I apologize if this fanfic seems lacking at all, it is my first ever fan-fic. I'm more of a comic book writer than an actual story/novel writer.

Please enjoy my first fan fic, "Mass Effect - Contact". Please feel free to critique. Obviously, if something needs work, don't be afraid to let me know, it's the only way I'll learn and get better, but please don't just out-right insult without giving reasons why you feel negatively towards the story; that never helps anyone.

Prologue

It had been nearly four months since the firing of the Crucible by the time a galactic network of FTL communication relays had been reestablished. For the first time since the beginning of the reaper invasion, people of all races from around the galaxy tuned in to listen to the same broadcast.

"A Galactic summit was called today on Sur'Kesh, where representatives from all races were present. Discussions will include plans for the reconstruction and relocation of the Citadel. These plans face opposition from parties that believe to rebuild it would expend resources that should be focused towards the rebuilding of the many worlds devastated in the reaper invasion; Khar'shan, Earth, and Palaven being the hardest hit. Those who are for the Citadel's reconstruction argue that the Citadel was an important symbol of galactic unity, and is needed to serve as the central hub of the new Mass Relay network."

"Also on the agenda is the formation of a new council with equal representation from all galactic species, including those that had lost their Citadel member status, or have never been included as a member, such as the Batarians, Rachni, and Quarians.

"On Rannoch, the Quarian Admiralty has begun a campaign to reactivate the Geth after they mysteriously ceased to function immediately following the activation of the Crucible over Earth. Admiral Tali'Zorah, the driving force behind this campaign stated that the Geth would be able to provide tremendous aid in galaxy wide reconstruction efforts. Support for this campaign is rapidly growing, partially due to Tali'Zorah's recent popularity due to rumors of her relationship with war hero Commander John Shepard.

"Commander Shepard was released from intensive medical care for injuries sustained during the battle of Earth. Immediately following his release, he was offered a promotion to Rear Admiral. He declined the promotion, stating that he wanted to remain with the same ship and crew. The Commander also commented that he plans on retiring once his service period is over, and living a peaceful life away from action.

"This reporter hopes that Commander Shepard is able to find that peace. If there's anyone who deserves it, it's him."

Chapter 1 – Silence Before The Storm:

All around, burning hellfire blazed, tendrils of crimson flame licked the sky. An endless sea of destruction spread in all directions, the inferno consuming the rubble of a once majestic city. Fallen street signs, shards of glass, and dead bodies littered the streets. The acrid smell of charred flesh mingled with the stench of putrefaction. The scene before Commander Sheppard was one from hell

How are we supposed to stop them? How do we bring an end to a race of machines, which for hundreds of millions of years, has existed for the sole purpose of causing the extinction of the galaxy's most advanced civilizations?

"John, we need to get moving, we need to reach that beam!"

He turned his head to his right to see the glowing eyes and smoky purple mask of Tali'Zorah, the love of his life. Simply seeing her standing there suddenly erased the doubts that had tormented his mind, and replaced them with a feeling of courage.

I can do this. I will do this. For her.

A small, gloved hand wrapped around his, their fingers lacing together. Sheppard stole on more glanced at the Quarian beside him, before setting his steely blue eyes on the target ahead.

Together, they started forwards, quickly building pace until the reached a full-out run. Two pairs of feet padded the ground, propelling the duo forward.

Suddenly a deafening roar split the air as an intense streak of bright read light flashed. A wave of heat billowed out, enveloping Sheppard, infiltrating his lungs and scorching his throat. A powerful shockwave threw Sheppard from his feet, launching him several meters away. As quickly as it began, the light suddenly disappeared.

Sheppard staggered to his feet, hissing as a searing pain radiated across his body. Entire sections of his armor had been blown off, exposing his charred skin underneath. He could feel sharp stabs of pain in his side where he had fractured his ribs.

Tali!

