Disclaimer: I don't own Warhammer 40,000 or Mass Effect

AN: Edited due to very dumb mistake.

Lieutenant "Ripper" Stone sat alone at a table in the mess hall of the Normandy, scrolling through his Omni-tool. The still shirtless man was getting looks from crew members nearby, though none were speaking. His back was to the wall of the ship as he kept as much of the room in front of him as he could. You could never know when something would try and get you from behind. Off in the distance, Stone could see Mordia in her office with his peripheral vision. The raven haired woman was staring at him, unaware of his ability to see her.

Red had taken an old mercenary, the recruited name Zaeed and the Armory Officer Jacob Taylor to recruit the Salarian doctor. Leaving him on the Normandy with little to do other than figure more out about the galaxy. His current mission was a little more specific than the usual general intel gathering he would do. 'Baby Vulkan' was at half on its Promethium and running out was not something Stone looked forward to.

Searching high and low, as well he could anyways, Stone was searching to see if anyone had found the substance here. The closest he was able to find was the human invention of Napalm. While it was definitely close, it was no Promethium. The substance of the 41st Millenium could still burn its victims in the vacuum of the void, something he doubted Napalm could do. So now here he was, trying to find some way of getting the fuel needed for his liquid death sprayer. Sadly, it seemed he was running out of luck unless he could find a way to jury rig some.

His searches did expand more of his knowledge of the galaxy though. He learned the actual names of most of the xenos races, not that he would ever use them. He learned about the First Contact War and thought it was more akin to a First Contact slap fight with how few casualties there were. He picked up some slang phrases he found amusing, though most of the ones he had seemed to still be in use this far back. Guess innuendo and dirty comments were as immortal as the God-Emperor.

As he continued his mostly futile search for the only fuel he felt worthy of Lil V, Stone noticed Mordia making her way towards him. He supposed it was over the lasguns he had yet to give her, or maybe she was going to lecture him over the lack of a top. Either way it was probably going to be more of an argument than a discussion. While that was normally a great thing, he doubted she would throw down like Red would. The raven haired woman got to the table and sat across from him. Her body language was off from the way she normally carried herself.

"Thank you." Stone reeled back in shock as the woman's words left her lips. Raising an eyebrow to her, he composed himself.

"For?" He really didn't have an idea on what she would be thanking him for.

"The Varren's. I shouldn't have let myself get overrun like that." Oh, there was that. Not that he had figured it was any kind of big deal.

"Shit happens when you're holding a position Mordia. But don't worry about it."

"I will. You see I can't afford failure, especially my own. I was made to be better than that. What does it say if three Varren was all it took to bring me down?" There was still the cockiness and smugness to her while she spoke, but it was now something Stone could see a root in.

"Made?" The woman nodded as her eyes went down.

"My father genetically engineered every aspect of me. My looks, my biotics, my intelligence, all his doing. I'm not supposed to fail like everyone else."

"I had to tell Red this a lot, but it applies still. Soldiers die, Mordia. Genetically engineered or not." Memories of traitorous Astartes invading Catachan came to mind. How an army of super genetic soldiers, far beyond what the woman in front him could ever do, were torn apart by the Jungle Fighters and Catachan itself. In fact, the crusade that showed up to aid them arrived too late and the forces Chaos had already been dealt with.

"I'm not a soldier though Stone. I am an elite operative and have far more duties than someone like you or Shepard would be expected to deal with." She was still a bitch, despite her attempts at thanks.

"That's why you got overrun then Mordia. You had so much going on upstairs that you lost sight of the battle around you. The second you lose focus is the second you end up a corpse."

"Need I remind you that you lost focus as well?" He shrugged at her rebuttal.

"Yea, and I got shot for it. The galaxy doesn't care about whatever pedestal you put yourself on, it'll blast you off it all regardless of height."

