Chapter 1

Fire was everywhere, consuming the ship at a rapid pace. At least half the ship was mere ruins now, floating through space as a larger ship loomed over the wreckage engulfing the Normandy in an intimidating shadow from the nearby sun. How the ship was still functional after being torn in half was unknown as only a scant number of consoles worked and ripped wires sparked. Life support was none existent on the CIC and a gaping hole in the side gave a clear view of the larger vessel. A defeated sigh escaped the pilot's lips as he glanced around the burning cockpit as he realized he could do nothing to save the Normandy. A strong hand grabbed his arm as another explosion shook the ship violently. In a bruising grip, the hand yanked him up and out of his seat.

"Hey! Watch the arm!" the pilot whined, the grip impressively strong for such a small and delicate size.

"If you keep complaining, Joker, I'll let you get spaced" the Commander growled menacingly through her dark visor, it was clear she wasn't in the mood "Now go!"

"Okay, okay!" he stumbled to the last escape pod just as the ship was fired upon again, the advanced weaponry tearing through the ship and shaking it ferociously. His head collided with the far wall of the pod as he stumbled forward. He groaned in pain as he turned around to see his commanding officer next to the emergency launch button, she had been thrown back from the last hit, losing her footing in zero gravity. She barely had a hold on the wall as the ship continued to shake. She gave him one final look though her eyes were hidden under her helmet before slamming her fist against the button, having the door close between them. He jumped to the door and banged on it furiously, his eyes wide in horror.

"Commander! Shepard!" the woman barley heard his muffled cry as she watched the pod launch away. She watched as her only escape flew away as one final explosion impacted against the remnants of the ship and the Commander found herself floating through space, too far to latch onto anything. She watched in dread as the bits and pieces of her ship started falling toward an unknown planet. She could only hope her crew, her friends, had all made it safely to the pods. She glanced around and saw several of the pods flying away from her, away from the enemy vessel that was now heading back to where ever it had come from.

She almost choked on a sob of grief at the thought of her friends' possible fate but realized she couldn't even breathe. She faintly heard a hissing sound and reached around to find her air pipe on her suit was ripped. She kicked and turned as she tried to reach for the rupture, to breathe but nothing came, she felt like she was drowning on nothing. Her lungs burned but her body felt like it was freezing as it was exposed to the vacuum of space. She stopped struggling knowing she was only making it worse, knowing that it was over when her body grew weak. Doesn't the hero always die? She took one last glance around and noticed the sun gleaming behind the icy blue planet she was falling toward. It was beautiful, an orange glow surrounding the planet, a picture worth a thousand words. If she was to die at least this would be the last thing she saw. Her vision soon blurred until she saw nothing but darkness.

"Shepard"

Sea blue eyes slowly opened and the sight of complete darkness left to be replaced by a view of stars. Shaking her head lightly, Jeanette Shepard slowly rose from her seat in the Starboard Observatory. She slowly walked up to the window she'd been sitting in front of for a good hour or two and leaned her forehead against the cool, thick glass as she gazed out at the infinite stars and asteroids as her body shook off the feeling of dying. She took a few deep breaths, relieved when air made it to her lungs with ease.

"Shepard?"

"I heard you the first time, Ms. Lawson. What's our ETA?"

"We'll be on Omega in thirty minutes"

"Good. Make sure you and Mr. Taylor are suited and ready to depart when we get there, we need to find the Professor and Archangel"

"Yes ma'am" was the last reply before the intercom went quiet. Ms. Lawson was… well, Shepard still wasn't sure how she would describe the Cerberus operative besides what she had told the woman when they first met, and that was "a bitch on the lease of an irritating owner, an owner who needed a few good shots to the crotch." Miranda Lawson, for her part, seemed to have expected such a reaction and promptly ignored it. Shepard had to give her credit for that, most people snap back and a fight was probably the last thing she needed on her ship.

Cerberus... how the Hell did I get here? Jeanette wondered, though she already knew the answer. She was dead and they brought her back. The universe sure seemed to have a bad sense of humor.

