Mass Effect Damn War

Shoulder-length, messy black hair. Dark blue eyes. Pale, with pink lips turned downward in a frown. She paced nervously in the small room she shared with her father. Only seventeen, she was considered too young to take part in the mission, despite the fact that in a few short months she would be old enough to join the military - if she so chose. She was one of the smartest minds of her generation. Why should a small matter like her age hold her back from being there when the biggest scientific exploration of the century was occurring?

If being forced to wait in her room was the most annoying thing about the voyage, the second worst part was that, despite her scholarly achievements and high IQ, the only reason she had been permitted to join the mission was that her father was one of the lead scientists.

He burst through the door. He had short-cropped brown hair and a small build. His white lab coat, too big on him, reached almost to his ankles. His glasses were askew on his hooked nose, and he looked out of breath as he saw his daughter.

"Well?" she demanded eagerly.

"They made it. They made it through. Still alive, radio contact is functional, and so far as we can tell, they're a quarter of the galaxy away."

She shrieked with joy and hugged him. "What are they going to do now?"

"Well, that's why they let me come back so soon..."

The note in his voice made her suspicious. She stared at him as he fixed his glasses.

"What? Tell me."

"They ah, they want to send me in next."

Her face fell. "But... The other ship hasn't come back through yet?" He shook his head. "How do they know it can?"

"They don't, Bear. They sent me back to... say goodbye."

Her eyes hardened. "No need. I'm going with you."

"No, you're staying here. We have no way of knowing how reliable the relay is. This may be a one-way trip."

"And who better to go with you than a scientist who knows all your research inside and out? I don't give a damn about your assistants. I could outwit those monkeys in my sleep."

"Alyssa Rose, mind your mouth. This matter is not up for discussion." He kissed her on the forehead. "You know I wouldn't leave if I had a choice, but I volunteered to lead when I signed up to be deployed here. They already sent in their military, and now they need scientists."

"So let me go with you!"

He sighed. "You know I can't do that. Your mother would have wanted you here, safe."

"Do _not_ try to manipulate me by bringing Mom into this," she glared, growing visibly upset.

"Please don't make this harder than it already is. I'd really like a proper goodbye. You may never see me again."

Her eyes brimmed with tears. "But, Dad, what if..."

He hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have signed up for this." He released her, wiping a tear from her cheek. "I have to go. They're waiting for me. I love you, Bear."

"Love you, Dad. Goodbye," she sniffed as he disappeared through the doorway, lab coat flicking behind him.

Like hell. They weren't going without her.

Alyssa sprinted out of the room, opting to take the stairs rather than the elevator so she wouldn't be caught. She knew where the hull was located; she'd memorized the layout of the station long before her father had been deployed here. Dodging through corridors and nearly bowling over one shocked station worker who muttered something snide about children, she reached the staircase. She took them two at a time, down one, two, three flights of stairs until she was there.

She'd never been on this floor before, and the sheer number of ships lined up surprised her. At least fifteen of them were there; some smaller, sleek ones with mounted guns and sharp curves, and other rotund ships with only standard defense systems. She spotted her target on the right side of the room: one of the larger ships was being loaded up with equipment. The passengers were already on board.

Luckily, with the ships facing toward the hatch, she'd have a chance. Only two men were hauling the equipment, so as they grabbed a heavier crate together, they both disappeared onto the ship. Alyssa took her chance, darting for the nearest crate and prying the lid off.

Inside the crate lay five spacesuits and helmets. Alyssa glanced at the ship, biting her lip, and decided it was worth it. She would piss them off royally by doing this, particularly five of them, but she was already digging herself a hole by sneaking on board. She hauled the heavy suits and helmets out of the crate and dragged them behind the back wheel of the next ship over. She heard the voices of the station workers, arguing, and then a loud _thud_ as, most likely, they dropped the crate they had been carrying. One of them broke off in a string of curses.

As quickly as she could manage, she grabbed the lid and crawled into the wooden box, thankful for her small size. She tried to close the lid above herself over the top of the crate, but didn't have the leverage to force it down, so it merely sat atop. As the workers' voices grew louder, she held her breath.

They loaded a few other items before they reached the crate where Alyssa was crouched. She heard some movement to one side, then he called out.

"Hey! This one's heavy. I need some help."

Alyssa scowled. If she hadn't been hiding, she'd have saved a few choice words for him. Maybe she had gained a few pounds since she'd landed on the station, but who didn't gain a little after their first venture into space?