Sheppard turned to see where the laser had struck him, looking for any signs of his quarian lover. The purple of her hood caught his attention. Laying mere feet away, he saw her body sprawled out on the ground. Her visor had smashed open; exposing her burned and blood covered face. There was no rise and fall of her chest; the telltale sign that she was no longer breathing.

"NO!"

Sheppard sat bolt upright, his heart racing, adrenaline surging through his veins.

Where am I?

"John?" A soft, sweet voice called out from beside him "Are you alright?"

There was the sound of rustling blankets as a lithe form propped itself up beside Sheppard. A slender arm wrapped itself around Sheppard's waist, sending goose bumps to ripple across his back.

"Tali?" Sheppard whispered, suddenly realizing he was in bed with the beautiful quarian machinist.

"Yeah, it's me. Did you have a bad dream? It's alright; you're here, safe in bed with me."

Sheppard turned to gaze deeply into his lover's pale, glowing eyes, willing her luminous stare to wash over him. The soft light had a calming effect on him, slowing his breathing and heart rate to normal.

It's been 3 years now since the reaper invasion, and I'm still getting nightmares, Shepard thought to himself. 2 more and my term with the Alliance will be over, and I'll hopefully be able to move on.

He shifted slightly and wrapped a strong, muscular arm around Tali's shoulders. With a tight squeeze, he pulled her in closer, pressing her body against his chest.

This; being with her, it feels right. Soon it will be just the two of us, together on a house on that cliff on Rannoch.

noticing Tali's enviro-suit on the floor beside the bed , Shepard asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Very comfortable. For a big, scary warrior, you make a perfect pillow", she replied teasingly, letting out a soft purr of content.

"Glad to hear it, but you know what I meant. Are you feeling sick?" Sheppard chuckled.

Taking a long inhale first, as if to prove her point, she responded, "Fine. My sinuses are clear; I don't have a fever… I've got a clean bill of health. I honestly don't think it will be long at all until I don't need my damned suit anymore."

The commander brought his had up and place it gently against her cheek. She responded by leaning in to his touch, closing her eyes seductively as she did.

"Good, I could do with seeing your beautiful face more."

At that, Tali leaned in for a deep kiss.

"Well," she said breathlessly after breaking the contact between their lips, "We're awake now, and it's still a few hours before we need to get out of bed. I could recommend a few things we could do to occupy our time.

"Funny," replied Shepard with a smirk, as he rolled the both of them over, pinning Tali beneath himself. "I was thinking of a few things myself."

Less than a few light years away a colossal ship hurtled through space, bearing down on its target.

On the bridge of the ship, a powerful warrior stood stoically, gazing at a holographic display of her people's sworn enemy. The warrior's unblinking stare pierced into the four digitally projected eyes looking back at her.

For almost 70 000 years my people have waited for this moment. 70 000 years, and I am the one to command the first strike in retaliation. It has been a long time coming; I will make my people proud.

"Ma'am, we're now on approach, ETA is three hours. Shall I send word to calibrate the main gun?" The ship's navigator spoke up, interrupting her thoughts.

"Yes. Be sure the spore fleets and our kinetic barriers are ready as well. Let's see if we can burn a hole through their defense before they even know we're there." A cruel smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"John, I think I can manage to find my way without your help… not that I mind the company," Tali said lightheartedly. The couple was now on the elevator, headed to the engineering deck. Sheppard stood behind Tali, his arms enveloped around her in a warm embrace.

"I know you can," Sheppard laughed, "I was headed down to talk to Javik anyways. I figured; 'who better to share an elevator ride with?'"

Tali purred quietly and tightened her grip on Sheppard's arms. With a slight jolt, the elevator came to a halt. There was a soft beep and the door slid open to reveal a scar covered turian standing with a smug look on his face.

"Aww, look at you two, cuddling in the elevator. I'm surprised you haven't gotten matching heart necklaces or tattoos that say 'Tali and Shepard forever'," Chortled Garrus.

Tali cheeks, hidden behind the purple haze of her mask, turned crimson.

Shepard, however, merely laughed and replied, "Maybe I do have the tattoo, and it's just somewhere you can't see."