Shepard ran a hand through her short, messy blond hair as she stepped away from the window. She grabbed the handful of datapads from the couch before heading to the elevator to get to the Combat Information Center. The woman rocked back and forth on her feet as the elevator started its ascent and she couldn't help but note that after two years the elevators still moved at a pathetically slow pace. At least the ship wasn't equipped with elevator music or news feeds and what was better was no awkward elevator talks at the moment. She never liked being stuck in an elevator for long periods of time with others. Someone always felt like they had to break the silence but the conversation always took a nose dive. The elevator eventually reached the CIC and sounded a small ping before the doors slid open and the Commander stepped out.

Everyone was busy at their stations and weren't wrapped up in idle chitchat. It was the only thing Shepard gave them credit for as she eyed the insignia on their uniforms. That one little golden symbol brought about a small anger but she pushed it down. She had to work with these people for the time being and if she didn't get past the crew's allegiance to Cerberus the mission might turn sour before they even made any progress.

Jeanette rubbed her temples before remembering why she was there. She hadn't gotten time to chat with Joker yet, only being on the new Normandy for a few hours, and wanted to see how he was adjusting. She could only hope he was settling in better than she was. After all, how many people wake up two years later only to realize everything's different? Jeanette sure as Hell didn't know anyone else but herself so the pilot was probably handling things better. She sneaked around the long way to politely avoid Ms. Chambers as she wasn't in the mood for a psych exam. She was fine... or she hoped she was, after all this wasn't the first time the entire galaxy rested on her shoulders. It was, however, the first time she had absolutely no idea how she got into such a situation. Usually she knew exactly what she was getting into and it was by her choice that she was there but this wasn't her choice, not really.

"Hey, Commander!" the cheerful pilot swiveled his seat around "Decided to finally visit, huh?"

"Just wanted to make sure you were doing okay, Joker. I'm assuming everything's going well up here?"

"I'm doing great! Got my wings back... with leather seating" the man practically squealed in joy while his hands rubbed the armrests enthusiastically.

"The design of the SR-2 was not to be an exact replica of the original Normandy. Seamless improvements have been made" a blue orb, the artificial intelligence EDI, appeared on a nearby display making its presence known.

"I just wish the walls didn't have eyes and ears, I don't like it when my ship talks back" he whispered as though the artificial intelligence wouldn't be able to hear him, but he only received a blank expression in return from the woman before him "You okay? You look a little... zoned out"

"You sure you're okay, Jean?" a man with slick black hair asked carefully "You took quiet the beating down there"

"You know me, Kaidan. I got a hard head" Jeannette joked as she patted her head firmly to confirm it. She almost jumped back when the Lieutenant grabbed her wrist and pulled it forward to examine. Gentle fingers held the arm still and his eyes widened just a tad. He turned it back around to show her blood was dripping from a deep cut on her arm.

"You're bleeding"

"Maybe you should see Dr. Chakwas about that, Commander"

"Huh?" Shepard blinked, her blue eyes readjusting on the pilot as the image of the other man vanished into thin air.

"The blood" the pilot nervously raised an eyebrow "You know, that's pouring like a waterfall from your nose"

Shepard raised her hand to her nose feeling a warm liquid touch her fingertips. She pulled it back to see that she had indeed been bleeding. She gave a low curse before pulling a cloth from her pocket and wiped the blood away hastily then held it to her nose until she was satisfied the blood had stopped running. She took a quick glance at her forearm... no scar. When she was done Joker was giving her a worried look, his brows knitted together and the corners of his mouth pulling downward "I'm fine, Joker. Lawson warned me this might happen"

"When you have flashbacks, right?"

"Yeah" When Shepard had boarded the escape shuttle with the two Cerberus operatives the brunette had immediately started questioning her, checking if her memory was intact. She had warned that they had just finished placing the last of Jeanette's memory in her new body when the mechs attacked. Stringing her memories back in her head was a slow process in order to make sure nothing went wrong. However, the attack had occurred during the final sequence of the "download" and Shepard had been yanked early from the machine. There was a small chance that some of the memories would stay hidden in her subconscious and would pop up at random times before settling in their proper place. This apparently would cause her nose bleeds... Shepard was a little sketchy as to why though as the Cerberus agent gave no clear explanation. She had most of her memory intact but there were just a few stray fragments that came and went, most of them short or unimportant. However, some of her other memories, ones she hadn't forgotten came up even more than the smaller ones.

