Chapter 1:

It was a day like any other, when the first report came in. Followed by dozens more, all within an hour of the first.

The Reapers were here, and they were already a force to be reckoned with, even though there were only a handful of them. So far.

...

A month came and went, comms down all over the place. No one had heard anything from those out fighting, and we were all encouraged to not try to reach out- every data packet counted. Every moment someone used to talk to someone, was a moment the military members might not be able to connect to each other.

A call came in from Garrus today, frantic, demanding to know where I was. I'd just finished sewing shut the injuries of one of the soldiers lucky enough to make it back from the front lines alive. My hands still covered in blood when I answered.

A few hours later, I was told, while I was in surgery, that he was waiting just outside the OR for me. When I'd finally finished, the man not making it, I numbly walked out to him. It wasn't the first time a patient died on my operating table during this damn war, and it wouldn't be the last.

He grabbed my arm, pulling me against him, ignoring the fact I was covered in blood.

"I'm going to Menae." He said, squeezing me tight. "Come with me."

I opened my mouth, but he shook his head.

"I won't be able to focus- not being able to reach you this whole time... I don't want to do that again. Come with me."

I touched his mandible, stroking the appendage. "Alright. I'm sure I'll get just as much use out of my skills there."

There had been talk of the military moving their offensive to that moon. I'd caught snippets here and there, little pieces of information from wherever and whoever I could.

...

"Ten thirty-four." I stated, before moving to the next cot.

This one's injuries had been less severe, affording me the ability to choose who to tend to first. Just as I'd worried, though... The one before him didn't make it. The sixth one today, and it was only ten am.

...

Someone forcibly pulled me away just as I was about to move on to yet another patient. Sending me to eat and get something to drink. I hadn't realized until I was sitting with my food just how hungry I was. How scratchy my throat was from dehydration.

A shadow moved over me, which was normal- the fighter ships were constantly moving- but it made me look up. I blinked. The Normandy was in orbit, a shuttle leaving it. Coming down to the moon.

I didn't have the time to think about what that could mean, because a moment later, my name was called, and I rushed back to help with a seizing turian female.

...

"There you are." A hand touched my arm, and I nodded to him without taking my eyes off the woman I was working on. "When you're done with that, I want to talk to you."

His voice was urgent, but also more relaxed than I'd heard since the whole thing started. And I knew in that moment, he was going to join Shepard in whatever her mission was this time. Would he bring me along? That thought created a fissure in my chest- on one hand, I wanted to be with him. On the other, I wanted to help save as many lives as I could- even if that meant suffering more losses on my table than victories.

I finished, rinsing my hands off in a soapy bucket. It was the best we could do, given our situation. I was surprised we'd even managed that much- water was a commodity that was being strictly monitored. And everyone was more than okay with that, knowing it was a precious resource.

Glancing around for him, I spied him talking with Shepard and a human man. Curious, I approached.

"Long time, no see, eh?" She winked at me.

I nodded, tilting my head. "Yeah."

"I'm sure you're curious about why we're here." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder, and I looked, seeing General Victus with General Corinthus. "We're here for the primarch, so the talks can get underway."

"Fedorian?" I asked.

"No, no." A wave of her hand. "He died. Victus is the new primarch."

"Oh, I bet he hates that." I couldn't fight the smile forming on my lips.

She laughed, nodding. "He said he does."

The man kept glancing between us, like he was watching a tennis match.

"Oh." She draped an arm over his shoulders, making him grunt. "This is James Vega. Vega, this is Emma Faye."

He eyed me, a smirk stretching his lips. "Hey, there."

A growl sounded beside me, and I lightly touched the turian's arm.

James held up his hands. "Sorry. Didn't know."

"Are you taking Garrus with you?" I asked finally, unable to keep the burning question to myself.

Her expression softened at the anxiety in my voice. "Yeah. I was also wondering if you'd join us, too?" A heavy sadness entered her eyes. "We almost lost someone already. It was a miracle we got him to the Citadel in time, the doctors said."

"He was that badly injured?" I was disturbed by the thought- Chakwas was more than capable of stabilizing a patient.

It made me wonder what they'd been up to.

"We don't have a doctor onboard yet." She explained quietly. "We're on our own, for now."

I bit my lip, absorbing that. "So. What, exactly, are you doing?"

"We're finding people to help with a project that could very well kill the Reapers." Serious. "And I'm trying to find a way to unite the races. Earth needs help. It's being hit the hardest."

I blinked at her. I couldn't have heard her right. Both parts seemed overwhelming, for different reasons.

"That's-"

"The project is being planned as we speak. We just need people for it. And we've just acquired the primarch. The dalatrass and krogan leader are already on their way to our meeting point." She rolled her eyes, snorting. "In salarian space, of course. The dalatrass was adamant about that."

"If I come with you... I'll have to leave these people behind." I said slowly.

"If you want to stay, then stay. But I would be grateful, and so would my crew and ground team, if you joined us."

I looked to the turian beside me, who glanced down and met my eyes. If she was looking for a way to defeat the Reapers, then I needed to go with her. She would need a physician to keep herself and her people healthy.

"Alright." I nodded firmly. "I'm in."

...

I did not expect a female-presenting robot to walk out of the AI Core while I was going over inventory in the med bay. I blinked at her, unsure what to do. Shepard walked out a moment later, grinning ear to ear.

"Emma, this is EDI."

I blinked again. "Well. This is interesting." A tilt of my head, eyeing her. "I like the new body."

"And I'm sure Joker will like it, too." Shepard winked at me from behind EDI, before leading the AI to the bridge.