"...Fair enough. I'll admit, I was wrong about you to an extent. I figured you would blindly charge the enemy and get yourself killed because of it. Yet instead you used sabotage and fought a lot smarter than I would have given you credit for."

"The muscles are just a convenient distraction, the real threat of a Catachan comes from here." Stone told her as he pointed to his head. While the other guard may call them 'Baby Ogryn', the Jungle Fighters were some of the smarter fighters in the Imperium in his opinion. The enemy could not hit you if they did not see you, nor could they form an organized army if all their officers' throats were slit.

"Ah, so not just a physically impressive specimen. But a mental one too." She seemed to be taking more of an interest in him now. Not that the opinion of a stuck up girl with daddy problems mattered to him.

"You were genetically made to be better than the average person. My people evolved to be."

"So you're an average example of your homeworld?" She was probing for information now.

"Size wise sure. But I'm better than most, that's why I was a Devil." He turned his back to her as he pointed to his right shoulder with his thumb. There she saw more tattoos, each having their own meaning. The one he presently drew attention to was that of a large scorpion-like creature with a sword going through it's head. While she didn't know the full details on what that meant, she inferred it was like being a special forces member.

"Hmmm. I must say, it's rare I misjudge someone this poorly."

"Plenty of people do Mordia. Besides, I still thoroughly enjoy just beating the shit out of something with fists as well."

"Why do you call me that?" She was curious as to the origins of the nickname. She imagined it was insulting, but was still interested.

"There's a guardsman regiment called the Mordian Iron Guard. They are some of the most stuck up and by the book pricks to grace the guard. They practically have a hard on for the word discipline. To a Catachan, they are uptight pussies who couldn't hold their own planet."

"I see…" Stone smiled as she had an unamused expression.

"I'll give you this, I have to think of a new nickname for you though." Stone's comment caused her to tilt her head.

"Oh? Why's that?"

"A Mordian would have rather fed themselves to a swarm of Nids than thanked me."

"Ah. While I don't know what exactly a 'Nid' is, I assume they aren't pleasant?"

"They make your Rachni look like a fucking joke. Best policy with the Nids is to either burn everything or just glass the planet." It seemed that the woman found his solutions to be extreme as she gave him a wide look.

"I take it that your homeworld makes for good practice for fighting those kinds of creatures?"

"Pfft, Catachan makes great practice fighting anything that's living. Which reminds me, we need to find a Thresher Maw."

"...Why?" He gave an evil smile at her question as he drew his Fang.

"I wanna see how it holds up." Stone chuckled as the raven haired woman rubbed her face in disbelief. The woman stopped as she tilted her head, it seemed like she had picked up on something he had said.

"Hold on, you said 'anything living'. Are there things that fit outside of that category" The Cerberus operator watched as Stone slowly nodded his head, his eyes having a far off look to them.

"I've heard of, and seen, some nasty shit back home." That was all the man said as the smile returned, a grim resolve in the eyes following. Stone's thoughts went to stories of entire Catachan regiments backed by Astartes falling to some kind of robotic xenos. That apparently no matter how many times they were dropped, they kept getting back up.

"But hey, I'm still alive, meaning that I've been nastier than them. But enough about that, you need a new nickname." Miranda wanted to push, but she was also smart enough to see Stone was done with that conversation topic.

"I can expect it to be just as mocking?" She had a smile as she asked, seemingly the two coming to some form of understanding.

"You know it. Until any of you start impressing me, you get to mocking names. Red's getting there, but don't tell her."

"Unless directly asked, I shall not inform the commander of her progress." The Cerberus operative stood and turned to walk away as she took a few steps Stone began to laugh. Turning back, she gave him a raised eyebrow.

"I'm gonna call you Cadia from now on." The Jungle Fighter gave her smile as he looked her up and down with a nod.

"Another 'uptight' regiment?" She guessed as he gave a nod but held up a finger.