"Still think you need to get that checked out"

"I'm telling you I'm fine. I'll talk to you later" The conversation ended as quickly as it had begun and Jeanette then turned to depart for the armory. She was unaware of the sad, worried expression that followed her until the doors closed shut behind her. The pilot deflated as he rubbed his hand over his eyes knowing she wouldn't listen to him.

"Hope so, Jean" Joker turned back to his console "Hope so"

"Would you like me to convey your feelings to the Commander, Mr. Moreau? Or perhaps Ms. Chambers, she is here to help with mental health and concerns any crewmembers have"

"Oh, God no!" Joker was worried about Jeanette but he didn't have a death wish. Commander Shepard did not like people questioning her mental health thanks to the Council's constant skepticism. Also, he wasn't sure how he felt about the Yeomen. She seemed sweet but he had the distinct feeling she would probe for anything and then immediately report to the Illusive Man, Cerberus' leader. The pilot put his feelings aside as he continued on course and got clearance to dock once they reached the large space station of Omega.

Commander Shepard and the two Cerberus operatives didn't even make it ten feet past docking before being stopped by a grey skinned salarian who was easily scared away by a peeved batarian. The batarian carried a rifle in his arms, probably to intimidate others but one lone gunman was not going to stop the Commander. He demanded they see an asari named Aria before they decided to cause any trouble, which he also advised against while casually checking his scope. He didn't seem to like the human woman's response of "I'll go when I want." Shepard didn't care what he thought, but left to see the Queen of Omega anyway, she probably had the information she needed on her two possible recruits.

Omega was a dump and that was putting it mildly. Jeanette smelled sweat, blood, and sex all over the place. The air was stuffy and crowds of people shoved each other aside without so much as an apology. Everywhere you turned there was a glowing sign for this or that though some of the letters had gone out. Cars flew by overhead at fast speeds and if any one of them collided it was sure to turn into a train wreck with a lot of dead bodies in the end. Besides the poor lighting and smell the place was just dirty, oil and dried blood stained the ground along with a few other stains. With the way this place worked it was almost impossible to get past people until they noticed the rocket launcher strapped to the Commander's back.

The three humans entered the loud, flashing dance club of Afterlife as they went in search of Aria. It didn't seem that much different from the rest of Omega except for the dancers and loud music. Shepard couldn't help but think the music was obnoxious, and that was putting it mildly. She could hear the synthesized beats from outside the large doors but as soon as they had opened her ears had been assaulted by the loud beating sound of what seemed to pass as music these days. It sounded more like someone was trying to beat the sound system to death because from what Jeanette could tell there was absolutely no rhythm, just noise. Really, who listened to this crap? Did two years make everyone deaf or did they always have bad taste? Jeanette couldn't help but wonder. She was fairly sure that if they stayed too long she would either lose her hearing or just leave with a killer headache, most likely both so it would be prudent to make this meeting quick.

The group climbed a short staircase as they came across a couple of bodyguards. The bodyguards watched them like a pair of hawks as they neared a lone, purple skinned asari relaxing on a couch. She seemed oblivious to their arrival as she watched scantily clad asari dancers weaving their bodies around nearby poles. Shepard continued forward as her companions remained a respectable distance back but she was immediately halted by another batarian, his four eyes locked on his omni-tool as it activated. A small skeletal figure appeared over the glowing orange tech and as he tried to wave it over her body to scan, Shepard grabbed his arm and twisted the limb behind the alien's back making him grunt in surprise as well as a little pain and when he struggled the Commander only tightened her grip.

