Chapter 1

Normandy CIC - Present

Samantha Traynor was still on duty, holding post in front of her terminal. Her mind focused on achieving the task, she had been given by Commander Jane. She spent a whole three hours of intensive effort just to crack the security code in order to discover some classified information on Cerberus. Now she has half an hour before the shift ends. She was tired and felt dizzy.

Good time for a rest now. I should be happy, that she didn't come back and check on my progress again.

She remembered the day, when Commander Jane and Jennifer Shepard came on board. That awful day, when Earth was attacked by the reapers. She was evocative of the smell, the screaming and the destruction made by the machines. At that moment she had felt real fear for the first time in her life. Everything seemed to be lost and she had been stunned by all of the chaos. When they left Vancouver alive, thanks to the goddess for Jokers pilot skills, she thought of the end of all. And shortly after take-off, she had her first encounter with those crazy women.

Normandy Shuttle Bay - Attack on Earth

The ramp opened slowly. All Samantha knew, was that they would get somebody from the battle in Vancouver haven. Someone important, of course. She expected Admiral Anderson. He was the one, who should resume the Normandy after the retrofits were finished. So it must be him, who else?

When the chute opened completely, she could see the smoke and terror arranged by the reapers.

Oh ... fuck, what the hell am I doing here? I shouldn't be here.

Samantha strengthened the grip on the gun in her right hand.

I'm just a specialist, not a warrior. I was trained for basics and data feeds, not for war.

She didn't fire even one bullet. She was just afraid of doing it. Executive Officer Bradock had dropped the weapon in her hands and given orders to defend the ramp, preventing any husks from entering the ship. Samantha was shocked by the idea of shooting anything. She was glad, that Steve was standing next to her with a rifle, just doing his job.

Several minutes passed until she heard XO Bradock screaming on the comm:

"We got them... Joker prepare for take-off... Hurry!"

Then three forms were running up the ramp, and the vision came into her view.

One was XO Bradock and the others ones, she didn't recognize.

"Good job, Specialist!" Bradock nodded.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Samantha responded confused.

Steve slapped her back. "Just be cool. Everything will be fine" he added, trying to brighten her up. Then he left to check on the weapons.

Where is Anderson? And who are they...?

Her gaze was fixed on the two women in front of her. Both of a tall build, wearing alliance uniforms, covered with blood and dirt. One with waste red hair, freckles over her skin, green piercing eyes and flashy red scars on her face.

The other one almost looked the same, apart from the dark black hair and her stature was a bit less muscled than the redhead, but also well-conditioned.

Their faces and their eyes were the same. Same shining green eyes and the same pale face covered with red marks.

Samantha started to feel unwell. At this point she realized her dumbfounded gaze was on both of them. Now it became clear. She had seen pictures in the extranet of those women. The redhead grinned diabolicly in her direction.

"Look, Jennifer, we got a fan!" she said, knitting her brows.

The black-haired smirked back, dropping her gun at the table. She grinned when Samantha blushed.

"Nice, another Rookie... sweet... Let's check it!"

The red-head took a step forward, now standing directly in front of Samantha. Her face was only a few centimeters away from her own.

Oh shit..The Shepards...They are bloody mad! And I behaved like an idiot.

The red-head tilted her head and started to examine the specialist.

Intimidated by this demeanor, Samantha took a step back, feeling anxiety rising.

I should run away... Remember what Joker said... Why the fuck are they here? They were arrested...Oh Sammy be grateful...just a little bit...They saved your ass on horizon.. Remember...

Before anything could have gone worse, the scene was interrupted by the comm.

"Commanders... Admiral Hackett wants to speak to you." Joker announced.

Thank the goddess...

The red-head rose her head disappointed, but still holding a devilish grin.

Samantha took a deep breath. "I should go to my post in CIC, am I dismissed?", looking desperate to the XO.

Bradock was leaning on a table, watching the whole scene with a confused expression. She didn't have experience in dealing with the Shepard twins, but she heard enough to know, she better let her Specialist leave.

"Yeah. Dismissed Specialist!" she answered finally.

After Samantha left for the elevator, Bradock turned back to both women.

"Well, she is an excellent communication specialist." she said.

The black-haired woman retorted. "We will see.."