What a Time to Be Alive

Prologue

A/N: Hey so I had this idea that Humanity had colonized and explored the Milky Way around the same time as the Protheans and, consequently, were harvested around the same time as the Protheans. This story is a major AU with a lot of creative liberties taken. The idea spawned from Javik's story actually.

Summary: Humanity inhabited the cosmos at the same time as the Protheans and was exterminated at the same time. 50,000 years later, the Reapers are returning and the only hope for this cycle's survival lies with a myth. Prothean expert Doctor T'soni has discovered a series of hints and puzzles which point to their salvation; the Shepard. A weapon of immense power hidden for centuries on end by the Humans and the Protheans, the same extinct species that left the Galactic Races the Relays and Citadel. Doctor T'soni gathers a team of experts and warriors to hunt down the weapon. However the hunt and prize are so different from what she expected. Now, she and her team can only hope that the Shepard will help them defeat the Reaper forces and free their worlds. The fate of their cycle now rests on their shoulders. But nothing is ever as she expected, and her life and the lives of her team change so much with the discovery of the Shepard.

Prologue: Ships' Log or Forgive us, Shepard

The screen jumped to life and displayed a room with little lighting. Against the opposite wall were eight hibernation pods. The watcher's view of the pods was suddenly interrupted.

"Ship's Log; Lieutenant Commander Ashely Williams signing on. It is approximately the fourth month, 13th day and the 3051st Human Galactic Year. Time is 00:37. It has been 456 Galactic years, two months and 17 days since Project Prometheus was launched. It has been 217 days since our pods opened, and we awoke."

"Hey Skipper," a tired looking woman sat down in front of the recording device. She heaved a sigh full of exhaustion and ran a hand through her thick, dark hair. Silence pervaded the cabin as she rested her chin on her hand and avoided making eye contact with the recorder.

"So, if you ever wake up, you're going to want to kill us." The woman finally looked back into the recorder. "And not just for breaking regulation. It's been a while since I've logged on, hasn't it? EDI, how many days?" The woman looked to the ceiling and a smooth disembodied woman's voice replied.

"It has been 53 days and 17 hours since you last updated the ship's log Lt. Commander Williams."

The woman chuckled to herself and ran her hand through her hair again, evidently nervous. "Guess I've been getting a bit lazy." She snorted. "Though after I explain myself, I don't suppose you'll blame me, eh Skipper?" Ashely seemed saddened for a moment, before collecting herself and looking at the recording device.

"So, I am officially the last one left. I mean, other than you and EDI. Vega finally kicked the bucket twenty seven days ago. At least, I think it's been twenty seven days."

"It has been twenty-six days, Lt Commander."

"Ah yes, thank you EDI." She closed her eyes in grief briefly. "Anyways , I've come to say my good byes Skipper. Supplies are running low. I estimate that there are only enough MREs for another month, maybe less. And like hell if I'm sitting on my ass by myself for another month. Figured I should save the power for your pod. You still have another couple thousand years Skipper." Ashely told the camera. She leaned back in her chair and folded her hands behind her head.

"We've had quite the run, wouldn't you say Commander? I mean from N7 camp to killing those dammed Reapers, we've had quite the run." She directed a soft smile towards the ceiling before leaning forward, reaching for something behind the camera. Ashely withdrew her hand and a clear bottle was revealed in her hand. Inside was an amber colored liquid. Ashely held it before the camera, as if allowing the 'Commander' to examine the bottle.

"I found this beauty in the med lab. Turns out the Doc had been holding out on us." She fished around behind the camera again before revealing to glasses. She placed one in front of her and the other in front of the camera, filling them both with a shot of the amber colored liquid.

"Serrice Ice Brandy. Nothing quite like it. I remember you and Chakwas used to love this stuff. The two of you would drink an entire bottle by yourselves trading war stories." Ashely looked at the bottle with a hint of a sad smile.