"Uptight and has just as large of a stick up their ass as the Mordian's do. But I will give them this, the planet of Cadia broke before the Guardsman of it did." Miranda blinked as it was the first time she had heard something of a compliment come from the man.

xxxXXXXxxx

Grabbing Doctor Solus had been more of a hassle than Commander Shepard would have liked. Sure they aided in stopping a plague, but that mostly consisted of them having to shoot a lot of Blood Pack. Not that she had anything against that, after nearly being killed by their leader she was more than willing to shoot the mercs dead where they stood. Zaeed had also proved himself as a useful veteran soldier, and apparently he had helped start the Blue Suns. Learned something new everyday. But she did find a tactical vest Stone could wear! It would make him look more like Schwarzenegger than Stallone, but she figured it could replace his lost shirt.

Being back on the Normandy, Shepard made sure the new crew were adjusted and found positions they were comfortable with. Following that she set a course for the prison ship of Purgatory to pick up their next member. When that was done she made her way to find her old friend. She had only gotten to briefly talk with Garrus after he had been released. The Turian now had a scar on the right side of his face, though it was better than missing the entire thing. Given the scar, the sniping, and to an extent the undisciplined mentality, she figured Garrus and Stone could probably get along.

That was if the larger man could get past his hatred of aliens. She didn't know if that was going to cause friction among the crew, but so far the two seemed to just stay apart. Perhaps that had been for the best. Garrus talked to her about how things were after she had died. How he couldn't stand the bureaucracy of the Council. The covering up of the Reapers had been bad enough for him, but continuing to do it after her death seemed to push him over the edge. That was when he went to Omega and became Archangel. While the talk hadn't been the most pleasant for Garrus, Shepard was now having her own problems.

She hadn't said anything during the conversation with Garrus, but bringing up her death just reminded the commander of her situation. She was now again starring in the mirror of her cabin as the cybernetics glowed. She had taken a hot shower in hopes of distracting her mind with the warm water. It had the opposite effect. She could swear she felt her body going into shock as she remembered her suit's oxygen being cut. How cold she had been as she drifted through space towards a nearby planet. She was thankful that she had already blacked out before she burned up in the world's atmosphere. She had never feared death. She hadn't since the attack of her home and deaths of everyone she knew. But even then, she went out in a pretty bad way.

She slammed her fist on the counter as she tried to compose herself. She was a war hero and the galaxy needed her to be on top of her game. She couldn't do that if she kept letting the past drag her down. A beeping from her computer got the commander's attention as she left the bathroom. Wrapping herself in a towel, the Spectre made her way to the screen and opened it. It was an email that caused her eyes to widen.

From: Chief Medical Officer Chakwas

Commander,

I've done further investigation regarding your facial scarring, and the old adage of "mind over matter" holds true. Negative attitudes and aggressive acts create adverse reactions with your cybernetic implants, while peaceful thoughts and compassionate actions promote healing. If you maintain a positive outlook, I believe your facial scarring will heal on its own. Otherwise, there is surgical equipment we could use to insulate your cybernetic implants and accelerate your healing regardless of your mental outlook.

I've updated plans for the new medical equipment to your research terminal in the tech lab.

Sincerely,

Chakwas

She wanted to jump with joy initially. She could get rid of her scars, the main reminder of her demise! If she did that, then she wouldn't be reminded of her failings and could focus on the task at hand. Reading it over again, she noticed that Dr. Chakwas also stated that they could heal naturally if she remained positive in her mental outlook. While that sounded fine, it also sounded like it would take much longer, and thus keep her in her funk for longer. Shaking her head Shepard was ready to go spend whatever she needed to get the lab installed. As she started to put on clothing, her thoughts turned to the Catachan once more. What would he think of her getting her scars healed? He never commented on them, nor did ever even look at them. Would he have thought less of her if she took this 'easy way' out?

'Why did whatever Stone think matter?' Shepard was asking herself as she entered the elevator. This was her problem and thus it was hers alone to deal with. But would it actually be dealing with it? Of course it would, out of sight out of mind after all. But that didn't change the past. Her past.

