Author's Note: Hello, everyone. I'm getting a lot of complaints that I'm rushing things. Yes, yes I am. That is intentional. I want to get Mass Effect 1 out of the way because that's not going to change much but once Palmer meets with Hackett after the destruction of the Normandy SR1 things will change, rather dramatically. That's when I'll be more detailed because it won't be quite the same. Those who read my other stories will know that I don't detail canon unless I'm expanding on something. Right, sorry for the rant. Actually, fuck it. Time jump to the destruction of the Normandy. Every time people complain about me going too fast, I'm going to do a time skip from now on. End of, good bye.

SSV Normandy SR1, 2183

Palmer threw the knife into the air once more, watching the cargo bay as the knife spun in the air before it fell back into her hand. A month had passed since the Battle of the Citadel, a battle which had seen the Normandy ground team face off against a robotic version of the traitorous Spectre Saren Arterius. Palmer had kept the arm she'd torn off it in the fight as a souvenir, leaving it lying on a nearby crate. In the month since, the Normandy had seen minimal action, pursuing the remaining geth forces.

Currently, they were scouring the Omega Nebula for geth. They had found absolutely no trace of geth in the system.

"Brace for evasive manoeuvres!" Joker suddenly shouted over the intercom.

Palmer was sent careening halfway across the bay before her boots magnetised and locked her to the ground. The Normandy shook as weapons fire impacted, causing Palmer to stagger as she made her way toward the elevator. The SPARTAN managed to lift the elevator door and then open the hatch in the lift's ceiling to allow everyone to climb up toward the escape pods. She ducked instinctively as a gout of fire erupted from the engine room before following the others up the ladder.

A wall beside her exploded, sparks and debris bouncing off her shields as she ushered the other crew members to the escape pods. Climbing in with a group of engineers, they sealed and launched the pod. As it drifted away from the crippled vessel, the hostile ship (which, in Palmer's opinion, looked like someone had stuck a couple of asteroids together) swung around and fire some kind of beam, finishing the smaller ship off and leaving the debris to drift into the atmosphere of the planet below.

By the time the Alliance arrived, the unknown ship had disappeared and the Normandy had spiralled to the planet below. The crew was retrieved and brought to Arcturus Station for debrief where they discovered that Commander Shepard had been declared killed in action. After a funeral held for the Commander and other deceased crew members, the remaining crew members were reassigned. Palmer, not actually working for the Alliance, was permitted by Admiral Hackett to observe the Alliance military's training. She watched a group of N7s go through the final stages of their training before she came to a decision.

SSV Orizaba, 2184

Palmer strode through the halls of the flagship of the Fifth Fleet toward Admiral Hackett's office. As she approached the door, it slid open to allow Hannah Shepard out. The two exchanged salutes as they passed each other before Palmer stepped into the door way.

"Admiral Hackett, sir. May I have a word?" Palmer said, standing at attention in the doorway.

Hackett looked up from the datapad before him and nodded to a chair across from him.

"Sarah Palmer, what can I do for you?" Hackett asked as he set the datapad to one side.

"Admiral, I'll be frank with you. The Alliance has no rapid response force. In an emergency, there is no way for soldiers to reach the ground quickly. Where I come from, we have a group specially trained for that. I would like permission to form such a force on behalf of the Systems Alliance," Palmer requested.

Hackett leaned back in his seat, hand on his chin.

"What kind of force are we talking about exactly?" Hackett inquired.

"The force is known as the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. As the name suggests, they're an elite force that drop from ships in orbit to the battlefield. They use things known as the Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle, or drop pods, to fall through the atmosphere and reach the battlegrounds faster than a dropship. I know how they work, I can give you schematics and I'll train the soldiers as well. All I need is the green light from you, Admiral," Palmer explained.

Hackett sat in silence, staring at the jumpsuit-clad woman in front of him in contemplation. After a couple of minutes silence, Hackett leaned forward.

"Alright. You have my permission to begin the creation of these 'ODSTs'. I'll review it in a year and decide whether to allow it to continue. Until further notice, you answer directly to me, understood Major Palmer?" Hackett told her.

Palmer stood up and saluted quickly.

