A/N:WHAT IS UP MUCKAAAACHUNGAAAAAS!? IT'S TRAVEZTY! And today I'm going to bring you a shorter chapter than usual but that's because there isn't much that I can fit into this chapter to be honest. However, there is something that I've been wondering about and I would like to hear your opinions on it.

You see, with the update for Cyberpunk 2077 being downloaded into my bro-in-law's Xbox, I'm going to have to start over on my V's story to ensure I don't overload him with Cyberware. I'm still going to do the Corpo Lifepath, as, despite being the "evil" origin, to me it allows me to explore a Freedom and Redemption story based on my actions. In any case, what I need your help on is something simple but also most difficult. I ask you this: do you guys want me to try an ME x CP story where V finds himself in the Mass Effect Universe, 106 years after the events of CP 2077? If you do, leave a review or vote on the poll that I will be posting on my profile after this chapter gets put up! If I get enough votes, I'll start planning it out!

Anyway, I think that's enough out of me for now, Please be sure to Follow, Favorite, Review, and Share this story with anyone and everyone you know how likes Cyberpunk 2077 and Mass Effect Content! Catch ya on the Flipside! Shepard…

Chapter 3: The Round Table

Shepard wakes up, stretching as he looks above him, seeing space pass by… 'Yeah… That's right…' V thinks remembering how, a few days ago, they took care of a few errands on the Citadel, and then met up with Captain Anderson and Ambassador Udina. There Anderson revealed why Saren hated him so much, and, among other things, how Saren had cost Anderson his chance at being a Spectre. It was shocking to say the least and gave V a whole nother reason to hate the chicken. Aside from that, they were given two potential targets to hit, as well as a few side missions to take care of… However, for now, Shepard was more concerned with getting everyone synced and up to snuff, so, over the past few days, he has had everyone take N7 Levels of Training using specialized Militech Training Shards to hook into Brain Dance headsets so that everyone could sink up properly and learn to fight one another. Thanks to the fact that time in Cyberspace passes by much faster than in reality, they were able to complete the training just yesterday, and, not that it was surprising, Wrex actually learned much faster than everyone, given his experience both as a warrior and a leader. Thanks to this, he had to prepare the scenario in which they would officially work as a team in a simulator before they landed on Therum, but he already had that finished after dinner. Right now, he was merely preparing everyone's Celebratory Gifts for passing the Scenario, as he had no doubt that they would. Thankfully, after looking over everyone's preferences weapon choices, which ranged between Assault Rifles, Shotguns, and Sniper Rifles, Shepard had the perfect idea for everyone's gift. Now, granted, he already gave Tali and Ashley upgrades to their weapons, and they already had some pretty good gear, but after looking at his Spectre Armor and weapons, he knew he could do better for the group as a whole, so he spent most of the night working on his latest creations based on his top of the line Spectre Armor.

"Commander." Joker says over the comms.

"Yes, Joker?" Shepard asks.

"Tali said that everyone's ready for their Final Exam! And that you should get some breakfast before things get crazy!"

"Right, thanks Joker!" Shepard says, heading to the Mess Hall with a smirk on his face. He smiles as he finds there are actually omelets for breakfast, and after he chooses down, he goes to meet the others in the briefing room, where he has the headsets set up. "Alright, everyone, this is your final exam before we reach Therum! This you to the test in how everyone works as an N-7 Unit. I will be joining you all for this exam. So I hope you have all prepared for something unusual…"

"Ha! If this is anything like the training you put us through, then it will be, so you humans say, a cakewalk." Wrex says.

"Famous last words…!" Kaidan says, smirking, to which Wrex snorts but smirks. Shepard smiles as he takes his seat and everyone puts on the Brain Dance Headsets and Johnny smirks.

"Time to party like it's 2023!" Johnny says. And soon,everyone finds themselves standing on what appears to be a barren field, one that has been devastated by falling debris. "Welcome, everyone, I'm Lieutenant Robert Johny Linder, famously known as Johnny Silverhand… I will be your exam proctor! Now, I won't tell you what you will face, but this is the world of Shanxi…" Johnny says, causing Garrus and Ashleynto to turn pale, "This will be taking place during the First Contact War, specifically, during the Battle of the Round Table… You are simulating the human soldiers under the Command of Captain Hannah Shepard! Your mission is to survive for as long as possible under Turian Assault, and, if you manage to do so, you will be given a choice… Depending on your decision, you will be given extra credit towards your final test scores… If you need a moment to prepare yourselves, now is the time, otherwise, the mission will begin."

"Skipper, you're seriously sending us through this?" Ashley asks.

