Authors notes: Mass Effect is the property of BioWare

Chapter 2: First day

That day had been on repeat in Thane's mind for the last two weeks and now, eleven years after he first levitated anything heavier than a toy he was finally heading off world. He was sat in a spacious flight deck surrounded by other teenagers that he suspected were all heading to the same destination as him; the Umbra Biotic Academy, or the UBA for short. It was all over the news, every vid you watched eventually ended up talking about the fantastic new school in some way. Mostly because of the fantastic planet of Umbra itself, which was heralded as the most beautiful garden planet yet due to its lush jungle, brightly coloured foliage and, thanks to a combination of its atmosphere and sun, a vibrant purple sunset every night. Most people seemed to have forgotten the wealth of biotic potential flying towards the planet at breakneck speeds, all eager to learn and control their unique abilities.

Thane had researched how long the flight would take from earth, a staggering five days which almost put him off the idea. He didn't like the idea of his first taste of space travel lasting longer than a family holiday. In spite of that however he had boarded the ship and they were now within touching distance of Umbra. The planet's two moons could be seen near the distant horizon and the blue tint of oceans clearly stood out against the thick green that made up the planet's singular landmass. While the view outside was a sight to behold, there are only so many days you can spend staring at space. Three. Than had discovered it was only three days one person can spend looking at space before the white specks start to get dull and weary. To entertain himself he had instead watched the other teenagers go about their business.

Most of his shipmates were fairly predictable; either cocky and boisterous with there powers or reclusive and shy. Thane had grown and matured in eleven years but he still hung firmly in the later group. Thane had developed well, going from a short child to an above average teenager. His black hair was still shaggy and just long enough to cover his ears but there was a prominent sweep to his fringe that fell slightly over his left eye. His eyes themselves were so brown they almost matched his hair, and held the same beauty his mother's did. He wore simply dark blue jeans and grey shoes aboard the ship, accompanied by a plain black t-shirt and studded belt. The purple "Shepard" hoodie he had once worn had now been replaced by a teal hoodie with no markings or words to discern him as the son of the famous war hero.

As Thane lay on his bed and day dreamed of what life without parents would be like he heard the ship's A.I ring out through the corridors and rooms.

"Will all students please report to the shuttle bay, we will be arriving at Umbra in twenty minutes."

With all the energy Thane could muster he hauled his luggage onto his bed and traipsed towards the aforementioned shuttle bay. AS he walked through the ship that had been his home for the past five days he noticed little things that had eluded him before hand. Like how the floor lighting gently pulsed like the heart beat of a huge animal or how the sounds of the engine could be heard over the hustle and bustle of ship life if you listened really closely. He wasn't going to miss it, hell he had wanted to get off it within hours of stepping aboard the blasted ship, but somehow leaving it meant that his time at the UBA was actually going to happen and that from now on, he would have to work hard to prove to people he deserved to be there.

The shuttle deck opened and the warm air of Umbra swept into the ship, causing many of Thanes classmates to inhale in shock and take a step back. The first few teenagers stepped forwards and onto the planets surface. Thane noticed they were the same group of cocky guys that had been fooling around and flirting with the girls on board, throwing scrunched up paper at them whenever they got the opportunity. Thane narrowed his gaze, filled with hatred and jealousy for them in equal measures. He was suddenly reminded of Garrus.

After the first few had stepped down the rest soon followed. Judging the planet safe enough to walk on now. Thane was swept up in the wave ok kids as they all left in a hurry, eager to explore or meet their friends who had arrived on other shuttles. As he left the ship though, Thane did not run for anyone, he had no one to run for and neither did frantically explore the surrounding area in a giddy haze. He placed his luggage in one of the bag carts and simply stared at the huge building in front of him as the cart zipped off inside the academy. It was as white as snow with large glass windows breaking up its otherwise smooth surface. The central building was long and tall with smaller, rounded buildings connecting to it along its length. Thane could see why it took so long to build, the structure was bigger than her had ever seen and yet so few had arrived.

"Planning for it to get big then are they", he thought to himself as a smirked crossed his face. The first piece of emotion he had shown since landing. As if that slight human feeling brought him back to the world of the living he snapped out of his thought and realised the other students were already making there way inside the academy. He rushed to catch up and joined the end of the queue behind two small girls, feverishly chatting and giggling to themselves.

"Laura look at all this! I mean… wow. I mean just… wow." The little girl couldn't get her words out; the thrill of being on another planet must have been too much for her. Thane could sympathise with her about that, it was a shock to be on another planet when you thought about it but he had watched so many vids about distant lands and space travel that none of it seemed new to him. As he walked through the large, central building's corridors he spotted an inscription carved into the top of the left hand wall in large block letters.

