Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect. Mass Effect belongs to Bioware.

(Fic takes place before the Citadel Lockdown. Commander Shepard and his crew engage in a daring assault on a pirate-held world. Vanguard, War Hero)

Chapter 1: Meet the Squad

I stepped out of my quarters, already clad in my black and red armor, with my helmet tucked under my armpit. My armor shone under the lights, which reflecting off my white "N7" insignia: it was a symbol that awed some and frightened others; it was a symbol of humanity's elite, a symbol worn only by the best soldiers Earth had to offer. Not to brag, but I hadn't exactly earned this rank by kissing a lot of ass, I earned it by kicking it.

On my way to the elevator, I spied one of my squad, Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko. He was still in his casual crewman's outfit, a grey short sleeved shirt and grey pants. Funny that such common attire was worn by such a powerful man; Kaiden was a biotic, and a powerful one to boot. He could use special cranial implants to harness Dark Energy, making him able to lift and throw adversaries with incredible force. He was sitting in the mess hall, with a bowl of some tan cream in front of him, but seemed more interested in tenderly massaging his pounding head than eating. That was the drawbacks to all his power: his implants gave him terrible migraines. Still, it's better than the brain tumors some other biotic users got. "Implant flare?" I inquired as I walked up next to him.

"I'm ok, Commander" Kaiden said, "It's dying down"

"Good" I said, "But eat something and get some aspirin from Dr. Chakwas anyway. That's an order. Besides, you look a little thin."

"I'm always a little thin" Kaiden chuckled as I walked away.

I also took the time to stop by Liara's lab behind the medical bay. Liara T'Soni was our local archeologist, specializing in the Protheans. She had been locked in her lab for the past 3 days studying some Prothean artifacts we had uncovered in an asteroid belt. She was most likely totally absorbed in her work and I figured she might have forgotten we had to be ready for our mission in 15 minutes.

"Knock knock" I said as I rapt on the doorframe and poked my head in. The beautiful Asari scientist looked up from her work and turned to me. "You better wrap that up" I said "We gotta shake a leg". Liara starred at me for a second, nonplussed. I realized my use of Earth slang had totally bamboozled her and cleared my throat. "You'd better finish up soon, we need to get going" I said more clearly. Her eyes dawned with apprehension, "Ah, yes. Of course, Commander." She went back to her desk, presumably to finish up a few last details of her work. I smiled and left.

When I arrived at the elevator, I found another of my crew, Garrus Vakarian. He was fully armored as well and was apparently waiting for me. "Commander!" He said as I approached, "I just wanted to discuss the mission with you. Make sure we were both on the same page before the attack." Garrus and I stepped into the elevator, discussing the battle plan and our equipment selections. Garrus was a Turian, which might make some people judge him unfairly. But not me; Garrus was reliable, smart and tough, qualities I admire in people, human or otherwise. He was an ex-C-Sec officer, a seasoned cop, and he had the mind of a detective, albeit a slightly brash one. We got to the lower levels of the ship, where we were supposed to gather. "I'll be right back" I said as I turned towards the engine room "I'm gonna go get Tali." Garrus nodded and went over to the Mako, to make sure it was operational.

As I headed down the hallway, I noticed Wrex leaning up against the wall. Wrex's eyes, which had been staring pensively at the wall, turned their crimson gaze to me. "Shepard" Wrex said curtly.

"Wrex" I replied with a nod as I passed. Urdnot Wrex wasn't big on words; he preferred actions, like me. Wrex was a Krogan, a dying warrior race, and as such, war was in his blood, his very DNA. But he wasn't an animal, far from it; he was a consummate professional, a true Krogan Battlemaster. He did his very best to be distant from the rest of us, but I could tell he had grown to like and even trust us, even if he'd never say it. In fact, a lot could be told from Wrex if you knew what to look for. I knew just from looking at him that he was armed, armored, and ready for the killing to start.

