I do not own anything from these stories but I do own any original content.
Chapter Two: Departure
The Citadel
Milky Way Galaxy
Mass Effect Universe
Commander Shepherd rode the elevator up to Councilor Anderson's office on the Presidium. He had only spoken to his former commanding officer twice since the election because of how busy their lives have become. They still exchanged e-mails over the Extranet so Shepherd was kept in the loop on Council affairs. Being a Spectre does have its privileges.
Shepherd thought back to when he first was given the title. It was after he returned from Eden Prime and proved that Saren had gone rouge. The Council decided to recruit Shepherd into the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance team, Spectre for short. Spectres had the right to move around the galactic laws and do what they believe is right for the whole galaxy. It's a heavy burden, heavier than he thought it was going to be.
The elevator doors opened and Shepherd was greeted by two Alliance soldiers. They saluted him as he approached and scanned his omni-tool for the proper information. Shepherd had noted the increase in security since the Geth attack. Since Citadel Security had been wiped out during the invasion, the Alliance had stepped in while C-Sec regrouped and retrained officers.
A third man appeared, splitting the two soldiers. He was also in Alliance fatigues but the insignia on breast plate told him that this man was in charge. Unlike the assault rifle carrying soldiers, he kept a Predator pistol on his left hip. He had short cropped hair, similar to Shepherd's, and brown eyes.
"Commander Shepherd, I am Lieutenant Armando-Owen Bailey of the Alliance. I have been assigned to oversee the protection of Councilor Anderson and reinstatement of Citadel Security." The man introduced himself, "Councilor Anderson sent me to escort you, personally, to his office."
"Thank you, Lieutenant." Shepherd responded, beckoning him to lead the way. He followed the Alliance soldier across a metal bridge. Shepherd had been trying his best to avoid the Presidium since the Geth attack. It had been where he had joined the fight when his team drove the Mako through a micro Mass Relay that led them there.
He could see that the keepers, the small insect-like creatures that maintained the Citadel, had done an incredible amount of work on the grand level. Instead of it looking like it took on a full scale battle, it seemed to have just been a minor tussle, judging by the remaining damage.
They turned down a narrow hallway guarded by four Alliance soldiers. At the end of the hallway was a metal door which Bailey opened with a push of an omni-tool button. The room opened up to a large square room with a single desk and three holopads. Shepherd knew the pads were so Anderson could speak with the other three councilors from the privacy of his office.
At first sight of them, Councilor Anderson stood up from his desk. Shepherd had been so used to seeing him in his Alliance captain's uniform that seeing him in the long councilor robes caught him a little off guard. The robe started at the base of his neck and rolled down to his feet with white and blue coloring. He looked extremely uncomfortable in the attire.
Bailey saluted, "Councilor Anderson, Spectre agent Commander Shepherd is here to speak with you."
"At ease, Bailey." Anderson smirked, "I can see that. You are dismissed."
"Yes, sir." The Alliance lieutenant nodded, turned on his heels, and stepped out of the room. The doors closed behind him.
Shepherd looked Anderson up and down for a second before smiling at the former Alliance officer, "You look, uh, nice."
"Udina keeps insisting that I wear these foolish robes to please the other councilors." Anderson explained, "As stupid as it sounds, it kinda works."
"I'll take your word for it." Shepherd said. Anderson pointed to a metal chair across from his desk. Shepherd gladly took it as Anderson sat down, "Sadly, I'm not here to talk fashion statements, Anderson."
"Yes, I figured that." The dark-skinned man frowned, "What have you found?"
Shepherd smiled because he knew that Anderson knew what was going on. Anderson is the only other person, outside Shepherd's circle, that knows about what truly happened when they went through the Mu Relay. As far as Hackett knows, the Master Chief is a bounty hunter from the Terminus Systems. Chief kept up with the charade perfectly, "Liara thinks she found a lead on Alchera, a planet in the Amada System. Saren had paid a visit to the planet when he was under Sovereign's control and three ships have disappeared in the past two weeks there. Something's up."
Anderson nodded, "I am aware of the three ships. One was a human colony ship moving supplies. The other two were Volus trade ships that got lost. No signs of rubble or attack."
"So you're already thinking what I'm thinking." Shepherd sat back in his chair, arms crossed.