"Yes, I am… This was supposed to be my final exam… However, due to my connection to my mother, I was given an entirely different one… I think I just wanted to see my mother and fight alongside her, even if it was only once." Shepard says, looking down. "I know it's selfish, but…"

"No, Shepard…" Garrus says, "I can understand this, somewhat… My mother is dying, and everyday I'm away from home is another day I can't spend with her. So I can understand why you wanted to join us."

"You guys done being pussies?" Johnny says, to which Shepard gives a glare, only to see a woman walk towards them. "Cuz your Final Exam starts now!" Everyone turns to see an extremely beautiful woman, with fiery red hair and menacing blue eyes walking to them, a sword at her side as she wields a Militech M-179 Achilles in her arms.

"Ten-Hut!" Hannah Shepard calls out and everyone stands at attention. "Alright, Maggots! I know you're starving, and, thanks to these Turian Bastards, our food supplies are running low. However, you forget where the hell I'm from! I'm a Night City Native, which means we're going to be gathering ingredients for SCOP! Our mission is simple, get out of the city limits and into the Round Table!"

"Ma'am!" Garrus says, "Question!"

"What is it, soldier?"

"Ma'am, call me ignorant or misinformed, but what is this SCOP made of, and why can't we gather resources within the city, Ma'am?" Garrus asks.

"A reasonable question, soldier, it is simple! SCOP, or Single Cell Organic Protein, is a Night City staple in all of our foods that takes advantage of the most readily available source of meat: Insects, Arachnids, and Worms! Processing and flavoring it is easy enough!" Garrus looks like he is about to be sick. "As for why we are going out of the city…" She then walks up to Garrus and punches him in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. "OPEN UP YOUR EYES, JARHEAD! Every time we move into the city limits, the Turians drop space debris from the ruins of our orbital stations or from nearby asteroid belts on top of us! The Round Table is the only location on the map their sensors don't work due to the powerful magnetic fields that surround it, it also short circuits any Mass Accelerator Weapons, or MAWs, that enter it's magnetic field, that is why you had to switch out your tech to magnetic resistant ones and are using Militech M-176 Precision Rifles!" She then helps Garrus up, "The M-176, or Achilles, is a precision rifle that threesomes the abilities of an Assault Rifle, Shotgun, and Sniper Rifle. It is also the only Tech Weapon we have on hand that properly functions in the Round Table." Garrus rubs his chin, surprised a Human managed to hit him so hard, even more so when Hannah Shepard offers him a hand and helps him stand up again. "Now we need to get going before the Turians start dropping things on us again! MOVE OUT!"

"AYE AYE!" They all shout, everyone following Hannah Shepard out of the city as they move through the wilderness towards an area where there is plenty of wild food stuff, but it seems like Hannah is focused on finding certain things.

"Aha! Here we go!" Captain Shepard says as she finds a tree and breaks it open. "Termites!"

"Allow me, Captain!" V says, and brings out a container to capture the bugs. As the group continues to forage for bugs, Hannah Shepard actually goes on a lecture about how certain insects and arachnids have been used in Human Cuisine for centuries, but Night City fully embraced that culture during the Great Food Crisis of 2020.

"And my personal favorite are…" that is when Hannah reaches into a bush and smiles and pulls something out that causes Tali to scream. "Deep Fried Spiders!"

"Shepard, your mother ate spiders!?" Tali shrieks.

"Shepard?" Hannah asks, looking over to V, who takes his helmet off. The Simulation of Hannah gasps in shock.

"Hey… Mom…" V says.

"Vincent?" Hannah asks. But that is when an explosion happens nearby. "Shit! They know we're here!"

"Everyone, defensive positions!" V says, in which Johnny, watching on, noticed Hannah's reaction to V, and noted that as unusual. That is when the group notices Turian Drops ships coming in and Hannah snarls.

"Vincent, I know this isn't the time to be asking this, but how long have you been an N7?" Hannah asks.

"A few years… I had to take a different exam from everyone else, but they wouldn't tell me why!" V says, preparing his Achilles.

"Oh when this test is over, I will have words with the Brass about that!" Hannah says.

"Wait what?" Shepard asks.

"Later! I'm guessing this group of aliens and humans are your squad?"

"Yeah! Tali'Zorah of the Quarians, Garrus Vakarian of the Turians, Urdnot Wrex of the Krogans, Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, and Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams!" V says as the group begins shooting as the Turians come into view, with Garrus not hesitating to shoot them.

"Pleasure to meet you all, given the circumstances!" Hannah says, "Take good care of my son once this is over, alright?"

