So like I said in Shinobi's Creed, my mind has been bombarded and assaulted with ideas. So I thought I'd start this up, to relieve myself of some of the ideas. Get them down and out, rather than trying to contain them in my head.

Before we start though, I'd like to clarify something right now, so this way, people don't read the chapter and yell at me in the reviews. This falls under the Mass EffectxNaruto category of crossovers. However, this will almost entirely be Mass Effect, with any Naruto references being Mass Effect versions of Naruto characters. My reason for this is I strove to find a realistic way of combining the Naruto and Mass Effect universes…and my mind came up blank. I've only seen one fanfic that has done this successfully, at least in my opinion, and I did not want to go stealing another person's idea like that. So instead, I went with this route instead. Guess we'll see if it's any good, won't we?

I hope people will enjoy this fanfic, and if not…well I hope it wasn't too bad then.

For those of you NOT familiar with Mass Effect, I suggest you try and find a copy of this trio of games, and try them out. These games are incredible. I'm almost addicted to them.

And lastly, I'd like to dedicate this fanfic to May-Princess of Hoenn, who has been an incredibly good friend, who not only got me interested in Mass Effect, but also helped me get the games to play. And I'd like to dedicate this fanfic as well to Shifty Quarian. You sly sneaky alien you. I WILL FIND YOU!

Anyways, about time for me to get going, isn't it? So, here we go.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, StarFox Adventures, or Mass Effect. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Rareware, and BioWare respectively. This is a nonprofit fanfic written for mine and the reader's enjoyment.

Chapter 1

A Child from the Past

In the year 2148 Common Era, or CE, humanity discovered that it was not alone in the universe. Miners on Mars, digging for the rare mineral known as Element Zero, or Eezo, made a startling discovery at the southern pole of the red planet. Subterranean ruins of an ancient alien research station were unearthed, revealing incontrovertible proof that humanity, at one point, was not the only sentient life in the galaxy. Scientists and archeologists swarming the ruins soon were able to uncover data from them, revealing that the race that created this ancient research station were known as Protheans. The data found jumpstarted humanities technology, and led to the discovery of a means for the human race to expand beyond the borders of their own solar system, and begin to colonize the stars. Within a year of the Archive's discovery, the Systems Alliance, a political and military force charged with the expansion and protection of humanity, was formed. At the same time, Pluto's moon, Charon, was discovered to actually be an ice encased machine that would be capable of propelling ships thousands of light years in mere seconds. The Prothean Archive revealed this device was known as a Mass Relay, and was part of a network that spread across the galaxy.

Over the course of the next eight years, humanity began expanding out from its home system, colonizing worlds, and setting up mining operations on others, utilizing their new found wealth to fuel the growth of humanity and the Alliance. Exploration teams were tasked with activating any Mass Relays they came across, to help further human expansion. All the while the governments on Earth, wary of potential dangers, funded the growth of the Alliance Navy, the military arm of the Systems Alliance.

In 2157 CE, humanity finally discovered another sentient race in the cosmos. A scout flotilla, in the midst of activating a dormant Mass Relay, was attacked by several alien ships that gave no warning. The ensuing battle led to the destruction of all but one of the Alliance ships, which limped back to the colony of Shanxi. Not that long afterwards, the aliens followed the surviving ship, and finding the colony, promptly invaded it, routing the garrison and occupying the colony. This race, known as the Turians, caught the governments of Earth off guard. As each of them squabbled over how to react, the Systems Alliance stepped in. A month after the occupation of Shanxi, the Alliance Second Fleet arrived, catching the Turian occupiers completely off guard and driving them entirely from the colony world. The Turians prepared to respond with a full out invasion of Alliance space, only to draw the attention of other powers.

The Systems Alliance was soon made aware that the Turians were only a part of a galactic community that had already been in existence for almost three thousand years. A galactic community governed by a triumvirate government known as the Council, made up of the Turians, as well as two other races: the Asari and the Salarians. With the threat of war averted, The Council and the Alliance opened negotiations, and the Systems Alliance became part of the galactic community.

In the years since then, humanity has struggled to find its own place amongst the various races that make up the galactic community of the Milky Way. The initial awe and respect of the Council Races and their affiliates slowly gaves way to frustration at living under the laws and governances of the Council, and dealing with the rising tensions with the Batarians, an aggressive race that sought to colonize many of the planets near Systems Alliance Space, planets that the Alliance also wished to colonize. Yet, as the year 2164 draws towards a close, an event is about to occur which will again draw the eyes of the galactic community to its newest member.

Planet Therum, 2164

A Batarian pirate panted as he ran through the hallways of what had been a Prothean lab of some sort in the distant past, some fifty thousand years ago. The lab had been built underground, with only a single entrance that had been caved in, until a marauding band of Batarian and Turian pirates found it and cleared it out. Their captain figured that it would be the perfect place to hide out between raids. It was underground, and the fact that they were Prothean ruins would prevent anyone from launching an orbital bombardment on them.

Two days ago, they had raided a merchant ship belonging to the humans near the Asgard System of the Exodus star cluster. They had barely left the now drifting merchant ship when a System Alliance Frigate, the SSV Falkirk, had appeared and given chase, following them to Therum in the Artemis Tau cluster. They thought they had managed to give the Falkirk the slip and arrive at their base undetected.

However, not even twenty minutes ago, the entranceway to the base had been blown open, and Alliance Marines had poured into the base, killing the majority of the twenty-odd pirate crew, and capturing the rest. This Batarian was the last of his crew, seeking to hide deeper in the ruins.

Panting, he slammed the holographic control of a door, feeling fear clutch his heart while sweat slipped into the top pair of his four eyes. He cursed as the holographic control program reacted slowly, the door remaining closed as the program accessed the system to open the door. When it finally opened, he prepared to rush through, only to let out a scream of pain as he felt a hammer blow in his left shoulder, and heard the loud bark of an assault rifle. He fell to the ground, clutching his wounded shoulder as black blood seeped out between his fingers and onto the floor. Whimpering and panting, he tried to crawl into the room, only to be stopped by an armored boot on his back. "That's far enough," a stern female voice said above him, the voice sounding slightly mechanical due likely to the voice being spoken through the communications of a sealed helmet.