"I know what you want to do, Shepherd, and I'm behind you on it but I'm not the problem. The problem is Hackett. He wants to use you and the Normandy on the small Geth pockets that still litter the galaxy. He can't afford to lose you on a wild goose chase." Anderson explained, "Again."
"Hackett wants the Normandy to chase after Geth, correct?" Shepherd asked.
"That's what it looks like, yes." Anderson answered.
"What if there was a Geth base on Alchera? I have proof that Saren had visited the planet. Most likely, he would have left a fortified base behind if he found something there. Hackett gets one less Geth base to worry about and I get to take a look around Alchera. Everyone wins." Shepherd told the councilor.
Anderson thought about it for a moment before answering, "That could work. It would take a lot more than theories and word-to-mouth but it could work."
"Don't worry, Anderson. I'm pretty good at finding proof."
"In the last case, the proof found you, remember?" Anderson smiled.
Shepherd stood up, "All I need is you behind me and a meeting with Admiral Hackett as soon as possible. Do we have a deal?"
Shepherd stuck out his right hand and Anderson took it, "You got a deal. I will contact you as soon as I hear back from Hackett. I'll see you soon, Shepherd."
"Likewise, Anderson."
SSV Kilimanjaro
Milky Way Galaxy
Mass Effect Universe
Shepherd entered the circular room with Liara by his side. Shepherd had changed out of his Onyx hardsuit and put on his Alliance uniform. Shepherd had only met with the fleet admiral a few times in his time with the Alliance and knew that he liked to keep things formal.
Liara wore her tan slacks and lab coat with her ID badge on it. It was similar to the outfit she wore a few days ago in the science lab.
It had taken Anderson two days to set up this meeting which gave Shepherd enough time to come up with several reasons why they needed to explore Alchera without giving away the real reason for being there.
Only two other people shared the room with them. Councilor Anderson traded his robes for his old Alliance uniform. The second man was Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett. He was a tall man with enough facial scaring to make him look older than what he was. He kept an Alliance ball cap over his head to hide the balding that was taking place under it.
Shepherd stopped before them and saluted. Liara bowed, instead.
"At ease, Shepherd." Hackett sounded, "Anderson has filled me in on Alchera. You believe that Saren had visited the planet. Do you have proof of this?"
"I do, sir." Liara stated. She knew that she couldn't show the STG footage since it would rat out Kirrahe. Instead, she managed to doctor a few data strains, with Cortana's help, to make it appear that she got the information from a transmission between Saren and one of his Krogan battlemaster. She played the transmission.
"Sir, you want us to go where?" a grunted voice of a Krogan came through. Liara had to call in a special favor to get Wrex to send him this sound bite.
"The Amara System." A Turian voice came through that sounded so much like Saren that it sent a shiver down Shepherd's spine.
"The Amara System? What the hell is there?" The Krogan responded.
"You will see when you get there. I will be meeting you there, personally." The fake Saren told the Krogan, "Saren out."
With the transmission complete, Liara deactivated her omni-tool and waited for Hackett to respond.
"Interesting. There was something there that Saren wanted to look into personally." Hackett believed, "He was so worried that he brought a Krogan battlemaster with him. That's something."
"So you understand why the Normandy needs to be dispatched to the Amara System." Shepherd stated.
"I believe that something should be dispatched but I'm not sure if I want to risk the Normandy. It might just be for nothing." Hackett claimed.
"Admiral, you said it yourself that Saren found the planet interesting enough to travel there himself." Anderson tried, "Saren wouldn't want to go somewhere on a hunch."
"No, he wouldn't but I can't risk it." Hackett stated, "I'll send a recon ship to the planet to scout the area."
"What about the three ships that have gone missing over Alchera?" Shepherd questioned, "Virtually vanished without so much of a trace. Your recon ship won't even make it to the planet before it's gone, too. We need a ship with a stealth drive. We need the Normandy, sir."
Hackett was quiet. He was thinking about the evidence in front of him.
"Admiral, remember the last time we failed to listen to Shepherd's instincts?" Anderson explained, "We denied that Saren could be a rouge Spectre. Shepherd proved us wrong. We denied that Saren was a threat. Shepherd proved us wrong. We denied the existence of the Reapers. Shepherd proved us wrong."
"Shepherd proved that there was a single Reaper, not an army of them." Hackett interrupted, "While I agree that Shepherd's instincts have been correct in the past, I can't make decisions on that alone, Councilor."