"He takes care of us more, but we'd be honored!" Tali says. The group keeps on fighting for over an hour as they slowly begin to get overrun by the Turians. During this, Hannah watches as her son commands his unit, but notices Vincent doesn't have a Sandevistan, but is instead using a Cyberdeck. A little disappointed at his choice of Operating System, it is quickly washed away once she sees him using Ping to mark the locations of their enemies so that everyone has a clear shot, while he uses Short Circuit to make everything easier. She also smiles as her son uses Mantis Blades and Optical Camouflage to get close and backstab their opponents before hitting them with EMP Grenades to disable their tech. Eventually though, the numbers start becoming too much for her son's team, in which Hannah, once they retreat to an open location, draws her sword and activates her Sandevistan, and begins the rampage she was infamous for, cutting down hundreds of Turian soldiers without pity or mercy.

V watches his mother in awe as he sees his mother go on her rampage, trying to hold his composure as he looks like a little kid watching his favorite cartoon hero beating up the bad guys. The humans and Quarian in the group are openly cheering for Hannah, enjoying what they are seeing. Wrex watches with a look of respect on his face, thinking that the Commander's mother would have made a great Krogan Soldier for his clan back in the day, had she been Krogan herself. Garrus, on the other hand, realizes now why every Turian fears the name Shepard; this went from a one-sided battle in favor of the Turians to a bloody massacre in the span of a few seconds. However, after learning about the conditions that his people's military tactics had put the humans through, he begins to re-evaluate everything.

The Debris and ruined cities, the conditions in which the humans are being forced to try and survive in… Starvation, constant dropping of orbital debris… In his spare time, Garrus had read up on human military tactics, and realized that Humanity had abandoned such tactics centuries ago, due to how they considered such tactics cruel and unjust, and that is why humans prefer fighting their opponents face to face, so to speak. Now seeing things from the other side of the conflict, he can see why humans abandoned such tactics, if the Alliance had done this to Palaven… No wonder the survivors of Shanxi hate the Turians so much…

However, Garrus's musings are interrupted when Captain Shepard comes face to face with a familiar Turian, only 30 years younger, and fresh out of training. "Councilor Sparatus!" Garrus says as the two engage in mortal combat, in which Hannah bests the past version of the Turian Councilor, and the Turian only escapes with his life because Hannah dies in front of him, her injuries finally taking their toll. They all watch as the remaining Turian Soldiers try to gun down her corpse, only for it to defiantly remain standing, even when the ships drop a massive piece of orbital space station on her… The station breaks cleanly in two before reaching her, landing on either side of her still standing body. "So… That's what happened…"

"Mom…" V says, looking at her, in which Vincent smiles proudly and salutes her, in which Kaidan and Ashley follow suit.

"Alright, maggots…" Johnny says, "The show's over!" After this the group exits the simulation, and everyone gets a great score, having exceeded the base scores… However, they then notice that Shepard isn't out of the Simulation…

Standing there as he looks at his mother's simulated corpse, Shepard looks as the simulated background fades… "Mom… I never got the chance to know you… But I'll tell you everything about my life up until now…" V says, "I grew up in Night City, just as you did, taken in by Captain Anderson! As a kid I had always been interested in technology and hacking, I was even inspired by Anderson to become a Marine! However, to increase my chances, I decided to join the 6th Street, to be trained by retired war veterans who put me through the ringer, and I even joined their subgroup, the Tenth Street Reds! During my youth, I met Tali'Zorah, who became my closest friend on Earth, before she had to leave when I turned 13. I would work for the Reds by crafting weapons to sell to vendors on the streets, and would earn the money I would need to pay for my gear to join the Military. Once I came of age, I joined the Alliance Military. Initially, I wanted to be an Engineer, but Anderson and my superiors, who noted my Stealth capabilities, suggested I take on Infiltrator Training, and I never looked back."

"I gained a rival with another Infiltrator named Kai Leng, and we became friends… When I completed my training, I finally learned who you were and I was introduced to you via your favorite drink, the Demon Lord, a drink that you requested to be made with Mead, Cinnamon Syrup, and Cherry Grenadine…" V says, smiling, "After that, I worked hard to achieve the Designation of N7, became Hero of Elysium, and now a Council Spectre!" He smiles as he looks at her, "I know that it wasn't your fault that you never came back… But I want you to know that I forgive you… And I love you, mom…" Shepard sheds a tear, "I will always remember the time we spent together… Thank you…"

"I'm so proud of you… Vincent…" Hannah says, V smiles as he leaves the simulation, the shards flying out of his neuroport.

"Shepard!" Ashley says, "Skipper, you alright?"

"I'm fine…" V says, wiping the tears from his eyes. He then smiles as he stands up, and then has everyone come down to the Armory, in which, much to everyone's surprise, Shepard reveals that he has made everyone Spectre-level Gear and Weapons, which surprises everyone, especially Ashley who looks to see the weapons laid out for them.

