Chapter 12: Pain

Trial Room (Toronto, Canada/Earth)

Back on Earth, the final leg of the trial had begun, and so far Shepherd's defense had proved unbeatable or at least hard to counter, and because it was the batarians with a jury full of humans, it helped him immensely. Still it was wearing on him; the batarian had been pounding at him for days, though it was surprising to the spectre that his past hadn't come up yet. All they would need to do is prove his malice of the batarian people, and his pass was one way to do that. Natalia looked at Shepherd.

"Are you okay, Wayne?" Natalia asked.

"Yeah, just tired, I'm just hoping the trial will be done soon" he said.

"Be patient, you'll get out of this soon" she said. The persecution's lawyer then stood up, Natalia had been on roll these last few days, the salarian was a good lawyer no doubt about it, but he was easily riled. And that made it easy for her to get the jury on their side, but something was different, he was calmer and more at ease. Natalia narrowed her eyes, something wasn't right, his client was very close to losing this case and yet he was calm…

"Your honor, people of the jury, we call Commander Shepherd a hero, why wouldn't he be? His story is awe-inspiring, one of the few survivors of that terrible tragedy on Mindoir" he said. "And went on to be the poster boy of the Alliance"

Natalia frowned. "What's his game?"

"But can we truly call him that; I call to the stand Lt. Johnny Li" Shepherd's eyes went wide, it was name he hadn't heard in years.

"Oh no…." Kaiden said.

Tali looked at him. "What is it, Kaiden?"

"Johnny Li is the older brother of Antony Li, one of Shepherd's men that died on Torfan" he explained. "He was also member of the surveillance team, the eye in the sky for mission; he saw his brother get gunned down."

"So he has a personal vendetta against boss" Garrus said.

"Like you wouldn't believe…"

"Oh no…" Tali gasped.

"Yeah it's going to get rough, in the few minutes" Kaiden said grimly.

Shepherd started to breathe harder, his greatest failure would be laid bare. He then felt hands on his. "Don't worry, you'll get through this" Natalia said.

Shepherd nodded. "Right, right…." The room's door opened and in came the Lieutenant making his way to the bench. Li was a by the book soldier, he always followed the rules, and expected others to also…however Shepherd was not that much of a rule follower, if the spectre could bend the rules to get a mission done he would it. And they usually came to blows about it, he looked at Shepherd, his brown eyes still holding the same look of hatred and contempt as the rest of them had those years ago. He makes it to bench.

"Please state your name"

"Lt. John Li, I work under Admiral Sergei Romanov" he said. "My brother was Private Antony Li, who was under the command of Commander Shepherd" He flinched when he heard how his name was said, with so much venom.

"Tell me about the mission to Torfan"

"The mission was to wipe out slaver cell of the batarians in retaliation for the Elysium attack" He said. "At went well at first…."

Torfan (Seven Years ago)

"We made touchdown" Shepherd said.

"The batarian base is to the north, do not attack until you're received your orders" Li said.

"Understood…"

Torfan, was a small moon that served as base for criminals, mostly batarians, who built strongholds deep underground. Shepherd and his team were on the planet to get intel on the batarians slaver activity, and shut it down in retaliation for the Skyllian Blitz on Elysium. Shepherd and his team made their way to the main base, while they were making their way to base; they could here sounds of battles as Alliance and Batarian ships engaged in combat. When Shepherd had heard that the Alliance were going to shut down the batarians, he jumped on board the mission with no hesitation, however Anderson was not so sure he should have been on the mission due to his personal feelings on the batarians. Shepherd had ensure the captain, that he wouldn't let his person feelings get in the way…he lied to him, as he lied to himself because it was going to be more personal than he could ever image…

"We're at the base, entering now" The team made it in the base, the complex was large and was full of batarians. Per Major Kyle's instructions, they were to go in and go quietly. The team encountered their first batarian troopers, and knocked them out, though Shepherd had to fight the urge to snap the alien's necks.

"There should be a terminal room near your position, it should tell you were the main control room is." Li said. "Once there you shut their operations down"

"Got it…"

Now

"So it went well, without a hitch, so how did it go bad?" the accuser asked.