As they lifted her, she closed her eyes and pleaded silently for them to be careful so the lid wouldn't fall off. After what was maybe the most stressful thirty seconds of her life, they threw the crate down. The impact shook her, but the lid stayed on and she remained undiscovered. A few smaller pieces of equipment were loaded, and then she heard the bay doors close. To be safe, she decided to stay hidden until they had left the station. It was possible that the workers would see the suits she'd stashed and throw them on board or inspect the cargo.

However, after a few minutes of delay, the engines began to rumble. She gripped the sides of the crate tightly as the ship began to move. She didn't want to step out of the box while they were in motion, just in case she got tossed around a little during takeoff, so she stayed put.

Suddenly the thrusters kicked in, and her crate slid across the cargo bay as the ship was launched from the station hull and into space.

She wished she'd gotten out earlier. Whoever was piloting clearly had little experience, as she was being tossed around and slammed into other crates. Why didn't they strap it all down? She cringed at the thought of how much equipment was being damaged or destroyed.

The pilot's announcement rang out through the ship, even in the cargo bay where Alyssa was trying not to throw up inside her crate: "Approaching relay. Preparing for entry. Everyone hold tight!"

A loud sound like tearing metal caused her to cover her ears tightly, her face scrunched. Then a loud_ pop_ and everything was still for a moment.

The pilot had forgotten to turn off the intercom. "What in hell -"

It cut off, but Alyssa heard shouts and screaming. The sounds of gunfire reached her, and she began to panic. Should she get out of the crate? What was happening?

"What are those things?"

"Oh my god, they're on the ship, they-re -"

More screaming and more gunfire, and then everything went strangely quiet. She waited for a few minutes, shaking, waiting to hear something that would explain what was happening. A short time later, the doors to the cargo bay slid open. She heard footsteps and almost jumped out to ask what was going on, but something inside told her to stay down.

The footsteps got closer. There was shuffling and some strained breathing as another crate was pried open, the lid falling on the metal deck with a _clank_. Silence, and then some strange, guttural noise that chilled her. She listened as another source made similar growling noises, and realized that it was a form of communication. What was doing the talking, however, she had no idea.

Some more shuffling and talking, and finally the footsteps retreated and the doors closed. She stayed where she was for a few minutes, her heart pounding loudly. Finally, realizing she couldn't stay hidden forever, she lifted the lid.

She was alone. She ran to the V.I. interface monitor and activated it.

"Good day, Alyssa. How may I be your guide?" the friendly female voice greeted her.

"What just happened? Who's on the ship?" Her words were hurried, but the V.I. still understood her.

"It appears that the ship was just capsized. However, you are now the only life form on the vessel."

"Extraterrestrials? I can't believe they're real." She shook her head in fascination. "Is there any way I can go after them and get the crew back?"

"My condolences, Alyssa, but the crew is dead."

"No," she whispered. "That can't be right!"

She ran through the door and into the main section of the ship to see the deck littered with bodies. Her hands went up to her face to cover her mouth in horror.

"Oh god, oh god, this isn't happening."

She stared at them, her eyes caught by the flash of light off a pair of glasses. They still dangled from one ear as he lay, covered in blood. Holes drowned in red punctured his chest and his eyes were closed.

"Dad, no!"

Alyssa crouched beside his corpse, shaking it helplessly as tears streamed down her face.

"Wake up, Dad. Please. _Please!_"

Her sobs echoed in the metal room. It was too late. Maybe if she'd come out to help them... No. She wasn't a soldier, just a girl. She'd never shot a gun before. What could she have possibly done to fight off the things that had slaughtered the entire crew in just minutes?

She looked toward the control panel at the front of the ship with determination in her eyes. Maybe she couldn't save them, but she could try to avenge them.

She wiped her blood-stained palms on her shorts and marched to the console. She typed in a few hacks to access the system, then ran a system analysis. It seemed their defense systems had been overloaded by an enemy ship. A few more codes and the weapons, few as they may have been, were back online. She looked at the digitally rendered image of the enemy ship and gasped. It was giant. As far as Alyssa could tell, it looked like a war ship, with strange, alien weaponry protruding from it at every corner.

She stared at the glowing blueprints of the ship, highlighting its guns. They were pathetic. There was no way she could take out the hostiles without them blowing her away first. Even the element of surprise wouldn't be enough of an advantage for that.