"Well," she raised her glass. "Here's to you, and Chakwas, and the rest of the crew." She tilted her head back and swallowed the entire glass in one go, before slamming it back on the table and refilling it. "There are a few things I should probably explain to you before I get completely slammed." Ashely raised her second glass and studied it appraisingly. "Then again, I might need to be a little drunk in order to tell you." With a shrug she downed the second glass.

"Right so. I am the last one left. First Joker, then Jacob and then everyone else. Miranda followed soon after Jack. Huh, I guess you were right about those two. Hey, if you were awake, I'd owe you 200 chits, so I guess that's a small blessing. Then again, I don't suppose those chits would mean shit where we are right now. Right, so back on track. I suppose I am avoiding this just a bit, no?"

"You are avoiding the topic, Lt Commander."

"Yeah, yeah, I know EDI. I'll get to it." Ashely waved her hand dismissively before returning her attention to the camera. "If you're watching this, you're probably wondering why you don't see EDI's body anywhere. Uh, well, we all decided, EDI included, that it'd be better to save the energy used to power EDI's hardware, so that your pod would have power longer. EDI predicted that by placing her body is a sort of stasis it would add about a centaury to your hibernation. And this way, she'll still have a functioning body when you wake so she'll be able to help you. Hopefully." Ashely poured herself another drink.

She swirled the brandy in the cup and took a sip, nursing the drink this time. "You're going to be pissed but hear me out before you shut this off, Skipper. Part of Project Prometheus was not told to you. Yeah we lied. But it was for the greater good. At least that's what I tell myself." She sighed and finished the cup of brandy before pouring herself another.

"Miranda was in charge of this part. She and Chakwas outfitted you with more cybernetics. You were asleep for the entire thing, but you almost woke at one point." Ashely chuckled to herself, taking another drink. "Scared the crap out of Miranda. The cybernetics she had just implanted in you not only increases your immune system but will also allow you to recover from wounds, poisons, illnesses, and the likes much faster than any other human." Ashely refilled her glass.

"Guess it worked better than Miranda had expected. The sedatives wore off in minutes. And it was double the dose for any other human. Hell, the amount of sedatives we had to pump into you would've killed anyone else. And that's only the beginning of your improvements." Ashely finished her drink and filled her glass again.

"I'm going through this bottle a little faster than I'd like." She sighed, downing another glass of the brandy. She rubbed her hand across her face, thinking of a way to inform the Commander of the news she held.

"You've had heavy bone weave and skin implants as well. Under that, all your bones have been reinforced with titanium bracers and the likes. I don't really understand it, but, according to Miranda, you're faster and stronger than any other human could ever hope to achieve. But that's not the part you're going to hate the most." Again, Ashely ran her hand through her hair, a nervous habit, before filling her glass to the brim. She drank half of it before continuing.

"Miranda gave you implants in your head. I advised her against it, saying that you'd never forgive us for messing with your head, but she… ah…she made it clear that it was completely necessary. And you know I would never have agreed to it if it wasn't for the greater good. I just hope you'll find it in yourself to forgive us." She finished her current glass and filled it again. The bottle was almost completely empty now.

"The brain implants will improve your biotics and make you smarter than ever before, and apparently, you'll have a perfect memory. A blessing and a curse in that case I suppose." She tilted her head back and finished that glass as well. "You have a port in the back of your head now too. You'll be able to plug into a computer and download information. And another port for a biotic amp. Hell, your biotics now would make Jack jealous, even without an amp." Her words began to slur. Ashely rested her head on her hand and rubbed her forehead. "It almost like you're more machine than you are human now. I just hope you'll forgive us. And that you're still the same Commander Shepard. And that you survive another fifty thousand years." She snorted. "It'd really suck if all of this was for nothing."

She sighed and seemed to attempt to gather her thoughts. Ashely reached for the bottle again and began to pour the last of it into the glass before stopping herself. She placed the bottle down, leaned forward seriously. "Miranda died before she could completely finish stitching you up, so don't freak the next time you look in the mirror. I told you she didn't last long after Jack." She pinched the bridge of her nose, thinking.

