Mara Shepard

by Pathogen34988

Basicly a backstory i have developed for my character and an expansion of the back story of the characters already in ME. My first attempt at a good story, stay tuned for more chapters and plz give feed back.

2. Chapter 2

Part 2: Boot Camp

"Joker, what's our ETA" said Mara

"2 hours mam, I could increase the speed to 1000 times and decrease our ETA to 13 minutes, but if we deploy into a hot area, we would be disadvantaged." Replied Joker

"2 hours is fine Joker, Shepard out."

Mara looked into the security feeds in the deployment deck, Tali was talking to engineer Adams. "I thought they'd get on." Mara thought as she peered into the monitor. Garrus was looking at the diagnostic panel for the Mako and Wrex leaned on the VI storage device, just staring. He was a Krogan Mercenary definitely, but there was something else. Something in his eye, the way he talked, how he acted. Something bothered him deeply. The thought was cut off by a tone.

"Enter" said Mara

The door slid open and Ashley Williams stood at the door.

"Sergeant Williams, what can I do for you?" Asked Mara

"Commander, you can call me Ash, I'm off duty." Said Ashley at attention

"In that case at ease" Said Mara

Ashley slouched slightly, but still looked as though awaiting orders

"Come in, come in, would you like a coffee?" Asked Mara

"That's not necessary mam." Replied Ashley

"Always be a good host, Ash, even aboard your own ship." Said Mara

"Yes mam"

"Drop the formality Ashley. Tell me what you are here for?"

"I wanted to speak, off the record." Ashley relaxed a bit more

"I keep an open door policy, if you have any concerns lay them on me."

"Alright. I'm concerned with the Aliens, Vikarian and Wrex. With all due respect, I don't think they should have free rein of the vital systems, weapons and propulsion." Said Ashley

"You mean because their not human?"

"No. not that. Because they're not Alliance. My father, grandfather, grandmother, they all picked up a rifle and swore the oath of allegiance. These people have no allegiance to anyone." Answered Ashley

"These sound like deeply held beliefs Ashley, have you always thought like this?"

"My family has 4 generations of service; I guess we tend to think of the Alliance interests as our own."

"You've never worked with aliens before?"

"Well, I've never been posed on a ship before. I did do a training course on Jump Zero. Every marine a rifle man, every rifle man zero g certified."

"Never been posted on a ship?"

"Well I've always wanted to. In training we went to Titan. As we landed it hit me, I'm the first person to stand here. Then I fell over and the drill sergeant belted me for "gold bricking"."

"Don't tell me you had Gunney Ellison, he's the only one who uses that word for shirking duty."

"You had him too? Yeah, he's still belting out recruits using words like "inveigle" and "pusillanimous"."

"Ok Ash, I see you point of view, but this is a multilateral mission, you'll have to learn to work with aliens like it or not."

"Don't worry mam, you say jump I say how high, you tell me to kiss a Turian, I say which cheek."

"Well in that case, Garrus looks like he could use some cheering up." Joked Mara

"Um, off duty mam." Replied Ashley

"OK" Mara laughed "Get some sleep, we arrive in 2 hours."

"Aye-aye mam"

Ashley turned and left. Mara leaned back into her chair and flicked a pen through her fingers. "Training, hm" Mara mused to her self.

The siren went off at 5 am. Mara groaned, with her parents she was normally up at 4 to go for a run, but the training regiment of this place was insane. 3 hours of cardio in the morning then 4 hours of combat tactics, an hour for lunch then Mass Effect theory and physics for another 5 hours, then 2 hours of weight training. By the end of every day she also had to revise everything she learnt the previous day or she would forget completely. It was 11 before she managed to get to sleep. Weekends were a required reprieve, yet some times training continued through weekends to "simulate combat situations". But through all this, Mara flourished. She rose to every challenge and conquered it. While the others around her broke she remained strong, infallible.

"GET UP MAGGOTS!" barked drill sergeant Lopez. "It's nice and cool; let's get started now before it heats up".

