Chapter 1: Preparation

-Nightmares

Darkness.

Silver light.

Platinum swords, surrounding a faraway planet, almost mocking her as they danced in lazy circular motions in the distance…

Jane looked around her, and could see nothing but silver gravel covering the ground. Everything was completely devoid of color, but bright and reflective nonetheless. The entire world she was on was a house of glass and mirrors, and Jane felt that even the slightest whisper could cause the entire crystalline universe to shatter. She held her breath, and tried to identify her location.

Her feet were on a path, or what passed for a path, facing the faraway planet in the distance. Jane tried to recall where she had seen it before; perhaps on some datapad at the academy, or perhaps in some science fiction vid, but she couldn't put her finger on it. There was no wind, and no sound disturbing the deep night. Or was it day? Jane couldn't be sure. All seemed to be on the cusp of twilight, in this forsaken land.

All that she could be sure of was that something was calling her to press forward, and something wanted her to reach that planet with the spinning swords. She was meant to go forward.

The swords were singing to her.

They were calling to her.

They wanted her.

Jane stepped onto the path, and was immediately aware of a presence bearing down on her, trying to block her from moving forward. This wouldn't be easy. One foot in front of the other, she slowly advanced, never taking her eyes off the silver globe waiting for her in the distance. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, almost challenging her unseen foe to try harder. She would overcome it, as she had overcome all things that stood in her way. She would never back down.

She felt someone calling to her in her mind, with an indistinct voice, but an insistent cadence. It was encouraging her to continue, the rhythm matched itself to her footsteps, and she unconsciously drew from its power to move faster.

Where will I arrive?

It wouldn't say. She was alone again.

She didn't know where she would be at the end; all she knew was that the silver planet wanted her, and she had to arrive. She had no choice but to arrive, or all would be lost.

What all?

She didn't know that either, and her nameless and faceless host was not forthcoming with any further information. Her feet were as lead, but she forced them to carry her forward, and they reluctantly submitted to her iron will. One foot in front of the other, she pushed forward, and something pushed back. One step at a time, she pushed forward, and something pushed back. The ages swirled in her vision, and she threw her hands in front of her face as if they could shield her from the timeless truths of the universe. She pushed forward, and sweat poured down her brow, soaking her skin and dripping to the ground like platinum teardrops. She closed her eyes, and concentrated all her will on putting one foot in front of the other, one foot in front of the other, one foot in front of the…

A wave of silver ice shattered the crystalline universe, and carried Jane away into the darkness…

-Citadel, Commander Jane Shepard's private rooms

Commander Jane Shepard woke with a start, covered in sweat. She sat up in the small bunk, and swung her legs over the side, gripping the edge of the bed tightly.

They are getting worse. The nightmares are getting worse every day.

Jane had started having these strange dreams shortly after her time on Elysium. Though she hadn't been seriously injured during the Blitz, she had been somehow... changed...

She ran her hands through her short black hair, and tucked it back behind her ears. She looked across the room to her darkened console at her reflection, but it had no answers for her. All she saw were dark eyes staring back at her out of pale skin. She sighed, and shook her head a little bit to clear it.

I need to get ready for the mission anyway. It's a little early, but it will give me time to get my gear prepared, and maybe calm my nerves a bit.

She got out of the bed and walked over to a small trunk. She took it with her everywhere, and it held nearly all of her possessions. Clothing, a few datapads, her weapons and armor; everything was stuffed into that small box and carried with her all over the galaxy. She opened it and pushed some datapads aside to reveal a stack of plain black uniforms, neatly folded and carefully pressed. She discarded the casualwear she had worn to bed, and donned the uniform. Then she pulled out a pair of boots, and sat on the bed to polish them. Her weaponry had already been removed from the trunk the previous night and was neatly arranged on a table nearby.

Jane Shepard enjoyed this time alone. It allowed her to reflect on past, and future, missions, and organize her thoughts. She especially liked the silence after nights she had the dreams. Every time she had one, it seemed she awakened with a ringing in her ears and the only thing that was louder was the sound of nothing at all.