Staff Lieutenant Hannah Shepard, third in command of the SSV Falkirk and commander in charge of ground operations, moved off the Batarian's back, her M-7 Lancer assault rifle trained on him as two of her marines grabbed him and dragged him to his feet. She nodded to them, seeing them securing him. "Corporal Richter, Private Hampton. Get him with the other prisoners," she said, as the two marines headed off with their prisoner. As they did so, Hannah let out a quiet sigh, wiping some soot from her helmet's visor with one armored glove.

Behind her was 1st Lieutenant Ramirez, the sniper of the Falkirk's Marine complement, and Corporal Kyoto, the marine tech specialist of the platoon. The rest of the ten marines who had come down to the ruins were currently overseeing the captured and wounded pirates, leaving these three to finish sweeping the base.

Hannah let out another sigh as she raised her assault rifle up, the adrenaline from the earlier firefights being replaced now with fatigue. "Alright, let's sweep this last room for any intel or stragglers, then get back to the others," she said, as they approached the room the Batarian had been trying to enter.

As they entered, Hannah activated the light mounted under the M-7 Lancer, allowing her to illuminate the room. She blinked as it landed on what seemed to be a long oblong pod, before she slowly panned it along the room. "What the hell is this?" She asked quietly, as they saw several other pods like the first one.

Kyoto blinked as she saw what looked like computer terminals against the wall. She approached them, quietly reaching out and wiping some dust from a wall mounted screen. Glancing down at the board, she quietly traced her armored fingers over it. "Not sure ma'am. Maybe the pods are part of some type of experiment, or-," she said, only for one of her fingers to slip and press a button.

Instantly, there was a soft hum, and the lights in the room began to flicker on, illuminating the room and the pods. Hannah, who had been looking at one, reeled back as she now saw the mummified remains of some being in the pod. "Fuck!" She said, raising her rifle out of reflex, only to calm down as she saw it was dead.

Ramirez moved to another pod, shaking his head as well. "Same story here ma'am," he said, finding another dead figure.

Hannah slowly moved along the pods, seeing more and more mummified corpses. "Unbelievable," she muttered quietly. "Do you…do you think these are Protheans?" She asked, as Kyoto was at the terminal still, which had lit up now. No one had ever found Prothean remains before, or even had an idea of what they looked like.

"This is definitely Prothean text ma'am, but I can't translate it," Kyoto said, looking down at the buttons. "Hell, I'm scared of pressing any of these buttons. I don't know what they might do."

Hannah looked up to respond to her, only for there to be a whirring noise, as a wall of light appeared from the ceiling against the far wall, then swept across the room, going back and forth. Shortly thereafter it shut down, and a computerized voice began to speak, though not in any language the trio recognized. Hannah grimaced as the voice was disrupted with a couple bouts of static. "Any idea how to shut that off?" She asked her two marines.

At the far end of the room, one of the pods began to hum and whir, drawing their attention. Hannah approached with her weapon ready, only to blink as she saw inside the pod. Instead of a mummified corpse, there appeared to be a small figure, wearing some type of body suit. However, she could see skin, and what looked like golden hair through the pod. "Hey, over here," she said. "Looks like we might have a live one here!"

"A live one?" Ramirez asked, approaching. "How is that possible? These pods have to be at least fifty thousand years old at least," he said.

It was at that moment that the lights in the room began to sputter and die out, as well as the terminal Kyoto had been working at. At the same time, the pod that housed the small figure began to sputter and die as well, with the figure inside twitching and starting to convulse. Hannah's eyes went wide. "Shit! Something's happening to the power! Get this pod open!" She shouted, frantically trying to find a release.

Ramirez did the same, as Kyoto rushed over, helping them. She soon found some type of lever on the bottom and pulled it, causing the pod to pop open. The figure inside was still twitching and convulsing, only to stop suddenly. Hannah however felt some fear grip her heart though as she didn't detect any breathing. "Get Strelkov over here now!" She shouted, as she removed her helmet, revealing her neck length red hair and brown eyes, and immediately began giving the figure mouth to mouth resuscitation.

Ramirez activated his comm, signaling Strelkov the unit medic, while Hannah kept giving the figure CPR, praying that their heart was located in their chest. She kept it up, frantically trying to get the figure to breathe, until she felt them shake and convulse, suddenly coughing madly and drawing air into their lungs. She pulled back, watching as the figure kept coughing and drawing in air, before slowly calming down, still gasping for air. The figure slowly fell back against the bed in the pod, panting heavily, their eyes now wide open, as they slowly looked at Hannah.

Hannah now looked over the figure, glad to see them alive. She blinked, as she now took in the figure's features, and was stunned to see what looked like a human boy lying on the pod before her. They couldn't have been more than ten years old, if she guessed, and had what looked like wild blonde hair and rather striking blue eyes. However, there were several features that showed her this wasn't a human, or at least, not a normal human. The boy's eyes had slit like pupils, like a cat or a snake almost. Along with that, he had strange whisker like marks on his cheeks, and she could see the boy's canine teeth were longer than normal, though not overly long. The boy's ears, while on the sides of his head like a normal human, were also shaped different, coming up into tall narrow points. What was more startling was they seemed to be covered in hair as well. She also noticed that his hands and feet, both of which were bare, had slightly longer, more pointed finger and toenails. And the heel and balls of his feet also seemed to be covered in darker skin that seemed to look thicker.

She slowly leaned over, looking at him. "You okay?" She asked softly, before wondering if this boy, if it was a boy, even understood her.

The young figure, still panting, just looked up at her, before whispering a word. "M-Memm…"

Hannah blinked at that. "What?" she asked, as the boy slowly began closing his eyes.

"Memm," he repeated, before drifting back into unconsciousness. Hannah could only blink again, before looking up as Corporal Strelkov came rushing in.

"Ma'am, what is it?!" He said, his gaze turning to the boy as Hannah pointed to him.