This caused Tali's cheeks to blush a deeper shade of red.

"Ha! Well, you two lovebirds enjoy yourselves. I'll wait for the elevator to come back up; I'm heading to the CIC anyways."

"If you get that tattoo, I will sick Chiktikka on you," Tali hissed the second the doors re-sealed.

"Oh, come on, don't you think it would be cute for me to get a tattoo with your name in it?" Shepard asked flirtatiously.

"Not in the least." Tali responded, attempting to sound like she was not amused.

"Ok, so not your name. What If I got a tattoo of you? That way, I would be able to see you face without you having to take your mask off," Sheppard boldly pushed.

"John, I have a shotgun," She replied, a playful, yet dangerous tone in her voice.

Shepard stepped into the dimly lit cargo bay, willing his eyes to adjust to the relative darkness. An orange haze hung low in the air, permeated by the small floor lamps: the only source of light in the room. At the far end, Javik was bent over his basin of water, faint ripples of light reflected off its surface, casting an eerie glow across the prothean's archaic suit of red armor.

"Doctor T'Soni sent me a copy of her new book," Javik stated, not looking up from the basin.

"Oh?"

"I contemplated throwing it out the airlock," Javik continued, "But something compelled me to read it first."

"So, what did you think of it?" Shepard inquired.

"I found it to be… an accurate representation of the prothean people," Javik replied, pointedly choosing the right words to convey his thoughts. There was a slight pause before he turned to face the commander. "I approve of it, despite its primitive method of information transfer."

A grin crossed Shepard's face at these words.

"That's good to hear. I'm sure Liara would be positively ecstatic to hear such praise."

"Yes, no doubt she would be." Javik returned his gaze to the slight rippling of the water. The prothean let out a sigh as he drew a finger across the liquid's surface, watching the wake hit the basin's sides. "Commander, I would like to thank you."

Sheppard, now puzzled asked, "For destroying the reapers?"

"There is that," Javik responded, "but also for treating me as an equal." The prothean stood to face the human. "Had I been discovered by anyone else, I likely would have been locked up and treated as nothing more than a science experiment. You allowed me to join your crew; you let me have my revenge."

Shepard was taken aback by Javik's sudden statement. The Prothean had never been the sentimental type. It took him a few moments to accumulate his thoughts and respond.

"I'm surprised," Shepard said finally, "The great prothean Avatar of Revenge is thanking me, the primitive, for treating him as an equal."

A slight grin tugged at the corners of Javik's mouth.

That's the first time in the three years I've known him that I've seen him smile. What caused the sudden change?

"Yes, I suppose it is an amusing thought. However, I truly mean what I say. It has been a very long time since I have had an ally, even longer since I've had someone I can call a friend." The prothean put his hand forward, offering a handshake.

Sheppard gladly accepted, giving it a firm shake. Javik's words struck a chord with the commander. He realized how terrible it must have been to be attacked by his own crew members; to witness the extinction of his own people, only to wake up thousands of years later, knowing he was the last of his kind.

At one point Javik had even mentioned he planned on ending his life once he saw to it the reapers were destroyed. That in itself was enough to show Shepard how little Javik thought he had to live for.

It seemed, however, that the Prothean was able to accept his place aboard the Normandy. The fact that he hadn't carried out his plans was a testament to that.

"There's something I noticed a couple of years ago, I don't know why it's taken me so long to say it," Javik spoke, breaking Shepard's train of thought.

"Please, do tell."

"Since you declined your promotion, you are now out-ranked by two of your crew members; both Captain Kaiden Alenko and your admiral girlfriend." The corners of Javik's mouth once again were pulled upwards.

Twice now he's smiled.

Sheppard merely chuckled at the statement.

He has a point, I'm dating the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and she outranks me. Talk about out of my league.