That doesn't make any sense, Jane. Maybe you should get some help…

She chuckled a little to herself and forced her focus back to the task at hand. She had an important mission to do, and she didn't have time to sit around contemplating whether or not her bad dreams were a sign of madness. This mission was of particular importance, and deserved her full attention. A valuable asari matriarch had been kidnapped and ransomed on her way to the Citadel to meet with Ambassador Udina. Shepard wasn't privy to the particulars of the meeting, but from what she gathered, it was a hot topic and involved the settling of some human colonies in asari space. Ambassador Udina seemed particularly keen on keeping relations with the asari strong. Shepard couldn't blame him; the leader of the council was also a matriarch and they had some of the most formidable warriors in the galaxy. Between the Commandos and the Justicars, Shepard had no doubt that had the asari been a more violent people, the other races would be long since extinct.

So, as was her usual ritual before a mission, she prepared, first polishing her boots and inspecting them for any flaws. Her left ankle was damaged, having suffered trauma during her gang running days when she was yet an inexperienced fighter. She had to ensure that there was no weakness in the reinforced material that allowed her to run as well as anyone with a fully functional ankle. It was too critical to her position as a leader; if she fell her team would surely falter. She couldn't afford to show any weakness.

Next she would turn her attention to her armor, of which she was particularly proud. Few had made it to the rank of Commander at her age, and she took pride in keeping her uniform looking its best. She ran her hands lovingly over some of the more visible dents, recalling the missions that caused them. Rather than replace the pieces with new armor, she preferred to keep the dented equipment as a reminder of what she had been through to reach this point.

With her gear lovingly polished and maintained, her focus now shifted to the weaponry on the table, without which she would have never survived the odds. Cleaning each part carefully and reassembling the pieces invoked visions of that fateful day on Elysium, when she risked everything to repel slavers invading the colony. It was up to her alone, and she rose to the challenge.

I'll never forget that day. That day I was electric, and I've never felt anything like it. I was unstoppable. I held the entire world in my right hand as I passed judgment with my left, executing my own brand of justice. No one will ever bother that colony again...

Jane smiled. She had come a long way from the smart-mouthed kid running with gangs she used to be. Now she was a hero, and a Commander in the Alliance navy who was saluted and respected wherever she went. She had it all.

Finishing up her maintenance, she stood and stretched. This mission was going to be one of her toughest yet. She wasn't particularly thrilled about killing living beings in general and humans in particular, but she was given an order and it was her duty to lead this extraction. This was a delicate situation, and despite the imminent danger, she was looking forward to being reunited with her former gang leader.

She lay on her bunk and thought about the last time she had seen her friend. It was at the Flux, and they had both been drinking heavily. Jane had teased her about still being single, and the woman had just laughed it off and murmured something about being too much for any one person to handle. Then they both ordered another round, and Jane watched her friend weave her way onto the dance floor and almost immediately be swarmed by asari. They must have seen something in her genes that they wanted, yet the commander could never recall a time where she actually saw the mysterious mercenary leave with one. Actually, she couldn't think of a time when the woman had left with anyone. She smiled to herself; it was funny how despite the very different paths they had taken since running with the gangs all those years ago they still managed to stay in touch.

Jane Shepard stood, stretched, and picked up her weaponry, attaching each piece securely to her armor. It was time to go get her team ready for the mission. They had to get mobilized right away and there wasn't a whole lot of opportunity to sit down and plan. She needed to make the most of the time she had, and that meant checking with her teammate before they departed to make sure that she didn't need any supplies. It wouldn't be wise to go in unprepared, and she had access to resources her mechanic friend didn't have. Straightening her uniform and looking once in the mirror to ensure everything was in place, she turned on her heel and exited the room to go find Danger.

-Colloquia SR1 Garage

It was a magnificent beast. Eight massive wheels in total spanning three flexible segments, the machine was a sight to behold. It was rare that the occasion rose where such a vehicle was appropriate, as most extractions happened on distant worlds where the atmosphere was dangerous at best; deadly at worst. This mission was different, however; and there was no way the mercenary extraction specialist was going to pass it up. This mission meant visiting home, and retirement as a legend.

Home. It was a word that lost its meaning long ago; for since discovering her unique talents for driving and rescuing, she had sold her services and rescued some of the most influential people across the globe, and later, the galaxy. She hadn't been to Earth in months, instead jumping from ship to ship selling her services. Smiling to herself as she ran her hands along the custom striping of her CamMech 3, inspired in part by ancient muscle cars humans used to drive, she congratulated herself on landing the biggest job of her lifetime; extracting an asari matriarch. Not only had the Alliance sought out Darla "Danger" Vance personally, but they had even offered an honorary position in the military should she succeed.