Shepard gripped her hair in frustration as she let out a growl. Looking up she saw the elevator door was open and a concerned Kelly Chambers was looking at her. The commander's eyes widened as her face went red with embarrassment. Remembering Chamber's degree in psychology though, she grabbed the Yeoman and pulled her into the elevator. The surprised Chambers let out a cry of surprise as she stumbled into the lift. Hitting a random button she turned to the other woman.

"Chambers, I need your help!" The woman straightened herself out as she gave the smaller redhead a worried look. Seeing the distress the commander had, Kelly gave a nod .

"Of course commander, what's on your mind?" Her tone was soft and accepting.

"I got an email from Dr. Chakwas about being able to get the last of my scars healed with a medlab upgrade."

"Oh, that's great news!"

"I thought so too, but now….." Shepard trailed off as she was still dealing with her inner conflict. Part of her just wanted to push Chambers out of the elevator where it stopped and just B line it for the research station. To not have to deal with these stupid conflicting thoughts.

"But now….you don't think it is?" Kelly tried to fill in the blank as Shepard nodded and explained.

"What if healing the scars….what if it's like...I don't know, cheating?" Shepard seemed to ask both herself and Kelly as the Yeoman tilted her head in confusion.

"How would it be cheating Jane?" The use of her name as opposed to the usual commander Kelly gave her put helped Shepard at ease somewhat.

"Like...I don't know I'm taking a shortcut others can't." The door opened, revealing Shepard's cabin as Chambers gestured for them to go in. The two women took a seat on the couch as Shepard confided in her friend. As Kelly looked over her commander, she wouldn't have needed a degree to see that woman was dealing with some serious baggage. Between Shepard, Garrus, and whatever Stone was carrying, Kelly figured she would have her work cut out for her.

"You're not just talking about the physical scars are you Shepard?" The woman shook her head as she looked into a nearby mirror. The commander took some heavy breaths before explaining.

"I'm not…..good at talking about my past. But whenever I look in the mirror and see those scars, all I see is a girl who died, who ended up a failure."

"But you didn't Jane. You're a war hero, not many of those around. You're the first human Specter, literally the first. You stopped a rogue Spectre and an ancient machine of destruction. And hey, while you died, you're here now aren't you? Who else can claim to have come back from the dead?" Kelly's words of encouragement were accompanied by her placing a comforting hand on the commanders'. The blue eyed woman still stared at the mirror with an intensity only reserved for her enemies. Try as she might, Shepard couldn't help but still regard her death as an ultimate failing.

Seeing her words were not helping, Kelly looked around the cabin for something that might help raise the commanders spirits. If she was in a happier place, she may be more willing to take the positivity which would help in the long run. Seeing a collection of old action vids near the computer, Kelly remembered Shepard's guilty pleasure.

"Hey, how about this. We watch a movie together, ideally it gets your mood up and helps with your decision. After that, if you still need to talk, I'll be right here." Shepard pulled her attention away from the mirror as she looked to the pile of vids. The commander then looked at a bag sat on the end of her bed.

"Can we invite Rambo?" Kelly raised her eyebrow in confusion, something Shepard noticed after she asked.

"Stone."

"Oh! Hahaha I guess that's a fitting nickname for him. Of course we can invite him commander, though I don't think he likes me very much." Now Shepard raised an eyebrow.

"Why's that?"

"I don't know...I met him in the armory and he got mad at me for something and told me to leave. All I had done was introduce myself. But he did apologize." Now Shepard was more shocked.

"He did!?"

"Well...kind of. He called for me after I had left and just gave me a pointed nod. I don't think he wanted to say he was sorry, but still felt like he should."

"Pff, all I ever get from him is punched in the face. It usually follows with some kind of bond between us." Commander Shepard was now smiling as she was sending Stone a message to head over. She was going to show him why she called him Rambo, as she picked out 'First Blood'.