"There are more Reapers out there, Admiral, but that is not what this is about." Said Shepherd, "All I'm asking is one trip to the planet to make sure there is no Geth involvement there."
"One week." He said, "You have one week. If you do not find anything in that time, you will be recalled back to the Fifth Fleet, pending new orders. Understood, Commander?"
"Loud and clear, Admiral." Shepherd sounded with a smile, "We will leave at once."
SSVNormandy SR-1
Milky Way Galaxy
Mass Effect Universe
Joker had already started his checklist five minutes before he got the message from Shepherd. He knew that if anyone could convince the old man to let them launch, it was Shepherd. He ran through everything three times before giving them the all clear.
"Adams, how's the engine looking?" he asked into his comm systems.
"She's humming like a bird down here, Joker." Adams responsed over the comms.
"Excellent, Adams, I can't wait to hear her sing again."
"You and me both, son. Adams out."
Joker switched back to his commands. He rechecked everything like a kid with OCD. The door opened behind him and he knew that it would Pressly, "Coming to check out my handy work, Press?"
"How do you do that?" the navigator asked.
"Do what?"
"Know that it's me every time?"
"You're just very predictable, Press." The truth was that he had a security camera outside the cockpit. With a flick of a button, he had a live footage of the area outside the airlock. He saw Pressly approaching but he wasn't going to tell him that.
"Yeah, I'm sure." He said, "What's our status?"
"All green and ready to go. We just have one problem."
"And that being?" the executive officer asked.
"We're still waiting on our commanding officer." The helmsman smiled back at Pressly.
The bald man simply shook his head and walked out, leaving Joker alone in the cockpit. He preferred it that way. It was just him and his ship.
SSV Normandy SR-1
Milky Way Galaxy
Mass Effect Universe
Commander Shepherd took his rightful place at the head of the CIC. Chief stood to his right and Liara stood to his left. He keyed the comm unit and said, "Joker, get us out of here."
"Aye, Commander." The pilot responded.
"Just a routine mission, right, Commander?" Pressly asked him.
"Yeah, a simple recon mission. We find out if there is a Geth base and destroy. Simple as that." Was his answer. While that was part of the truth, it was the whole truth. So far, nobody seemed to question why the Master Chief and Liara had come on board. Shepherd was able to convince Pressly that they were bored on the Citadel and that's why he needed to talk to Hackett. The rest of the crew didn't care or didn't bother to ask.
Shepherd felt the ship jerk backwards as the metal clamps were released off the outside of it. Joker began to move it slowly through the Citadel's shipyard. Countless ships of all different sizes littered the space around the giant space station, waiting for their docking forms to go through.
Joker was a master pilot. Shepherd had no fear that he couldn't navigate through the traffic. In no time at all, the Normandy was clear of the Citadel's arms and in open space. Shepherd felt the ship jump into faster-than-light travel, heading for the Mass Relay.
"Liara, Chief, Pressly, join me in the conference room." Shepherd said, stepping down from his post and entering a set of metal doors behind him. Chief and Liara followed behind while Pressly ordered someone to watch the deck for him. The bald man entered the room last.
Shepherd stood in front of the holopads that worked as the ship's communications area. Liara and Chief stood in front of the Spectre with Pressly in between them.
"Pressly, we've decided to let you in what's really going on." Shepherd told the bald man.
"I may be old, Commander, but I'm not stupid." The navigator responded, "Everyone is asking why the Master Chief and Liara are back on board. Some bought the 'they're bored' line you threw out, including Joker, but I didn't. I just planned on keeping my mouth shut and see what happens."
"As far as the Alliance knows, we are heading to Alchera under the belief that Saren left behind a Geth command base there. If there is one, we will destroy it but it is unlikely that there will be one." Shepherd explained.
"Then, why are we going to Alchera?" he asked.
"You know what happened when we went through the Mu Relay." Liara chimed in, "You know where it took us and you understand what it meant, correct?"
The man nodded.
"The FIB was controlled by a Focus Icon. We have been told there are another FIB and its own Icon here in our universe." Liara said, "That is why Chief and Halsey really came with us. Helping us defeat Sovereign was just an added bonus."
"I couldn't have you all die as soon as I got here." Chief added.