"The Umbra Biotic Academy. Funded and supported by Timothy Kore"

Thane's eyebrow lifted as he read. He had never heard of this Timothy Kore before, which was odd because if he had enough money to fund such an enormous project he must have been a pretty high up man.

The flood of people he was following seemed to slow down and Thane arched his neck to try and figure out why. The students were filling into what looked like a central meeting area. It had tables, chairs, sofas, holos and even a bar for the older students. When Thane got to the room everyone was already seated and gazing intently at a single woman at the end on the room. Thane recognised her business like posture. He recognised the blonde hair so neatly done up. He recognised the glasses, although different in style, which still sat on the bridge of her nose. It was the same woman that had told him about Umbra eight years ago yet time had not been kind to her. Thane noticed bags under her eyes, slightly discoloured skin and wrinkles where before the skin was pristine. She spoke with a clear, concise voice to the amassed crowd as Thane took his seat at the opposite side of the room to her.

"Hello and welcome my talented young protégés, to the Umbra Biotic Academy. The school for children and teenagers gifted in the use of biotic powers and dedicated to helping you improve and broaden your skills. At Umbra, our power will become your power." The final sentence stung Thane like a knife. He remembered why he didn't like her fake over-the-top personality all those years ago. He could tell what was coming next.

"I will be your headmistress Miss Loten."

"God I hate being right." Thane said under his breath so quietly no one could hear.

"If you have any question at all during your stay at UBA please, don't hesitate to personally contact me." With one last cheery smile to stick in Thanes side she left the room and was instantly replaced by another woman, this time a lot shorter with brown hair and wide shoulders.

"Could everyone whose last name falls into A-M please gather on the left of the room, and anyone whose last name starts with N-Z please stand on the right. You will be sorted into your individual buildings and dorm rooms from there."

Thane silently cursed his father for being called Shepard as he moved against the flow to the right of the room. The multitude of people in the room suddenly became glaringly obvious to Thane in that moment. There were people from all walks of life. Some looked poor while others looked like spoilt fucks. He chuckled under his breath as he felt his mother's influence in the back of his head. There were children as young as fourteen milling around him and people that looked to be about the same age or a bit older than Thane. He speculated that nineteen must be the cut off point for the Academy. He eventually found his way to the correct half of the room and stood in the considerably smaller of the two groups, waiting for further instruction.

On cue a tall balding gentleman appeared before the teenagers and brought up his omni-tool. The orange hologram followed the contours of his wrist and lower arm as he typed away furiously at a keyboard with an expression like it had somehow angered him.

"Paul Nyss?" He called out to the group in front of him, his eyes scanning their faces for the first lamb to his slaughter. A boy of maybe 15 stepped forward timidly, the rest of the group flicking between him and the apparent teacher to see what was going to happen next. To their surprise the bald man cracked a warm smile as he motioned the child to come forward.

"It's ok Paul, I don't bite. I promise" The boy let out a small laugh. "Ok so you're in the two hundred block with the rest of the second years. Don't be worried they are all your age, you'll fit right in" The man patted Paul on the shoulder and pointed him in the right direction as he slowly plodded away to his building alone. All the eyes from the group followed him as he walk before concentrating back on the teacher in front of them.

He slowly made his way through his long list of students, making sure to give each one a small pep talk before directing them towards what would be their home for the next however many years. The man had clearly made an effort. White and grey plaid shirt tucked into his trousers, polished black shoes and an immaculate blazer to finish it off. Thane had to admit that the man had some style. He seemed to be genuinely nice as well, which you didn't come across often. Thane attention re-focused on what he was saying long enough here the next name on his list.

"Katherine Richards"

His words hung in the air for a second or two before he repeated himself.

"Katherine Richards?" this time as a question directed at the crowd.

Suddenly a small hand poked its way out from the fog of people and Thane heard a girl's voice.

"Yes! Yes I'm here sir!" Thane could just about hear her muffled voice through the mass of bodies. "Excuse me. Excuse me. Move please!" the voice got closer towards him before a girl burst through the front of the group and almost tripped up trying to get to the teacher.