Of course, she had no interest in joining up with the Alliance. It was bad enough she was getting stuck with her old gang-turned-hero pal Jane Shepard; she didn't want to be obligated to actually follow her orders as well. No, she liked things how they were, but the offer was certainly nice. The money was definitely nice.

Settling herself in the driver's seat, relishing the lack of a protective roof and other environmental protection considerations, she pressed in the clutch several times.

Hmm, hydraulics could use some work. I'd better look at that.

Gas next. Felt fine. Brakes? No issues there. Steering? Little loose. All to be expected, since this vehicle hadn't seen service in several years. Even though it was her favorite, she couldn't use it on most worlds.

Danger was fond of old technology. While everyone else was using touch screens and Omni-tools, she preferred the solid feel of easing off the clutch and leaning on the gas, feeling the vehicle respond. It felt almost like a lover – if she moved at just the right moment, in just the right place, she could almost feel the machine surrender to her command and beg her for direction. It was exhilarating.

That wasn't to say that she was a luddite – she programmed an experimental AI to handle monitoring of the mechanical systems and a few extra tweaks to enhance her admittedly limited biotic ability; just a few additions to help with navigating terrain. She just preferred the way manual controls handled and shot adrenaline through her body with every shifting of the gears. All in all, she and her rovers were a team, and all but unstoppable.

Hopping out of the seat, she grabbed a toolbox from a nearby workbench and set to work. This was the biggest job of her life, and everything had to be in top shape. As she removed mechanical parts in order to reveal the master cylinder, she thought about everything that led her to this point. Ten years ago… gosh had it been that long? She was driving along near some space station or another and heard commotion coming from a nearby garage. Slavers were ushering in captured villagers that looked rather important. Of course, Danger never kept up with political affairs, so she had no idea who they were. What she did know, was that they were human, and the slavers were alien, and that was a no-no. She brought the rover sharply around, and circled back to a hill just beyond the fence closing off the station. They hadn't seen her, and probably wouldn't have been worried if they had.

It was the first time she'd ever felt that rush. Bringing the vehicle to the bottom of the hill, she just let the engine idle and closed her eyes, occasionally revving it and reveling in the vibrations it caused. She waited. Not yet, it wasn't time yet. Left foot firmly on clutch, right foot just hovering over the gas, she waited, and tensed, caressing the wheel gently, almost as if it was her lover; she waited.

The slavers finished loading the cargo, and moments later Danger saw the opening she was looking for. As the ship slowly started to rise above the fencing, preparing to launch into space, Darla "Danger" Vance let off the clutch, punched the gas, and the heavy rover responded with a resounding snap that propelled it up the hill, up through the air, and back down directly on the cockpit, forcing the nose of the ship back down and damaging the thrusters in the process. The whole thing crashed to the ground.

She grabbed a small pistol, and turned around in the seat, aiming for the now opening doors. She wasn't a very good shot, but this was a small ship and the slavers were easy pickings as they exited the doorway single file. One, two, three, five, seven, they all fell to stealthy shots to various points in the back. All that was left were the pilots, and perhaps one or two on the inside.

She hopped down from the vehicle, entered the small ship, and noticed that the captured humans had already dispatched the last two guards. They weren't completely helpless; just initially outgunned. She headed for the cockpit, and found the pilot dead, her rover having smashed neatly through the protective and reinforced glass to crush him.

Unbelievable.

The repairs to the rover would take months, but in the end it was worth it.

One male stepped forward and asked her name.

Darla.

Thank you Darla. I am Senator William Mason. What you have done here today is nothing short of heroic. Indeed, it is one of the most dangerous rescue attempts of our time. Tell me, who is your handler?

Handler?

Who sent you?

Well, I was just driving by…

She remembered the look of shock on his face, and she couldn't help but grin. For the next year, tales of the dangerous rescue of the human senator circled the globe and earned her the nickname she wore proudly to this day. It was then she realized that extractions were what she was born to do.

This cylinder needs to be replaced. I'm sorry old girl; I really should maintain you better.

Throwing the useless scrap of metal away, she pulled herself out from under the heavy machine and went off in search of new parts.