Cool was an understatement. The temperatures in the Australian outback went trough extremes; at night it was nearly sub zero and during the day it could get above the 40 degrees. Mara stepped out of the barracks with only a singlet, a "wife beater" as they are known here, track pants and shoes. Mara was eager to start her run to warm up. At this temperature "piloerection" was exaggerated. It looked as though Mara's skin was trying to peal away from her it was that bad. Yet she preferred the cold to the heat. The temperature variation was a difficult adjustment. On a ship the temperature was a constant 26 degrees. Now it was 4 to 40 each day. The run began. For half an hour she sprinted. The sooner she reached the checkpoint the longer she had to rest. As the dew on the sand and scrub melted it seeped through the fabric of her shoes. Advanced draining technology diverted the moisture from her feet. As it approached 6 dawn began to break. Mara sat herself at the top of a sand dune and watched the sun rise over the endless plains of sand. Shadows fought a losing battle as the sun cast light down on to the dunes. Mara felt an instant wash of heat as the light kissed her face. A welcome reprieve from the cold, but she knew it would not last. Soon it would be unbearable. But Mara had learnt to live in the moment, not to concern her self with what may or may not happen. But still something nagged at her, reminding her that it would not last. Mara gave a heavy sigh at this realisation, the closest she had or would ever come to cracking.

Combat training took place in the old abandoned town of Alice Springs. The combat armor she wore had an intercooler that cooled her of after the Cardio exercises. She followed the commands of an older student. The squad was made up of 8 people. Mara had only been at this institute for 3 months and she already had a reputation for a keen strategic mind and excellent marksman ship. She was assigned to second in command and over watch.

"Delta one, this is delta over watch" said Mara

"Over watch, this is delta one, got a sitrep?" said John, Mara's superior

"Affirmative. 3 tangos moving to high ground. 2 others taking position at option sierra 1, flanking position with quick routes to sierra 4 and 5. Objective covered by 2 other tangos. Over watch not located. Recommend hold position."

Mara was 500 meters away, resting inside a dune. She had dug out a position and covered her self completely with sand. Only her weapon stuck out of the dune. The rifle was a laser designator that would tag the enemy. Once tagged the mark's armors kinetic amplifiers would lock up completely if a kill shot or partially if a limb was targeted. Stomach shots were the most interesting. The Mark would be locked up for a second then release, then slowly lock up again unless he received attention by the squad "Medic" with in 4 minutes The objective was to capture the enemies "flag". One side defended and the other attacked. Simple and ancient rules of capture the flag, but the way it was played changed dramatically.

"Over watch, that's a negative, time is approaching elapse, need to secure ASAP."

"Ok, send deltas 7 and 8 down sierra 2. Good shot of the snipers on high ground from structure Charlie 6, then take the rest down sierra 1, oh and tell 7 and 8 to make lots of noise." Said Mara

"Roger that over watch, delta one out." Said John

Soon after 2 figures could be seen leaving an old deli at the far end of the town. They ran to a house down an alley.

"Delta 1? This is delta 7, 4 canisters of kerosene in the attic, permission to blow up?"

"Over watch?" asked John

"How big are the canisters?" asked Mara

"We've got 20 liters mam."

"If you blow the south end of the house you should be able to distract them, if you have any insulation you could also use the hole as cover." Said Mara

"Do it" said John

Mara saw a large fiery explosion from the village. Every enemy turned and ran to the explosion. The road designated sierra 1 was now clear and the main force ran down the street to the objective. Smoke from the explosion covered the fact that only two soldiers that were shooting out of the house. The insulation had dampened any fires that would have otherwise prevented the maneuver. A laser from delta 7 hit a target in the leg. The mark hit the floor, not expecting his leg to freeze up as he ran. Mara put him out of action with a shot to the head. Another fell, though this time the mark dragged himself to cover, Mara let out a disgruntled moan and shot a sniper in the head to make herself feel better. He toppled over, unable to move. Mara saw the medic move up to aid the man that had been shot in the arm. She paused and waited for him to patch up the wounded soldier. When he was fixed he stood and shot a few "rounds" into the house where delta 7 and 8 were holed up. Mara quickly shot him in the head; the medic soon followed his patent. "4 down, 4 to go. But where's that over watch?" she thought. The three remaining retreated.

"Delta 1, this is over watch. 4 tangos down, remaining three retreating to objective, unable to provide additional sniper support." Said Mara

"Affirmative over watch, any sign of tango over watch?"

