War in the Galaxy

by SolitariusLupus

Commander Shepard: the 'Lion of Elysium', the 'Survivor of Akuze', and the 'Maniac of Torfan'; humanity's first Spectre. Will this be enough to combat the Reapers? Can Shepard piece together a team to fight this galactic threat? General development of characters, with plenty of action scenes. Shepard and Tali relationship.

12. X57

W.i.t.G

What's up guys! :)

Hope you're all well! Getting back to school, or work and whatnot.. Ah well! I'm here with my chapters for you! ;)

Last chapter, we saw a fairly emotional scene between Chris and Kaidan, to which Chris went away to rest, before being informed of an emergency transmission on Alliance channels, from the Alliance outpost on Asteroid X57...

Just wanted to clear some things up: The characters that are portrayed in this story, are different to what you expect.

This is not a novelization of the Mass Effect trilogy. I am using the story of Mass Effect, but I am 'tweaking' it, so to speak, into something a bit better in my own personal opinion. If you don't like the changes I have made to the story, or you are unsure of what I was thinking when I wrote a particular part, then please message me and let me know!

Final thing to mention, another MASSIVE shout-out to kill-phil for his assistance with the chapters thus far, as well as his determination in helping me. He has pretty much become the co-author to this story, so here's to you bro! ;)

Anyway! Enough of that stuff! Time to get our Batarian killing boots on!

Manic Shepard's going to have a field day... Along with Primal Tali ;)

You wanted gore, emotional scenes, and epic music?

You've come to the right place ;)

Be warned! Manic Shepard will be extremely gruesome in places!

---

"Shepard." A gravelly tone, pierced the silent air of the cargo bay.

"Wrex." Chris simply replied, as he stood, facing the elevator, fully kitted out in his armor.

"I thought we were getting Ryncol..." Wrex said, his voice serious, and yet laced with good natured humour, as he walked closer to the solemn Human.

"Change of plans." Chris said, not moving his eyes away from the elevator.

Wrex snorted, before speaking up once more, "What's the problem?"

"Terrorists."

Wrex nodded his head at the mans brief answer, seemingly satisfied, before he moved over towards his locker.

After a few moments, Wrex came back across to Shepard's position. The two warriors said nothing to each other.

For there was nothing else to be said.

It was after a couple of minutes, did the rest of the squad appear. Chris tracked every one of them with his eyes.

Ashley and Kaidan were first out of the elevator, and both simply saluted their superior before moving towards their lockers, no panic or hesitation in their movements.

Garrus came out next, armored as usual. With a brief nod at his Commander, Garrus moved over towards his own locker, to retrieve his equipment.

Liara followed after Garrus, her movements fairly hesitated, as if worried about what was going to happen.

She stopped just before her locker, and viewed her Commander.

Chris had seen that look in soldiers many times.. The look of hesitation, the look of panic..

The look of fear...

Chris focused on Liara for a few moments, his hazel eyes sending a message into her electric blue ones...

A message of reassurance...

The Commander smiled softly and warmly at the scared Asari, before he simply nodded his head, moving his attention back to the elevator.

Liara smiled back in response, and with a nod of her head, to reassure her self of her decision, she moved forwards, to gather her equipment.

The Commander became stoic once more, as he waited on one more ground team member.

By this time, Ashley, Kaidan and Garrus had already suited up, as well as being equipped with a full load out of weapons.

The ground team members had simply been sent a message to assemble in the cargo bay, with full armor for space capability.. But, nobody had been informed of what was happening.. However, everybody still did as they were ordered to..

Ashley, Kaidan and Garrus moved over towards Wrex and their Commander, in the middle of the cargo bay. When they got there, they began to check over their equipment and weapons, alongside the large Krogan warrior. It was only the Commander that wasn't checking his weapons.

Ashley picked up on this first, and spoke up, trying to relive some of the tension that emanated from her Commander.

"Aren't you going to check your weapons sir?"

Without turning around to address the Gunnery Chief, Chris simply continued to look forward, "No need to."

"Oh.." Ashley said, as she looked towards the Lieutenant, confused.

Kaidan noticed the look, and simply shook his head.

It was obvious that the Commander was fairly tense...

And that, was never a good sign..

'No reason to get any further in his bad books..' Kaidan thought depressingly, as he checked the heat sink in his assault rifle for a second time.

Everybody remained silent in the cargo bay.

Liara came across after some time, and stood awkwardly with the group, her armor or weapons not present. She spoke up meekly, "I.. I apologise.. B..But I can't seem to put.. m..my armor on..."

All those who were working on their weapons, stopped at the sound, and looked towards the source.

Once the Asari's words had sunk in, everybody continued to remain silent.

Chris didn't turn around, as he continued to watch the elevator.

From a glance by Ashley, Kaidan stepped forward from the group, ready to help Liara.

He didn't get the chance however, as Chris simply spoke up, not even looking at the group.

"Kaidan, stay where you are. Ashley, help her get her armor on. Garrus, you can help as well. Help her with her weapons. Everyone understood?"

The assembled group simply looked at each other in confusion, most of them not comprehending how their Commander could see what was happening..

It was only when their superior spoke once more, did they move into action.

"I said.. Is that understood?"

Kaidan stepped back into the group, at attention as he replied to the order given, "Yes sir!"

Ashley stood forward however, replying similarly, "Yes sir!"

Garrus moved forward as well, simply stomping a foot on the ground, before he spoke up, his voice loud and clear.

"Yes, Commander!"

"Good. Get to it."

Ashley moved towards Liara, and beckoned her over towards her locker, with Garrus following suit at a distance.

Wrex simply chuckled at the sight, before he spoke up, his voice heavily drenched in a mocking tone.

"What do you want me to do 'Commander'?"

Chris finally turned around at this, and smirked at the larger warrior, his tone sarcastic, "You can stop being a smart-ass for starters.."

Wrex guffawed at this, before he slapped Shepard on the shoulder, "I make no promises.."

Chris smiled at this, before he noticed the nervous Lieutenant, still seemingly standing at attention.

"Kaidan, what are you doing?"

"Waiting for orders, sir." Kaidan said, as he focused on his superior.

Chris sighed, before he softly chuckled, "I didn't say stand there like you have a stick up your ass.."

Kaidan stood at ease at this, before stuttering out his apology, "I..I'm sorry sir... Won't happen again.."

'Oh for the love of..' Chris thought in irritation, as he moved towards the Lieutenant.

"What's the matter Kaidan? What are you apologising for? ... Am I really that scary?"

"You said... I thought... Wait.."

At this, Kaidan's face changed from confusion, to understanding, whilst Chris' lips curled into a mischievous smirk.

"You were joking... I.. I thought you were still mad at me..."

"Geez... Why would I still be mad at you Kaidan? You learnt your lesson.. And for the teasing? ... If that wasn't obvious, I should really spell it out beforehand.." Chris said comically, as he turned around to face the elevator once more, not before his omni-tool pinged to inform him of something crucial.

Shepard's spirits brightened ten-fold.

Wrex simply grinned.

It was a few moments later that Chris seemed to relax a little bit more..

Running out of the elevator, was the final member of the ground team.

Tali.

Tali made a mad dash straight for the Commander, before she stopped, just a foot away from him.

Panting with the exertion she had just brought about on her body, Tali spoke quietly, but hurriedly to Chris, as her fingers began to dance at her waist again in another one of her furious dances of nervous energy when she was around the man.

"Keelah! I'm so sorry Chris! I got your message, but there was a problem with my suit filters all of a sudden. I think some of the..."

"Tali." Chris said.

"Sand from Edolus got into the filters or something, it's the only thing that I can think of that would have possibly clogged them ..."

"Tali.."

"Unless my suit's had a malfunction, but it shouldn't do that, because if it did, then I would be in serious danger, so I went to Chakwas to try and get my filters cleaned, and I just.."

"Tali!" Chris exclaimed, grabbing onto her fingers at her waist, within his own, stopping them from wriggling about.

Tali abruptly stopped her speech, before she slowly looked downwards towards her waist..

Where they were...

Joined...

Her face broke out in a furious blush, as she began to softly mumble incoherently behind her mask, her stomach doing somersaults due to his touch..

Externally, she seemed to shut down... Internally, she had already turned into a puddle of Quarian goo...

Chris leaned closer to Tali, before he spoke softly, "It's alright Tali.. You don't have to panic.. I was just wondering where you were.."

Tali continued to mumble a bit more, before something coherent filtered out, "Oh.."

Chris was oblivious to what his presence and touch was doing to her, "Are you alright now?.. I don't want you coming on the mission if you're not well enough.."

Tali's mind simply shut down, as the additional caring from her Nehya, nearly tipped her over the edge..

It was after a few moments, that Tali's brain started back up again. After she had digested what he had said, she quickly set about ridding him of his worries.

"Oh! ... K..Keelah C..Chris! I'm fine.. I'm ready to fight, I can still go on the mission!" Tali exclaimed, not removing her hands from his.

Chris simply smirked, before giving her hands a squeeze, and then withdrawing them.

Before he could go, Tali noticed something peculiar..

"Chris! Your eyes! You need to see Chakwas!" Tali said, her voice panicked, as she grabbed onto Chris' arm.

Chris was extremely serious, as he replied, "What's wrong with my eyes Tali?"

Tali said nothing, as she leaned a bit closer towards Chris' face.

"They're... They're... A different colour..." Tali said softly, as she continued to examine Chris' face, placing a hand on his cheek to support herself.

The position was rather telling for those who could see...

Chris softly chuckled, as he took Tali's hand, and moved it away from his face. "Don't worry Tali.. They do that every now and then... I have a mutation.."

Before he could continue, Tali visibly tensed.

Chris noticed this, but simply continued, "Don't worry! It's not a harmful mutation, and it's not infectious... My iris' just change colour is all... Probably green, right?"

Tali numbly nodded her head after a moment, before she slowly stepped closer to the man..

