi-gel was? A civilian? Yet he was dangerous and trained. It was written in the way he moved, the strength of his body, even the fact that he had ignored his injury during their run.
Alistair, tugged her from her musings as he flexed his foot. "Well, Shepard, whatever your lovely medi-gel is, it certainly seems to have worked!" He wiggled his toes experimentally, re-donning his boot. "Since we've moved past the awkward injury stage of getting to know each other, maybe we should move on to the horrible small talk stage instead." Leaning forward conspiratorially his golden eyes locked with hers. "Tell me Shepard, what is a presumably beautiful and terrifying woman such as yourself doing in the middle of the Korcari wilds alone during a Blight?"
She snorted, reaching up to lightly rap her knuckles against her helmet. "The same thing as you I imagine."
"Oh?"
"Running."