"Negative, will advise if located." Replied Mara

Mara watched as 7 soldiers surrounded the complex where the flag was located. One cracked open a window and rolled in a flash bang. The complex seemingly exploded with light and sound. Delta quickly ran in and secured the complex.

"Objective secured, no casualties" said John

"Affirmative Delta 1. Be advised, over watch still at large. Repeat, tango over watch still active, recommend caution." Said Mara, annoyed as normally over watch was the first she would eliminate.

"Roger that over watch. Proceeding to extraction." Said John

Delta ran down the alley, sierra 2, taking cover positions as they went. Soon all that was left was an intersection and they were at their home base.

"Ok on 3 we make a run for it. 1…2…3" said John.

All the sudden 7 men emerged, running to the extraction point. If they made it then they had completed the mission. Just as suddenly one of the men froze and fell. Soon another, and then another. The whole squad fell with in the space of 3 seconds. One was shot in the leg and managed to dive in to cover.

"Over wa- AHHH!!! Mara, what the hell!" yelled John

"Still searching for over watch sir, unable to spot. Do you have a direction?"

"North west, close by." Said John heavily.

"Understood sir, you able to make extraction?" asked Mara

"Negative, Delta 3 had the objective; I can't go out like this."

"Understood sir, moving in, request any support you can give."

"I'll try and cover the south west access, be care- what, who are yo-"John's transmission cut out

"Sir? Sir? John, respond. Damn it."

Mara stood up. The sand poured off her. She contracted her sniper and pulled out her assault rifle as she ran for the village.

Being closer to the buildings of the town made Mara appreciate how long ago this town was abandoned. Paint was pealing from the brick wall she was using for cover, the aluminium roof's support beams had rotted to the point were a section of the roof had actually collapsed. Mara stepped cautiously and deliberately. The tango over watch was probably waiting near the flag for Mara to attempt to retrieve it, so time was not an issue. Mara kicked one of the broken bottles that littered the floor out from under her shoe. She heard creaking upstairs. She poised her gun and began towards the noise. Just then, a dingo darted down with a rat in its mouth. Mara jumped back then sighed and relaxed he poise, relived that it wasn't the enemy. Realising the threat still existed she scolded herself and continued on to the next building. Soon the flag was in her sights, all she had to do was pick it up and dash to the extraction point. Still, there was no harm in taking it slow. She checked every building with a shot at the junction. Nothing. This was not good news. This meant that the tango was hiding somewhere she could not see. The threat still existed, and it was more real then ever. The sun grew high in the sky; Mara had to make a choice. She stepped out cautiously, checking each new possible ambush point. She got closer and closer to the flag. She picked it up and ran for the cover of an electric distribution terminal. Cautiously, she emerged, creeping closer and closer to the home base. She crossed the threshold and saw the beacon she had to attach the flag to. She stepped closer. She looked around and then dropped her weapon in order to pull the flag from a pocket. In that second she froze, she was shot, "killed".

"Disappointing, they spoke so highly of you" said a strange voice.

"But I guess that's what you should expect, from a human." Said the voice.

A Turian stepped in front of the pedestal on which the beacon was located. His face was white and had an expression that Mara assumed was smugness.

"This will not look good on your report, Shepard." Said the Turian

Mara made an expression that indicated she was confused.

"Hm, don't worry about it now; nothing will change for you, human." Said the Turian as he turned and left.

The day proceeded as usual from there, Mass Effect theory and ship command commenced at 1 and ended at 6. Then she proceeded to the gym. John approached her while she was on the lateral.

"What happened out there Mara?" he asked

Mara brushed cool sweat from brow and replied "I don't know. I mean, I checked every building before I entered the deli and just as I'm about to place the flag I'm shot. Then a Turian appears from nowhere and said "this will not look good on my report" I mean, what the hell?"

"A Turian? What the hell indeed." Replied John. "Have you talked to the dean?"

"Yes, he said not to worry about it." Said Mara

"Mara, something's going on here and you're right in the thick of it. Watch your back, anything could happen. I am concerned about you."

"So, is this the part where you profess you undying love to me?" joked Mara.