"So let me guess the next thing you are going to say." Pressly smirked, folding his arms, "You believe the Icon is on Alchera."
Shepherd nodded, "This is more than just a recon mission, Press. It is a search and recover mission."
"How come the Normandy always gets sent on these kinds of missions?" Pressly remarked, "The last time we tried to do a search and recover mission we ended up chasing a rouge Spectre across the galaxy. I just hope that this one ends differently than the last."
"Me too, Pressly." Shepherd stated, "This doesn't leave this room. I need someone else to help keep the moral stable. You're my guy."
"Yes, sir." Pressly nodded.
"Thank you, you are dismissed." Pressly saluted which Shepherd returned. The bald man left them alone in the room, "So what's the plan once we get to Alchera?"
"We use the Normandy's scanners to search for high profile areas. Once we have one, the three of us go down and investigate." Liara explained, "That's all I got."
"I'm still cautious of the missing ships problem." Chief said, "Someone or something is there, waiting for its next victim."
"Joker will go in with the stealth drive on and shields up, just to be safe." Shepherd stated, "I don't like surprises, either."
"The only thing we can do is keep an eye out. There is no telling what we will find there." Liara added, "I tried to access the spy satellite feeds from the time of the three missing ships but all I got was static. Something is strong enough to knock it out of whack long enough for the ships to disappear."
"Liara is right. We should all get some rest. I'll have Joker wake us when we reach the Amada System." Shepherd dismissed them.
SSV Normandy SR-1
Milky Way Galaxy
Mass Effect Universe
Liara sat at the end of her bed in Doctor Chakwas's office. Upon her first time on board the Normandy, Liara had spent a lot of time in her office, trying to get over the trauma of what she had gone through.
Shepherd had found her locked in a Prothean booby trap, deep inside a Prothean ruin. After he rescued her from the collapsing ruin, she learned that Shepherd was looking for her mother, Matriarch Benezia. According to him, she had sided with Saren and was on Noveria. He was asking her to help kill her own mother and she accepted.
After watching her mother die in her arms, Liara found comfort in Doctor Chakwas's company. The older doctor was very proud of her position and did anything she could do for her crew. In many aspects, she was a lot like Shepherd. Even after Ashley died, Chakwas managed to find Liara's smile, again.
She looked down at the device in her hand. It was a small object with a red button in the center. It was given to her by Councilor Anderson as she left the Kilimanjaro.
"Why are you giving me this?" she had asked.
"In case something bad happens and you need rescuing, press that button and help will be on its way." The former captain told her.
"Why are you giving it to me? Shouldn't you be giving something like this to Shepherd?"
He shook his head, "You and I both know that Shepherd would toss it in the trash or space it the first chance he got. I giving it to you because, while you believe in Shepherd, you still have the same bad feeling that I have about this."
"You feel it, too?"
He nodded.
She clenched the beacon in her hand before putting it in the small drawer by her bed. She laid out flat on her back and looked up the ceiling. She activated her omni-tool and it displayed the last image of her mother that she enjoyed.
The Matriarch wore yellow, her favorite color. The dress covered her entire body but was tight enough to show off her many curves. Her headdress rested on the top of her head fringe and she smiled. Liara always loved her mother's smile. It might have been from the yellow dress but it always seemed to brighten up a room. She hoped that was an aspect they shared.
The image was a lot better image of the one she had of her mother the day she died. On Noveria, Benezia wore a long black dress with hints of blue in it. Her headdress was also black with not a single sign of yellow on her. Her eyes shined white with biotic fury.
Then, the bullet hit. It hit her straight in the chest, piercing right through her biotic barrier. A one in a million shot took her mother away from her and holding the gun was her savior, Commander Shepherd. Her mother dropped to the floor and Liara wrapped her in her arms.
"Liara, you must stop him." She couldn't tell if she meant Saren or Shepherd, "He's stronger than you think."
"Who, Mother?" she asked.
"Saren." She whispered, "I love you, my daughter."
That was her last words before dying in her arms.
Liara wiped the tears away from her eyes and turned off her omni-tool. It has been a long road, Liara, she thought to herself, but we are just getting started.
Alpha Halo
Milky Way Galaxy
Halo Universe
"Chief?" Cortana's voice came through, "Chief, are you there?"