Chris softly smiled, and reassured the woman, "It usually happens after a while, and then they'll change back again."

Tali nodded her head in understanding, allowing for a comfortable silence to settle in.

Chris noticed the silence, and placed a hand on Tali's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, before moving it away.

Once he had broken the link, he moved towards the Mako, away from the bubbling Quarian.

Tali simply looked towards her hands once more, feeling the tingles spreading through her body due to the sensory receptors within her gloves sending a similar feeling from Chris' grip, as well as the contact she had felt in her shoulder..

Her body warmed considerably, as her face continued to burn with a renewed blush..

It was the sound of her Human that dragged her out of her pleasurable drifting ...

"Tali! Get your stuff! If you're coming down, then we're leaving soon!"

'Don't you worry Nehya... I'm coming with you..'

"I'll be there in a moment! I'm just going to get my equipment!" Tali said, as she ran to her locker.

"Hurry up then, Princess! I'll die of old age soon.. That, or Wrex will eat me!" Chris wickedly grinned, as he stood near the Mako's door.

Wrex barked out a laugh, before he simply shoved the man, as he entered the APC.

Tali simply smiled behind her mask, as she could hear Chris telling the others to load up.

'I knew I shouldn't have told him that much about the fleet.. Then again.. He did seem genuinely interested...' Tali mused, as she placed her shotgun in the small of her back. Once Tali had her equipment sorted, and she had done the necessary checks, she walked over towards the Mako.

"Finally! Any longer, and I would have had a beard.." Chris said, as he beckoned Tali to go in front of him.

'Teasing are we?... Two can play at that game...' Tali thought, as she smirked behind her helmet.

"I think you'd look better with a beard, Chris..." Tali said, as she stepped into the entrance of the Mako, before stopping. Whilst biting her lower lip, she hoped he wouldn't take it the wrong way..

Chris smirked as he stared at Tali for a moment, before he replied, "Really? ... Hmm.. Now that you mention it..."

Tali chuckled softly, before she entered the Mako, giving a shake of her hips as she entered..

'My oblivious Human ... If he was Quarian, he would be able to see what I was doing as clear as day...' Tali thought, as her face erupted in another blush, whilst a smile crept onto her face.

Chris climbed in finally, and took his position in the drivers seat. With a joyful whistle emanating from the man, the Mako started up.

It was Ashley that spoke up from the back of the Mako.

"What's up Skipper? Why are you so happy all of a sudden?" Ashley asked, almost in disbelief.

Chris turned around in his seat, before replying, "Well Ashley.. I've just gotten some terrific news! ... We're going to go and kill some terrorists, on an asteroid hurtling towards Terra Nova..."

It was Garrus that spoke up next however, cutting into the Commander's explanation. "How is fighting Terrorists good news, Commander?"

"It's not. I have better news than that, but at least this way, we can do some good, and then we can go and rest on the Citadel!" Chris said with a wink.

Tali simply shook her head, chuckling softly to herself.

"Are there any more burning questions? Or can I get this tub rolling?" Chris said, a smile on his lips.

Nobody said anything.

"Well then.."

It was Wrex, of all people that spoke up, "What was the good news?"

Chris turned around to face the driving controls, before he cheerfully replied, "You'll see.."

Tali chuckled softly once more, before she quietly spoke up, "Why is it, I panic when you say that?.."

"Hey! When have I ever done you wrong?!" Chris said, as he switched on the comm channel to Joker.

Tali simply held her tongue, as she grinned at her Human.

Joker's voice filtered into the APC.

"What's up, Commander?"

"Joker! We ready to go?"

"We should be over the drop zone now, Commander."

"Alright Joker! Let's hit it!"

"Aye aye sir! Have fun!"

"We'll try!"

With that, the comm cut out, and the cargo bay doors opened.

Chris turned around before he comically spoke up, "So, anybody want to stay aboard the ship? Anything anybody wants to know?"

Nobody said anything.

It was Liara that softly spoke up however, "When are we going to land Commander?"

Chris said nothing, as he simply put the Mako into gear.

It was Wrex that answered her question, grinning down next to the Asari wedged next to him.

"You'll see..."

---

"Commander!" Garrus shouted over the roar of the music within the APC.

"Don't need reason, don't need rhyme... Ain't nothing I would rather do..."

"Commander!" Garrus tried once more, to no avail.

"I'm on the Highway to Hell! On the Highway to Hell! On the Highway to Hell! I'm on the Highway to Hell!"

"COMMANDER!" Garrus roared.

The music suddenly stopped.

"What is it Garrus? I'm kinda busy here.." Chris said, feigning mock annoyance...

"What is this?! I can't think straight, and it's making my head hurt! Can we not listen to it, please?! This is an important mission!"

The Mako suddenly stopped as well.

Slowly, Chris turned around in his seat to face the Turian. When he spoke, his voice was nothing more than a whisper..

"I know we're on an important mission, and I'll turn it off when we reach the objective. But, this song is over two hundred years old... Older than anybody in this Mako..."

"Not quite." Wrex butted in.

Chris glared at the Krogan, to which Wrex smirked back.

"Not helping.." Chris said in Wrex's direction.

Wrex simply grinned.

Chris turned back around to face Garrus once more, "..It has taken me days to find this song... I'd learnt about old Earth culture when I was younger, and 'Rock' was apparently very popular. I like it. And, I'm driving. The day you drive the Mako Garrus, is the day you get to choose the songs. Now man up, Vakarian!" Chris said, and with a wink, he turned back around once more.

"Where were we?.." Chris said to himself, as he started the Mako back up again.

"No stop signs, speed limit. Nobody's gonna slow me down..."

Garrus simply groaned, in conjunction with the snickers coming from the Human marines next to him.

---

"Spirits help me.." Garrus groaned, as the Commander continued to sing to his infernal Human song..

Nobody else in the Mako seemed to be affected by the song... The two Human marines were simply talking amongst themselves... Something to do with the advantages of Biotics over standard infantry.. Liara was sat next to Wrex, watching her Commander intently.. Wrex was sat, cleaning his shotgun, seemingly ignoring the Human's singing...

And Tali?

She was sat in her usual place..

Gazing upon Shepard..

'Spirits help the man...' Garrus internally chuckled as the Mako clambered over a rocky patch of terrain on X57's surface.

'I don't know what's worse.. His driving, or his singing..' Garrus thought, as the Mako began to climb up an incredibly steep hill.

They had been driving like this for the past five minutes, on their way towards there objective. The Commander had only informed the squad that they were journeying towards the last known location of the Terrorists... Their landing zone.

Suddenly however, the comm began to crackle into life.

The Mako reached the top of the hill it had been climbing, with the Commander stopping once at the top. With the Mako stationary, the Commander turned his music down, in an effort to hear the incoming comm transmission...

It was to no avail however, as the incoming signal was too garbled for anything to be discernible..

Shepard began to alter the communication settings within the APC, in the hope of clearing the signal up.

After a few minutes of failed attempts, the Commander simply sat at his station, staring at the communication controls, before he spoke up, dead-panning. "Could someone help me please? I have no idea what the problem is.."

Before anybody else could offer their assistance, Tali replied immediately, "I'll help you Captain!"

Chris simply chuckled, as he looked upon the eager Quarian woman, already poring through her omni-tool, "Well alright then ... Good luck! I think it might be a bit too tough .."

"Done!" Tali cheerfully chirped, as she closed her omni-tool down.

"For you..." Chris finished meekly.

"How the hell?.."

Suddenly, the comm crackled back into life, cutting the Commander's question off. This time, the words were clearer, due to the signal being stronger.

"Hello?! ... Can anyone hear me?!.. Please! We need help! Please! Someone respond!"

The response was immediate from the Commander, as he began shouting out his reply, "Hello?! This is Commander Shepard, Alliance Military! What's the situation?!"

There was no response.

The comm crackled once more, "Please! If anyone can hear me, we're all in major danger! T..these... Terrorists... These... Batarians... They're going to send the asteroid straight towards Terra Nova! Millions will be killed! You have to shut down the torches! Please! Help us!.."

The comm cut out.

Everything was silent in the Mako, as everyone looked towards their superior.

When the Commander did nothing, but sit, staring at the communications console, Kaidan spoke up quietly, "What are your orders sir?"

Silence..

An eye began to twitch, until it finally stopped... Stopping on one memory... On one final memory...

Then suddenly, Chris turned around in his seat to face Kaidan and the others.

Three throaty gulps could be heard in the back of the Mako.

The Commander spoke quietly, but with the same passion and madness that he possessed on the Citadel, when the squad was searching for evidence against Saren.. "They did just say Batarians... Right?"

"Y..Yes sir.." Ashley said, as she stared at the insanely smiling face of her Commanding officer..

Shepard's face grew wider, as his grin became even more sinister..

"Good! That's what I thought... So.. What are my orders? ... My orders are.. Any Batarian you find.. You put down. Like the scum that they are. No quarter. No mercy. Gut the fuckers if you get the chance... Everyone got that?.."

All that met the Commander's ears was silence..

With another wicked grin, the Commander turned around in his seat, before starting the Mako up once more.

All that could be heard was the Commander speaking up, a Texan accent in place.

"Let's go kill us some four-eyed fuckers!"

Nothing was said by anyone else.

As the Mako roared across the terrain of X57, the Commander's song still blaring out, Tali began to look at the man sat next to her...

He wasn't the same man...

He was..

Different...

His posture still displayed power, but it wasn't protective or defensive power like it usually was..

No...

His posture displayed anger, aggression, and authority...

He was on the offence.

He displayed an almost savage or raw power in his posture, something which made Tali's knees go weak..

She didn't know if it was a good thing, or something that should be feared..

But then ... Everything began to make sense..

'Batarians... The transmission said there were Batarians...'

Everything Tali had been told about Chris and the Batarians hit her at full force...