"Never mind, forget I said any thing." Said John as he turned and left

"John, wait. John!" called Mara, but John continued on his way

Huh this day just keeps getting stranger thought Mara.

At 8 Mara left the gym for dinner. She took it outside to the roof as the sun set. Now the light was losing against the dark. The moon rose high in the sky and a cool breeze cooled Mara as she ate. She absorbed all that had happened today. Where did that Turian come from? What's his interest in her? Did he have anything to do with Sangra, the Asari who sent her here? Her mind was racing. If people just told her what they wanted her to do, she'd do it, without hesitation. She lay back and let the wind brush a jet of red hair from her eyes.

3 years later

The drop ship deployed from the carrier in orbit over titan. With an extra 1 and a half years training, Mara was squad leader of the recruits. Drill sergeant Ellison was making his usual tirade.

"…And no Gold Bricking! None of you pusillanimous maggots is dropping the ball on this one, is that understood!" he said

"Sir, yes sir!!!" said the recruits in unison.

"Ok, this is a simple drop and secure." Said Mara. "When we land here, disperse and cover the LZ. Once deployed we move north to the facility here and secure the entrance. Mission will then be up linked to my suits VI and I'll up date." She continued, pointing at holographic map in the center of the chamber. "This is a live fire exercise so check your fire. Mendoza, I'm looking at you. That's it, check your gear and get ready to deploy in 5, good luck."

The drop ship came to a halt in a crater 2 kilometers south of the facility. The landing jets of the craft melted the ice underneath. As the steam left the surface it instantly refroze, creating a glittering mist. The door opened and 16 men poured out. The drill sergeant held Mara back for a few seconds. "Be careful Mara, live rounds in the hands of recruits can be a dangerous business."

"Understood sir" answered Mara.

Mara stepped out of the retaining force field. Zero atmospheres were odd. The pressure in her suit couldn't be maintained so it dropped to about a third of standard. She felt like she could squish the air in her mouth. As she stepped off the platform onto the ice, particles of water were loosened from the light gravity and added to the glitter effect. Mara looked up. Jupiter was directly above and Mara could just make out the shape of the SSV Tokyo. She always held the view of space from planets in awe. If there was atmosphere she would organise a date with John, who was now her second in command. She felt odd as Alliance guide lines prohibit fraternisation and she was a "by the book" person. But the alliance wanted to keep her on, and so was willing to overlook misdemeanours. Mara disliked this as she didn't need special treatment, but wasn't going to complain. They barley got to "fraternise" any way with the amount of time training.

"Safety's on. Stay cautious and keep a cool head. By the numbers people!" she barked

The squad moved out towards the facility.

The structure was a "Bio-dome", a glass structure in the shape of a sphere that was half sunk in the ground.

"Ok the scenario is… there are 6 civilians in the facility, drones that fire taser rounds are the "terrorist" element. The rounds will pass through kinetic barriers but will be deactivated at a loss to your shield. And check your targets; breach the bio-dome and mission failed. Safeties off guys!"

One of the recruits, Griggs, pulled out an omni tool and began to cut through the bolt on the air lock.

"Through mam."

"Open it"

Griggs and John put two magnetic clamps on the door and pulled it open.

The airlock was cramped for 16 people. The room was made from a composite alloy. Mara noted its grey appearance. The room seemed depressing, with only a flickering light to illuminate it.

"Mendoza, hack that console." Ordered Mara, as she pointed to a small panel on the wall.

"Griggs, John, close the airlock, I don't want to be blown out by decompression."

The magnetic clamps were replaced and the door was closed.

"I'm in, ready to open on your order Shepard" said Mendoza

"Do it." She replied

The airlock door hissed as a small amount of air rushed in to the airlock. Light peaked through the opening, lighting the once dimly lit, cramped chamber. Mara was dazed; it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. She took a second to absorb the view. The environment was perfect. Grass and gardens covered the floor, trees littered the area and a bird darted in front of Mara's head. Shocked, Mara jumped back, and looked on as it perched its self in a tree. On the glass was a projection of a blue sky that rippled as the hologram reset. In the centre of the complex was a tall silver spire, the only structure inside the dome.