He opened his eyes and got a look around. He was on the floor of the Bumblebee with his back against the pilot's chair. The crash had caused him to roll forward and spin around so he was facing the rear of the shuttle.
Once he opened his eyes, he wished he didn't.
All around the shuttle, every single one of the marines that had been on board were dead. He was the only survivor.
"I thought I lost you." Cortana said, as Chief forced himself to his feet, "The others."
She paused as he looked around. The marine he had comforted only a few moments ago was hunched over with his cold dead hands clenching his safety harness, "The others didn't make it."
He stepped out of the Bumblebee and found that the ground was littered with ammo, weapons, and a first aid kit, along with two dead marines who weren't wearing their harnesses. He looked up at the ravine and took in his surrounds.
Two hilltops stood in front of him, blocking his view of the other side. A river cut between them and ran down the center of the valley. The river led to a waterfall and a pretty nasty fall. He used his visor to measure that the Bumblebee was exactly fifteen meters from the edge. He tried not to think about that.
"Chief, incoming. Covenant drop ship inbound." Cortana interrupted him, "Maybe we can take over in those hills."
He reached down and grabbed an assault rifle. He slammed an ammo clip in it and headed for cover. He watched as the purple shuttle roared over the large hills and dropped a team of Grunts and an Elite next to the Bumblebee. He cursed under his breath as he watched the Sangheili fire a few rounds into one of the dead marines and let out a loud laugh.
He waited until the Shadow was out of sight before he charged. He unloaded a clip of his assault rifle into the enemy. Four Grunts met the end of the bullets as he reached the end of the clip. He rolled behind a small boulder as the Elite and the remaining Grunts returned fire. He reloaded his rifle and popped up, taking two more Grunts out.
He waited for the Elite to fire again before darting out of the cover. He fired a few rounds at him, disabling his shields. Chief continued to fire at him as he charged forward. However, he ran out of bullets before the Elite was done so he had to improvise.
He slammed the butt of his rifle into the taller alien's face, knocking him to the ground. Chief jumped on top of him and continued to ram his rifle into the Sangheili until he stopped moving.
Covered in purple blood, Chief stood up and stepped away from the dead alien. He stared down at him for a whole minute, bloody rifle in hand.
He would have stood there all day if Cortana didn't interrupt him, "Chief, I'm picking up UNSC chatter from over those hills. Probably survivors, Chief."
Chief simply nodded and reloaded his rifle. He turned in the direction of Cortana's navpoint and began his trek to find the others.
SSV Normandy SR-1
Milky Way Galaxy
Mass Effect Universe
The Master Chief sat on his cot with his armor completely on besides his helmet. The helmet sat on the small cargo crate that he was using as a nightstand. Next to the helmet was his pistol and Cortana's storage unit. Her blue avatar appeared over it, "Can't sleep?"
Chief shook his head. He couldn't figure out why he was reliving an event that happened over six years ago. Yes, it was a major point in his career but he wasn't proud of it. He didn't want to re-experience every detail of those few weeks on Alpha Halo. He barely got out with his life, let alone his sanity. If it wasn't for Cortana, he would be strapped to a table and live in a padded room.
And he almost lost her.
If it wasn't for Doctor Halsey, Cortana would be gone forever. Chief and Cortana had picked a fight with a Forerunner who called himself Ur-Didact. The Didact wanted to destroy all organic life, including humans. They weren't going to let that happen.
To defeat the Didact, Cortana had sacrificed herself, leaving Chief alone for months.
Using Chief's memories and some leftover fragments from Cortana's original self, Halsey was able to revive Cortana. Technically speaking, she is not even close to the original Cortana but, thanks to Chief's memories, she had all the same memories, thoughts, and the traits as the original. She just was a little more upgraded.
"I'm thinking about what's going on back at home." He finally said.
Cortana nodded, "Lasky is on his fourth cup of coffee and is pouring himself over paperwork. Palmer is drilling the Spartan IVs on proper rifle maintenance and cleaning. Buck and Dare are off 'going over battle details'. And Roland is trying to beat Lasky's high score in Tetras. Does that sum it up?"
Chief chuckled a little. She was pretty on point. Chief could imagine that Lord Hood, the UNSC's equal to Admiral Hackett, had ordered Admiral Lasky and the Infinity to stay at the FIB in case Chief and Cortana returned. That meant there was a lot of down time for Palmer to train the Spartans and for a certain ODST gunnery sergeant and a certain ONI officer to do some private planning in a dark corner of the ship.