There was a brief pause, during which Shepard thought about Kaiden. Once the reaper threat had vanished, Kaiden, as a Council SPECTRE had gained command of his own ship; the USS Paschendale (fitting that the proud Canadian would get a ship with such a namesake). It was a Normandy class frigate, slightly larger than the SR2, but with significantly decreased stealth capabilities and firepower.

Say what you will about Cerberus, but they knew how to build ships. Four years after its construction, and the Normandy was still far ahead of every other ship in the Alliance fleet.

Pulling himself out of his musings, Sheppard spoke. "We're headed to the citadel, and we should be there in a few minutes. I know it's just a replica of the one from your time, and it's still under construction, but you should take a look at it. I want to know if you approve."

"Some time outside of this ship would be a good idea. Thank you, commander."

"Commander, I'm receiving a distress call, you'll want to hear this," The voice of Flight Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau crackled through the intercom.

"I'm headed to the bridge right now," Sheppard replied.

"Talk to me Joker. What do we have?" Sheppard said, positioning his hand on Joker's headrest.

The pilot looked over his shoulder at the commander, "A serious shit storm; it's probably best you listen to the call."

Shepard nodded and Joker began tapping on the ship's console. A few clicks later, and an audio file icon popped up on the luminous holographic display. There was a hushed sizzling of static before a panicked female voice rang out.

"Attention: the Citadel is under attack. Defenses are failing, we need reinforcements!"

There was a brief moment of silence as the short but urgent distress call ended. Shepard stared dumbfounded at the display, contemplating the message.

The reapers are gone, who could be attacking? It can't be a pirate raid; no pirates would dare try to face the full force of the citadel defense fleets. The message said defenses are failing. Is there even a pirate group capable of taking on military dreadnaughts?

Shepard shook his head sharply, snapping himself out of his train of thought.

"What's our ETA?" he asked; a serious edge in his voice.

"We're just over a minute out," Joker replied, adjusting his hat.

"Good, ready the main guns. I want you to engage the stealth systems as soon as we come out of that relay," ordered Shepard.

"Aye, aye commander," was Joker's quick reply.

Shepard turned to face the robotic body that had been rebuilt soon after the Crucible firing, now in the co-pilot's seat, "EDI, do you think you can get Citadel Control on the line?"

"Patching you in now, Commander," the smooth, synthesized voice replied. The eyes on her mechanical body closed for a few seconds before a live video feed of an asari was brought up on the holo-display.

"Commander Shepard, this is Alara T'Kai from Citadel Control. Did you get the distress signal?" The asari on screen asked tensely. She seemed very skittish and unsure of herself. Shepard guessed she was new to the job, and was in over her head.

"I did. My ship is a minute out, and we're prepared to offer any assistance needed. Can you give me a sit-rep?" The commander replied calmly, hoping to relax the asari.

"An unknown ship appeared about twenty minutes ago and opened fire. We were taken by complete surprise; before a counter attack could be coordinated, the entire geth fleet stationed here was decimated. Right now, Turian and Alliance fleets are taking fire, and I'm not sure how much more they can take without reinforcements," the asari hesitated momentarily before continuing, "The Asari fleet is occupied, escorting the Destiny Ascension with the council on board. We've received confirmation that Quarian reinforcements are 10 minutes out. The Volus, Salarians, and Batarians have all sent ships, but are still hours away."

"Just one ship? What can you tell me about it?" asked Shepard.

Before she could answer, an explosion shook the ship on the other side of the feed. "Shit!" cried the Asari, ducking her head. Collecting herself, she turned her attention back to the commander. "This ship is massive. It makes the biggest of the Reaper capital ships look small by comparison. It only has one forward mounted gun, but it's powerful. It took out a few dreadnaught class ships with one shot, shields and all.

"Our fleets tried flanking it to take advantage of the gun's blind spot, but it has a fleet of fighters buzzing our ranks. We're unable to maintain defensive formations, and our numbers are dwindling fast."

Shepard nodded before reassuring her, "We're almost there. You've done a great job, Miss T'Kai"

The screen faded as Joker updated the commander, "We're through the relay in 5 seconds."