AN: Well, I'll try to keep this debrief, well, brief. Welcome to Nowhere To Go But Forward, my whack at the Mass Effect fandom; from the meager beginnings of Mass Effect 1 to the epic conclusion of Mass Effect 3. If you hang out around any of the Mass Effect groups on DeviantArt, then you may or may not have run across this in your travels, to which I say let me know if you have. Would love to hear from you again. :)

If not, I extend my warmest of thanks for clicking on the title link. Hope I don't disappoint.

Now, I've placed this under the character catagory of Shepard, but in reality, it's not completely told from her perspective. Every character gets their own chapter thrown into the mix, from Garrus and Ashley, to Kaidan and Captain (Admiral) Anderson, and everyone inbetween. Insight from other characters in their own realm of thought lends a very nice helping hand to character development all the way around. So I hope you enjoy the change in character every once in a while.

First chapter is the only one that will be structured in the ever difficult tense of second person, so if it's not your thing, fear not. Things fall into a very familiar tone of third person right after this. And mature language be past that gray line down there. so watch out.

Now, for the sake of not wanting to bore you, I'll let you move onto the real reason why you clicked on the link. It certainly wasn't to listen to me ramble. So off you go, my fellow Mass Effect fans.

- Tac

Path

No one expects to have this huge destiny about them. It's just one of those things that come out of nowhere, like a lone truck on a dark highway. You could be minding your own business, perfectly content with your leisurely stroll down this quiet road and then you see it. Bright, blinding headlights that materialize in the foggy night. Your head tells you to move your ass, get the hell out of the way before you regret it.

Hindsight is 20/20, right?

Well, you, like a fucking idiot, decide to do the "Deer in the headlight" routine and freeze, staring down this truck and facing it head on. It sees you, but keeps on driving. Hell, the damn thing floors it, engine angrily roaring to life. It draws closer. You have a final chance to evade this thing, but you don't take it. You're vision suddenly washes white and then POW!It hits you. Runs. Your. Ass. Over. But get this. The truck doesn't stop to make sure you survived. Jerk just keeps on driving. A hit and run.

So here you are, lying there in the middle of the road with tire marks on your forehead or something, dazed. You have no freaking idea what just happened. You think someone just hit you, but you're not quite sure. Slowly, you sit up, remarkably unscathed. You look around and notice that your surroundings have changed. Instead of the single lane road you had been traveling for so long, you now sat at a crossroad, a path veering to both the left and the right. You wonder when exactly those roads appeared.

Hesitantly standing, you look behind, the familiar road that you had always walked on waiting for you, but there was a new addition to it: a toll booth. Two bucks if you wanted to pass through its gates and go back the way you had come. Liking the idea of returning to an already known path, you pat down your pockets, searching for the desired amount. You spend a few minutes searching, but then stop with a sickening feeling in the pit of your stomach and an awful realization.

You left your wallet in your other pair of pants. You're flat-out broke.

You turn away from the toll booth, slightly dejected, and face the two roads before you. The left looks like a mirror copy of the right, and neither appears to be particularly menacing. You think, "Is there a right choice? Is there a wrong choice?" You did not know what, if anything, waited for you down either path. In a rare expression of intelligence, you decide that you will travel down one road and should you find that you do not like it, will turn around and try the other. You smile, happy with this idea. It was flawless. A win-win situation with you cashing out the reward. Then you see a sign.

One Way Only.

Well shit, this throws a wrench into your plans. You frown, now unsure as to what to do, unsure of what path to take, as there is no turning back. You can only move forwards.

Left?

Or right?

No one expects to have this huge destiny about them. It's just one of those things that get thrown into your lap whether you want it or not. It hits you when you least expect it, knocks you flat on your ass, and then keeps on moving, running off to go screw up some other sucker's life.

Destiny leaves you with a choice; a choice that will either send you sky-rocketing to success or cause you to spiral out of control into complete and utter failure, crash landing with no hope of return. Would have been nice if it left you a hint.

So what do you choose?

Left?

Or right?

AN: And so the first chapter ends. Liking it so far? I know, a bit too early to even be asking that.

Criticism is always welcome. I have much to improve on and am far from perfect!