"I want you to give this…boy a full check up. Make sure he's stable first, and then find out everything you can with non harmful and non-invasive scans. And call me if he wakes up," she said.

As the medic nodded and moved to help the boy, Hannah got her helmet and put it back on, activating her comm. "Falkirk Actual, this is Falkirk 1-1, do you copy?"

There was a few moments silence, before a male voice echoed through the receiver in her helmet. "Falkirk Actual copies. What's the situation Falkirk 1-1?"

"Pirate threat has been neutralized and ruins are secure, as ordered. However, we have a…development down here," she said.

"What kind of development lieutenant?" The man demanded, as Hannah looked back at the young boy.

"The kind that's going to require the Council, sir."

Serpent Nebula, Widow star cluster

Hidden deep within the Serpent Nebula was perhaps one of the grandest sights any living being in the galaxy could hope to see. Traveling through the spatial clouds of gasses, one would emerge to find themselves confronted by the largest known space station in the Milky Way Galaxy, supposedly built by the Protheans who ruled the cosmos fifty thousand years earlier. A massive affair, made up of five long arms, known as the 'Wards', each connected to a central ring that housed the 'Presidium', a lush, beautiful place where the laws and power of the galaxy were made. Sticking out of the center of that ring was a large tower, which housed the chambers of the Council itself, the government that passed and enforced galactic law.

The Council was made up of the most powerful of races within the sectors of the Milky Way that fell under the control of the Council and its affiliate races. The first were the Asari, a mono-gender race that had discovered the Citadel almost three thousand years earlier. Out of the various races in Citadel Space, Asari were the most similar to humanity in appearance, with the only major differences being their extremely long life spans, various blue skin tones, and the lack of hair on their bodies, their heads instead having semi flexible scalp crests that swept towards the back of their heads. Their homeworld of Thessia was so saturated with eezo that all life on the planet was capable of utilizing biotics, the ability to manipulate dark matter through electrical impulses in the nervous system reacting with small eezo nodes that formed during fetal development when said fetus was exposed to Elemental Zero. Something that humanity had only recently begun learning about, as the use of Elemental Zero had grown more prominent, and several starship accidents over cities had led to more exposure. The Asari were among the most technologically advanced, as well as the most diplomatic of the three races that formed the Council.

The second race on the Council was the Salarians, who had arrived at the Citadel only some sixty years after the Asari had found it. After successfully negotiating an alliance with the Asari, the two races formed the Council, and began putting into place the various laws that made galactic society today. The Salarians, unlike the Asari, were more alien like, resembling humanoid amphibians with large eyes, three digit hands, and slender bodies with two horn-like protrusions on the top of their heads as well as lower legs built similar to canines. They had a high metabolism, which meant that they were exceptionally active and fast talking and thinking beings, though this high metabolism also led to a short life span averaging forty years. Because of their slight frames and low life spans, Salarians instead relied on science and their immense intelligence gathering network to protect themselves rather than an overwhelming military force, often defeating enemies without firing a single shot, or striking long before their enemies were ready to attack them.

The final member of the Council was also the most recent. While the Salarians and Asari were the founding members, the Turians were the military power of the Council, having an extensive fleet and military force. A race of aliens with bird like features, Turians were rather tall with metallic like carapaces covering their bodies, three digit hands similar to the Salarians, as well as the same lower leg structure. Turians also had a pair of mandibles on either side of their mouths, while males had head crests sweeping back off their heads. The Turians had been a strong military force even before they joined the Council. That military had come into play during what was known as the Krogan Rebellions, when one of the Council affiliated races, the Krogan, began an aggressive expansion into already colonized worlds. The Turians were contacted by the Asari and Salarians, and began putting their military might into combat against the Krogan, leading eventually to the Krogan defeat with the use of the Genophage, a Salarian made virus that was unleashed upon the Krogan, and negated their incredibly high birthrate, leading to them being unable to replenish their losses. With the Krogan's defeated, the Turians were invited to join the Salarians and Asari as the third Council race.

Now, the current three Councilors were in a private meeting, regarding the latest development on the planet Therum.

Councilor Lieran, the current Salarian Councilor, shifted his large eyes from the data pad of information. "This is truly astounding. Not only a lab with still working Prothean equipment, but also a living breathing specimen? Possibly a Prothean? How fascinating!" He said eagerly.

"Yes, fascinating indeed," said Councilor Bartimus, the Turin Councilor. However, the tone of his flanged voice and the frown on his face showed he did not necessarily share the Salarian's excitement. "I hope the Alliance marines did not badly damage the ruins taking them from those pirates," he said, his mandibles twitching.

"The Alliance already informed us that there was minimal damage to the ruins. If anything, the pirates probably did far worse in their time there. We need to form a team immediately to investigate both the ruins and this specimen they found," Lieran said, looking up at his two colleagues.

"Indeed we do. But I suggest we also send in a team to relieve the Alliance marines in place. I can have two platoons from Palaven there within four hours," Bartimus said, only for the final Councilor to shake her head.

"No…I think we should allow the Alliance soldiers to remain in place," Councilor Tevos said, looking at Bartimus. "The Alliance was the one who made this incredible discovery. It was their soldiers who took the risks. It is only fitting that they be a part of this discovery, and understanding it. I suggest we extend a formal invitation for a joint study of the site. It will show the humans we trust them, and perhaps ease some of the tension that has been building since they first began allying with us."

"With all due respect Tevos, the Alliance needs to understand its place. They have only been a part of the galactic community for seven years, and yet they are already clamoring for more power, more influence in galactic decision making. Most of the other races that have or had embassies on the Citadel waited for decades, if not centuries before being granted one. They need to understand that they must wait like anybody else," Bartimus said angrily, his mandibles flaring slightly as his eyes narrowed.

"If we show them some trust, Bartimus, then they might in turn show us trust," Tevos said patiently. "But if we treat them like outsiders, then they might come to a point where they no longer wish to have anything to do with us. Remember Bartimus that they were able to defeat your forces occupying Shanxi in a surprise counter strike. The humans are a sleeping giant, and if we rile them…they may prove to be a danger, especially if they were to gain others as their allies, such as the Krogan."

