Chapter 2: Ashley Williams
The Amada System, 1 month after the Battle of the Citadel
It all happened too fast. The klaxons signaling a hull breach sounded mere seconds after the call for general quarters. The call for abandon ship went out less than a minute after that.
What is happening? Ash's mind was a whirlwind of confusion, but her training kicked in, and before she realized what she was doing, she was in her hardsuit and assisting with the evacuation on the cargo deck. Adams was dead, but he had helped get most of the others out of the engineering spaces. Garrus had grabbed Tali, and they were making their way to the escape pods on the lower deck.
"Come on, Williams!" Garrus was gesturing towards her to join them, his flanged voice sounding more strained than usual. "What are you waiting for?"
"Can't yet! Gotta get the others! You and Tali get out of here! Go!" Ash rushed towards the crawlspace and quickly made her way to the crew deck. She wanted to make sure all of her Marines got out okay. And Shepard. She was trying to convince herself that Shepard would somehow figure out a way to survive this after overcoming everything else that the galaxy had thrown at him during the course of his life, and yet... she couldn't shake the ominous feeling that he needed her right now. Whatever happens, Ash, don't leave him. No matter what.
As she stumbled out of the crawlspace hatch, she almost immediately bumped into one of the Marine detachment squad leaders, Service Chief Jensen.
"Where's Shepard?" She hadn't meant to shout at him, but the Marine didn't notice; he just pointed past the mess hall towards the crew berthing area which was wreathed in scarlet flame. Of course, he's helping his crew escape. Why did I even bother asking? "Status!"
"Vu and I did a sweep, ma'am. We're missing Lowe, Emerson, and Shenkle, but the rest of the Marines are accounted for and helping with the evac."
Ash felt her chest tighten. "Shenkle was with me on the cargo deck; he got away all right. You and Vutruong load up the others, and all of you get out of here. I'll try to find Lowe and Emerson."
"One more thing, ma'am. I overheard Garcia say that Joker won't leave the cockpit."
Sonofa... "Go, Jensen, grab as many as you can and go! Now!" With that Ash took off sprinting up the ladder towards the command deck.
"Joker!" The hatch was open and she could see the irrepressible pilot still at his post, alone among the abandoned, burning workstations. "Come on, we hav-" The sudden explosion caused by the mysterious ship's particle beam cut off her warning and ripped the Normandy wide open, exposing the command deck to the vacuum of outer space. Ash was knocked her off her feet by the explosion's shockwave and sent careening back down the stairs just as the doors at the top sealed automatically. Apparently not all of the ship's safety measures were destroyed yet. "Dammit, Joker!" she growled. We don't have time for hero crap! Not now! She picked her helmet off the ground from where it had fallen. With all the toxic fumes from the smoke on this level she would need it to survive. Another explosion rocked the battered ship, and Ash knew what she had to do. As far as she was concerned, there was only one thing on the Normandy now that was worth losing everything to save. And he was in the middle of the fire. Ash flew down around the corner towards crew berthing, coming to an abrupt halt when she almost crashed into the very person she was looking for.
"Shepard!"
They got almost everyone off the Normandy, but as she scrubbed over the crew manifests, she still counted twenty-two crew members unaccounted for, including Joker and Shepard. The other twenty were, in all likelihood, KIA, but there was one more pod left, and she was confident that Shepard had gotten to it in time with their stubborn pilot in tow. As pissed as she'd been when Joker had refused to leave, Ashley had to admit that his flying had given the rest of them time to abandon ship. If not for that… Well, Ashley had never been a fan of playing the "what if?" game, but she would rest easier once they had them both back.
As she double checked the crew manifests from the other pods, Ashley noticed the final escape pod's signature pop up on her helmet HUD. About time, Shepard. You almost had me worried there for a minute. The last pod had left the Normandy several minutes after the others, so it had landed a good distance away from the rest of them. No Mako this time around. Looks like we get to do this the old fashioned way. She smiled ruefully under her helmet as she recalled something Shepard had said on more than one of their past missions. Nothing's ever simple, is it?