Thane instantly felt his heartbeat quicken and the air get stolen from his lungs as he gazed upon the new girl. Katherine was small but not too small. Five foot four to be precise and she suited her height perfectly. She was a slender build, with not much muscle apparent but by no means did she look puny. Now saying Thane was an outcast was and understatement but he was still a teenage boy and that meant his eyes were instantly drawn to two areas: her breasts and her behind. To his credit he was subtle about it, unlike a few other guys he spotted blatantly checking her out as she stood in the open. He couldn't blame them though. Her arse was akin to what boys feared to imagine even in their wildest daydreams and her breasts, like the rest of her body, matched her build perfectly.

Thane had to forcefully tear his eyes away from her body to look at the rest of her, which he found to be just as pleasing. Her hair was light pink in colour and cut short into a pixie cut with a longer fringe pushed over to the right side of her face. She absentmindedly tucked it just behind her ear before looking down slightly and causing it to fall forward and rest in its original place. Thane smiled at this small mannerism, the girl radiated cuteness. Her eyes were ice blue, soft and pale yet vibrantly alive at the same time. She had her nose pierced and in it she wore a plain silver ring that fit her facial features perfectly. Her lips matched her body, thin and slender and her smile. Oh god her smile. In that moment Thane felt he could write a sonnet about her smile. It could break stone and cause old men to weep were they stood. It was so genuine and heartfelt that it exemplified the already cute girl to stratospheric levels. His mind crashed back to reality with a thud however when he realised her wasn't in a Shakespearian play and that he wasn't a poet.

"Pull yourself together man." He thought to himself. "You're not some Casanova lover boy, you're a dorky weirdo. Stick to what you know best"

"Sorry about that. Normally people call me Kat so I wasn't listening for my full name" The girl said, catching her breath and regaining balance before smiling at the man stood in front of her. She seemed unaware of the copious male attention she was attracting, or she was painfully aware of it and was choosing to ignore it. Probably the second option Thane thought to himself.

"Perfectly ok lass" The bald teacher told her "So it's Kat then yes? May I ask why?"

A flicker of something Thane couldn't put his finger on appeared in the girl's eye and her smile dropped a fraction but she quickly caught it and reverted back to how she was.

She shrugged of the question. "Dunno. Just prefer it I guess." She raised and dropped her shoulders as she answered which brought a laugh out of the teacher.

"Fair enough. If you would like to go through to the five hundred building please, second door on your right." Kat nodded her head and broadly smiled back at the teacher as she walked away followed by the eyes of every male left in the group.

The sound of typing brought Thane's eyes back to the teacher who remained perfectly still in front of them as Kather- Kat entered the five hundred building. He muttered a curse word before shaking his hand and looking irritated.

"Oh crap missed someone, Ok sorry for the mistake but do we have a Mark Orson here?"

"Yeah. Right here" came a deep confident voice from behind Thane. He felt a shove on his shoulder and was pushed out of the way as Mark strolled through. It was the same guy Thane had seen getting off the shuttle and he was just as confident and cocky up close. The teenager, not man, as Thane had to remind himself, was taller than Thane and boarder too. He had short blonde hair and wore a white shirt that was stretched across his upper body muscles a little too tightly to be comfortable. Thane swore he could hear the girl next to him sharply inhale as he walked out. Why a biotic had to be so strong bemused Thane but he wasn't about to bring it up with the guy, he looked like a tank.

"Ok, well you are in the six hundred building, third door on your right as you go down there, ok?"

"Yep gotcha' baldy" Said Mark as this time he patted the teacher on the shoulder. The man looked startled and confused as he ran his hand over his scalp subconsciously before continuing.

"Right umm ok. Next is… Thane Shepard"

Thane felt his stomach drop. In his hormone fuelled confusion he had forgotten that it would be his turn to be judged soon. He heard the murmurs from the people around him, questioning whether or not this mysterious person being called was related to the famous commander. Very reluctantly, Thane stepped out into the view of the awaiting crowd and felt the burn of their stares. He glanced at his feet before peeped out from under his fringe at the teacher.

"Ahh so YOU'RE Commander Shepards son. It's an honour to have you here my boy" The bald man smiled and patted him on the back as he finished he what he was saying and pointed down the corridor. Just head down there and take the second door on your right, just follow where Kather- Kat went." The man continued to smile and waved Thane goodbye before turning around to the remaining people left. Thane heard quiet murmurs from behind he similar to what he had heard his whole life.

"That can't be THE commander Shepard's son"

"He's so puny though!"

"I could take him, easily"

Thane pretended not to hear as there words bounced of the inside of his head. He thought that Umbra was going to be a new beginning but it looked like it would be the same as everywhere else he had been in his life. But then a pink haired vixen sprang into his min and his mood lifted. Maybe this time, things might be different.