This being a Mass Effect fanfic, I figured there had to be some action somewhere! So here it is, enjoy :D

"We're being attacked!"

Lana was awoken with a startle by a distant yet roaring voice, rolling from her bed with a shriveling fear rising in her gut. Unable to remember the last attack on the ship, she clumsily pulled on the armor which she recalled vowing to herself that she would never wear again. Catching her ear, the rising sound of approaching footsteps rose and erupted past her locked door. Frozen with insecurity, a shriek escaped her lips at the sudden banging on her door, her hands grasping the gun from her hip.

"Lana, it's us!"

Recognizing the voice of her friends, Lana felt her heartbeat and heavy breathing ease and return to normal, and with still shaking hands she reached for the locking device beside her door, switching the current state to unlocked. In almost an instant, Jason and Rani were at her side, mumbling reassurance.

"It's gonna be alright, Lana. It'll pass, go back to bed."

"Go ahead, we'll go to the command deck."

Lana shook her head warily, still numb with nervousness.

"No, I'm fine. Hopeless or not, I'm part of this team whether anyone wants me or not. I was a soldier once, and I know just as much as everybody else. Let me go, I'm coming." she insisted, her words almost monotone from the pleaded request.

Breaking free from her friends hands, Lana made her way for the door, very much aware of the two puzzled figures behind her. She knew just as much as they did that it was time to conquer her fears, despite the thought of it chilling her. It was then that she remembered something someone said to her once, although she couldn't recall who it was.

'Be brave, even when no one else is,' The voice echoed in her mind,

'Because when you are, even if you're afraid, you'll be unbeatable.'

Lana felt the dormant urge to fight reanimate inside her, the blood in her veins pumping furiously and her fists clenching. In almost an instant, she felt as if a weight had been removed from her, and she found herself sprinting through the crowds of crew members heading just where she was. In what felt like a second she was at the command deck, scanning all she could see until she noticed the Commander, who approached her in surprise.

"Woodstone? What the hell are you doing down here?" he yelled, his strong American accent seeming to slice through the commotion.

"I'm here to help, Commander. I'm not just going too sit around like I always do."

The Commander's eyebrows furrowed, as if he was attempting to understand the different Lana who stood before him. Who seemed as if she was who she used to be.

"Lana... What about your phobia?" He asked flatly, masking his confusion in his voice.

"What about it? Sir, I'll be fine." Lana promised, the determination in her eyes flaring wildly.

The Commander shook his head, his confusion turning to frustration from the crying voices and orders and questions and the apparently depressed woman who stood before him.

"Look, I- one second! Lana, you... Fine! Go to defenses, or something, just make sure those evasive maneuvers and weapons remain online!" The Commander roared furiously, rushing away elsewhere. With the absence of a 'yes, sir', Lana pulled out her Omni-tool, keeping close eye on any repairs that needed doing or any glitches in the weapons and defenses of the ship. From the corner of her eye, she noticed a rather concerned Vann approaching her through the crowds, also on his Omni-tool.

"Vann." Lana greeted when they were finally close enough to talk.

"Lana, what... what are you doing? I thought-"

"I'm alright, honestly don't worry. Right now all we need to focus on is keeping this ship online, what is it that's trying to attack us?" Lana interrupted in an attempt to keep the attention away from her. Vann frowned, looking away for a moment in a trail of thought, before meeting her gaze again.

"We think it could be a ship stolen by the rioters from Feros. It has no visible security in use... look."

Moving to stand beside her, Lana peered into Vann's Omni-tool, noticing how the system's defense appeared to be shut down and was flashing red.

"...Well?" Vann asked quietly.

"Well, I think that they tried to enter a password and did a great job of screwing up at it. Clearly rioters. So why can't we take them down?"

"... Because-"

A sudden tremor sent the two of them flying to the ground, the walls of the ship rattling violently from the impact. The ship had clearly been hit, and its slender build did not help in bracing the blow. Before Lana had even recovered fully, she felt Vann's defensive hands gripping her shoulders gently, pulling her a little from where she had fallen. She could have easily lashed out at him, and she wouldn't be surprised if that was actually his intention for her to do so, but for the reason that she had grown used to being unable to decipher, she didn't feel the need to. Perhaps it was the softness of his touch on her skin, or the subtle strength of the arms that held her so protectively, or the feeling of his breath against her hair. Left without an answer once again, Lana could only conclude that it was the feeling of safety and trust she felt with him, and those two words were enough for her to even bear being held so kindly, and perhaps even make her want to be.

Finally she had come to completely, and could now hear her name being called by the fretting turian who was shaking her awake. Realizing that she was alright, Vann released her, allowing her to sit up and stare up at him with a thankful yet curious expression in her eyes. For a moment, it was just the two of them and the odd tension between them, the shouts of commands and the calming rattle of the ship disintegrating around them. The unsure turian felt the sudden need to speak, whilst Lana simply stared shyly. Lost in a feeling he hadn't felt before, Vann searched for some sort of sign of affection to show to the women who sat before him, before giving up and gingerly touching the tip of her elbow with his fingertips.

"Guys, come on!"

The two were finally snapped out of their moment by a wailing voice. The blows to the Armageddon were not nearly enough to damage it severely, but the attacking ship continued to fire. Unable to find anyway of making peace, the order was given, and the rioters ship was fired upon. In almost seconds, the ship was a bonfire of spreading heat and burning fire, sections separating from the vessel and evaporating into the vast of space. Like a beating heart oozing with blood, the ship was throbbing and detaching until at last the structure would hold no longer, and it was a great fireball of exploding metal and simmering death. Others cheered and celebrated the defeat of the ship, but Lana was a shaking mess on the ground, sobbing and shrieking. She had seen this before, when she lost him, on that day. Memories were throbbing in her head like a migraine and tears flooded from her eyes, the strong demeanor she had rediscovered fading from the scene. She felt herself being lifted and carried away from the vanishing eruption, yet she still saw the ship vividly in her mind. She saw the glass in front of her, restraining her from the fire. She saw sparks and lights and burning. And she saw the horrified face of her dying fiancee. Unable to remain in such a horrid, uncaring galaxy, Lana closed her eyes, drifting into the valleys of unconsciousness.