"That doesn't sound very healthy." Kelly pointed out as she gave the commander a concerned look. Shepard shrugged as she remembered the oddly tender moment they had after she stabbed him.

"Probably not. But I don't like talking about my problems and he really doesn't like talking about his. So beating the shit out of each other first seems to work best."

"I don't recall learning that in college."

"It's a soldier thing Chambers."

As Shepard grabbed the vid, she began to set up the holoscreen so they all could watch from the couch. All her previous thoughts were gone as she was now smiling like a giddy kid. The door to the elevator opened as Stone came walking in, looking between her and Kelly. Having a clear line of sight to it, his scar was eerily similar to the one Garrus had, making her wonder if it was caused by a similar event. The large shirtless man smiled and let out chuckle as he looked the two over.

"I've been going through this 'Extranet' for a few hours. I've seen how this plays out." Both Shepard and Chambers face palmed as of course it would take a few hours to find the porn industry.

"No, not that. I promised to show you why I call you Rambo and now here's the chance. We got a few hours until we arrive at Purgatory, so figured this could kill time." Shepard noticed Kelly looking at her as she made up a story about just wanting to show Stone the movie.

"Gotcha Red. Why's she here?" 'Ripper' pointed at Kelly as she shrunk beneath his gaze. The commander could tell he didn't like her. Not like an outright hostility, it was more like he didn't think she belonged. Shepard knew enough about him to deduce it was because Kelly wasn't a fighter. Still, Kelly served a vital role on the ship and was well liked by everyone else.

"She's my….movie buddy." Shepard lied as Stone now looked at her, mouthing the phrase 'movie buddy'. Chambers for her part seemed to go along with it as she gave a nod. The Catachan didn't press any further as he made his way down to the couch. Sitting on the end, Shepard now had a clear sight of all the tattooed symbols on his back.

"Theatrical or Alternate cut?" She asked as the two other occupants shot her blank looks. Seeing as it was her choice, Shepard went with the theatrical. If she ended up showing Stone the follow up movies it wouldn't make sense if Rambo was dead. As Shepard took a seat she noticed that everyone on the couch was spaced away from each other. Stone sitting on one end flipping his knife in his hands, Kelly nervously watching on the other. Starting the vid, Shepard found herself wanting to watch their reactions more than the movie. The sure sign of someone showing people the something they loved if there ever was one.

xxxXXXXxxx

"Hey LT! 'Fire Mama' wants to see you. Something about the kid getting into trouble." Stone sighed as he was pulled from his sleep by 'Nid Bait'. The dark skinned Catachan pointed him towards the mess hall in the outpost they were currently stationed at. Marching through the mud as the rain fell in torrential waves, the Devil made his way across the facility. Jungle Fighters sat away from the local PDF, the Death Worlders mocking them. They had been called in to bail out the planet from a green skin attack as the PDF couldn't do it themselves. As Stone got closer to the mess, the wetted down ginger hair of 'Fire Mama' came running towards him.

"What's so important that I had to be woken up?"

"Your kid is currently fist fighting a mess hall of the Pansy Defense Force. Apparently they don't take kind to having it pointed out they can't defend their own planet." The flamer specialist fell into stride with him as he began to crack his neck. While she wasn't his kid, that didn't stop people from saying so. Still, having watched his niece since she was 12, he had a fatherly pride in her.

"She winning?"

"She was goin good. But numbers are numbers." 'Fire Mama' gave a shrug as she cracked her knuckles.

"Think they can take three of us?" He joked as the woman gave him a punch in the arm with a laugh.

"Two Jungle Fighters and a Devil vs the Pansies? I feel bad for their faces." Arriving at the mess hall, the door slid open as a crowd of men in fatigues gathered around one spot in the room. The sounds of punching could be heard as Stone could see above the PDF heads. Short brown hair that went just past the ear on a 6'6 woman was in the center of a group.