Tali was in the engineering room, as usual, when I found her. She loved technology, and being in the heart of the sleekest, fastest, most advanced ship in the Alliance Fleet was a dream come true for her. She was typing on a console, overlooking the churning drive core, with her 6 dexterous fingers. Tali looked up from her console as I strode closer, and turned to look at me. Just beyond her purple visor, her pale eyes looked back at me. Though I wouldn't mind it, I'd probably never see Tali's face behind her hood and helmet. Tali was a Quarian, part of a nomadic race that needed to wear special suits to compensate for their lack of immune systems; without it, Tali'd die from a cold. Even with her handicap, Tali was a good person to have around in a jam. She was an experienced mechanic and hacker, and was lethal with a shotgun. "Tali" I said, "You better get your gear. We're shipping out in 10 minutes"

"Alright" She said with a nod, "Be there in a minute Shepard". I nodded back and left.

In the other part of the lower levels, where we kept our gear and Mako locked up, I saw Williams with Garrus getting prepared. Ashley Williams was a marine with the Alliance Navy, like me. She was tough and brutal in combat, but also knew volumes of poetry and was the oldest of three sisters. I was glad to see she was getting along with Garrus; when she first arrived on the Normandy she'd been wary of aliens, but as time went on she'd learned to work with and trust the non-human members of the crew. When she heard my approach, she turned to face me and snapped a salute. I returned it and her posture returned to normal, "All ready, Williams?"

"Just about", Ash reached in her locker and pulled out her rifle, checking it to make sure it was operational, "When are we heading out?"

"As soon as everyone shows up". She gave a grunt that said 'they better show up soon'. "You seem eager to fight."

"We make war that we may live in peace, Aristotle."

"I suppose there's some truth in that" I put my hand to my chin as I thought for a second, and then I had it: "Sic vis pacem, parabellum. If you want peace, prepare for war." I retorted. Ashley gave me a competitive smirk, "There is nothing so exhilarating as to be shot at without result, Churchill."

"What do you get when you cross a Mass Relay with NASCAR?" Kaiden cut in as he arrived, along with Liara, Wrex and Tali, "A relay race". There was a silence as Kaiden's terrible joke lingered in the air; only the sounds of the engines could be heard. "Anyway" I said, interrupting the quiet, "Time for our final check, then everyone in the Mako." Without a word spoken, my squad went to work: checking armor, inspecting weapons and readying shields. Then we filed one by one into the Mako, our 8-wheeled APC/Exploration vehicle. The Normandy was capable of dropping us, in the Mako, on top of a target. And with its boosters, the Mako could slow down enough for a survivable landing. They filed in, one by one; and as I watched them board, I realized that each of them had their own special skill that made them indispensable. Ashley was our hardened soldier, Kaiden was our most powerful biotic, Garrus had his C-Sec training and a detective's eye, Tali knew the Geth and a lot about machines, Wrex was a nigh unstoppable warrior and Liara had unique knowledge of the Protheans. But what did I bring to the table? What did I have to offer the team? I was the leader, the Spectre, the lynchpin that held this motley crew together: Alliance Commander Mason Shepard

This was a special mission given to me by Admiral Hackett. Normally the assignments Hackett gave me were standard stuff, but this was heavy. A pair of powerful pirate groups from the Terminus systems called "The Orions" and "The Ghosts of Doradus" had banded together and started hijacking Alliance freighters loaded with top tier technology; advanced computer modules, heavy cannons, you name it. Alliance Intel believed they wanted to arm some of the other Terminus groups and organize an invasion bigger than the Skyllian Blitz. Everyone knew that if the groups in the Terminus System were to get organized, they could pose a serious threat to Citadel space. Our job was to stop it before too many wheels got turning. They had a hidden complex on a planet near the edge of the Terminus System called Amestis. It was our job to go there, secure the technology before it could be used, and wipe out the pirate presence. If half of what Intel told us about the base was true, the base was going to be a tough nut to crack. But I was just the kind of hammer they needed. After, all if you wanted to stop the second Skyllian Blitz , what better way is there then to go with the hero of the first?