"Huh? Since when is a training facility this…" said Mara, stunned by the intricacy of the environment.

"Mam?" Asked Griggs

"That holographic projection must have cost over a million credits and the lighting to facilitate an installation of this size…" explained Mara

"We've got a mission mam." Said Mendoza

"You right" replied Mara "Ok, move up, 3 metre spread."

Mara walked behind, still absorbing the environment, while scolding her self for her loss of restraint. Only when she reached the spire could she appreciate the size of it. It was 250 metres tall at least, with a base that was at least 100 metres across. It also acted as a support for the centre of the dome. Any loss of structural integrity and this dome would come crashing around them. There was a large metal door on the side.

"Locked." Said Mendoza

"Any other entrances?" asked Mara

"There may be a vent that we could use." Said John

"Ok, how about cutting?"

"This is a titanium, carbon and platinum alloy; it would take at least 3 hours."

"fine, look for a new entrance."

"Mam, I've got something here" said Rebecca, the only other woman on the squad

"What is it Beck?"

"A crawl space mam. You and me could probably fit in but the guys would have to wait out here."

"Great." Mara said to her self "Uh, ok. Rosencov take Marko, Jenkins and Johnson and maintain a perimeter around our exit. Mendoza, Griggs, wait here for us to open the door. John, take the rest and scout the rest of the facility. Understood?"

The whole squad nodded in agreement.

"Beck you're with me, take point."

"Aye-aye mam."

The shaft was cramped, Mara felt uneasy.

"I suppose they chose this to test me." Said Mara to her self

"Mam?" asked Beck

"Oh, nothing" replied Mara "Just talking to myself."

"Your not, claustrophobic are you mam?" asked Beck

"I guess, I like free range of motion, I don't like being cramped. I face it every night when I go into those sleeper pods, but I'd still avoid cramped spaces where ever possible." Answered Mara, breathing heavily

"Ha, I never considered that you were scared of anything, your demeanour almost never changes and you never give anything about yourself away."

"No one ever asked." replied Mara. "You see anything yet?"

"There's a light from the floor about 5 meters ahead."

"Ok, well drop down there."

Beck removed a metal grill and popped her head down.

"Clear" she said as she lowered her self down.

Mara soon followed. She crouched as she landed. With her weapon poised she looked around the room. It was dimly lit with fluorescent lights at either side of the hall. One of them flickered. The hall reminded her of the colony from one of the old vids, Aliens, she recalled the name. She watched the film in her 10th grade history class. "Late 20th century impressions of space travel" along with "The sins of out fathers". She wondered if they would ever make a ship named the Enterprise. The floor was a steel mesh. Cables were bundled underneath and the roof had pipes running along parallel with the vent. It had all the hallmarks of a horror film. Suddenly this complex seemed more like a training facility. She moved up to the door and pulled the release lever. Mara heard a click and the door slid open. The new light pouring in lit up the hall. Mara noted an insignia on the wall. A three headed dog. As she looked around she noticed a stair case behind her. She now had two options, the roof or the basement.
"John, pick three squad mates and meet us here." Mara said over the radio

"Affirmative." Said John.

"Griggs, Mendoza, get our six, we'll be going up."

"Mam?" asked John as he appeared in the door.

"Take your squad down this hall and look for those civilians. Check in every 10 minutes." Ordered Mara

"Aye-aye mam" replied John "Be careful babe." He said over a closed channel.

Mara smiled, almost giggling as he moved off. Regaining he poise she gestured to move out.

"One thousand two hundred and fifty seven, one thousand two hundred and fifty eight..."

"Mendoza, what are you doing?" asked Beck.

"Counting the steps; one thousand two hundred and sixty..." Answered Mendoza

"Just how tall is this spire any way?" asked Griggs

"I don't know, but we must be near the top." Replied Mara

The stair case terminated with a door. With her weapon rased, Mara pushed the button to open it. All the sudden the shield protecting Mara shimmered, indicating a round just hit her suit. She lay down flat, using the stair as cover. Rounds flew over head making a terrible sound, as though ripping the air. Griggs sought cover of a near by VI processing port and Mendoza and Beck used a computer terminal. The drones were unrelenting, firing their weapons until they overheated. Mara considered using a grenade, but it was too close to the civilians. Instead she dove out and blasted one away with a shotgun. Another fell as Griggs released a volley of rounds. Mara grabbed the barrel of the final one and swung it at a wall. The drone was lighter that Mara expected and it hit the wall with tremendous velocity. The drone attempted to stabilise its self but its mass effect drive flickered and died. The room was secure.