I shook my head, bemused at this turn of events. Now, the AI was up and walking around on her own two feet. How interesting, indeed.

...

We made a stop at the Citadel for Shepard to see her injured squad mate- Kaidan Alenko, one of the people who'd helped her hunt Saren.

Someone walked through the med bay door while my back was turned- I was refilling the nitrile gloves.

"I'll be with you in a second." I assured them.

"It's good to see your face again." Chakwas said, amused.

I whirled around, smiling wide at her. "You're back!"

"I am." A regal nod, but she had a hint of mischief in her gaze. "I couldn't very well leave Jeff to fend for himself, could I?"

A chuckle left me. "Of course not. I'm glad you're taking over his medications- he fights me on it. And the man fights dirty."

...

Wrex was pleasant, as he had been the one time Garrus had taken me to see him, wanting me to meet another of his friends. It was kind of cute, actually- how they ribbed each other and made pointed remarks, but they puffed up if anyone said anything to the other that wasn't respectful.

He was going to be staying on the ship for the time being, just like the primarch. We were heading to Sur'Kesh, to liberate female krogan from a salarian STG base.

I was off shift, now that Chakwas and I had gone back to our system, and I was sitting in the cafeteria. EDI's voice came over the system, warning us that Cerberus had reached the base and that we were to be on alert. Everyone sitting around me got to their feet, rushing toward the elevator, heading to their stations.

I went to the bridge, standing out of the way of things, listening to the chaos that spilled from Joker's console. Cerberus was attempting to take the facility, wanting the lone surviving female krogan for themselves. Probably just to stop the possible cure for the genophage, I assumed. There wasn't any other reason they would want her. Not that I could think of, anyway.

I waited for what felt like forever- where Joker and EDI maneuvered the Normandy around, dodging the cannons on the Cerberus ship, before Joker radioed Shepard, saying their ship had left. A few moments later, her voice came over comms, saying the base was clear, and they had the female. And Mordin was coming with them.

I perked up at that. It had been a while since I'd last heard from him. Going to the med bay- because I wanted to see the female- I stood beside Chakwas' chair, waiting.

After about ten minutes, the door slid open, and the female walked in. Mordin, Wrex, Shepard, Garrus, Liara filing in one after another. I winced at how beat up the former two were. Chakwas took Liara, I took Garrus, Mordin got the female settled in. Shepard and Wrex were more there to supervise than anything.

Which was fine- but I wished Wrex would keep his thoughts about what Mordin was doing to himself. He was just making little digging remarks, and not in a teasing way.

Finally, I paused what I was doing, turning to him. "Out."

He blinked at me, taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Out. Your presence is not beneficial to anyone in this room, and I am kindly asking you to leave."

A snort left him. "You've got quad, kid. Fine. I'll be in the war room."

Resuming my ministrations, I heard the door open, him leaving.

Snickers filled the room at the little scene, so many amused people unable to keep their laughter to themselves. I rolled my eyes, pulling back from the turian, finished.

"They were mostly superficial injuries." I explained. "Only one of them was more than a scratch, but it will heal in no more than three days, I'd wager."

After I'd washed my hands, Mordin introduced me to the female- Eve, he called her. She was very civil, quite nice. Didn't hold the same views as male krogan, which was refreshing. And she was a survivor who bore her scars and traumas with grace. I instantly liked her.

...

Chakwas and I worked tirelessly for hours, patching up the Grissom Academy kids. Cerberus had really done a number on them. None were seriously injured, but the burns they'd gotten from being too close to exploding missiles from a large mech needed attention.

They carried on, shouting over each other about the shots they'd gotten in while fighting the soldiers. They certainly brought a lot of energy whenever they entered a room, that was for sure.

They stayed with us until another Alliance ship took them off our hands.

...

My mouth dropped open. They'd found a real, honest to god Prothean? In a cryo pod? Still alive?

Not that I wanted him to be injured, but I itched to get my hands on him. Wanted to study his physiology.

When I did meet him, he was kind of an asshole. But, the more I listened to him talk- to me, to the others- the more I realized that it was just the way he phrased things and his past knowledge of the races coming out. He did believe what he was saying, that much was clear, but he also didn't mean offense by any of it. He was simply stating what he saw as fact.

...

We stopped at the Citadel for two days, and I took the time to get in a real meal- the first one I'd had since this all started two and a half months ago. The rations on the Normandy were decent, but nothing beats a real meal.

Garrus messaged me, asking where I was, and a few minutes later, he sat across from me at my booth. I smiled at him.

"What brings you here, stranger?" I asked playfully.

He chuckled quietly. "I haven't seen you in a couple weeks. I missed you."

We were both so busy- him, coordinating things with the turian military still and calibrating the cannons on top of that, and me, working twelve hours in the med bay. The only time we saw each other was when he was injured, it seemed.

"I missed you, too." I raised the chopsticks to my mouth, eating more ramen. "When all of this is over, I want to go on a vacation."

His eyes watched me, like he was unsure when he'd see me again. Which was fair.

"We'll go anywhere you want." He promised.

"I want you to like it, too." I pointed my chopsticks at him. "We'll pick it together."

"I like the sound of that."

"What have you been doing today?" I asked, before taking another bite.

"Helping the refugees in the holding docks. I saw Shepard a few times, talking with some of the mercs. She told me she's helping Aria gather them together, when I asked." A shrug. "Maybe she'll give them to us to help in the war."

A tilt of my head, mulling that over. "That would be interesting."