Bartimus growled softly, but leaned back in his chair. "Very well then. But at least allow the Turian military to deploy some forces in the area, if only to increase overall security," he said.

"Of course Bartimus. This is a great find, and we must protect it as we study it," Tevos said with a small smile on her face. "Lieran, please begin assembling a scientific team, while Bartimus gathers a security force. I shall contact the System's Alliance and invite them to send a team of their own," she said, standing up. "This meeting is adjourned."

Planet Therum

Within twenty four hours of the Falkirk's message to the System's Alliance, which was then relayed to the Citadel, a task force had occupied the space around Therum. No less than ten Alliance warships, including one of their few dreadnaughts, occupied the space in orbit around the planet. They had been bolstered by a further six ships from the Turians Hierarchy. These ships were some distance from the Alliance ships, due to there still being resentment from both sides following the First Contact War, or the Relay 314 Incident as the Turians called it.

A new ship soon arrived, a Turian freighter carrying the Council's science team. It entered orbit over the planet, and immediately shuttles began ferrying the science team, their support staff, and equipment down to the planet, near the location of the ruins.

On the ground around the lab, the Alliance forces had set up several prefab shelters for their scientists to sleep and work in, as well as for the incoming Council team as well. There were also prefabs for the Marines currently guarding the area, with a second set of prefabs of Turian design set up on the opposite side of the camp, where Turian soldiers currently were living.

As the first shuttle began to touchdown, they were met by a pair of humans. The first was a woman in a researcher uniform with short brown hair, while the other was a man in an Alliance uniform with a gold leaf insignia pinned to his collar, denoting he was a Major in the Alliance Marines.

The shuttle door opened, and out stepped several Asari and Salarians, with a few of them pulling out crates of equipment. An Asari strolled forward, her skin a dark shade of blue, and her eyes green. She smiled as she approached. "Hello, I'm Dr. T'Nevra, of the Serrice University. I'm in charge of the Council team sent to investigate this site."

The human woman held out her hand, shaking T'Nevra's. "It's a pleasure to meet you Doctor! I'm Professor Noles, head of the Alliance team on site currently. And this is Major Andrews, head of the marines in charge of our security here," she said, indicating the human major, who gave a curt nod.

"Good to meet you both," T'Nevra said, as they walked towards the prefab shelters. "So tell me, have you made any progress?"

"Not a whole lot. We've only been onsite for about four hours. However we have managed to hook up some generators to the lab that the specimen was found in. Most of the terminals and equipment powered up, but we held off on doing more than that until your team arrived. We have finished mapping out what part of the ruins are intact. Surprisingly, quite a lot," Noles said, before becoming hesitant. "However…there has been a…complication regarding the specimen."

T'Nevra turned to her, eyes wide. "The specimen is still alive, yes? What is it?" She asked, as some of the research staff passed them with the equipment.

The human researcher nodded. '"Oh yes, he's fine! Recovering nicely from what appears to have been cryogenic stasis, as far as we can tell. However…well…I think it's best to show you," she said, leading the Asari scientist into one of the larger prefab shelters, which served as a laboratory.

Inside, she stopped outside the windows looking into an examination room and pointed. T'Nevra looked in, blinking at what she saw.

Inside was a human female with neck length red hair and brown eyes, wearing the blue short sleeved on duty uniform of an Alliance Marine. She was quietly talking to what looked like a small human boy, save for some distinct features that definitely were not human. Said boy was whimpering quietly, trying to hide in a corner as a medical doctor was picking themself up off the floor, a syringe lying near them. The boy finally threw himself into the woman's arms, whimpering as she gently petted his head.

"The woman currently comforting the specimen is Staff Lieutenant Hannah Shepard. It was she who found the boy, along with two of her marines. She actually saved his life, as apparently the pod was on the verge of failing. There appeared to be some type of automated start up function which activated the pod's awakening sequence, but it failed, and the boy was dying. When he awoke, he began speaking in some language we haven't been able to translate yet, then started crying and screaming, until the lieutenant entered the room. He all but ran to her, hugging her and repeating one word over and over again: Memm," Noles informed T'Nevra. "Since then, we've tried to keep the two together as much as possible. He seems fearful of anyone else, wishing only to be around her. He's even become…violent a couple of times," she said, wincing a bit.

"What do you mean?" T'Nevra asked, as the doctor limped out of the room.

"She means that he lashed out with those claws of his at someone who tried to restrain him during one of the rare moments when Lieutenant Shepard wasn't in the room with him," the doctor said. "And you just missed him slamming me into the wall with an uncontrolled burst of biotics when I tried to get a blood sample. Doctor Seagel by the way."

T'Nevra shook his hand, while still looking at the young boy, who seemed to have calmed down, and was now quietly hugging Hannah, who was holding onto him. "So he's reacting violently to everyone but her? Do we have a hypothesis on why?"

"Well we're hoping the terminals in the lab might hold some clue, but…one of my assistants has a theory," Dr. Noles said. "He postulated that the specimen perhaps has…'imprinted' on Lieutenant Shepard. He might think of her as his mother."

"A sentient being acting with animalistic instincts? Absurd," came a high pitched voice, as a Salarian scientist joined them. "I'm sure there are far more logical explanations then that."

T'Nevra rolled her eyes a bit as she indicated the Salarian. "This is Dr. Kerrick of Sur'Kesh. He's head of the Salarian scientists that are a part of this team," she said, as the Salarian, a grayish-green one, sniffed.

"Yes. Well as we said, it's only a possibility. We're not sure yet, until we've done more study," Professor Noles said. "As it stands though, studying him is next to impossible without Lieutenant Sheppard present."

"Then we'll simply have to sedate him so we can properly study him," Kerrick said with a contemptuous sniff. "I'm sure if we simply slipped sedatives into his food, it would be no trouble."

"Except we have no idea how he'd react to the sedatives," Dr. Seagel said. "I managed to run a few scans of him, and get some idea about his biology, but I can't tell you how he'll react to medicine or drugs. We give him a sedative, it could kill him."