"Wait, these are Militech M-179 Achilles Precision Rifles, and the latest iteration of them too!" Ashley says, "How did you-?"

"Built them myself!" V says, "Now, if you guys remember from the simulation, the Achilles combines the multi-projectile shots of a Shotgun with a fixed spread, the semi-automatic fire of an Assault Rifle, and is capable of being used as a Sniper Rifle as it's Shots fly completely straight. I even fully Borged out these things with Mass Accelerator Tech, and they use my custom Thermal Clips to increase their power output and longevity! And the Cherry on Top is that I managed to restore the old designs of giving them Elemental Damage to increase their killing power!" Everyone looks in shock as they hear this, Garrus examining his Achilles with a smile, and finds it quite comfortable for a Human Weapon.

"This is great, Shepard!" Garrus says, "After handling one of these in that simulation, I'm really liking this now!"

"I am glad you do, and I even added mods to your guns to suit your tastes!" V says, smiling. Everyone smiles as they try on their new armor and guns with satisfied smiles. Tali, looking at the new suit she had been given, was shocked to see how V had created a suit that practically spoke to how she wished to modify her suit when she completed her Pilgrimage, and she looks to V, who smiles at her, the Quarian girl's visor fogging up but hides a smile underneath. "Alright everyone, we'll need to get suited up soon! We're going to be touching ground on Therum soon! So be armed and ready to move as soon as you are able!"

"Aye aye!" The group confirms as Shepard nods and dismisses everyone as Shepard goes to put on his armor and attach his special EMP grenades to his waist with a smile on his face. Soon the Normandy reached Therum and V smiled as Garrus finished the last of his adjustments to the Mako.

"Shepard…" Garrus says ad V is the first to arrive.

"Garrus?"

"I have to say… I always thought it was rather ridiculous how humans hated us Turians for what we did during the Relay 314 Incident, especially when we thought we were just doing our jobs… But getting to see it in person from your people's point of view… And to truly meet the woman all Turian Soldiers whisper in hushed tones, and see a glimpse of who she was… I'll say that it was an eye-opener…" Garrus says, "I never thought things could get that bad… Or how traumatizing it must've been for your people, who follow strict rules of engagement, whereas my people use any means to achieve our goals in war…" He looks down, "Now I can see why your people hate us so much, and why Councilor Sparatus has a special hatred for humans…"

"The Turian Councilor?"

"Yes. You didn't notice it, but that last Turian your mother fought before she died was Sparatus in his youth, no doubt about it. He was fresh out of training as far as I could tell and watched as one human cut through swathes of hundreds of much older and more seasoned soldiers as if they were nothing more than plants before the scythe…" Garrus says, "And he only got out of that traumatic situation alive, not by his own abilities, but because Hannah Shepard bit it. After that, everyone says that Sparatus was the man who killed the Demon Lord of the Round Table, even though he did nothing of the sort. The truth that he didn't even scratch her and was pissing himself the whole time, literally, must be a major blow to his ego, even if he won't admit it. The fact that you are the son of the woman that traumatized him so much only fuels his anger and animosity towards you and the rest of humanity."

"Huh… Now that is preem…" V says, smirking mischievously. "Maybe I'll tell him what I think about what I just learned next time I have to call him." Garrus chuckles, "Now Shepard, there is something I've been meaning to tell you for a while, but I don't know how you're going to take it."

"Please, Garrus, save it for after we complete our current task, if it's that bad, I don't need the distraction causing me to make mistakes. Not meaning to be rude, but I really need to focus right now." V says.

"Humph… Considering you're about to go into a literal hellscape, I'm sure you don't need the distraction…" Johnny says, "Still, now he's got my curiosity piqued."

"Johnny…" V says, sighing as he looks at him.

"Silverhand again?" Garrus asks.

"Yeah, just saying he's interested in what you have to say." V says, and soon everyone comes back after getting armed. However, when V sees Tali walk towards them, he can't help but blush as he sees Tali in her new envirosuit, his face turning red, seeing how the material hugs her body as if it were made for her… Oh wait… It was! The others walk over, enjoying the feel of their new Spectre-Class Armor as Shepard has everyone load into the Mako as Joker says they are entering the Planet's atmosphere.

"So, V, are we going to land then drive onto the planet's surface?" Tali asks.

"Oh Tali, I suggest you buckle up and hang on." V says, only smiling as the hangar bay doors open.

"V?" Tali asks nervously as Shepard smiles as he hits the Gas and the Mako launches out. "V~!?"

"YEEEEEEHAAAAAAW!" Shepard shouts as Johnny Silverhand starts laughing like a cyberpsycho.