"Chief Jensen, establish 360 degree security around the LZ perimeter. Corporal McCann, see to the automatic weapon placement and indirect fire assets. Corporal Pacheco, anti-air weapon systems. Corporal Turner, get our long range comms up pronto. Commander Shepard got the distress beacon away before we abandoned ship; I want us remotely linked into the nearest comm buoy so we can contact the Alliance as soon as they enter the system!" Her orders were crisp and precise. The small Marine detachment aboard the Normandy was well trained - Ashley had seen to that personally - and she had no intention of either dying or watching any more crew members die before they were picked up by the Alliance. The security of their position was vitally important right now because they had crash landed in the heart of the Terminus systems. Ashley briefly considered tasking some of the Navy crew members, but decided against it; experience told her that Marines were more comfortable with their boots on the ground than their Navy counterparts, and if they really needed help, her Marines knew which crew members to ask. "Initiate force protocol victor 1-9, running password 'Driftwood.' I'm going to pick up the CO."
"Aye aye, ma'am." The Marines all acknowledged their orders.
Good. They should be fine until I get back. "Dr. Chakwas, ma'am. Could you please start triaging the wounded while I'm gone?"
"Certainly, Chief Williams." The doctor gave her a meaningful look. "Bring both of them back here safely."
"Will do, ma'am." Now she just had to retrieve the commander and Joker. She took a deep breath and opened a private comm channel to the three remaining members of the Normandy's primary ground team. "I'm going to Shepard's position."
"With you, Williams." It was Garrus, already trotting towards her, attaching his assault rifle to his back as he spoke.
"I am coming as well."
"Me too. Corporal Turner doesn't need my help setting up the comm link."
Ashley smiled in spite of herself. A few months ago she had never really considered the possibility of ever working with aliens, but now she couldn't imagine not serving with these three. She'd actually developed a grudging respect based friendship – if you could call it that – with Wrex before he'd abruptly departed four weeks ago. The others had remained, even Tali, despite being done with her pilgrimage. And now all of them had rogered up to come with her to look for Commander Shepard before she'd been able to ask. Shepard was right about them. They're all right. She chuckled slightly. Even Liara.
"Okay, guys. Get ready to haul ass, because we've got a lot of ground to cover."
"Shepard! Commander Shepard!" Ashley's chest was heaving from exertion as she tried to hail the final escape pod. "Shepard, do you read me?" She slowed to a brisk jog as she came up to the hatch. As soon as she started slowing down she began to feel the cold wind cut through the thermal layer on her armor, and it crossed her mind that if Shepard and Joker weren't sealed in their suits, they would be in for a shock. It's Noveria cold out here.
Garrus caught up with her, panting slightly. Under normal circumstances she would've been elated at having outrun the turian, but she was in no mood for gloating right now. Ash motioned for him to help her. With a grunt of exertion they both heaved the hatch of the escape pod open and...
Waitaminute, where is he? She locked sharply at the pilot, who was huddled at the bottom of the pod, his face in his hands. "Joker! Where the hell is Shepard?" This has got to be some kind of cruel joke.
She heard the others finally arrive. "Shepard!" Tali called out as she and Liara ran up to them. "We're here!" But she and Liara both gasped when they looked in. "He got out... right?" Tali inquired doubtfully.
Joker was still seated, shaking his head and refusing to make eye contact with any of them.
"No," Liara replied softly, answering for the broken pilot. "He did not."
Disbelief finally gave way to despair, and Ashley collapsed in shock next to the pod. No. Please, God, no. He's gone. He's really gone. Why? Somewhere in the distance she could hear the others trying to speak to her. It doesn't matter any more. He's gone. Shepard's gone. She wanted to scream, to cry, to say something, to do something, anything, but her mind and body were numb. It should have been me. Why couldn't it have been me? We need him! I need him! Why did you take him away, God? Why...? She felt Liara kneel down beside her and wrap her arms around her in a comforting embrace. Usually Ashley would have made a deliberately acerbic remark to try to scare the asari away, but this time she just buried her head in the other woman's shoulder and wept.