"Well…we could still learn quite a bit from his corpse," Kerrick stated, as everyone glared at him.

"I think perhaps we should wait until we look at the data from the terminals in the lab. We'd have a much better idea of what he is exactly," T'Nevra said. "If you don't mind, I'd like a tour of the ruins, to see what we have."

"Of course ma'am. Right this way please," Major Andrews said, turning to lead the scientists through the ruins.

Back in the exam room, Hannah let out a sigh as she looked down at the alien boy currently hugging her. She wasn't sure what to think of the situation she was in. Yesterday she had saved this boy's life, and now anytime she left the room he started freaking out, first whimpering and calling out that same word, Memm. Then he'd start to cry and scream, and would try to escape the room, or hide in a corner. And anyone who wasn't her who got near him would be attacked if he couldn't flee from them. What had been surprising was seeing him unleash an uncontrolled burst of biotic energy at one of the medics who had tried to examine him earlier, as well as just now against the doctor who was attempting to get a blood sample. Even more surprising was the boy's biotics were a vivid orange-red in color, rather than the blue they had seen amongst Asari and the few humans who were manifesting the power.

She sighed, quietly petting his head. "It's okay little guy," she murmured softly, making him look up at her.

"Rut mud wedo?" He asked, as Hannah let out a soft sigh.

"Sorry, I don't understand you," she said softly, still just letting him hug her. He didn't seem to understand, nor mind, as he simply buried his face against her side.

At that moment there was a ringing noise coming from her left wrist, making the boy shoot up, looking around as his ears actually seemed to twitch in the direction of the noise. Hannah gently touched his shoulder, making him look up at her. "It's okay, it's okay. Don't worry," she said, giving him a smile, which caused him to relax fractionally. She raised her left arm, which had a small bracelet around her wrist, before pressing a button on said bracelet. A holographic computer sprang to life, encircling her forearm and hand, as she tapped a few of the holographic keys. (1)

She found that she had just received an e-mail, and she smiled as she saw the sender. Grinning, she opened it.

"Hey mommy! Daddy just told me that something really exciting happened with you, but he couldn't tell me what. So I wanted to send you a message. Can you tell me what happened?!

Me and daddy are having fun here. He helped me with my math homework. It was so boring. But he says it's important, because everyone uses math. Is that true?

I can't wait to spend time with you, mommy! I hope whatever you're doing won't take too long!

Love, Alicia"

Hannah smiled softly as she read the message from her daughter Alicia, who was ten, almost eleven years old. She grinned, thinking about her daughter, with wild red hair and bright blue eyes, the latter of which she got from her father, Malcolm Shepard. She and Malcolm were both in the military, with Malcolm currently stationed as part of the garrison on the colony world of Terra Nova. Due to them both being military personnel and having a child, the Alliance Military would often assign them to postings close to each other, so that the family could spend time together whenever possible. If one was assigned to a ship, the other was always assigned to a ground garrison to ensure their daughter would have e parent with them. (2)

She glanced down at the young alien boy, who had nodded off against her, apparently exhausted from everything that had happened, and sighed as she quietly began typing out a response to her daughter.

"Hey sweetie, don't worry. I'm alright here. But no, sadly I can't tell you what happened. Not yet at least.

Glad to hear you and daddy are having fun. But yes, daddy is right. Math is very important, even if it is boring. That's right, mommy think it's boring too. But math is something everybody needs to know when they grow up, so study hard, okay?

Hopefully, I'll be able to come home soon, and spend time with you, sweetie. Until then, be good for daddy. Hugs and kisses!

Love, mommy."

Sending the message, she gently picked up the boy and walked over to the examination table, which she awkwardly climbed up on, and held the boy close, letting him sleep against her. As she watched him, she couldn't help but let a thought flit through her mind. 'Just what have I gotten myself into?'

A couple hours later, the scientists were going over the first batch of data downloaded from the lab computers and run through a Prothean translation program that had been made based off studies of various Prothean writings left in the few ruins found. Dr. T'Nevra as currently sipping a cup of human coffee, a beverage she had found quite addictive after it had become an export from their planet of Earth. She glanced up, as one of her research assistants approached her. "Doctor, we just finished the first translations," her Asari assistant said, holding out the datapad to her.

"Good work. Make sure a copy goes to the Alliance team as well," she said, as she began to read the information in front of her.

Test Zero Two Zero B

Have continued attempts to analyze and indentify the genetic code in subjects that allows their race to view genetic memory from parental units and other ancestors. So far, no luck in identifying genetic sequence. Subject Eight grew hostile, likely due to confinement, and was sedated. Subject Fifteen, being the youngest of the group, has been most promising source of information on development of the Vulzan's unique abilities. Studying his genetic structure as he grows has given us some headway, but nothing concrete.

On a personal note, I find the Vulzan's to be fascinating. They are a proud, powerful race, much like we Protheans. What is fascinating though is the diversity of their race. So many different clans and tribes, with each having their own unique physical features and traits. Despite claims of animosity in the past between their various tribes, none managed to truly wipe another group out. What is also fascinating is the difference in their evolution from most of the other races we've encountered. Their home planet was quite rich in Element Zero, enough to cause them all to develop biotic capabilities to a greater extent than any we've seen. But their genetic memories are the true prize. If we can figure out how they are able to access these memories, perhaps we can find a way to duplicate it in others.

Dr. T'Nevra set down the pad, musing. So it was apparent this boy wasn't a Prothean, but from another race, one that the Protheans were studying. While a part of her felt disappointment that they hadn't found a Prothean, the fact that they still found someone from that time period alive and well was an extremely exciting opportunity.

Standing up, she went to the part of the prefab where the translations were going on. A Salarian was hard at work, until the Asari scientist tapped him on the shoulder. "If you come across any more entries that contain the word Vulzan in them, I want them immediately. They're top priority. Also any bio data on a…Subject Fifteen. Likely that is our scared little boy," she said.

The Salarian nodded and went back to work, as Dr. T'Nevra moved away, grinning softly. The hunt was beginning.