'He lost something important to him because of them..'

Then his smell began to fill her nostrils once more... Meaning only one thing...

She was losing control of herself again.. Just like on Edolus..

'He was hurt because of the Batarians... My Nehya was hurt!'

Her self control began to waver, as a primal side took over..

'THE BATARIANS HURT MY NEHYA!'

In Tali's eyes... The Batarians needed to die...

Now.

Not because of what they had done to Lucy...

But for what they had done to her Nehya...

For what they had done to her Mate...

The progress on the path of bonding, leaped forwards.. Tali was getting closer..

Closer to the second stage.

"Alenko, get me the co-ordinates for the first torch on this rock." Chris said, after Tali's transformation had completed..

"Aye aye sir!" The Lieutenant said immediately.

With that, there was simply silence, as the Mako continued to travel across the barren, rocky terrain of X57...

'Nobody hurts my Nehya... Nobody!' Tali grinned viciously behind her mask, as she activated her omni-tool, placing her offensive applications in the short-cut section..

A terrain that would be the final resting place of many Batarians...

The 'Highway to Hell' was fitting, for manic Shepard, had finally found his offensive partner...

---

"The first torch is just ahead sir.." Kaidan said, as a large building came into sight.

A large 'torch' came into view as well, with red flames erupting outwards, licking the edges of the inky blackness that surrounded them...

The Commander said nothing.

His only response, was to speed up in the Mako.

As the Mako roared ahead, automated turrets began to spring up, all around the area.

High-velocity bullets began to hammer the Mako's shields, as it continued towards its objective, its driver simply ignoring the incoming fire...

Rockets began to hurtle towards the APC, to which, the Commander simply dodged them..

Everybody else in the Mako held their collective breaths, as Shepard put the Mako through evasive manoeuvres..

"Williams, get on the.." Shepard was about to say, before Ashley cut him off.

"Already on it sir!" Came the Gunny's reply, as the Mako's turret began to spit out its own form of punishment..

"Fine.. Tali, boost the.."

"Done." Tali said, as she re-routed the auxiliary power supply to the shields, not lifting her eyes up from her stations controls.

The Commander simply remained quiet, as he continued to dodge the incoming fire..

A few minutes later, the last of the turrets in the area exploded in a shower of sparks and rending metal, as the Mako's turret powered down.

"All hostiles in the vicinity have been dealt with sir." Ashley said formally, hoping not to draw any of the Commander's wrath for incompetence.

The Commander remained silent as he parked the Mako outside of the torch facility.

Once done, Shepard climbed out of his seat, before nearing the Mako's door. Once near, he simply looked at the others, and spoke one word.

"Helmets."

At this, everyone put on their helmets, with Shepard simply slipping his temporary one on.

Once done, the door was opened, and Shepard stepped outside, into the vacuum of space..

---

Before Shepard could charge off towards the door of the facility, Tali placed her hand in his, as she stood very close to the man.

The Commander simply looked down towards his companion, before she smiled, a twinkle in her eyes...

A simple, genuine twinkling smile fuelled the little spark within the Commander, letting a bit of the old Commander regain a bit of control ... As well as making him feel emotions he hadn't felt for a long time..

Bubbly..

Giddy...

Almost, weak in the knees...

He was beginning to feel...

Almost...

Whole again...

An old emotion, one that had been locked away deep in his inner sanctum, began to resurface...

The stars witnessed a rebirth..

---

Tali began to walk forward, an unconscious sway in her hips, as she guided Chris, her body instructing her to protect her Human..

Shepard instantly picked up on what was happening, and followed suit, as he equipped his own shotgun.

Once done, he began to run forwards, Tali close at his heels. A vicious grin split his lips, as painful memories surged through his mind, fuelling his movements and actions..

When the two had ran ahead, on their own, Kaidan spoke to the remaining squad members..

"Let's just hope we can get this over and done with, easily and painlessly.."

Wrex snorted, as he hefted his own shotgun, "That's not going to happen. They both want blood... I can see it in their stances.. They want a fight, and so do I!"

With this, the large Krogan ran after Shepard and Tali, as fast as his legs could carry him.

Garrus simply looked at Ashley and Kaidan, before he spoke up, "I'll stay on over watch.. I'll try and cover them the best I can." With that, Garrus equipped his sniper rifle, as he too, ran towards the facilities entrance..

Ashley looked towards the Lieutenant, before sighing heavily. "Looks like we're covering the rear then LT?"

"More like clean-up Chief.." Kaidan said depressingly, as he equipped his assault rifle, and began to walk towards the entrance, Ashley at his side.

Liara simply stood, for a moment, before she shakily equipped her pistol and ran after the marine duo.

"W..Wait for me!"

---

2169:

The starlight filtered through the windows of the observation room, providing the only light in the room, piercing the bleak, overwhelming darkness that surrounded the rooms only occupant.

A young man, lay on the floor, his knees huddled to his chest, as tears continued to trickle down his cheeks, blood intermingling with his sadness... His body was racked with silent sobs, as his left hand covered his recently bruised left eye..

He had been beaten up once again...

Because he was different..

Because he was Earth-born...

Because he had no family..

Because he had nobody to defend him..

The young man huddled his knees in closer, as he continued to weep..

After some time, the young man sat up from his foetal position, before wrapping his arms around his knees, as he lost himself in the stars that surrounded him..

He had only been on the station for six weeks, and yet nobody was kind to him... Rather, everyone seemed to despise him..

He may have a room to himself on the station, but that meant nothing if he had nobody to share it with...

As the young man began to lower his head onto the floor once more, his emotions beginning to churn within him, a set of footsteps could be heard approaching...

Due to the skills he had learnt back on Earth, the young man pretended to be asleep, hoping to avoid any more confrontation or hassle..

A light set of footsteps made their way over to him, to which he shut his eyes even tighter, his tears beginning to leak out..

But then... The young man's depression and emotions began to be held back, as an extremely strange thing happened..

The person who had entered, sat down next to the young man, in fairly close proximity.. The young man continued to pretend to be asleep, as the person next to him continued to move even closer...

That was when the young man's head was gently lifted off of the ground, and into the person's lap...

As five fingers began to stroke the young man's hair, along his fringe, the other hand moved to the back of his head, those fingers dancing within his black curls...

A gentle humming could be heard from the person... A melodious humming; soft, gentle, peaceful humming... Like a mother humming to a child...

They sat like that for a long time, the young man pretending to be asleep, as the other person was just content to sit and hum, with the young man's head in their lap..

After some time, a soft, feminine giggling could be heard... A beautiful sound to the young man's ears..

"You know.. You can stop pretending you're asleep..."

At this, the young man's eyes slowly opened, hazel orbs staring out into the inky black darkness...

A pair of striking green ones met his, as the star light illuminated the mystery person's face..

A beautiful young woman met the young man's eyes, an angelic face gracing his presence, with raven black hair, cascading over her pink, pyjama-clothed shoulders..

The young woman brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, before she softly smiled down at the young man..

"I used to sit like this, with my brother ... When he was still alive... We would just sit for hours.. I hope you don't mind that I came in here, I just wanted to see the stars..."

The young man remained silent, as he continued to regard the angel in his presence..

"What's the matter? Turian got your tongue?" The young woman smirked, as the young man's cheeks reddened..

"No.." A soft mumble came from the boy's lips..

"Why are you in here, if I may ask?"

"I ... I... I don't have anywhere to go..."

"You must do! What about your parents? They must be worried about you..."

"They're dead."

"Oh.."

With that, the pair sat in silence once more... Until, the young woman started up once more, "What happened to your face?"

"I.. I got into a fight..."

"Oh... Did you win?"

"No.."

"Oh.."

A silence settled in once more, before the young woman silently removed something from a pocket in her pyjama bottoms..

The young boy started up at this, as he raised his head from her lap in panic..

"What are you going to do to me?!" The young man said, as he tried to get up.

A gentle shove from the young woman, pushed the young man back down, as she softly cooed..

"I'm just going to help..."

With a couple of fingers, lathered in a cream of some-sort, the young woman began to slowly rotate her fingers in circles around the young man's eye..

After she had seemingly finished, the pair sat in silence..

"What was that stuff?" The young man asked quietly..

"It's just a cream from my junior nurse's kit.. I got it as a present from my parents... I want to be a nurse when I'm older you see, I want to help people." Came a cheerful reply.

"Oh.."

Silence continued to reign over the pair, before the young man began to slowly get up.

Once he was up, and on his feet, he stood for a moment, unsure of what to do...

"Are you going to help me up?" The young woman said, as she stifled a giggle..

"Oh! I..I'm sorry.." The young man said, as he offered a hand down to the young woman.

She gratefully accepted the offered hand, and was hoisted to her slippered feet..

The two simply stood, viewing the other..

The young man was turning to leave, before a hand gently gripped his arm, "Do you want to be my friend?... I don't have any friends you see... People say I'm weird..."

The young man stood for a moment, his mind drawing a blank...

"Okay. I..I'll be your friend." The young man replied slowly, hoping it wasn't a trick, even though his spirits started to soar with happiness..

"Okay!" The young woman cheerfully chirped, before she stuck her right hand out.

"I'm Lucy, Lucy Staffordson."

The young man clasped his hand in her's before he simply replied, "I'm Shepard."

Lucy softly giggled, as she spoke up, "That's not your full name silly! What's your first name?"

The young man hesitated, before Lucy excitedly spoke up again, "Is it a secret? I love secrets! Can you tell me? Please? Pretty please? I promise not to tell anyone!"

Silence..

"Please! I really want to know! Friends tell each other everything!" Lucy pleaded..

"C..Chris.. My name's Chris Shepard.." The young man quietly said, as his cheeks reddened with an almighty blush, and his hand reached around to rub nervously at the back of his neck..

Lucy squealed with delight, as she took Chris' hand in her own.

"We're going to be best-friends Chris!" Lucy said, as she guided them towards the door...

