A/N: This is mostly a character introduction chapter. You'll recognize some of the characters (and they might be OOC), while there are quite a lot of new ones. We'll finally kick off Mass Effect 1 with the next chapter. Stay tuned!

20/5 2059

LSL HQ, Mars, Sol System.

"Mom… I know you don't want her in the volunteer forces, but what do you want me to do about it? When has she ever listened to me?" John asked, he was tired and the last thing he needed was the same tired old argument his folks would bring up time and time again. It may as well become a family tradition at this point.

"It's because of you she joined in the first place! Think about what could happen to her out there, John, a young woman on the battlefield?! She refuses to listen." His mother replied. John's old man just nodded in agreement. "She'll listen to you, I know it. Anything we say to her is just gonna result in another fight." His mother went on, causing John to roll his eyes.

"They accepted her into the program, her biotic powers are more than enough to keep her safe. I really don't see the problem. She'll probably get bored of it in time." John argued. He knew Jane well enough to know that any attempt on steering her from what she wanted was a fool's errand. But he had enough faith in her that she would remain safe for the time being. Besides, volunteer forces were hardly ever used for any heavy fighting. It was usually dull garrison duties across the colonies.

"You know that nice young man you went to middle school with, Kenny? He's been asking about her lately, and you too. He's a lawyer you know, Jane and him would make such a nice couple… Besides, with you and Jane gone who will help us take care of the shop? Your father is getting up there in his years, he won't be able to keep doing this for much longer." John's mother continued, almost as if she was making up excuses on the spot.

He turned to his father on the hololink, "Is that true dad?"

As ever the old man was hesitant to admit anything, he'd break his spine before allowing his kids to help him around the business. "Yer mother's not wrong. The soldiery's no place for a young lady, I saw her in boot camp a month or two ago; you shoulda seen how they treat her, bruised and battered all over."

"Part and parcel, dad. I nearly broke my legs several times in boot camp. Besides, its not like the training instructors really know what to do with her now is it?"

"That's the point Jonathan! How the bloody hell is she even gonna be a soldier if they don't know how to treat her!" John's father retorted.

"Dad, she'll be fine, alright. Keep going on like that you're gonna get a hernia." and that set his father off even more.

The debate carried on for close to 30 minutes, John increasingly trying to either steer the conversation to another subject, or to end it all together. "Listen, it's been a nice chat as always, but I really don't have time for this. Was there anything else?" John finally asked.

"When are you coming home again, son?" His dad asked back.

"Soon, I'm currently awaiting new orders. I think they'll afford me some off time, especially considering the amount of training they just served me." John replied. The last three weeks had been some of the toughest training he had ever been in. He wasn't sure why they had drilled him so hard now. It almost rivaled the training he had to go through when he first joined up with the Land, See und Luft. But perhaps something big was coming, or maybe it was just an out-of-nowhere test to see if he still had it.

"Good… Then, erh…. Keep us in the loop, would 'ya lad?" His dad asked.

"Of course dad. I'll talk to both of you later." They all said their farewells and closed the hololink. John leaned back in his seat and sighed. It was at times like these he wished he hadn't given up smoking. He could use that nicotine and the small break it afforded him in his everyday life. No matter now. He stood up, and walked aimlessly around the room for a little while, just thinking about what would happen next. He knew his dad still believed he would come home, and join the family business… But he couldn't leave the military, not now and not ever. It was his home, where he belonged.

He stopped pacing around when there was a knock on his door. He called for the person to enter, and he saw that it was his superior officer Hauptmann Weber. John quickly stood at attention. "Heil Germania!" Weber greeted with a salute.

"Heil Germania" John said in return and stood at ease. Weber removed some documents from a folder and handed them to John. He studied them eagerly while Weber spoke.

"New orders just came through for you, Oberleutnant. Report to Wilhelmshaven within three days. The Shuttle will take you to Hamburg, and the LSL will compensate you for further travel costs to Wilhelmshaven. Shuttle departs in 2 hours. Any questions?" Weber finally asked.

"Who is my new CO?" John asked, as he couldn't find any information in the papers, nor could he actually see what was going to happen. Best guess was that he would be transferred to a new vessel, no other reason to send him to Wilhelmshaven otherwise.

"Classified information for now. Anything else?"

"No sir."

"Good. Shuttle departs in two hours. Heil Germania." Hauptmann Weber reminded him. John nodded.

"Heil Germania." John said and watched as his superior officer disappeared out through the door he entered. John began to pack his personal belongings into his duffle bag and prepared himself to say goodbye to the LSL HQ, not that he enjoyed being here. Too boring when you aren't training.