Citadel Council, Two Weeks Later

The three Councilors currently were standing in front of a holographic communications device, hearing a report from Drs. T'Nevra and Kerrick.

"We have completed the study of the ruins. Apparently it was some type of research lab of sorts. The Protheans were using it primarily for biological studies," Dr. T'Nevra said. "What's surprising is how intact the entire facility is, compared to most Prothean ruins. Whatever wiped out the Protheans fifty thousand years ago, it didn't seem to affect this facility that much. As far as we can tell, they just simply…abandoned it."

"Did you learn anything about the boy?" Councilor Lieran asked, as Dr. Kerrick scoffed.

"Hardly. Beyond a few scans I was unable to learn anything at all. The humans interfered too much, preventing me from doing any meaningful study," the Salarian said contemptuously, as Dr. T'Nevra shot him a glare.

"What the good doctor means to say is that the Alliance researchers were taking precautions with the only living subject of a bygone race. We've been studying the reports left by the Prothean Scientists, and learning what we can about the boy's biology, rather than attempting to do invasive and possibly fatal methods of studying him," she said, her tone aggravated slightly, before calming down. "We have managed to learn more about this boy's race. Apparently they were a race the Protheans uplifted from their planet, which was on the verge of dying. They transplanted as much of the population as they could to a new world, one they called Fieran. We have been unable to identify the planet, but it is on this world that they relocated the Vulzan race, which was made members of the Prothean's galactic community. Apparently though, the beings we found were taken for study into their unique biology."

"Can you elaborate exactly why?" Councilor Tevos said, only for Kerrick to start speaking.

"What we've gathered so far is that the Vulzan race was a diverse one, made up of several different tribes or clans. The race in general shared a number of remarkable similarities with both your race and the humans. However, as Dr. Noles of the Alliance team puts it, they have…'animalistic' features," he said, making air quotes as he said animalistic. "Indeed, she compared our specimen's features to that of a number of Earth based canine species. We've studied the corpses of the other Vulzan in the lab, and they too have a number of different 'animalistic' features. The Protheans were also apparently studying two other unique features regarding this race. The first is one they seemed most interested in. They describe it as some type of genetic memory. Each Vulzan apparently is born with the genetic memories of their parents up to the moment of birth, as well as the memories of their parents' parents, and those parents' parents, and so on and so forth. It creates a wealth of experience and instinct that helps guide each new Vulzan member through life. This was what the Protheans were primarily studying, apparently."

"They were also fascinated with the Vulzan's biotic capabilities. Apparently, the genetic memories acted in a way as a guide for each Vulzan to utilize their biotics, relying on memories and experience from their ancestors to wield their biotics. In each of the corpses we found, there was no sign of a biotic amp, which is necessary for most species in this time to properly utilize their biotics. We're quite possibly looking at a race of truly natural biotics," Dr. T'Nevra said excitedly.

"That is a fascinating find," Councilor Bartimus said, intrigued. "Is there any evidence that the Prothean's made inroads into understanding what they were studying?"

"We have found several reports that indicate they were making progress, yes. However, the data in the terminals was heavily corrupted after fifty thousand years of natural decay and inactivity. What is interesting though is some of the final reports. Apparently the project was put on hold, as the scientists in the lab were being transferred to a new project. They put the test subjects into cryo-stasis, intent on keeping them for when the project might be reactivated. After that, there are no more reports. It seems that whatever caused the Protheans to vanish happened shortly thereafter. The lab remained here, with the cryo-stasis units operating as long as they could. According to data we took from the terminals, the main computer VI began shutting down non critical systems, then some of the critical systems, to keep the pods active. Even then though, it didn't have the power to keep the pods going, and one by one, shut them down. Why it chose our specimen's pod to be the last, we don't know. But apparently, it was on the verge of losing power to maintain even that pod, until the pirate gang arrived and set up generators to power parts of the base. The VI began siphoning power to keep the last pod active, Dr. T'Nevra reported.

"I'm surprised that the pod wasn't opened sooner by the pirates," Lieran asked, one finger tapping his chin. "Still, their loss is our gain."

Councilor Tevos nodded in agreement. "Indeed. We have found a wealth of information, as well as an incredible find that dwarfs any so far. The question is now what do we do about this young boy?"

"Councilors, I believe we need a more in depth study of the boy. Simply reading Prothean reports is not enough; we need to conduct more in depth studies and scans of him. If we could transfer him to a facility, preferably one on Sur'Kesh, I'm sure we would learn everything we need," Dr. Kerricak stated.

Dr. T'nevra stared at him in horror. "He is not some mindless varren to just poke and prod and dissect!" She yelled at him. "He's a living sentient being, who is the last of his race. What's more, he's lost and terrified. If we're going to do any studying of him, it needs to be done in a way that causes no harm to him."

Councilor Tevos raised a hand to silence them both. "Please, both of you calm down. Yelling and fighting will accomplish nothing," she said. "Now Dr. Kerrick, what you say might be true, but Dr. T'Nevra is correct. We will not simply forget that he is a sentient being, and that he should be treated as such. There is also the fact that any decision we make will be made in agreement with the Alliance at this time. They are a part of this project as well."

Kerrick let out a contemptuous sniff, while Bartimus's eyes narrowed, his mandibles twitching. Tevos let out a tired sigh. "Is there anything else you have to report to us?"

"Yes actually," Dr. T'Nevra said with a smile. "We found a few profiles on the various test subjects, including our young friend. We now have a name for him: Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."

Meanwhile, on Therum, Hannah couldn't help but chuckle slightly, watching little Naruto play with a few toys that had been supplied for the boy. Watching him, he seemed like a normal boy, smiling as he flew around a toy spaceship in one hand. He giggled and began to run though as Corporal Richter, the heavy weapons specialist of the Falkirk's marine detachment, chased after him with another spaceship, making 'pew pew' noises as well. The large man of German descent seemed to be one of the few people the young alien boy had grown to trust enough, along with Corporal Strelkov, and Dr. Noles. Richter had actually won his trust by showing him a 'magic trick', which had delighted the young boy to no end, watching Richter 'magically' separate the end of his thumb from the rest of the digit. Still though, Naruto would whimper or cry if Hannah left the room.