"Try it and you'll be scanning the inside of your colon" she growled menacingly as guns began to point at each other. Shepard was in uncharted territory and was not about to be subjected to anything that seemed the slightest bit suspicious. The asari only laughed at her disgruntled guard's predicament before calming and turning a steely gaze toward Shepard. Her face commanded attention and the Commander knew that the woman before her was one to take things seriously.

"Sorry, but you wanna talk? You have to get scanned first"

"If you're checking for weapons you're doing a poor job. In case your guards hadn't noticed there's kind of a rocket launcher strapped to my back" Shepard released the man and stood still for the scan "But we'll play by your rules, only because I don't feel like pissing off an entire station that I'm sure would space me free of charge" she received a short chuckle from the Queen. Once the guard cleared the human Aria motioned for her to sit on the couch. The Commander sat at a respectable distance but close enough to hear past the booming music.

"What can I do for the great human Spectre? Don't look so surprised, you're not as subtle as you think Shepard. We had you tagged as soon as your ship entered the Terminus system. I must say I am a little curious as to why a dead woman came to Omega of all places"

"I need info, thought you might have some seeing as you run this place"

"Ha, I don't run Omega. I am Omega and here we only have one rule: Don't fuck with Aria"

"Short and sweet. I love it when things are straightforward. But I'm looking for a salarian genius, Mordin Solus, and a man known as Archangel"

"Why?" the asari seemed genuinely curious as well as suspicious.

"Suicide mission" Shepard shrugged nonchalantly as though such a thing was common "What else would I be here for?"

"Well, if you were anyone else I'd say you were after the bounty on Archangel's head"

"Bounty? Do I even want to know?" Jeanette leaned forward to make sure she could hear the asari.

"He just pissed off three merc groups at the same time and now they're all working together to kill him. Some vigilante that makes life on Omega difficult. Had a squad. Heard they're dead now. Wouldn't even see the groups in one place unless they were gunning each other down. If you want him alive though you should act quick, he's been cornered. There's a Blue Suns recruiter downstairs. As for the salarian, yeah I know him. Kinda like him, he's as likely to help you as he is to shoot you" the asari gave a frown before continuing "There's a plague, only affects non-humans, he's working on a cure. You'll find him near the apartments, lower level in the quarantine zone and good luck getting in. And please, don't bring the plague back with you"

Shepard gave a quick nod in thanks before standing and turning on her heel to leave "One more thing, Shepard. I wouldn't let the good doctor start talking if I were you, once he starts he never shuts up" Shepard motioned for the others to follow her toward the recruiter and they fell in line behind her. If they didn't get Archangel now he'd end up dead, thus making him useless to her cause and her first priority.

Unfortunately, Omega wasn't known for its manners as the recruiter gave the Commander one glance, whistled, and pointed to where the strippers worked. Shepard really hated this place and it was time they knew better than to mess with her. She pulled out her sidearm, flashing it before the recruiter "Show me yours tough guy, bet mines bigger" another whistle and the man signed them up for the job. He gave some sketchy details about the man they were dealing with before telling them where they could catch a ride. Just when Shepard thought things couldn't get any better a kid, no older than nineteen, walked in asking to join. She gave a frustrated sigh as she caught a glimpse of the poorly kept pistol in his hand. She suspected it wouldn't even shoot half a clip before jamming. Kid probably got it at a rummage sale. Another frustrated sigh and she found herself in front of the man.

"How old are you kid?" she eyed him intently, arms crossed over her chest.

"Old enough!" the boy practically whined. Both Shepard and the recruiter raised an unimpressed eyebrow "Hey! I know how to use a gun!"

"So does Archangel" Jacob spoke up behind the Commander but the kid just seemed to ignore him, aiming his annoyance purely at Shepard.

"I spent a lot of creds on this baby and I plan on using it. Hey!" the boy shouted as Shepard disarmed him in the blink of an eye. She gave it a couple of smacks before sparks started flying from its joints followed by the sound of metal jamming together.

"Get your money back. You'll thank me later" and with that she left for the transit station to find her first recruit. Assuming he still lived anyway. If he was dead she was going to take her frustration out on the first person she came across because no one wasted the Commander's time, not even the Illusive Man.