After packing up everything, he sent a message to his parents that he wouldn't be able to make it home before the new assignment. Instead he made plans to stay in Hamburg for a day or so. He also sent his sister a message, asking her if she was well and how her assignment was working out. As he stepped out the door and moved down the hallway, he stopped when he noticed the big poster in hologram form on the wall. It was a montage of pictures, showcasing German industry, Military warships, and normal everyday life in Germany. The caption read: "GERMANY. A COUNTRY THAT MOVES FORWARD". He smiled as he watched it, it reminded him of the posters he had seen as a kid, the very reason he wanted to join the military in the first place.

Before he knew better, his time was up and he was on the shuttle. He wondered what the new assignment was going to include, if indeed it would be something mundane or more action packed. Though if his gut feeling had anything to say about the matter, it would seem it would be the latter.

23/5 2059

Kriegsmarine naval port, Wilhelmshaven, Germany.

"We're here." The cab driver told him. John looked out the window and saw the massive gates leading into the compound. Right, it was on foot from here. "That will be 20 Reichsmark."

"Thanks." John said with a smile as he transferred the amount with his omni-tool. He stood out of the taxi and went around to the boot to grab his stuff. With his duffle bag over his shoulder, he watched the taxi drive off. When it was gone, he turned his attention to the compound and began making his way over to the security checkpoint.

"Ihre Papirer bitte." The guard requested. John reached into his pocket and dug up his identification papers and handed them to the guard, who studied them for a moment, and then went back to his computer. "Oberleutnant John Shepard?" He asked.

"Yes sir."

"I can read here that you are to report to Hanger 11. Just follow the main road down. Someone will be there to greet you." The guard informed him as he handed John his papers back.

"Thank you. Heil Germania!" John said and gave a salute. One which the guard returned. With that in mind, John made his way down the main street, observing the everyday life of the soldiers in the base. He counted the hangers as he went along. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and then 11. He stopped and looked to check that this was the right place.

Before long, he noticed a familiar figure standing outside the hangers, cigar in hand, as he spoke to some other officers. John quickly made his way over there. The man in question? Captain Otto Hölder. "Excuse me Gentlemen, the guest of honor has arrived." Otto smiled as he took a drag of his cigar. The other Kriegsmarine officers nodded and went their way.

"Jonathan! Good to see you again! How have you been?" Otto smiled.

"Hello Captain. I am well, and how about yourself?" John asked as he shook Otto's hand.

"Can't complain I suppose.. Oh, you want a cigar?" Otto held out a cigar for John to take, he gestured a no-thanks.

"I quit smoking." John clarified. Otto shook his head slightly and let out a small chuckle as he packed away the cigar in his pocket and took a drag of his own. "I assume you are my new CO then?" John then asked. Otto nodded while finishing the drag of his cigar.

"You assume correctly. You have been assigned to me, or rather, I asked you to be assigned to me." Otto replied.

"So you got a new vessel? What's my new job? Security?" John inquiried. The last few times he had worked with Otto, he had been in charge of the response team onboard the vessels. He had always admired the man, perhaps even seen him as some sort of backup father figure or mentor. Though if he was running the security team again, it did make him feel like he was stuck in this position.

"Kind of, I want you to be my second-in-command. My XO so to speak." John froze as he heard that. This would not only be the highest position he had served in so far, second in command of a German warship, but he would be the first American to ever receive this honor.

"I would be honored, Sir." John humbly said.

"Not like you had a choice either way, kid." Otto took another drag. "Let's go have a look at her, shall we? You're gonna love it." Otto gestured for John to follow him, and John happily did so. He waited as Otto scanned his keycard, security seemed to be tight around this hanger in particular. This led them into a hallway that had a lot of doors. John kept following Otto as they made their way down the metal corridor. Otto stopped at one of the doors, and opened it.

They went inside to the main hanger, and the sight before John was indeed something to behold. A ship, probably a frigate class, that was slick in design, but yet still grand in scope. It didn't look like your typical Kriegsmarine warship, it's design was almost… Distilled. John couldn't help but stare in awe at the ship.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Otto asked, and John hardly heard him due to his focus being somewhere else entirely, but still managed to nod a 'yes' back to Otto. "Her name is the DKM Normandy, as you probably guessed she is a frigate. Top-notch experimental design, in more ways than one, as you will see." Otto explained.

"She is indeed a big ship... " John finally remarked, and Otto let out a small chuckle. "But… experimental how?" John then turned and asked.