Letting out a sigh, she blinked as Naruto giggled, running behind her. "Memmu, xato mo! Xo nudkj ke wok mo!" He said, giggling as Richter tried to fly his ship around Hannah.

"Hey, no fair! You can't hide behind the lieutenant!" Richter said in his German accent, pouting as Naruto just giggled at the sound of the man's voice and the look on his face.

Hannah chuckled, ruffling Naruto's hair, marveling at how it felt thicker, finer, and shaggier than normal hair. He just giggled, trying to pull away from her. She had to admit, after a couple weeks with him, she felt a bit attached to the boy. He was just adorable, though a bit too clingy. She just wished she could understand what he was saying.

It was at that time that the door to the room they were in opened, and in walked Dr. T'Nevra in. Naruto's giggles died down and he shifted a bit nervously, as Hannah gently rubbed his head. "Dr. T'Nevra. Is something the matter?" She asked the Asari.

"I was reporting to the Council on everything we've learned so far," the Asari researcher stated. "For the most part, they seemed impressed. However…Dr. Kerrick stated his displeasure at your people's interference, as well as my own, in him getting more in depth studies regarding Naruto. He is…becoming aggravating," she said with a frustrated sigh.

"It would be nice if he pulled the stick out of his ass, wouldn't it?" Hannah asked with a grin, as T'Nevra tried to stifle a smile and giggle. "Still, I doubt the Council was overly eager to start cutting Naruto open."

"Councilor Tevos was quite adamant that wouldn't happen. She sees far more value in Naruto being kept alive and well. Something that the other two Councilors seem to think as well. So for now, there are no worries about that happening," T'Nevra said. "I also have some good news. The translation software is almost ready. In a day or two, we should be able to finally understand Naruto. And he will be able to understand us," she said.

"Well that'll be good, won't it Naruto?" Hannah asked, as Naruto just smiled at her, not understanding anything she said beyond his name, but being pleased at the tone of her voice.

"Well, I'll leave you to it. Have fun," T'Nevra said as she headed off, leaving them to their playing. Hannah smiled a bit, grabbing another ship and joining Richter and Naruto, making Naruto giggle happily as they all played together.

Unfortunately, at that moment, alarms started going off throughout the base, causing Naruto to drop his ship and let out a cry of surprise and fear, covering his ears. Corporal Richter quickly moved to the door, hand moving to the Predator pistol at his side, while Hannah touched Naruto's shoulder, comforting him as she activated the comm unit sitting on her ear. "Major Andrew sir, what's going on?" She asked.

"Lieutenant, we just received word that a small fleet of Batarian ships entered the system, and are currently holding at the outer edge. We're going on alert until further notice. Please stay in your quarters and protect your charge," Major Andrews said, before shutting down the comm. Hannah growled as she pulled her hand away from the ear piece.

"Batarians," she said to Richter, who scowled a bit.

"Well things got interesting," he said, as Naruto huddled against Hannah.

"Memm, nxuk aj ak?" He whimpered, hugging her.

Hannah just looked at him, hugging him close. "Don't worry kid. Don't worry," she said, as he snuggled against her.

Citadel, Two Hours Later

"What is the meaning of this Ambassador Gorrsh? Why has one of your fleets entered the Knossos System?" Councilor Bartimus demanded, looking at the Batarian Ambassador, who stood before the Council, with Alliance Ambassador Michaels to his side.

Ambassador Gorrsh simply stood there, his four eyes watching the Council members, before he began speaking in the guttural tone of his people. "Council members, the reason for my government's actions is simple," he stated. "We have seen a rapid buildup of Alliance and Turian military forces in a region of space that is not that far off from Hegemony space. My government is of course concerned that this action could be the first step towards aggressive actions against my people. You have, in the past, made your displeasure at my people's practices well known," he stated.

The Batarian Hegemony, a caste based government that ruled over the Batarian people, was well known for being the only government within Council controlled or Council affiliated space that still continued a slave trade, one that was quite profitable for the Batarians. The only other areas where such things occurred were the Terminus Systems, the wild outer regions of the Milky Way Galaxy that had refused to bow to Council Control, and where gangs of pirates and outlaws roamed freely, preying on each other and occasionally striking into Outer Council space or the Attican Traverse for fresh plunder and slaves.

"Ambassador Gorrsh, the force at the planet Therum is not part of any action against your people," Councilor Lieran said. "They are instead a protection force for a team of Council and Alliance researchers, who are studying a Prothean ruin that was taken from a band of pirates not too long ago. I assure you that you have no reason to fear anything from them."

The ambassador merely smiled, his slightly thick lips pulling back enough to expose his sharp teeth. "I see. If that's the case, then perhaps instead my people's fleet could offer…protection instead? The Attican Traverse is such a dangerous place, especially for those without the ability to defend themselves," he said, shooting a quick glance at Ambassador Michaels, who crossed his arms.

"I can assure you that my people are more than ready to defend themselves if need be," he said, looking defiantly at the Batarian ambassador, daring him to say something else.

"Perhaps. Still, my government would be more than happy to provide not only military protection, but scientific aid as well. If you so choose. In fact, as a goodwill gesture, I'll talk to my government about keeping the fleet in the sector, to help keep an eye out for pirates," Ambassador Gorrsh said, smiling. "If that is all?"

Councilor Bartimus glared at Gorrsh, but Tevos spoke before anyone else could. "Yes, that is all. Thank you ambassador," she said.

Gorrsh simply nodded his head and turned, leaving the chambers. When he was out of earshot, Ambassador Michaels turned back to the Council. "It seems the Batarians are not too happy being left out," he said quietly.

"Indeed it doesn't. But if they think these intimidation tactics will get them what they want, they are sorely mistaken," Councilor Bartimus said. "I'll contact my government on Palaven and see if the Primarch can redirect more warships to Therum," he stated, only to be stopped by Tevos.