"So, because we're friends, I'll tell you about myself, and then you can talk about yourself, okay?" Lucy said cheerfully.

"Okay.." Chris said, as he was guided out of the room..

"Well, first things first, I really like..."

The end of the conversation drifted off, as the pair left the observation room, with the stars continuing to shine...

Only those stars saw a wondrous sight...

The birth of a friendship.

---

"And you ... Can have that ... You ... Fucker!" Chris roared, as he jammed his shotgun barrel into the helmet of another Batarian, before pulling the trigger, watching with glee as yellow blood splattered outwards, staining the barrel of his shotgun..

Once done, he shoved his weapon against another area, before firing as well...

As smoke raised from his weapon, the Commander stood atop his recently dispatched foe, looking at the carnage present in the room, as he began to laugh...

As soon as Chris and Tali had entered the facility, the Batarians responded ferociously, sending their heavy troops in, as well as attack Varren to 'clean-up'..

That assault had been met with an insane Human tank, and a pissed off Quarian female, before a Krogan warrior joined the fray as well...

Blood and tissue was plastered across the walls, as Human and Quarian charged through the feeble Batarian defences.. Shotguns boomed within the small space, as their foes were taken down in large numbers... The Commander had simply adopted an offensive strategy, that he found very fitting, whilst Tali simply steam-rolled the enemies in her path, firing her shotgun point blank into the guts of the Batarian Terrorists, or overloading their suits of armor, to make them freeze in combat...

Once they were frozen, they were easy prey for the Commander's shotgun..

Wrex simply did what he did best.. He jammed his shotgun in one hand into the faces of his terrified opponents, whilst he crushed another's skull in his other hand...

Chris could remember reading about Humanities leaders in his 'Ancient Earth' history course.. There was one in particular, that caught Chris' eye...

President Eisenhower, the leader of the old, 'United States of America', stated in 1954 about the nuclear armaments the United States possessed, during the Cold War..

"More bang for your buck."

With that idea in mind, the Commander had simply let loose with his cluster grenades..

Bits and limbs of Batarians were sent flying, as the grenades exploded, sending pieces of shrapnel and explosive energy, hurtling towards the dumbfounded Batarian Terrorists..

As the wounded Batarians lay on the floor, some screaming in agony as they clutched their recently acquired stumps, as blood spurted outwards, staining the crisp white floors, others screaming for their loved ones...

The Commander made sure their screams were heard, after there was a lull in the fighting..

He simply jammed his shotgun into the individual faces of every Batarian in the room, before pulling the trigger, obliterating any last chance of facial recognition there families could have.. He also gave his own mark on his foes...

He jammed his shotgun into the crotches of his Batarian victims, before pulling the trigger, eliminating any last shred of dignity they may have had in the afterlife..

"Disable the torch, Tali.. We've still got more to do.." Chris said, as a smirk broke out on his face, underneath his helmet.

Tali said nothing, as she simply walked into another room.

A few moments later, the roar of the torch outside had cut out, leaving a comfortable silence to settle in..

Tali came back outside of the room, before she walked over towards her Nehya..

"It's done.." Tali said softly, as she stood closer to her Human..

Chris smiled down at the woman, before he simply nodded his head, whilst placing a hand on Tali's shoulder..

"Good work Tali.." Chris said, as he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze..

Tali shuddered in her suit, whilst Chris turned around to face his Krogan squad-mate..

"Come on Wrex! There's plenty more where that came from!" Chris said enthusiastically, as he patted the Krogan on his armored shoulder..

Wrex beamed at the Human man, before he fell in behind him, "I knew you would find me some good fights Shepard.."

At that moment, Kaidan came rushing in, with Ashley and Liara in tow..

"What took you so long Lieutenant?" Chris said sternly, as he viewed his second-in-command..

Kaidan remained speechless as he simply surveyed the carnage in the room..

It was after a few moments of staring, that the Lieutenant finally spoke up, "I..I'm sorry sir.. W..We found a Non-combatant outside..."

"Was he Batarian?" Chris interrupted, as he hefted his shotgun in his hand..

"No sir.. H..He's the Chief Engineer on the Asteroid.. His name's Simon Atwell... He wants to talk to you.." Kaidan said, as he stood rigidly at attention, whilst Ashley said silent prayers underneath her breath, and Liara tried not to vomit..

"Where is he?"

"He's outside sir.. In the entrance to the facility.."

"Fine." Chris said, as he moved past the Lieutenant.

Kaidan simply stood there, dumbfounded, before Tali and Wrex moved past him as well, saying nothing to him.

A few minutes later, the Lieutenant turned around, and followed his Commander, saying nothing to anybody else, as he tried to avert his eyes from the death and destruction that littered the torch facility..

---

As soon as Kaidan passed the threshold to the facilities entrance, he could just hear the end of the conversation between his Commander, and Chief Engineer Atwell..

"... Please! You have to look! I need to know if anything's happened to my Engineers! I.. I'm worried about them.. They have families.. Kids.. I need to know if the Batarians have taken my friends from me! Please! Kate's missing as well! You have to find her! Please! I beg of you!" Simon said, as tears began to well in the corners of his eyes, his hand clasped out in front of him as if he was praying to Shepard.

The Commander was silent for a moment, evaluating and contemplating everything he had been told..

'Now what do I do?... Do I send the Lieutenant?...'

That idea was quickly thrown away..

'No.. No.. I might need the Lieutenant.. But who could I send?! Who can follow orders to the letter? ...'

It was at that moment, that Garrus appeared at the base of a set of stairs, his sniper rifle resting in the crook of his arm..

'That's it!' Shepard thought, as he viewed his Turian squad-mate..

"Vakarian, come over here."

At this, Garrus stepped forward, next to his Commanding officer, before standing at attention.

"Commander." Garrus said, as he viewed Shepard.

"Here are the co-ordinates to the last known locations of the Engineers.." The Commander said, as he raised his omni-tool to send across the necessary information.

"Take T'Soni and Williams with you in the Mako, and scout out the locations ... Try and find something useful.."

Garrus' heart swelled with pride and determination, as his new responsibilities were placed squarely on his shoulders, before the Commander spoke up once more.

"I'm trusting you Garrus... Don't fuck this up." Shepard said quietly, as some of his usual personality leaked through Manic Shepard's exterior..

Garrus simply nodded his head, before doing an awkward Human salute, "I won't let you down Commander!"

Shepard merely nodded his head in acknowledgement, before moving towards the door of the facility, Tali and Wrex close on his heels.

"Lieutenant!" Chris said, as he continued to walk towards the door..

"Sir!" Kaidan said, as he rushed forwards..

"Think you can keep up?" The Commander said seriously.

"Yes sir!"

"Then send me the co-ordinates for the second torch, and let's move!" Shepard said, as he slammed his fist on the Holo-graphic lock of the door...

As soon as he was outside, the different squad mates went their separate ways, with the Commander leading the charge for the second torch, Tali running at his side, close to her Human...

"According to Atwell, the exterior of the second torch has been mined... Keep an eye out, and try to find a safe path.. There's also supposed to be turrets in this area, but Atwell believes that they only fire on vehicles... We should be safe on the ground.." The Commander said, as he ran towards his objective..

Nobody said anything at this, until a few moments later, Tali quietly spoke up on a private comm channel to Chris..

"You take me to the nicest places Chris.." Tali chirped, as she let her defensive barriers down, only for her Nehya..

Chris simply smiled.

---

2174:

"I thought I'd find you in here..."

Chris turned around at this, soft smile on his lips as instantly recognised the speaker.. His best-friend, and secret crush..

"Yeah well.. No where else to go really, is there?" Chris said, as he turned back around to stare out of the observation port's window, watching the stars glisten..

"No.. Not really.. It's good here though.. I'll give you that." Lucy said, as she stepped into the room, in the direction of her best-friend, and secret crush..

"The best." Chris softly mumbled, as he continued to watch the stars twinkle..

Lucy quietly moved, closely to Chris' side, as the pair stood in silence for a long time, with Lucy resting her head on Chris' shoulder and Chris wrapping an arm around her waist..

It was different now.. Chris had become taller.. A lot taller.. And wider... He had generally become bigger than Lucy... But that suited Lucy just fine..

After a time, Lucy sighed heavily, but contentedly..

"What's up, Lucy?" Chris asked, not moving his eyes away from the stars outside..

"I was just thinking.." Lucy mumbled..

"Don't do that too much.." Chris said quietly, as he tensed his left arm..

Right on cue, a heavy smack landed on his arm, to which Chris softly chuckled, whilst Lucy grinned at him..

"I thought I told you not to tease me?" Lucy said, as she secretly cradled her stinging hand..

Chris chuckled, "You love it really.."

Lucy blushed, before she continued, "I was just thinking... We're not going to get moments like this any more, are we?"

The pair were silent, as Chris contemplated the question, before he quietly replied, "I'm not sure ... What makes you say that anyway?"

Lucy sighed once more, as she continued to lean on Chris, "I don't know.. Probably because I'm going to miss these moments when you're gone.. Off fighting in the Alliance, saving exotic women no doubt.. We're both eighteen now.. We have to do something useful.."

Chris chuckled once more, before he replied, his face reddened after a furious blush had broken out, "Sounds to me as if you're fairly jealous ... I'll be with exotic women and all .."

Lucy moved away from Chris, before folding her arms across her chest, "Me? Jealous? Of them?!"

"Yeah.." Chris said, as he finally turned to face Lucy, a massive grin on his lips..

He could never control the feelings in his stomach when he viewed her face.. Especially in the star light.. She was simply radiant..

Lucy simply stood, watching Chris, before she finally spoke up, sombrely.. "This is what I mean... We won't be able to have fun like this.. I... I.. I can't believe I'm saying this... But... I think I'm going to miss you, Chris.."