"Yes, sir. What should I do about personnel?" Palmer asked.

"Leave that to me. I'll have a list of two dozen for you to work with initially within the week. Your job right now is to figure out where you want to train them. I'll give you access to our records and leave the decision up to you. Dismissed, Major," Hackett said with a wave of his hand.

Palmer snapped another salute before turning to leave.

A week later, Palmer was in one of the briefing rooms of the Orizaba with Hackett off to one side and twenty-four men and women in Alliance uniforms in front of her.

"Alright, ladies and… other soldiers. You are here at Admiral Hackett's suggestion. I understand he has personally looked over each and every one of your files before passing them to me. We are in agreement: each of you has the potential to succeed in this unit. I will warn you now, the training I will put you through is going to be harsh. It will not be like N7 training. Comparing the two is like comparing primary school to army training. Guess which is which," Palmer began.

There was some quiet muttering around the room before Palmer spoke again.

"The unit in question is an experimental unit which, if it is successful, could revolutionise Alliance military tactics. You will become the best soldiers in the Alliance roster. You will need to be because you'll end up behind enemy lines and in the middle of their formations with little time to recover. I will warn you now, you join up and everything will change. Your attitude to the world will change, your relationship with the rest of the Alliance military will change and most of all, your abilities will change, for the better.

"You will be the first in the fight and the last ones out. You will be the ones called upon to do the impossible, the ones called upon to do what the N7s couldn't do in their wildest dreams, what the Spectres couldn't do."

The muttering returned and one of the men at the back decided to speak up.

"What's this unit gonna be then?" he asked.

"It will be known as the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers and it's exactly what it sounds like. The ODSTs will employ a piece of equipment known as the Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle to fall from a ship in orbit to the battlefield below. It will get you there far faster than a dropship. It is also why you need to be the best. As the first in, there will be no artillery right behind us, no back up available besides those who hit the ground with you. Now then, any more questions?" Palmer concluded.

"Yeah. What the hell? This is insane!" one of the men at the front shouted.

"Yes, it is. But it is also extremely dangerous, risky and open only to the best. If you don't want to join, I'm sure we can find people to replace you but I'd rather not. You in this room are my first choice. I trust you to be able to handle it, to be able to do it," Palmer stated.

"What if we have an offer from N7?" one of the other men asked.

"Were ye not listenin' tae the major? The ODSTs'll make the N7s look like bloody amateurs. Why would ye even care about N7 anymare?" a woman asked from the front in a strong Scottish accent.

"She's right. Who cares about N7 when we have the opportunity to make history in a new elite unit?" a russian man asked from the back.

"If you want to accept the N7 invitation, feel free. But if you do, you will not be receiving another offer from me. The focus in training is sufficiently different that bringing in an N7 could cause problems," Palmer explained.

"Where will we be training?" asked another woman.

Palmer pointed to the holographic planet above the briefing table.

"Here. This is the planet Reach in the Epsilon Eridani system. Temperate climate and quite a bit of native wildlife. The system itself is almost three days away from the nearest system at FTL speeds meaning that it was considered too far for colonisation. Some of the wildlife is rather dangerous, as is some of the terrain. All these factors together make it an excellent place for a training ground. By the time you leave SWORD Base, you'll be capable of surviving alone on almost any planet and be capable of beating a krogan in a fist fight. Any other questions? No? Right then, anyone who wants in, come and sign your name on the datapad and wait to the side. Anyone else can leave now."

A few of them muttered to each other as they stood, clearly debating whether to sign or not. The man who'd asked about N7 didn't hesitate to leave, walking straight out. After a few minutes, everyone else had signed it. Hackett stepped forward to speak to them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for signing up. As Major Palmer has said, this is an experimental unit. In a year, I'll review it and, depending on my opinion, will either scrap it or expand it. Which occurs is up to you. Good luck, ladies and gentlemen. Dismissed," Hackett said.

He exchanged a salute with the group before him before leaving. Once the door closed, Palmer turned to her group of future ODSTs.

"We leave for Reach at 0600 ship-time tomorrow. If you're late, you're not coming. The shuttles leave at 0600, not any later. Dismissed, troopers," Palmer ordered.