Suddenly an idea occurred to her. There was another way to bring down the ship. She powered up the engines, tapping her foot impatiently at how long they took, and prepared herself mentally to reach full speed and, if not destroy the other ship, at least take out a few of the bastards who had taken so many lives.

Before she could get the ship moving, the sound of footsteps reached her ears again.

"Warning: hostiles on board," the V.I. alerted her.

She cursed and dove behind the nearest desk just before he walked into the room.

* * *

The whole thing made him sick. Humans had only just started learning about space travel. How were they supposed to know that it went against Alliance regulations to repair inactive relays? Hell, they didn't even know the Alliance existed.

After they'd taken the second ship, he asked his commanding officer to relieve him of duty.

"Why the hell should I do that, Vakarian? You're one of my best soldiers."

"Sir, I don't think I can kill these people. I'm a soldier, not a murderer. They aren't even fighting back."

"Orders are orders, Vakarian. Since when does a Turian question his superiors?"

"Since his superiors ask him to violate his morals. _Sir._"

The officer glared at him, but stopped as an alert came from the ship, warning that the human ship's engines had come back online.

"Fine. You want to sit out the action? Take a translator, sync it with their ship, and power it down. The last thing I need is for an empty human ship to power up and start shooting us."

"But sir, I'm no tech. How am I supposed to convert a simple translator -"

"Vakarian, I have had enough of your rebellious attitude. I've given you an alternative to fighting, now take your pick and stop bothering me."

He sighed. "Yes, Sir."

* * *

Alyssa peaked around the desk to see heavily armored feet - if the three-pronged appendages could indeed be called feet - head toward the control panel. She scooted around the desk as the thing approached, staying out of its line of sight. When she was sure its back was to her, she ventured another quick look.

Like a human, the body had two arms, two legs, a torso and a head. The body was angular, with broad shoulders and a thin waist. Spikes jutted from behind the head and the back of the legs. Beneath the armor it wore, the alien's skin appeared to be a secondary defense. She shuddered.

Something caught its eye, and it looked down to the side. She ducked quickly, then glanced another look. It had picked something up off the ground - something small and fuzzy and brown. The teddy bear her father had bought her ten years ago, from which his nickname for her had originated. She couldn't believe he'd brought it with him.

She stifled a sob as best she could, but the alien's keen hearing picked it up. It whirled around to see her crouched on her knees behind the desk. She didn't know what to do, so she just stared at it, waiting for it to kill her. Even the face was covered in spikes, she noted.

For several moments they stared at one another, before the alien cautiously picked up a piece of plastic from the console and held it out to her.

What was it doing? Was this some sort of trick? Alyssa held her ground, and it stepped toward her slowly, long legs still rapidly closing the distance between them.

She cringed away from it, shuffling sideways to try to keep the desk between them. It stopped when she retreated and gazed at her, calculating. It set the plastic piece on the ground about five feet from her, then stepped backward until it was back at the control panel. She didn't move.

It made a sort of pointing gesture with its talon, then said something to her in that deep, harsh language. She didn't understand the words, but the point was clear enough. This was probably some sort of device that would kill her, but she didn't have much room for negotiation. Even if the alien was unarmed, which she doubted it was, it could easily rip her throat out with its razor-like fingertips, or break her with its powerful arms.

Slowly, she scooted toward the device and picked it up.

It watched her almost eagerly as she stared at it, and it made a gesture as if it was waiting for her. What was she supposed to do? She stared at the plastic piece in her hand and noticed a pair of small slots covering a mesh cloth on it. An idea occurred to her, and she hoped she was right about it.

Alyssa put the device in her mouth and bit down on the plastic, breaking the hard outer shell.

The alien cried out, reaching forward, and she fell backward in fright. It stopped and slumped, letting out a puff of air that almost could have been a sigh. Cautiously, Alyssa picked up the device, which she'd dropped. She pulled the plastic coating apart and removed a small, softer device from inside.

As the alien watched her, fascinated, she ripped a thin wire out of the terminal next to her and wrapped it around the inner core of the device, then hooked the wire over her ear with the core of the device resting inside her ear. She really hoped she was right about this.

"Did it work?" she asked quietly, warily.

It stared at her, incredulous. "How did you know?" The voice was still deep and intimidating, but less so now that she could understand it.

"I'm good with technology. I can spot a microphone when I see one." She paused. "What... what _are_ you?"