"Hoorah" said Griggs

"Secure the hostages" ordered Mara

Griggs, Beck and Mendoza moved over to aid the hostages as something caught Mara's eye, a bullet hole from one of the drones. They weren't firing riot rounds, they were using live ammunition!!!

"Mam, you may want to see this." Said Griggs

"Jesus Christ!" exclaimed Mara as she looked at the civilians.

Blood drenched the floor, originating from the 3 civilians lying face down. Mara turned one over and noticed an impact wound from a shredder round.

"Damn… John! John do you read?." Said Mara over the com, suddenly realising the danger

"Yes I do mam" said John over the comm.

"Drones are using live rounds, repeats, Drones are using lethal weaponry, the hostages are now in real danger! Proceed with extreme caution."

"Understood mam."

"Mendoza, have we any method of contacting the Tokyo?" Asked Mara

"No, we have an EPERB to signal for extraction. The installation may have off world communications. Ask the VI."

Mara pushed a button on the VI interface and a female hologram popped up.

"Hello, I am the Cerberus facility VI, how may I help you?" asked the VI

"Can we get a com link to a ship in orbit?" asked Mara

"I'm sorry, communication during a training exercise is forbidden. Only in the event of an emergency is communication allowed." Answered the VI

"Drones are firing live rounds and 3 civilians are dead, does that count as an emergency?" said Mara, growing annoyed.

"Drones are not fitted with live rounds. Also, records indicate that there have only been 16 people in this facility in the past 3 days. You must be mistaken." Said the VI

"I'm not mistaken! There are 3 dead civilians on the floor behind me!" said Mara becoming more aggravated

"I'm sorry, communication during a training exercise is forbidden. Only in the event of a-"

"We don't have time for this. Mendoza, see if you can hack the communications." Said Mara, interrupting the VI

"Mam? This is John, do you copy?" said John over the radio

"Yes John, what is it?

"I don't really know mam. There's a factory down here, producing drones."

"Shit, where are you?" Mara asked

"In the basement still mam, we see the hostages. They don't seem conscious and there are several drones in the area."

"Ok, don't move until we get there."

"Understood ma-" A loud noise came over the com. "They've flanked us! Get to cover! GET TO COV-" the transmission cut out.

"John? John!?!"

No answer came; just static.

"Ok, we need to move." Said Mara

"Mam, with all due respect, shouldn't we call for evac and get a strike force to attack that's fully trained?" said Mendoza

"We can't inform them with the EPERB so it would take too many trips, too much time. They could be dead by then." Replied Mara

"For all we know they could be dead right now." Said Mendoza

"And for all we know they could be alive." Said Mara as she grabbed Mendoza's collar

"We're Marines soldier; we don't leave our people behind!"

"Yes mam." Said Mendoza submissively

"Even so, fast evac would be beneficial." Said Griggs thoughtfully
" Ok, call for the transport Mendoza, but tell them to hold." Said Mara

"Yes mam."

"Ok we've wasted enough time, let's move out. Double time it guys!"

The squad seemed to fly down the stairs. Mara ran as fast as she could. She soon developed a pain in her side. Instinct told her to slow down, but she continued to run at a constant pace. A mixture of worry and adrenalin dampened her tendency towards pain. She ran to the large door and waited for the others to catch up.

"Mendoza, tell Rosencov and the others to make for extraction and wait for us."

Mendoza nodded and moved off. Mara's feet clattered on the deck. The steel grating bounced up and down as she ran. She met another flight of stairs and ran down them. At the bottom she came to a control room. Directly opposite from her was a window. She walked slowly towards it, with her assault rifle poised. The control room over looked a large chamber. There were about 10 cat walks and sparks going off everywhere. This had to be the factory that John was talking about. But it was huge! The chamber would have had to be 500 meters across, with enough assembly lines to create a thousand drones per day. Some one was trying to make an army of drones. But to do what? That much was unclear. And again the question came up, why is a facility this valuable a training ground? She had a new concern now. These drones were uncontrolled and could kill a lot of people if they got out. This facility, no matter how valuable, had to be destroyed.