Surrounded on all sides, his niece was throwing wild blows in an attempt to keep herself from being taken down. Ten men were already on the ground as she connected with another one. The PDF got smart though, with three jumping her from behind as they then began to rain blows down on her. As she was dealing with them, another came up and kicked her below the belt. It was a shame, he had started to warm up to the PDF.

"*Whistle* Hey! Room for two more?" His fist had knocked the first soldier out cold as 'Fire Mama' head butted another. His niece began to strike the legs of those who had piled onto her as the three Catachan tore through the PDF. Tossing one into three of his comrades, Stone then kicked another, not terribly by hard by his standards, but enough that it still broke the man's ribs. Getting to his niece, 'Ripper' saw she was laying in strikes to the one that low blowed her as the man was nearly unconscious now. Looking up, her blue eyes shined with glee as she gave him a large smile.

"Uncle Ripper! I see you've met my new friends." She grabbed the prone man's skull and headbutted it, knocking him out cold.

"I can't say I approve. They're a little too squishy." A chair broke across his back as he turned to see the young private who had done so. The kid looked at him in wide eyed shock as he was feeling generous. Pointing to a window across the mess, he informed the kid of the deal.

"If you throw yourself out that window. I won't do it for you." Let it be known that some members of this PDF were smart, as the private cleared the mess and dove out the window. Another man charged him, as 'Fire Mama' was laying in elbows into a larger member of the PDF. The charging man was stopped full speed by Stone's boot directly to the man's head.

Looking around the mess full of unconscious and bruised PDF, Stone turned to his niece and pulled her into a headlock.

"Loud Mouth' might just be the Catachan Name you get given." He joked as she struggled in vain to escape. Walking out into the rain, 'Fire Mama' closed the mess hall door behind them as the private was still trying to get out of the mud.

"I was just pointing out facts!" She defended as she still struggled for freedom.

"Well lots of people don't like facts. PDF that have to ask for our help especially."

"...You mad?" She asked in a genuine voice as she looked up at him with slight worry in her eyes. Catachan in the guard she might be, but she was still just as much of a kid as the one he got to jump. Plus, he was the last family she had left. Looking down at her he kept a stern look.

"How many did you get?"

"Fourteen."

"Then not at all. Though that's still rookie numbers. Fire Mama here got seventeen on her first bar brawl." The ginger woman gave a wink to his niece as she pinched her butt.

"How many did you get?"

"Twenty nine. Admittedly, it was against some PDF as well, so me and your dad counted it as half." His niece nodded as she walked while headlocked. A warning went off in his head as he quickly grabbed 'Fire Mama' and dove to the ground. A nearby barracks exploded as artillery began to rain down around them. A cry echoed across the outpost as his men rushed to his position.

'WAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!'

Stone's eyes opened as he found himself in an unfamiliar room. Drawing for his Fang, he crawled out of the hiding spot he had been as he looked around. His weapons and Claw were against a bedpost as he noticed signs of his own traps around the room. Slowly, he recalled where he was as he put away the knife. He was in a strange galaxy with everything he knew now lost to him.

Looking down he saw he was wearing a black combat vest with many pouches on it. Red gave this to him after she had shown him why she called him Rambo. He was amused while he watched the vid, enjoying it for the most part. It wasn't until the title character was confronted by his Colonel in the Arbites station that Stone grew silent. He had wondered if that was the relationship between Sly Marbo and Colonel Traupman. More personally, it made him realize he could never 'Turn it off' like Rambo eventually could. He was from the worst Death World in the Imperium, he was a member of the Guard. Two things that meant nothing here but literally defined his entire existence.

No, 'Turning it off' was never an option back home. And Stone was working hard to make sure it stayed 'On' here. Not just to make sure his skills remained honed and his ability to kill at its peak. But also to avoid what came when you did finally lower your guard.