"I am a Turian."

"When are you going to kill me?"

It made a strange sound that could have been either a laugh or a dismissive huff. "Why would I kill you? Are you going to try something stupid? That would be a waste."

She shook her head, even though it probably didn't understand the foreign body language. "No. But you killed everyone else on this ship. Why would you let me live?"

"I didn't kill any of your species. The rest of my crew... They feel differently about rules than I do. Even if the orders are unjust, they obey. It is a shame."

There was a secondary quality to the voice that hummed along with his words, she noticed. The pitch rose and fell, sometimes along with the main voice, and sometimes diverging and converging.

She had many questions, but she just stared at the Turian, surprised to still be alive.

"What is your name, human?"

"Alyssa."

"Alyssa..." He tried out the name and she looked at him strangely.

"Do you have a name?"

"Of course I have a name. I'm Garrus Vakarian."

"Are you male or female? Does your species differentiate by gender, or are you asexual? Or something else? Do your plants reproduce that way too?"

As curiosity got the best of her, she blurted out a stream of questions, blushing.

The sharp spikes on either side of the mouth twitched - in annoyance or amusement, Alyssa couldn't be sure.

"Male. Our species is actually very similar to yours."

She stared at its - his - form and wondered how many chromosomes a Turian had.

"How much do you know about humans?"

"Not a lot, actually," he admitted. "I know enough to tell you're a female. Judging by size, a child -"

"I am _not_ a child," she objected haughtily.

"Definitely a child," he muttered to himself.

Alyssa lowered her eyes. The bodies were everywhere still, their blood staining the floor and everything that touched it. She certainly felt like a child at this time.

"What are you going to do, if not kill me? Won't the others of your kind want me dead?"

"I... hadn't thought about that. They're getting ready to head through the relay and launch an attack on the rest of your forces. I don't think they've declared war yet, but..." He trailed off.

"Please, just don't take me captive." Her words were clear and simple, yet weighted. "I'd rather die than be trapped in a cell."

"Don't worry, I won't let that happen. You'll be safe with me."

It sounded strange coming from someone who looked so dangerous to her, but she wanted to believe him.

"You said your name is Garrus, right?" He nodded, and she continued. "Garrus, why are your people killing mine?"

She watched him struggle to find words.

"There is a governing body that keeps peace between all the sentient species. We call them the Alliance."

"_All_ the sentient species?" she repeated, incredulous.

"Yeah. I'll go into detail later. Anyway, in order to keep peace, they establish certain rules. One of those rules is to not activate dead relays, which your species violated. Our scout ship found yours and - in the interest of galactic safety - opened fire."

"That's absurd!" she protested. "How is killing us supposed to keep peace? Violence begets violence. If they don't think this will start a war, they're dead wrong."

"You don't have to convince me."

Alyssa crossed her arms, thinking. "What if we worked together on this? I can go back to my people and tell them that we messed up, and we can make our place in this Alliance, while you work on convincing your people that humans aren't intentionally trying to create chaos?"

Garrus made a sound not too different from a chuckle. "You're a clever little one, aren't you?"

"Like I said, I'm not a child." She moved to the control panel, close to him, seeming to disregard the fear of him she'd had before. He was surprised by her boldness. "If we can get this ship back online, I can take us backward through the relay. From there, I can slowly introduce you to my people. Don't look so nervous, I'll make sure they're disarmed when they meet you, and I'll be there the whole time in case -"

"Vakarian, the captain send me to check on you. He said it's taking way to long for a simple -"

Before she could react, she was staring another Turian in the face. He snarled. She went to duck and he fired his weapon at her.

"Lieutenant, _stand down!_" Garrus roared, kneeling to scoop up the small, sputtering human. She was gasping for air, and red human blood poured from both her mouth and the hole in her neck.

"What are you waiting for, idiot? Get medi-gel! _Run!_"

The bewildered soldier complied, racing back to the Turian ship.

"Hold on, Alyssa. Stay with me. We're going to end this war before it starts, do you hear me? I can't do this alone. I can't -"

She bled out in his arms.

* * *

(A/N): Since the poll has results tied between Garrus and O/C, it was a compromise. This was a very unusual piece for me. Any input is welcome and appreciated. Also, I'm so sorry for the horrible ending... I really didn't want to kill her, but it just had to end that way.


End file.

Mass Effect, Adventure, Sci-Fi