"We've got to blow it up." Said Mara

"What?!?" said Beck

"If these drones got out they could kill a lot of people, we've got to destroy this."
"Mam, this is an alliance facility and we've not been given clearance to do that." Said Griggs

"I'll take full responsibility, I know the consequences, but this is bigger than me."

"Ok mam we'll stand with you." said Beck

"How would we do destroy this facility?" asked Mara

"If we overloaded the Element Zero core, the facility would crush itself." Said Griggs

"Do you know how to do that?"

"Mendoza may be our resident technical expert, but I still have my moments." Said Griggs

"Ok, we get John and his squad out of here first, then we blow this joint." Said Mara

Mara moved along the cat walk with Beck in toe, Griggs stayed at the control room to initiate the Mass Effect overload.

"Ok, I can initiate the overload on your order, it will take 5 minutes to build up to critical charge."

"Roger that."

Mara and Beck reached the other side of the cat walk. The door sild open and a red splash caught Mara's eye. 3 soldiers lay face down on the ground. Mara checked for a pulse on each but each man was dead.

"Mam, none of these is John, he may still be alive."

"Ok, grab the tags and keep looking. But be careful"

This room was small. A single boiler, pipes and an equipment area were located here, along with the smell of death. Debris littered the floor, from the drones. Mara heard heavy breathing from behind the boiler. She rased her weapon and investigated. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw John in the corner. His shoulder was hit and he was bleeding. With his good arm he had his gun up.

"Damn it John, why didn't you say anything when we entered."

"Sorry… Mam… I'm a little…"

"It's ok. Beck, get over here!"

Beck pulled out a med kid and placed some medi-gel on his wound. Before their eyes the wound healed. Beck also injected him with a stimulant.

"How you felling?" asked Beck

"I'll live, I think" said John

Mara and Beck placed his arms over their shoulders and dragged him back to the control room.

"Damn, why won't you work!" yelled Griggs as Mara entered

Mara and Beck deposited John on a chair. Beck put down the med kit and walked over to Griggs with Mara.

"What's the problem Griggs?" asked Mara

"The safeties won't disengage, I could keep them off, but that would require me to stay here."
"Fine, I'll stay and activate it." Said Mara

"No you won't, I will." Said John

"Your not in command John, I am, I'll be staying."

"Mara, I'm just another soldier, one of one million, I'm nothing special. But you… you've got this quality, this natural skill and selflessness that makes you a cut above the rest. The alliance doesn't need me, but it needs you." Said John

Mara came closer to John and whispered to him "I need you."

"No you don't, there will be others." Said john as he reached for the med kit

"No, as your commanding officer I am ordering you, evacuate with the others."

"I'm sorry Mara." Said John as he made a swift movement, jabbing her with a syringe.

Mara looked down at the needle mark for a second and then back at John. She saw his eyes well up as she lost consciousness.

"Get her out of here, that's an order."

Stunned, it took a second for Beck and Griggs to process that order. They picked her up and dragged her out.

John sat at the console and repeatedly typed in the override code as he prayed for Mara's safety. He wasn't a religious man, but at that moment he prayed to a loving god.

"He died in service to the Alliance, to protect Earth and her people, and to protect me. As a commanding officer, I made a promise to my self that I would never order a soldier to do something I wasn't willing to do myself. That day I ordered him to leave that control room and broke that promise. He saved me, both my morals and my life. I cared for him deeply. I will always remember him. May god accept him with open arms."

"Mam, 20 minutes out." Said Joker over the radio

"Acknowledged Joker."

Mara put down the guitar. She was playing an ancient song that seemed appropriate. She still didn't understand what was special about her, but she concluded that others had seen it too. Now she was a spectre, so she asked herself, was his death necessary? If he had lived and she had stayed, would he be in her shoes now? Her first losses as a commander and it included her lover. It was his decision; she concluded all those years ago, but it still bothered her.

She cleared her mind. The mission must take priority.

Next: Part 3 - Liara