Li sighed. "It was right after Shepherd's team made it to the control room, afterwards he just snapped"

Torfan (Seven Years Ago)

Shepherd's team made it to the control room, the room lit up with the screens of the different rooms in the compound. A man in black armor went to the terminal, His name was Antony Li, he was the younger brother of their communication specialist John Li. Like his brother, he too was also a stickler of the rules, though unlike his big brother he would bend the rules depending on the situation. He was quite popular with the other men, sociable, friendly, even Shepherd somewhat tolerated him. "We've made it to the control room" Antony said on the com. "Now wiping their data"

"Good, we'll hold the door" Shepherd said. He directed his men to look for guards, while Shepherd stood with Antony while he worked.

"So, I hear you came from Mindoir"

Shepherd looked back. "What of it?"

"I heard it was rough, that you lost everything…tell me is that the reason you…."

"Shouldn't you be focusing on the data?" Shepherd asked coldly.

"Uh, right…"Antony said. "Got it! We can go" Shepherd nodded as Antony got up and walked to the door. As Shepherd went to follow them, he looks at the surveillance footage and saw the people suffering from the batarian's treatment. His mind flashed back to that day on Mindoir, the fires, the smell of smoke, and sound of screams and gunfire as he tried to make it back to his neighborhood to rescue his family and his girlfriend's family. When he finally made it, after helping fellow civilians, he saw his mother and father gunned down.

"MOM! DAD! DIE YOU FUCKING BLINKS!" His mind snapped back to reality, as he glared at the screen as one of them started to beat their captives. He growled. "Fucking blinks…" Shepherd muttered angrily. He went to join his squad, but then something caught his eye, it was girl, no more than twelve she had dark skin and Asian features like him. She looked like her younger sister, Kyoko, but that couldn't be as she died on Mindoir…or at least he thought so, they never found his sister's body after the attack. But then the Commander went to the console and zoomed in on her neck, Shepherd's eyes then went wide when he saw the necklace under her slave collar, it was the exact one his mother gave to her when she was five, it was gift she got from her mother. It was his sister…she was alive…Shepherd ran out of the room and went the opposite way.

"Shepherd, what the hell…?"

"Private, what's happening?"

"Shepherd flew the coup, I don't know why" Antony said.

"Shit!" As Shepherd ran to save his sister, his com broke through"

"Commander Shepherd, you are disobeying an order, return to your squad" Shepherd then turned off his com.

"Dammit!" A voice spoke up.

"Lt. what happened?" Major Kyle asked.

Now

"And he just left his position? Without warning?" the accuser asked. The grumbles from the crowd made it clear that they were not happy.

"Yes, my brother and the rest of the squad went to Shepherd to get him back, and that's when all hell broke loose"

Torfan (Seven years ago)

Shepherd ran in the base, desperately to look for his little sister, his only family left, he didn't bother with stealth anymore. Any batarians that got in his way, were killed, nothing would stop him. He turned the corner where he heard screaming coming from a door on the left he ran to the door and smashed the door open. He saw his sister being hooked to a machine, an upgrade machine, he had heard about them it was to give the collars extra juice to 'discipline' their captives if they were disobeyed. His blood went cold as he saw his sister scream and cry in anguish as the batarians tried to start the machine, Shepherd took his firearm and took aim at the batarians killing them dead. As he went to free his sister, she saw him and tears flowed from her eyes.

"Wayney, you're alive…." She choked. "I thought…"

"I know, Kyoko, but we….we can be a family again" Shepherd said as he released her. Kyoko once released hugged him tightly, sobbing, what she must have been through must have been unimaginable. He wanted to cry too, but this was not the time or place, he could do all that once he got her out of there. He took her into his arms, and carried her out of the room. He saw Antony and the rest of the squad, they were not happy.

"Shepherd, what the hell were you thinking? You almost jeopardized the mission for a girl?"

Shepherd glared at him. "Not just a girl, my sister!" When Antony heard that, he instantly shut up.

He sighed. "Okay what's done is done, let's get out of here, your little fiasco have just alerted the whole base"

Shepherd nodded. "Hang on to me, Kyoko, alright?" Kyoko nodded and held on tightly. With the whole base under alert, escaping proved to be hell. As they got closer to the exit, they were losing more and more people, until Shepherd, Kyoko, and Antony was left. One more corridor and they would be free, but the batarians had other plans.