"In three major ways. But before I disclose this to you, Remember that these are all highly classified state secrets. Understand?" Otto asked with a real serious undertone, which was understandable. Espionage was a thing the German Reich took very seriously.

"Yes sir." John quickly replied. Otto smiled and gestured for John to follow him. They began to make their way up the ramp.

"For years the Reich has seeked to eliminate the need for Element Zero in her vessels. If we could find some alternative, cheap method, then we would have a huge advantage in any war we fight. So, research has been ongoing ever since the war with the Turians came to a close." They continued up and came up to the Normandy side door. "Though we weren't able to crack the code ourselves. We then enlisted the help of someone else."

"Who?" John asked. Otto stopped and turned to look at him.

"The Quarians." He answered as he opened the door to the Normandy and entered the decontamination chamber. "We've had secret dealings with the Quarians for years. They traded their knowledge in exchange for resources, and we have been the only ones to take them up on that offer. Now, while we got their help on this matter, we still failed. This vessel still runs on Eezo… But the knowledge we gained during that exchange was enough for us to create a new type of drive core… One that can make a ship like The Normandy go faster than any other ship in the Galaxy."

"That's… Amazing! So The Normandy is the fastest ship in the Galaxy?" John asked in almost disbelief.

"Correct. She can outrun anything those Turians have, or anyone else for that matter. But while I'm hesitant to give compliments to any race besides us… Those Quarians really know technology." Otto turned and said, and with that, the decontamination finished. Otto gestured for John to walk on in. "So you can see why the Reich wants to keep this a big secret." Otto remarked.

"Of course." John quickly affirmed. Otto nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"Come meet our Helmsman. Rasmus Nygaard." Otto said as he walked into the cockpit of the vessel. The chair that the pilot sat in turned around, and revealed someone sitting in a pristine Luftwaffe uniform, complete with a full deck of medals. The pilot, Ramus, seemed to be eyeing John up.

"If it isn't the famous John Shepard. I heard about you. 'Lion of Küsgarten'. Oberleutnant Rasmus Nygaard at your service." Rasmus said as he got up from his seat and shook John's hand.

"Nice to meet you, Oberleutnant." John smiled.

"Rasmus is one of the best pilots the Luftwaffe has to offer. Extremely qualified. I suppose that makes up for the fact he is Danish." Otto laughed.

"Hey! According to Germania, we are Germans." Rasmus fired back with a smile of his own. "Besides, I have to make up for all the deadweight on this vessel. The Luftwaffe likes to keep a tight ship." Rasmus added. Otto just smiled and gestured for John to follow him down the CIC.

"Another big thing to mention is the Reich's decision to try and get the best of the best into this vessel, regardless of nationality. Of course, they still have to pass some Aryan criteria, but generally this is actually the most diverse vessel in the Reich currently. The Kriegsmarine wants to see the effects of a multinational crew that is picked based on merit and skill. Don't ask me why, I just got the order to pick the best of the best." Otto explained as they went along.

"Really? Is that why I'm here?" John stopped up and asked.

"Kind of. We needed the best of the best, and I figured you needed a chance to move up in the world. You may be considered Aryan and a German citizen, but you have already reached the glass ceiling. This is your new chance, and I promise you… It won't be your last." Otto told him. John was confused by that statement, but something told him it would be revealed soon.

"I'm honored."

"You already told me." Otto began to walk further past the CIC, and John followed with him. Otto introduced several senior officers, and John noticed that most of them were still German, but there was a Spanish comms officer, and a Italian petty officer. An unusual sight for a German ship, and it would be interesting to see it's effects.

"And of course, our navigation officer; Engelbert Bauer. Brilliant, but a tad bit Autistic if you ask me." Otto introduced them. John shook Engelbert's hand.

"Pleased to meet you, Oberleutant Shepard. I heard about your achievements on Küsgarten. I was on the DKM Bremen, we were one of the first ships on the scene back then. We're lucky to have someone like you with us." John could tell that Engelbert was being sincere, he also had a very firm handshake.

"Thank you. I'm pleased to meet you as well. How long have you been with the Kriegsmarine?" John asked out of curiosity. Engelbert leaned back and thought about it for a second.

"About 20 years, I believe. Joined when I was 18, and it seemed it was a match made in Heaven, because they offered me to stay and I accepted. Couldn't imagine myself doing anything else." Engelbert answered. John nodded.