Chris sighed as well, before he stepped closer to Lucy, "Well.. You're joining the Alliance as well.. You're finally going to be a nurse, just like you wanted! We won't be that far apart!"

Lucy giggled, before she stepped closer as well, "I told you, I can't be a nurse.. I'm training to be a medic.. And, I think that might be truer than you think, what with you habit to get into fights an all.. You're going to need someone to patch you up."

Chris smiled, as he replied, his tone laced with humour, "I have no idea what you're talking about.."

Lucy simply giggled.

"Anyway! What's the difference between a nurse and a medic? Do you get to where a hotter uniform?" Chris teased, a wicked grin plastered on his face..

"Of course the grunt wouldn't know the difference.. And I bet you'd like to know, wouldn't you?" Lucy said, as she moved even closer..

"Can I take that as a yes?" Chris said, as his heart began to race..

Lucy sighed, before shaking her head, a smile on her lips, "Men.."

The two stood in silence for a moment, before they both realised where they were standing..

And yet, the pair made no effort to move away.. In fact, they tried to move even closer to each other..

Once close together, Lucy took Chris' hands in her own, before she gently whispered, "Do you remember when we first met Chris?"

Chris silently laughed, as he nodded his head, before releasing a hand from Lucy's grip, before reaching up to brush a lock of hair behind Lucy's ear. "I do.. I'd just been beaten up, and I wanted to be alone... And then all of a sudden, this strange young woman came into the room, and began to stroke my hair.."

A giggle escaped Lucy's lips, as she began to blush heavily, whilst she stared into Chris' eyes..

Chris simply continued, as he to looked into Lucy's eyes. ".. And then.. Out of nowhere, when I needed a friend the most, one was given to me.. It was one of the best days of my life.."

"What about you?" Chris asked, as his breathing rate began to increase, his heart pounding within his chest.

Lucy giggled again, a beautiful sound to Chris' ears, as she softly replied, "I remember wanting to see the stars... I'd been mulling over what had happened that day at school.. I'd been called weird by the other girls, before they simply left me on my own... I never felt more alone..."

With a sigh, Lucy continued, "And then... I found you. Probably the only other person on this station who would know how I felt at that specific moment.. I just needed someone to be my friend... I needed someone to be there for me.. Like you were.. That was the best day of my life.. I had finally found a friend.. A partner..."

The two continued to stare at one another in silence after Lucy finished, before she slowly moved forward, onto the tips of her toes, her lips pursed, and her eyes closed..

Chris simply closed his eyes as well, as he too leaned forward...

Their lips met for just a second, before they pulled apart once more... The two opened their eyes, to look into each others..

No words were shared between them, but their eyes told them everything they needed to know..

They were in love with each other..

As their lips locked together once more, and their passions grew with every pent up emotion escaping at once, the stars beheld another wondrous sight...

The flowering of love..

---

"How are we coming along with that torch Tali?" Chris said, as he kicked the corpse of a fallen Varren, orange blood leaking out from bullet holes in it's scaly torso, onto his armored boots..

There was no response at first, until the enthusiastic young woman popped her head out of the terminal she was busy working on..

"Not yet.. I should be done soon.. It would have been a lot easier if the terminal hadn't been destroyed.." Tali chirped, as she tiredly smiled at her Human.

Chris nodded his head, content with the answer, as he activated his medi-gel dispensers... His body was taking quite the beating, but Manic Shepard didn't care..

There were more Batarian scum-bags to kill.

A few moments later, the roaring sound of the torch outside cut out, leaving another silence.

"Good work Tali.. Two down, one more to go..." Chris said, as he turned to face the other squad members, with Tali pulling herself out from underneath the control's terminal.

"Rally up! We're moving!" Chris bellowed, as he turned to face the exit to the facility.

Wrex and Kaidan stopped what they were doing in the carnage filled room, and began to move towards their Commander.

Tali ran forwards, to catch up with her Nehya, before he could leave without her.

As she got closer to her Human, she was suddenly stopped...

A wounded Batarian sat on the floor, his legs both bloody stumps, yellow blood spurting out at an alarming rate, whilst his hand gripped onto Tali's leg, with all the strength he could muster..

"P..Please... Y... You have... Have to... To help.. M..Me..." The Batarian laboured, as his face broke out into a pained grimace, inky black tears rolling down his cheeks from his four eyes..

Tali simply stood, looking down at the Batarian, her hands balling into fists, as her body urged her to end him..

Tali crouched down, so her helmet was level with the Batarian, before she hissed venomously..

"You hurt my Nehya! Why should I help you?!... Why should you be allowed to ask for help, after what you did to him?!"

The Batarian's eyes widened in fear, as his breathing rate increased rapidly..

"That's right.. He's my Human ... And the Ancestors shall damn me if I let you hurt him.." Tali said, as she stood up again..

"T... This.. W...Was supposed ... Supposed to be... A... Sla...Slave... Gra..." The Batarian couldn't quite finish his words, as the pain of his wounds became too much.. The slaver slumped down to the floor in death, his eyes becoming lifeless...

Primal Tali snorted in disgust behind her mask, as she viewed the Batarian slaver, her Nehya's enemy..

'Any enemy of his, is an enemy of mine...' Tali thought, as she walked towards the exit of the facility, before she stopped once again, her mind trying to understand something..

'I remember learning about the stages... I shouldn't be acting like this... He's only my Nehya..' Tali thought, as her brain became suddenly conflicted.

Her heart had no response..

'Maybe... Maybe I'm not actually in the first stages with him... Maybe... Maybe I don't love him...'

Her entire system froze.

'Can.. Can I really go through the path with a Human? A Human who has done so much for me?'

'...'

'...'

'... Yes...'

Her brain simply froze at this point, as her heart warmed, already knowing the answer..

'I.. I'm... I'm in love with him... I'm in limbo... I'm in between the stages... That's why I'm acting like this... Because I know what I want.. Everything is becoming clearer..'

Her heart soared, whilst her soul cheered.

Her brain had finally caught up with the rest of her...

That was all that was needed for the process to continue..

With a spring in her step, and her heart fluttering for joy, Tali raced towards the exit.

---

Once outside, Tali could just hear the end of a conversation Chris was having over the comm..

"... We've located two bodies Commander, both murdered viciously.. We're moving onto the third now." Garrus said, over the comm.

Chris nodded his head in acknowledgement as he replied, "Good work Garrus. The second torch has been defused. We're moving onto the third now. Shepard out."

The comm cut out at this, to which the Commander turned around to face Tali, his Manic persona gone for the moment, as he spoke to Tali..

"You ready to go, Tali?" Chris said softly..

"Yes, Captain." Tali said, as her face warmed..

"Good." Chris said with a smile, as he turned to face Kaidan and Wrex, his Manic persona back in place.

"Let's move! I need those co-ordinates for the third torch Lieutenant! And Wrex, keep an eye out for enemies!" Chris said, as he began to run forwards, in the direction of the path the squad had taken in getting to the second torch.

"Already been sent Commander." Kaidan said, as he tried to keep up with his Commander.

"On it, Shepard." Wrex grunted.

"Good, let's get to it! We need to save those civilians!" The Commander shouted, as he continued to run forwards..

Nobody said anything at first, except for Wrex a few moments later..

"And kill slavers." Wrex said, with what appeared to be glee in his voice.

"Especially that." Chris said, as a vicious grin crept its way onto his face.

---

The Commander wiped his blade clean, with the under-layer of a Batarian slaver's armor, thick yellow blood staining the clothing, as he four black, soulless orbs stared back into Shepard's...

Shepard simply grinned at the Batarian's lifeless face, before he stood back up again, pain shooting up his left leg as he stood up..

With a quick application of medi-gel to soothe the pain, where a Varren had bit him, the Commander walked over towards Wrex.

The Krogan warrior was kneeling on the floor, next to a dead Batarian Shock Trooper, his hands rummaging about in the pockets of the slaver's armor...

"Anything useful?" The Commander approached.

"No. Just a couple of credit chits... That's about it." Wrex grumbled, as his hands retreated from his pillaging of the corpse.

"Don't worry, Wrex. You'll get paid." Chris said, as he walked past the Krogan.

"I should hope so.." Wrex said, as he followed behind Shepard.

The duo walked towards the Lieutenant, who was leaning against a wall, next to a set of stairs, his eyes closed.

"Wake up Lieutenant. We've got work to do." Chris said, as he continued to walk past the Lieutenant.

Kaidan said nothing, as he simply fell in behind his Commander, stepping over a mutilated slaver's body, that was missing its face, groin and left leg..

The trio kept climbed the set of stairs, and kept walking towards the control console that would deactivate the torch, and would save Terra Nova from a terrible catastrophe.. Where Tali was waiting..

"Let's do this. Flip the switch Tali." Chris said, as he hefted 'Lucy' in his arms, once they had neared.

Tali said nothing, just merely nodding in acknowledgement, as she moved towards the controls.

As Tali got to work, the trio simply stood around, waiting..

"Done, Captain." Tali said with joy and relief in her voice as she turned around to face Chris..

The Commander smiled softly, as he replied, "Did I ever mention how much I'm glad you came along Tali?"

Tali blushed fiercely underneath her helmet, as her feet began to shuffle, and her fingers began to dance at her waist, "N..No.."

"Shame.. I think I'll need to change that.." Chris said, after he had sighed, and turned around to lean on the balcony, that looked down to the floor below..

Wrex merely nudged the Quarian, as a smile split his lips..

Nobody said anything for a moment, before the sounds of doors opening brought everyone's attention back to the matter at hand.

The Commander simply nodded his head at the others, as he raised his hand to tell them to wait where they were, "Lieutenant, eyes on me.."

Kaidan simply nodded his head, as he hefted his assault rifle in his hands.

The others took up position behind the railing, as the Commander walked down the stairs, ready to investigate.

All that met him, was a trio of Batarians, two clad in regular slaver armor, with another clad in heavier and bulkier red armor. The armor that represented a position of authority.