"That would merely escalate the situation, Bartimus," she said quietly. "While the Batarians would undoubtedly not wish to engage in a war with us, they have also not done anything wrong at this point. All they've merely done was investigate suspicious activity that they believed to be a threat to their borders, and then offered us aid. While we might see their true actions in trying to intimidate us, to the public, any action we take against them will look aggressive or suspicious."

"Indeed. And if we simply pull our people out of there, they will likely swoop in and claim the planet for themselves. Any other Prothean ruins on the planet will become that much harder to access. So we must deal with this situation delicately, to ensure nothing awry happens," Councilor Lieran said.

"Perhaps…we should listen to Ambassador Gorrsh's advice," Michaels said quietly, making the three Councilor's look at him. "As he said…the Attican Traverse is a dangerous place. It might be more prudent to remove our people from Therum…under heavy escort," he said.

The three Councilors all blinked, before Bartimus's mandibles twitched. "I couldn't agree more," he said.

Alliance Research Outpost Iris, Planet Terra Nova

Hannah Shepard bit her lip nervously; looking at the approaching skycab she knew held her husband and daughter in it. It had been a week since the Batarian fleet had arrived in the Knossos system, and she had to admit, the Council's reaction had been relatively brilliant.

Not even a day after the Batarian fleet arrived, a task force of warships from the Asari Republics and Turian Hierarchy showed up, made up of several cruisers, frigates, and the Turian dreadnaught PFS Reliant. They transmitted orders to the ground teams to begin preparations for a full evacuation, at which point they would escort the ships to the Mass Relay, to protect them from potential pirates. They had also stated that the Alliance had received the blessing of the Council to set up a permanent research colony on Therum, for future scientific and archeology teams to utilize in studying other Prothean ruins found on the planet. The Turian General onboard the Reliant transmitted to the Batarian fleet the news, and welcomed them to stay and guard the planet against future pirate incursions, but also let them know that an Alliance force would be joining them in patrolling the area if they chose to stay. The Alliance after all was interested in protecting their future investment.

In one fell swoop, the Council not only turned the Batarians intimidation back upon them with their fleets, but also ensured that possible undiscovered ruins still on Therum would not fall into Batarian hands, who despite being an affiliated race of the Council, was one that seemed to resent being under Council rule, and had been growing more and more belligerent. The Turian Councilor had not been entirely happy about giving Therum to the Alliance, but no other race was as close to the planet as the Alliance was, making it easier for the Alliance to establish a colony there than any other race. Though the Alliance did report it would take them at least two years to get a proper colony going.

As for the researchers, their staff, and Hannah and Naruto, they had been relocated to a research facility on Terra Nova, a decision that did not sit well with the Turian Councilor either. However, with each of the Council races being a bit leery about allowing Alliance scientists into their research labs, and the Alliance being open to the idea of continuing the work in their own facilities, the decision was made.

Hannah however was nervous due to a relatively recent discovery she had made regarding Naruto, thanks to the recently finished and tested translation program. She glanced down at Naruto, who was by her side, before looking at the now landing skycab, which contained her husband and daughter.

The doors of the vehicle had barely opened when a red blur shot out with a cry of "Mommy". Hannah let out an oomph as her almost eleven year old daughter Alicia hugged her, grinning happily up at her. "Hi mommy! It's so great to see you again!" She said, looking up at Hannah with her vivid blue eyes.

Behind, Malcolm Shepard got out of the car, smiling at his wife and daughter, only to blink as he saw Naruto standing a bit back. Shaking his head, he moved to embrace his wife, kissing her on the lips. "Mmmm, good to see you again Hannah," he said, holding her close.

"Good to see you too," she whispered, kissing him against softly, before smiling at her daughter. "And it's great to see you Alicia. Been good for daddy?"

"Yep!" She said excitedly, before looking behind Hannah at the shy figure of Naruto. "Mommy, who's that?" She asked. "And why does he have pointy ears?"

Hannah bit her lip, as she slowly pulled out of her husband's embrace. "Yes. Well sweetie…Malcolm. I've got a bit of a surprise for you," she said, moving to Naruto and gently putting a hand on his shoulder. "Say hello to Naruto…your…well brother," she said to Alicia.

Naruto just shyly waved at them as they stared at him. 'H-Hi," he said shyly as they both just stared, making Hannah let out a sigh. She had a lot of explaining to do it seemed.

Well here it is, the first chapter of my Mass EffectxNaruto fanfic. Sorry if it bounced around a lot. I didn't want to, but I sort of needed to set things up, and it required me to bounce around. Still, next few chapters should hopefully be smoother, to a degree. Especially when I get to the start of the games in my fanfic.

I hope those of you who read this enjoy it, and if not, please give me a few chapters to change your mind.

So for those of you wondering, the language Naruto is speaking in Dinoese, the language spoken by Krystal and the inhabitants of Dinosaur Planet in StarFox Adventures. I wanted to give him his own language, but had no idea what to go with, until I rediscovered my old copy of StarFox Adventures, and the manual inside, which has an English to Dino Alphabet translation. So, went with that.

Thanks to Kyuubi123 for their betaing of my works. I owe you guys a lot.

1. As far as I can tell, they don't exactly elaborate on how omni-tools work exactly. So my thought was it was like a small bracelet that contained all the hardware and stuff, that then generated a holographic computer when need be. That way people could take them off when need be. Though those would be commercial omni-tools. I also think military grade ones would be built directly into the armor itself.

2. Not something elaborated on either in ME lore, so I went with the most logical solution given the info we do have. If you choose the Spacer Origin for your Shepard, it says both of Shepard's parents are career military. Now since the only sci-fi series I've seen that had families stationed onboard their ships was Star Trek, and those were scientific vessels as much as they were military ships, it seemed pretty obvious to me that they couldn't raise their child onboard a warship. So most likely, they were stationed at various bases, with one parent or the other being on tours serving onboard warships. Which is what I'm going with here.

Translations (please note there is no y in dinoese).

Memm= Mommy

Rut mud wedo?= Bad man gone?

Memmu, xato mo! Xo nudkj ke wok mo!= Momma, hide me! He wants to get me!

Memm, nxuk aj ak?= Mommy, what is it?