The thought of the Infinity made him homesick. He had only served on the ship for six months but it was more of a home than the Forward Into Dawn and he spent four years on the Dawn. Granted, those four years he had been on his own with Cortana and he was frozen in cyro for most of it.
"Do we have an ETA?" he asked her.
"Two more hours until we reach the Amara System." She answered.
He stood up and grabbed his helmet, "I'll be back."
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"Exploring." He said, leaving her behind in his "bedroom" and heading up the metal stairs. He passed through the engine room without even being noticed and walked his way to the elevator. He took it up to the CIC and spotted Pressly, "Where's Shepherd?"
The navigator pointed to the comm room and went back to work. Chief entered the room and was surprised to see who the commander was talking to. Standing over the three holopads were virtual images of three people that Chief hadn't seen since coming to the universe.
The far right pad contained the image of a thin, three fingered female. The woman wore a suit over her entire body, making it impossible to see her face. The only reason why he could tell she was female was because the suit was form fitted to her body. Her name was Tali'Zorah and she was a Quarian, creators of the Geth.
The far left pad contained the image of a Turian male named Garrus Vakarian. Garrus wore a blue hardsuit over his scaly body. The suit stopped at his neck, keeping his face visible. The sniper and former C-Sec officer stood with his arms crossed and his mandibles up in a Turian smirk.
The middle image was a large one. Taking up the most room in the feed was Urdnot Wrex, a Krogan battlemaster. Wrex wore a blood red hardsuit that covered his large hump that extended above his head. His scared up face shined with the same color as his armor.
"Well, I'm glad to see that you all are making out well." Shepherd said, not noticed Chief, "Tali, congrats on the official completion of your Pilgrimage."
"Thank you, Shepherd, but it appears you have a visitor." She looked at Chief who had stepped next to Shepherd.
Shepherd looked up at the taller man, "Looks like it."
Chief looked at Shepherd's former crew members and nodded at them.
"Damn, Chief, you look bored. Blow anything up lately?" Wrex asked the Spartan.
"Probably about the same amount as you, Clan Leader." Shepherd responded, answering for Chief.
"Yeah, this leader thing is boring but it needs to be done. Who else will make sure these idiots do their jobs right?" the Krogan smirked.
"A working Krogan. Now, that's an oxymoron." Garrus joked.
"Just because your lightyears away, doesn't mean you can crack jokes, Vakarian." Wrex shot back.
"Where are you, anyway, Garrus?" Tali asked.
"You know, a little bit here, a little bit there. I'm pretty much everywhere these days." The Turian answered, "How about you, Shepherd? Where you heading?"
Chief noticed Shepherd half-smile at the way Garrus took the attention off himself, "Amara System. Looking into a possible Geth base. Nothing major."
"Then, why is the Spartan with you?" Wrex pointed out.
"I got bored." Chief answered for him.
"Anyway, I'm glad to see everyone is settling into anything alright. I'll contact you guys if anything interesting happens. Shepherd out." The former crewmembers said their good-byes and were gone, leaving Chief alone with the commander, "So what's on your mind?"
Chief was surprised to hear him respond that way but he went with it, "Home. It's been almost a month and this is our first major lead on the Icon. This lead could very much be a dead end. It could take years to find the Icon."
"That's what they said about Ilos but I did that in a matter of days." Shepherd stated, "Your Lord Hood said that it would take days to take back the FIB but it only took us a few hours. Don't count us out before we get started, Chief."
"I wasn't. I just have a bad feeling about this mission."
Shepherd nodded, "Me too. This should be a routine mission but there is no such thing as routine anymore. Last routine mission I went on was to Eden Prime. That mission ended with a whole dead colony, a dead Spectre, a rouge Spectre, and a vision creating beacon that showed the demise of entire species. If this mission goes worse than that then one of us better end up dead."
"When you put it that way, it makes me feel a little better." Chief said back to him.
"Come on," Shepherd patted the armored shoulder of Chief, "let's go down to the mess and see if there's anything good to eat."
Together, they walked out of the comm room with only one hour until they reach the Amara System.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I really hope you are enjoying it so far. Don't forget to leave me some feedback. Any feedback I get will help make future chapters even better.