As the Commander moved forwards, Kaidan instructed for assault rifles to be drawn, and for them to be ready..

Shepard stopped a few feet away from the Batarians, his assault rifle pointing downwards.

"You haven't started shooting yet... I suppose some Batarians have brains then.." Chris said venomously, as he eyed up his foes.

The red armored Batarian was the one to answer for the trio, "My name is Charn.. I come in the name of peace.."

"Peace?! You have got to be kidding me... You stupid four-eyed fuckers have been trying to kill me! How does that represent peace?! Are you the leader or something?!" Chris said in disbelief, as he shifted his shoulders..

"No, I am not in command.. We never wanted this... It was just supposed to be a simple slave grab..."

'Simple slave grab?...'

The Commander's left eye began to twitch at this, but 'Charn' simply continued..

"... We never wanted any of this.. I just ask for peace! Please! Spare us, so we can go! If you let us go, I will give you a pass to the main facility, where my leader is... Maybe you can make him see sense.." Charn finished, his voice holding a pleading quality.

The Commander's eye stopped twitching, as his fires were simply stoked further...

"Fine." The Commander bluntly said, as he placed 'Lucy' on his back, before placing his hands behind his back...

"W..Wha?" Charn said in disbelief, turning around to view the shocked expressions of his compatriots..

"You want peace? You got it." Chris said, as he stood at ease.

"W...Well... This is unexpected.." Charn mumbled.

"But, the only way we will guarantee this peace, will be on my terms, understood?" Shepard said.

Charn nodded his head enthusiastically, "Of course! I expected nothing less!"

"Good. We'll do an old, traditional Human acceptance of agreement.. A hand-shake will suffice." The Commander replied.

Charn nodded his head once more, before he began to move forward..

"Woah! Not yet!" Chris exclaimed, as he raised a hand to stop Charn's advance..

Charn was bewildered, but stopped nonetheless..

"Now, remove your torso piece. I'll do the same. It shows that I'm willing to be without defence in front of your men, and that you're genuine about the deal.." Chris said, a ghost of a smile on his lips..

"Of course!" Charn replied, as he began to remove the piece of armor that protected his torso, unlatching seals and catches..

As he was doing this, the Commander kept his hands behind his back, before he started to signal to Kaidan. Once his message was finished, the Commander removed his own piece of armor that would protect his torso, revealing a bloodied under-shirt.

Kaidan saw the message his Commander had given him, and told Wrex and Tali what they were to do.

When both soldiers had removed their armor pieces, they stepped closer together, before Chris offered his left hand.

Charn looked quizzically at it, before the Commander explained, "I'm left-handed you see.."

Charn nodded his head in understanding, before he clasped his forearm with Shepard's.

"I'm glad we could reach an understanding.. I can't wait to leave this rock, and see my children-" Charn was saying, his eyes closed as he savoured the feeling of sudden relief ... Before he was suddenly interrupted...

Eyes wide, and looking downwards, Charn could see that he was still holding forearms with the Human Commander ...

But something else had been added...

A combat knife...

The Commander's combat knife...

"Light 'em up!" The Commander roared, a wicked grin on his lips..

At this a cacophony of gunfire reigned down from the balcony above, straight into the oblivious Batarian soldiers, killing them quickly and efficiently, leaving Charn, on his own..

With a sudden jerk of pain, Charn tried to draw away from his sudden attacker and betrayer, but it was to no avail.. Shepard pushed the blade further into Charn's gut, before he came even closer to the Batarian..

Once close enough, he rested his head on the Batarian's armored shoulder, before he softly whispered into Charn's ear.. A terrifyingly cold, and emotionless whisper...

The whisper of death...

"You're not leaving this rock Charn.. You're not going to get your peace... You're too far gone for that..."

With a stiff grunt, the Commander began to cut upwards, yellow blood spilling out, as the Commander's blade tore through flesh and tissue..

"You deserve this, you four-eyed fuck..."

Another grunt, and the blade was sent even further up, into the Batarians unprotected chest.. Tears leaked from Charn's four eyes, as he screamed in agony..

The Commander paid no attention, as he let go of his knife, to apply just enough medi-gel to allow Charn to hold on a little longer, as he rammed the knife upwards once more, completely opening the Batarian's torso...

"You deserve this... You deserve this and much more..." The Commander finished, as he let go of his combat knife..

In Charn's final moments, he watched as the Commander took off his helmet, showing his face to the dying Batarian..

Shepard's final words, were hissed through clenched teeth..

"That.. Was for Lucy.."

With that, Shepard gripped his combat knife one final time, before roughly shoving and ripping his blade out of Charn.. The Batarian stood for a moment, before being pushed over by Shepard..

The Commander stood over the dead Batarian for a moment, before he reached down, into Charn's pockets, kneeling in a pool of yellow blood..

After a few moments of searching, Shepard located the key-card he required.

Once found, he simply stood up, and placed his helmet back on his head..

Kaidan, Wrex and Tali stood at the bottom of the stairs, watching their Commander.

"Come on, let's go."

That was all that was said, as the trio stepped over the lifeless corpse of Charn, one by one, nobody stopping to look into his black, soulless orbs..

---

"Commander." The comm blared, in Chris' ear.

"Go ahead, Garrus." Chris said, as he slowed to a stop at the entrance to the main facility.

"We've located the Engineers... It's not good.. They were all brutally murdered."

The Commander sighed, before replying, "Fine.. At least now we know.."

"There are no other points of interest, Commander, so what are your orders?"

"Regroup at the main facility. Watch out for any turrets or anti-vehicular weaponry. We'll be inside."

"Yes, Commander." The Turian said, to which, the comm cut out.

The Commander turned around, to face his squad mates once more.

"Everybody ready to go?"

Tali, Wrex and Kaidan simply nodded their heads in acknowledgement.

"Okay then.. We go in fast and hard, put any hostiles down quickly, and cover each other's backs. Everyone clear?" Chris said, as he swiped the key-card he had looted from Charn's corpse.

Wrex and Kaidan nodded their heads, whilst Tali spoke up.

"Do you want me to stay with you, Captain?" Tali said, hoping the answer would be yes.

A small smile was placed on Chris' lips, as he nodded his head in response.

"Let's bust some heads!" Chris exclaimed, as he pulled 'Lucy' off of his back, before hobbling into the facility, his body tired and injured, whilst his soul continued to burn with revenge..

Wrex grinned as he equipped his shotgun, with Kaidan remaining neutral, his assault rifle already in his hands, and Tali simply continued to focus her attention solely on Chris, her bloodied shotgun in hand..

---

The squad made it into the main hall of the facility, a dome like structure with rooms splitting off to the sides, as well as what appeared to be an elevator in the middle of the room, leading down to a lower level..

Chris lifted his rifle up in preparation, as he limped into the room. Tali was close to his side, just in front of him, and to the left. Kaidan stayed to the right, not as close as Tali, but close enough to allow for a tactical formation to be established...

Wrex just stayed at the back, his shotgun daring anything to try and attack..

When the group made it to the back of the large room, where a set of stairs were set before them, they stopped. The Commander spoke quietly, as he scanned his surroundings.

"Something doesn't feel right.."

Wrex was quick to reply, "I agree. Something's wrong.. My instincts tell me we are not alone.."

The group remained where they were, covering all aspects of approach with their weapons, before the Commander silently cursed..

"Come on you fuckers... Stop hiding.. Show yourselves.."

At that moment, a dozen heavy security drones raised from the lower levels, their weapons pointing directly at the small squad, in conjunction with a dozen more Batarian soldiers filing into the balconies above..

"Fuck.." Chris said, as he lowered his rifle..

Even Manic Shepard could tell when he was outnumbered and out-gunned..

"What do we do Captain?" Tali said, as she moved closer to Chris, her shotgun not lowering..

"Yes, what shall you do Captain?" A deep, ominous voice called from the shadows, as Wrex and Kaidan lowered their weapons.. It was only Tali that was ready to fight..

"Who are you?! Show yourself, you fucking coward!" Chris shouted, as he continued to appraise his situation..

"I am a member of the Batarian Hegemony, your master in every single way, you filthy primate. You should learn to respect your superiors.." The voice boomed, as the drones and enemy soldiers continued to watch the squad attentively..

"I have no respect for slaver trash!" Chris said, as he ripped his helmet off, drawing the attention of his captors..

"Slaver trash?.. My, my.. The Human believes himself superior.." The voice mocked, as it continued to remain in the shadows..

"At least I am willing to show my face, unlike you.." Chris said.

"You wish for me to reveal myself?... Very well." The voice, said, as a figure began to step out of the shadows, at the top of the set of stairs..

"Are you happy now, Huma-" The Batarian said, as he stood at the top of the stairs, his voice trailing off as he looked upon his enemy..

There was silence in the room, as the air became thick with tension, both Human and Batarian staring at the other, in disbelief..

It was the Batarian that spoke first.

"Y..You!" The Batarian roared, as he began to dig for something within his pockets..

Chris' mouth remained agape, as his mind tried to process this new revelation..

Stood in front of him, was the one person in the entire Galaxy that Chris reserved every last ounce of his hatred for, the one being in the Galaxy he detested ... The one being he wished to see dead..

"Balak!" Chris roared in primal anger, the little spark within him, transforming into a physical representation of hate itself..

"That's right! ... Do you remember primate?! Do you remember what you did?!" Balak roared.

"Yeah.. I remember... Your face still hurt?" Chris wickedly grinned, as he remembered slicing the Batarian across his face, in their last encounter... On Elysium...

"No primate... Not that... Do you remember?! Do you remember what you did when you found the camp?!" Balak said venomously..

Chris began to lose himself in his memories, as he tried to understand what Balak meant..

---

2180:

"Are you alright Private? You seem a little tense..." Lieutenant Shepard said, as he looked across at the new recruit.