"We're almost there…" Antony said. When they got close, they were met with Batarian firing squad, they were pinned down. Antony took potshots at the batarians, getting some of them in the head; however the batarians called on reinforcements. In just a few minutes they would be swarmed.

"Wayney, I'm scared…" Kyoko said. Shepherd kissed her forehead.

"We'll get out of this, I promise you" He said gently.

Antony sighed. "You will, Shepherd, there's an alternate way to get out of here" he said. "Go and take it"

"What about you?" Shepherd asked. Antony grabbed his collar.

"Are you willing to die to save your sister?" He asked.

Shepherd hesitated at first. "Yes I am, I won't let her go through that hell again"

"Then, go, I'll hold them off" he said.

Shepherd nodded. "Thank you, Private"

"Just one thing, tell me my brother, I'm sorry…" He said. Shepherd nodded and ran with Kyoko. Antony then faces the firing squad. "Come on, you fucking blinks, get some!"

Shepherd ran for his life, with his sister, getting to next entrance. "Wayney, your arm is beeping" Kyoko said.

Shepherd raised his arm, next to Private Antony Li's name, was the word 'no signal in red. "I'm sorry…" He then heard the voice of the batarians.

"Use the heavy weapons, I won't that ape killed."

"Shit!" Shepherd said.

"Wayney…" Kyoko said. She had fear in her eyes.

"Don't worry, we'll be…." His words was cut off by an explosion pushed him back. Moment later when his came to he went to look for sister, his blood went cold when he saw his sister on the floor not moving, her blood everywhere.

"K-Kyoko, please stay with me…" He said with tears in his eyes. But his sister didn't move. "Nonononono, w-we were supposed to be family again, please, sis open your eyes, PLEASE!" Shepherd cradled his younger sister's lifeless body as he cried in despair. He then heard the clicking of guns behind him.

"Give up, human" one of the batarians said. Shepherd looked back at them, and only rage was left in his eyes causing to them to back up a little. Shepherd's body started to radiate dark energy.

"Die…" Shepherd said coldly.

Now

"All we could hear was gunfire and then the com went out" John said. "When we saw Shepherd again, he was covered in batarian blood carrying a dead girl in his arms, with eyes as cold as ice"

"We asked him what happened, but it wasn't needed, we saw it, Twenty men, including my brother dead, every single batarian in the base dead, Shepherd didn't just fought the batarians, he went hunting" he said. "After seeing so much death, Major Kyle was never the same after that and was honorably discharged, and he became a leader of those crazy biotics years later"

"So he broke protocol, which cased this debacle"

"Yes"

"Objection! What happened seven years ago has no place in court now!" Natalia said.

"But, it has everything to do with this case; Commander Shepherd has had a history of racial hatred of batarians, because of Mindoir. Torfan was just a red light, but Bahak was proof" the accuser said. "And because of that hatred, 300,000 died, in which I ask the court, when will it be enough, until the Commander had his fill of revenge, until he's wiped them off the face of the galaxy?"

"Can you really defend, this war criminal, just because he was friends with your niece Ms. Schwartz?"

"You son of a…" The gavel was banged loudly.

"Order! We will now take recess, so the jury can come up with the verdict!" Later after the recess, it was time for jury to make the verdict, Shepherd and team was on pins and needles, especially Tali.

"Have the jury come up with a verdict?"

"Yes, your honor, for the death of 300,000 batarians, we find Commander Wayne Allen Shepherd, guilty of all charges" The Normandy crew was stunned; their leader's head on the chopping block.

"Wayne Shepherd, you are here by stripped of your rank and your ship will be locked down, as of now it is Alliance property" the judge said. "Since you are still a spectre, you will be confined Alliance headquarters until we have words of your spectre status being revoked"

"And if it gets revoked?" Natalia asked grimly.

"Then he will receive the death penalty, for attempted genocide" he said. "Court is now adjourned"

The banging of the gavel echoed in the air.

Shepherd's dark past revealed! The verdict: Guilty! What happens to the Normandy team going forward?

Find out next time! As always Review and Comment.