"We'll talk later, Engelbert." Otto stopped them and gestured for John to follow him. "The last big thing is also worth talking about. The Normandy stealth system, the so-called IES. Meaning the Normandy can activate this system and effectively become invisible. We can sneak in and out of systems without being detected." Otto explained further as they took the elevator down. "Before you get ahead of yourself, no, we don't become invisible per say. It traps our heat signatures so we don't show up on the enemy's radar."

"That's… genius." John said as he thought it over in his head. This was literally one of the most usual things for a vessel of this size. "So we can drop off teams without ever being seen?" John asked.

"Of course. If you want to know more about it, you'll have to ask the grease monkeys down in Engineering. We even have a woman working down there, Ashley Williams." That comment made John pause. A woman? In the Kriegsmarin? Practically unheard of, even if it was a non-combat role. "She knows her stuff, which is why she is here."

"She's American? Last I heard, they didn't let women into the Navy, much less any military branch besides nurses." John asked.

"She was one of the first to get in. My guess? It has something to do with her grandfather being a senator. The volunteer divisions have been slowly accepting women for ages, it's only now that the Americans are beginning to do it… And by proxy, the Reich itself it seems." Otto answered.

With that, the elevator reached the second level. The mess hall, medbay, sleeping pods and Captain quarters were on this stage. John followed Otto around as he showed it all off. They approached one man.

"This is Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko. American, like you. Ranger and probably one of the best biotics out there". Otto introduced the man.

"Nice to meet you sir." Kaidan offered his hand. John shook it.

"Likewise Lieutenant." John replied. The guy seemed like he was perhaps in his late twenties, dark hair and eyes, but Aryan enough looking. Biotics were too big of a deal yet in the military, not that many humans had the ability, but in recent years more and more had begun to pop up. Both the Reich and the American union have made their respective programs for specialised biotics. The Reich had the Jägers, the Americans had the Rangers. Kaidan must have been a good biotic if he had caught Otto's eyes.

"I want you to prepare the men for inspection in the cargo hold. Shepard and I will be down in ten minutes." Otto ordered.

"Yes sir!" He saluted and quickly went to the elevator to head down to the final level. Otto gestured for John to follow him to the medbay. Upon entering, John saw that it was state-of-the-art, completely up to date. The very next he noticed was an older woman, currently working on a terminal. He was a bit puzzled, but suspected she must have been the nurse.

"This is Doctor Karin Chakwas. English, and one of the best military doctors in service." Otto introduced her. It made little sense in John's head, because as far as he understood, no women were allowed to become doctors… Then again, Dr. Chakwas was indeed English, and there were some different rules and culture norms over there. Nevertheless, he formally introduced himself, as did she and they shook hands.

"Heard great things about you, Shepard. It will be an honor to work with you." Chakwas smiled. She had a lovely English accent. John smiled back.

"Likewise, Doctor."

"She will be performing monthly checkups on the crew, so that includes you. You ever get hurt, you make your way. Got it?" Otto asked.

"Yes sir."

"Good, let's head down to the cargo bay." Otto went off. John quickly followed him there. It was only a short elevator ride down, and when the doors opened, they revealed a massive cargo bay. Instantly, John took notice of the H-49 MTW, the standard APC on board, but from what he could see, it had gotten some modifications than the standard version.

There were plenty of people in the cargo bay, all of them performing different actions. John saw the lineup of the response team that Kaidan had assembled. They all looked veteran in their nature, but also nothing like the usual standard infantry man.

"To your right side there is Horst Dietrich." John looked over and saw a man standing with a data-pad, and it looked like he was counting crates. "He is the Normandy's procurement specialist. Fortunately for us, since we are not only an elite ship, but also experimental, the Kriegsmarine has seen fit to give us a blank check when it comes to equipment. You ever find yourself in need of anything, you go talk to Lieutenant Dietrich."

"Understood Sir."

"Good. Now, let us have a look at the people you will be working most closely with." Otto said and turned his gaze to the people standing in line. "ATTENTION!" And very quickly all of them stood at attention. John looked at them, and as he got a closer look, he realized it was indeed a rather diverse set of characters. Otto also looked over at them. "At ease". And then all of them changed their pose.

"This is Oberleutnant Johnathan Shepard. He will be your new CO, and you will respect his orders as if they were my own. Is that understood?" Otto asked the soldiers. They all replied 'Yes sir'

"Dismissed." And all of them quickly returned to their duties. "You'll get to socialize more in the coming days, don't you worry son." Otto reassured him.

"Understood sir." John nodded.

"Then come on, there is one last person for you to meet. We'll be prepping for check off." Otto informed him. John eagerly followed after the old captain, unsure as to who the last person he needed to meet was.