Private Alenko sat back into the shuttle's seat, trying to relax as the shuttle entered the uncharted planet's atmosphere. He closed his eyes before replying. "I.. I'm alright sir! .. I.. It's just my first combat mission is all.."

"You'll be fine, Private!" The Lieutenant said with a grin, before he continued, "There shouldn't be much action anyway.. It's only a small camp we're investigating."

"Understood sir!" Private Alenko said, as he viewed his superior for the mission..

'He looks exactly like he does in the commercials.. With the scar and everything' Private Alenko thought with amusement, before the Lieutenant spoke up again.

"Take a picture Private, It'll last longer."

Kaidan's eyes went wide with shock, as he stuttered out his reply, "I... I'm sorry sir! I.. It won't happen again!"

"Calm down Private, I was only joking." The Lieutenant said with a wink, before he leaned back into his seat as well.

"Oh.." Alenko said, as his face reddened with embarrassment..

The squad continued their journey in silence, before the shuttle began to shudder and rock.

The Lieutenant stood up, before looking at his sub-ordinates, "Alright! Get your asses up! We've got another camp to clear!"

The response was immediate, as every soldier got to their feet, some groaning in mock-annoyance..

A voice was heard from the back of the shuttle, "Hey Lieutenant! Why can't you go down there on your own! You did fine on the last one! I've got a date to get ready for when I get back!"

A few chuckled could be heard from the Marines, before silence ensued..

Everybody looked to their Lieutenant, trying to gauge his reaction..

Shepard simply grinned, before he replied, "Your hand, and a copy of this month's Fornax doesn't count as a date, Private Hastings!"

There was an eruption of laughter at the Lieutenant's comment within the shuttle, some even going as far as to giving Shepard a respectful nod..

"Listen up!" Shepard said, as the shuttle continued to hurtle towards the slaver camp..

Once silence had been achieved, the Lieutenant continued, "Alright.. We're heading to a small slaver camp, something you should all know... What you might not know though, is the fact that one of the key organisers of the Skyllian Blitz is supposed to be here.."

Activating his omni-tool to show a Holo-graphic representation, the Lieutenant continued, "The leader goes by the name of Nottus.. A Batarian slaver.. He's our target. We go in, we take him out, and we get to go home again. Sound good?"

"OORAH!" The Marines bellowed, causing the Lieutenant's face to erupt into a large, shit-eating grin.

"Well alright then!" Shepard said, as he turned around to speak to the Pilot.

A few moments later, the shuttle touched down onto the planet.

"Ready up! Let's move it!" Shepard said, as he picked his own assault rifle up, a memory from the Skyllian Blitz..

Once the Marines were ready, the shuttle doors were opened, allowing for the star-light to filter into the shuttle..

"Secure the camp! Take prisoners if you can! If not, put them down!" The Lieutenant roared, as he ran out of the shuttle first.

There were a few chuckles from the other Marines, as Private Alenko followed his superior out into the night..

When Private Alenko had rushed out of the shuttle, he was expecting to be met with the thunderous cacophony of gunfire, and the sounds of dying Batarians...

Instead ... The squad was brought to an immediate halt, stopping their charge..

All that met the squad, was a single Asari, clothed in nothing but dirty rags that did nothing to hide her body.. Her legs, breasts, ass and vagina were on show, with the rags covering just her stomach.. Her blue skin contrasting with dirty brown clothing..

"P..Please.. I.. I.. I.. I just want... Want to ... go... H... Home..." The Asari said, as tears streamed down her cheeks..

The Lieutenant moved ahead of the others, dropping his rifle, as he moved to comfort the Asari, "Hey! Come here! You're safe now.. Don't be scared.. What are you doing out here? It's freezing!"

Shepard turned around, before he shouted, "Come on you bunch of idiots! Someone get a blanket or something!"

At this, a few Marines took off their battle-packs, before one removed a plain blue blanket, the Alliance symbol printed in the corner..

When it had been passed to the Lieutenant, he spent no time in wrapping the young woman up..

The Lieutenant stood for five minutes, holding the woman, as she cried into the blanket... In this time, the other Marines had already moved ahead to secure the camp, leaving only the squad's medic behind..

Once she had been calmed down somewhat, he turned to address the squads medic.

"Rawlinson, take care of her.. See what you can find out."

"Aye aye Lieutenant." The medic said, as she moved to take the Asari's arm..

The Asari flinched, clinging onto Shepard.

"W.. What ... What is .. She going to do ... do to me?..." The Asari said, as she peered upwards, to stare into the Lieutenant's eyes..

Shepard simply hugged the woman once more, before he spoke softly, "She's going to help you.. I promise. She's here to help."

"D.. D.. Do you ... Trust her?" The Asari said, as tears continued to stream down her cheeks..

"Yes. I do. She'll look after you, I promise.." Shepard said, as he moved a finger to wipe away a tear from the Asari's face..

"O..Okay.." The Asari said, before Rawlinson moved forwards once more. The Asari did not flinch, as Rawlinson placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, to guide her to the squad's shuttle..

The Lieutenant took a moment, before he picked his rifle back up, off of the floor. Once done, he moved towards the camp.

When he got there, it was the Master Sergeant that met him.

"Lieutenant."

"Master Sergeant Stevenson." Shepard said.

"Something's not right LT.. We came in, and the Batarians simply gave up.. They laid down their arms, and spoke of surrender.. Some of them are saying that we have to take them as Prisoners of War.." Stevenson said, his voice confused.

"Don't worry about it Master Sergeant.. They play this game sometimes.. They know they're in serious danger, so they exploit the Alliance's policy of keeping Prisoners alive to face trial.."

"Stupid fucking policy in my opinion LT.." Stevenson said, with a snort.

"I agree... Ah well! At least it means that we may be able to gain some intelligence from them.." Shepard said, as he began to move away from the Master Sergeant.

"Stevenson, round them up in the centre of the camp, make sure they don't have any weapons.. I want to talk to some of them.." The Lieutenant said, as he moved towards a Marine that appeared to be injured..

"Aye aye Lieutenant." Stevenson said, as he turned around, before barking out orders to round up the prisoners..

When Shepard got near to the Marine, he spoke up, "What's the problem? Are you injured?"

The Marine was Private Alenko. He looked upon his superior, his face a deathly pale colour, his cracked voice betraying his emotions, "It's... It's the... The tents ... They have ... Slaves in them sir.. They've been tortured! Some... Some are dead.. Some are dying.."

Shepard's face became pale, as he looked upon the young Lieutenant. A few tears seemed to be streaming down the Private's face, as he looked at the Lieutenant.

"Which was the first tent you went in, Private?" Shepard said quietly, as he rested a hand on Alenko's shoulder.

The Private pointed towards a tent, the farthest one away from the camp, overlooking a cliff.

"Th..That one sir.." Alenko said shakily.

"Alright Private, go and find Master Sergeant Stevenson, go and assist him with something.."

"A.. Aye aye L.. Lieutenant." Alenko said, with a shaky salute.

Shepard gave his own salute, before he moved towards the indicated tent.

Getting closer to the tent, the Lieutenant suddenly felt sick with worry and nerves...

Waiting for just a moment, to get his emotions in check, the Lieutenant finally entered the tent..

"N..No... No... No! No! No! No! No!"

The Lieutenant dropped his rifle, as he sank to his knees, his heart suddenly overcome with a piercing agony..

"No... No... Please God no..." The Lieutenant mumbled, as tears began to trickle down his cheeks..

Fumbling with the catches to his helmet, Shepard shakily took it off, before crawling closer to his agony..

Suspended in the air, by harnesses and other such devices, lay his one, final sliver of peace and happiness in the universe...

Lucy...

She was naked, her body covered in scars, her once beautiful face, was now an image of pure agony and sorrow... A set of dog-tags continued to hang around her neck..

There was a hole in the roof of the tent, where a patch of star-light filtered through..

She had been degraded, used... Condoms and other such preventatives lay around her body, other such sick devices lay near her suspended frame as well...

"L..Lucy..." Chris mumbled, as his tears did not abate.. He moved towards her body..

"P...Please... *Cough* ... No... No more..." Lucy softly groaned, as blood escaped her mouth..

"L..Lucy.." Chris said, his tears flowing freely now..

"C... Chris?..." A soft tremble could be heard in Lucy's reply..

"I.. It's me baby.. I'm here.." Chris said, as he unsheathed his combat knife.. Chris stood up, before he began to cut the leather binds..

Once he had cut her down, he rested her in his arms, where the star-light could glance across her features..

"I.. I.. I knew you would .. C... Come.. Y... You always... A.. Always were l.. Late.." Lucy said, as a ghost of a smile spread across her lips..

Chris' tears did not stop, as he began to brush Lucy's raven locks, like he had done so long ago... She had held him when he needed someone the most, and now he held her, before she would leave him.. Forever..

"I.. I..." Words failed the man, as he began to sob...

Violent coughing from Lucy could be heard ... Blood being coughed up...

She was dying..

Chris continued to sob, as he laid his head against Lucy's forehead..

The two looked each other in the eyes, the star-light illuminating them once last time..

"I.. I... I'm sorry..." Chris stuttered out, as snot inter-mingled with his tears..

"Hush.." Lucy softly cooed, as she stroked the man's face, her own eyes brimming with tears..

"W... W... We were supposed to be m.. M... Married... H.. Have... K.. Kids..." Chris stuttered out, as he laid his head once more against Lucy's..

"I.. It's ... *Cough* T.. T... Too l.. Late.. F.. For that..." Lucy said, as tears began to trickle down her cheeks..

"F.. Find.. Find some... Someone.. S.. Someone who.. Who will.. W... W... Will.. Love.. Lov... Love.. you... As.. M.. M... M... Much... A...A...As... I... Do..." Lucy said, as she began to wipe the tears from Chris' face..

Chris continued to sob, clutching onto Lucy for dear life...