"The new cycle is just beginning, apparently. The arrogant talking bugs' plan worked in a way, I guess. EDI informed me a few days ago that the blue tentacle ladies the Protheans contacted have just begun their exploration of the final frontier. I wonder what they'll think when they discover that it was explored and settled long before them." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Though, I suppose they'll find our messages and hints. I just hope they listen to them. And to you. Huh, that was always our biggest problem; getting people to listen to us in time."

Ashely poured the last of the brandy into her glass and took a careful sip.

"Dammit if only they had listened to us!" She suddenly slammed her hand down on the table, making the camera, bottle and glasses rattle. The screen shook, and then fell, landing sideways. With another curse Ashely fixed the camera. "Sorry… it's just… it's just… I'm scared Shepard." She choked out around building tears.

"We tried to warn them and they didn't listen, we tried to save them and they fought each other. And now the two of us are most likely the last humans to ever live." Ashely let loose a watery chuckle. "And now I have to leave you to fight the dammed Reapers by yourself."

She rubbed at her eyes angrily. "When you were commissioned for this project you thought you were going to have your crew with you. Imagine our surprise when we woke forty five thousand years too early. Should've hit the dammed snooze." There was no hiding the tears that made their way down her cheeks. Ashely took a deep breath to steady herself and then cried harder.

"I'm sorry ma'am. I really am. I'm going to die tomorrow, and I am going to be alone and you're going to be alone in a new strange universe. I just wish we could be there to help you." Ashely finally managed to collect herself and looked back into the camera angrily with bloodshot eyes. "Commander, forgive the insubordination, but I have an order for you. Don't die. Don't give up. Mourn us, but don't be in a hurry in to join us. And hey, remember us okay? If you can't find anything to fight for in this cycle, fight for us, fight to avenge us."

Ashely straightened in her chair and looked at the untouched second glass of brandy. "Ah screw it, it's not like you're going to drink it." She grabbed the glass and tossed it back, swallowing it with a grimace.

"If there is a heaven, meet me by the bar, okay Skipper? But only after you've kicked the Reaper's asses to hell and back. And that is another order ma'am." Ashely picked up her glass, drank half of it before placing it back on the table and addressing the camera again.

"Commander Jane Raina Shepard. That's hell of a name. A name that will never be forgotten." Ashely stood and snapped into a quick, neat salute. "It's been an honor serving under you ma'am. And it's been an honor growing up with you, fighting by your side, and I just… I just wanted you to know that, before I go, you were my best friend. I wouldn't trade our time together for anything in this entire dammed universe. I'm proud to have made it this far with you. And I know that Anderson, your mother, Kaiden and the entirety of humanity are all proud that you are the one to survive and save the next cycle. I hope you'll be able to see that when you wake."

Ashely picked the half empty glass up, glanced at the camera and said; "Here's to you Jane and all the lives you'll save and the lives you have saved. I hope everything will be alright for you. And I'm sorry we couldn't be there with you. The Alliance is proud to have known you. I'm proud to have called you my friend." She tilted her head back and swallowed the last of the brandy.

Ashely leaned forward and braced her arms on the table looking into the camera.

"Now, if you don't mind, I am going to drink myself to death. Kick some Reaper ass for us Commander Jane R. Shepard. This is Lieutenant Commander Ashely Williams signing off for the last time." She leaned forward and pressed a button. The screen went black with a slight blip.

A/N: Right, so anyone following me or any of my other stories, this idea came to me at like one in the morning while I was playing ME3. And it wouldn't go away. I hope you'll enjoy this. I'm hitting a little bit of a writer's block with Dead Kingdom but I am half way done with the next chapter so keep an eye for that as well. Also, I've noticed that some people have recently started following Hell's Champion and I am flattered but I haven't updated that in forever, hell I don't even know if I will continue working on it. I gotta get writing with all my stories don't I? Well, be patient with me and I am sure I'll be able to whip something up. Anyways, leave a review, it gives inspiration and encouragement. Have a good day/night!

Namelessgal