With one final push, Lucy gave her final words, a deathly whisper as she clutched onto Chris...

"K... Know that... Know that I .. I... I will ..."

"... A... Always..."

"...L ... L... L... Love..."

"... You..."

Lucy gave her last breath, with her undying love, a gentle smile on her lips as she passed on, to a better place...

The stars had witnessed the birth of a friendship, the flowering of love, and now...

They had witnessed the death of true love..

But, in it's place... They witnessed something else...

The birth of a never-ending hatred...

---

"I .. I remember.." Shepard said, as a single tear rolled down his cheek..

"You remember now?! .. You remember how you butchered my friends?! How you butchered my own brother?!" Balak snarled, as he finally withdrew the object he was searching for, from a pocket.

"Maybe this will help!" Balak roared, as he chucked the object to the Commander's feet.

Without a moment's pause, a Holo-graphic image appeared of a bloodied landscape..

Bodies littered the scene, yellow blood staining the ground, weapons stacked in a pile, away from the bodies..

And at the centre.. A single, solitary head, sat upon a pile of bodies, its eyes having been removed.. The skull simply remaining..

A husk of a living being..

"YOU BUTCHERED THEM! TO MAKE AN EXAMPLE!" Balak screamed, his face becoming flustered.

"And I'd do it again.." Chris quietly said..

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Balak snarled.

"I said.. I'd do it again if I had the chance... A thousand times over!" Chris declared, a vicious grin on his lips..

Balak remained speechless.

"That's right! Nottus boasted about how Lucy 'screamed and moaned like an Asari whore..' ... Let me tell you, your brother screamed a hell of a lot harder when I gouged his eyes out!" Chris roared at the top of his lungs, so the other Batarians could hear..

"Y.. Y... You monster! I would kill you where you stand if I had the choice!" Balak screamed, as he began to turn away.

"Where are you going you four-eyed fuck?! I haven't finished with you yet!" Chris declared once more, as he began to climb the stairs..

Balak turned around, his eyes wild, as his hand clutched a detonator.

"One more step you bastard primate, and I kill the Engineers!"

"What Engineers?! You've already killed them all!" Chris shouted.

"No... You naive Human... I kept most of the Engineers alive, to be used as hostages! Because of you, I can't gain my revenge against Humanity! The Alliance will be here soon, and I don't plan on staying around! Now, I can't honour my dead brother's name!"

"He didn't have any fucking honour to begin with!" Chris declared, a vicious grin on his lips..

"Curse you Human.. Curse you and your whore of a dead mate.." Balak spat, as he turned about once more..

"On no you don't!" Chris said, as he raised his rifle to point at Balak's head.

Balak slowly turned around, before he spoke softly and seriously, "If you kill me Human, then innocents die! Everything you stand for, will mean nothing! Kill me! Put me out of my eternal grief!... Or let me leave, and innocents shall be spared... Your choice primate..."

"Chris!" Tali screamed, as she moved towards the man...

"Don't let them die! Let him go! He can't run forever!" Tali pleaded, her primal side having disappeared..

"Fuck that! He deserves to die! I'm not going to let him walk away!" Chris roared in anger, before he softly spoke, "He... He.. He killed Lucy..."

Tali moved close to Chris' body, her helmet coming close to his face, "Let him go, Chris... Lucy wouldn't want this... She would want you to live... Live and remain yourself.. She wouldn't want you to kill in her name.."

"What would you know?!" Chris hissed in the Quarian's direction..

Tali's response was quiet, but the power of her words hit Chris like a freight train..

"It's what I would have wanted you to do.."

Chris stood for a moment, his mind arguing over a thousand possible outcomes...

That is, until he looked upon Tali's form once more..

'She.. She's right...'

With another tear streaming down his cheek, Chris turned to regard Balak once more, "Get out of here.. You owe your life to Tali.. But, I swear.. The next time I see you, I shall rip your eyes out of your skull with a rusty blade.."

Balak smirked, "Til we meet again, primate.."

With that, Balak began to walk out of the room... Before he stopped, and called over his shoulder.. "Kill them, and detonate the bombs. Leave no traces. Give it ten minutes.." With that, the Batarian left the room..

"Acknowledged.. Ten minutes til detonation."

The drones began to power up, as the Batarians aimed their rifles downwards, the mass effect generators in the weapons beginning to spool..

"I guess this is it then." Wrex said, his tone neutral, as he raised his own rifle.

"Looks like it.." Kaidan murmured, as he too raised his own rifle.

"It was a pleasure serving with you Commander!" Kaidan said, as he aimed his rifle at the nearest drone..

"It was a good run Shepard." Wrex said, his tone holding no emotion..

Chris remained rooted to the spot, as his face remained blank...

Tali placed her hand in Chris', as she raised her pistol.

"Thank you Chris... For everything..." Tali said softly, her eyes brimming with tears..

"There's so much I wanted to tell you.." She said quietly to herself, as she aimed at the nearest Batarian.

"No..." Chris mumbled, as he took his hand out of Tali's..

"No!" Chris shouted.

"IT'S NOT ENDING LIKE THIS!" Chris roared, as his body suddenly became surrounded in blue energy...

His eyes changed to an electric blue, as his body surged with raw biotic power.. His hand gripped onto the handle of his combat knife, before he began to rise up off the ground..

Kaidan's eyes went wide, as he realised what was happening..

"GET THE FUCK DOWN!" Kaidan screamed, as he hit the deck..

Wrex followed suit, not asking any questions, as did Tali..

The trio watched as their Commander began to rise up into the air..

"What's happening to him?!" Tali shouted, over the crackle of biotic energy, emanating from Chris.

"HE'S PISSED IS WHAT'S HAPPENING! I'VE SEEN THIS BEFORE! STAY DOWN!" Kaidan roared, as he tucked his head into his arms..

Tali had only moments to spare, as she too tucked her head into her arms, before the sound of crackling electricity pierced the air.. Biotic explosions could be heard, along with the screams of Batarians, and the electronic warbles of the drones..

Tali peaked her head out for but a second, but what she saw, took her breath away...

Chris had become enveloped in blue, biotic energy.. He was essentially, a massive biotic projectile. Biotic lash's were sent from his hands, snapping around any poor Batarian's in his path, some having limbs ripped off, as the Commander went on a homicidal rampage..

"What's wrong with him?!" Tali screamed in horror..

"HE'S OVER-CLOCKING HIS AMP! HE'LL FRY IF HE KEEPS IT UP!" Kaidan shouted back.

"We have to stop him! We have to defuse the bombs!" Tali screamed, as she began to get up.

"No, little one! Leave him! He knows what he's doing! It's too dangerous!" Wrex said, as he grabbed onto Tali.

Tali stopped struggling immediately, as she continued to watch.

The Commander had annihilated the Batarian troops, to which, he was now attacking the drones.. The man couldn't tell friend from foe..

"We have to defuse the bombs! People will die!" Tali said, as she began to get up once more.

Wrex wasn't fast enough this time, to stop Tali from getting up.

Tali began to run towards her Human.

Manic Shepard turned around, and simply stared at the Quarian woman, not attacking straight away...

Tali noticed this, as she began to move even closer, "Chris! You need to stop! You'll die if you keep this up!"

There was no response, as Chris continued to watch the Quarian woman.

"Please! You need to stop this! You can't die! We need you! ... I need you!" Tali shouted, just loud enough for Manic Shepard to hear.

The Manic Shepard looked away for a moment, before his biotic field died out, sending him falling to the ground.

With a thump, Shepard crumpled to the ground, like a puppet having its strings cut.

Tali rushed to his side, kneeling down as she cradled his head in her lap, "Chris!"

"T.. Ta..Tali.. T... Thank... Y.. You.." Chris whispered weakly, as he raised a hand to rest against the side of her hood, before falling unconscious, the fight leaving him..

"I'm here, Chris.. I'm here.." Tali said, as she cradled her Human..

Kaidan and Wrex came rushing over, before Tali shouted, "Defuse the bombs! I'll look after him!"

Kaidan simply nodded his head, as he ran towards a control panel at the other side of the room..

Wrex stood for a moment, before he got to his knees.. "I'll take it from here, little one.." Wrex said quietly, as he placed his arms gently underneath Shepard..

With a grunt, Wrex lifted the man into his arms, before he began to walk towards the exit.

"Where are you going?" Tali said, picking Chris' helmet up off the ground as she got up..

"I'm taking him back to the ship.. He needs medical attention.." Wrex said quietly, as he hefted the heavy Human in his large arms..

"I'm coming with you!" Tali shouted, as she ran towards Wrex.

"You need to stay here, little one.. You have to defuse the bombs with the Lieutenant.."

"I'm not leaving him! You can't make me!" Tali hissed, as she took Chris' hand in hers, before releasing it..

Wrex silently chuckled, as he continued to walk towards the exit..

Suddenly, Garrus, Ashley and Liara burst through the doors..

It was Garrus that spoke first, "What in the name of the spirits happened?!"

"You're late Turian, go and help the Lieutenant with the bombs.." Wrex said, as he continued to walk past them.

"Bombs?! ... What do you mean bombs?!" Garrus said, his voice panicked.

"You've got 5 minutes Turian.. Get on with it." Wrex said, as he exited the room.

"Do you think they need my help?" Tali said, as they continued to walk..

"No. They'll be fine. I know Batarian slavers, and the equipment they use... It shouldn't take them more than a minute to defuse the bombs." Wrex said, ending the conversation..

Tali placed the helmet on her Human's head, before she nodded to Wrex.

Wrex simply nodded his head as well, as he walked outside, into space, Shepard in his arms, and Tali at his side..

The stars continued to watch over the Human Commander...

Specifically, over the Human, and the Quarian...

For it appeared to the stars, another bond was being formed..

Two souls were beginning to bind..

---

There you have it!

Man that was long! And dark ... xD

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

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