After Eden Prime.

GAME: MASS EFFECT

CHARACTERS: MAIN CHARACTERS

PAIRING: CASSANDRA SHEPARD/ASHLEY WILLIAMS

DISCLAIMER: MASS EFFECT BELONGS TO BIOWARE/EA GAMES, ALL I OWN IS CASSIE SHEPARD, NO MONEY IS MADE FROM THIS TALE.

A/N I am aware that Ashley was not a romance option for the female Shepard, but I wanted to do something a little different and two strong willed Alliance officers, seemed to be the right thing to do.

1.

David Anderson glanced up at the young Marine before him and offered her a seat. He sat beside her and once again got her to tell him what had happened on Eden Prime. Gunnery Chief Williams told him everything she had told Shepard and Alenko. She told him what the dock worker had told them happened to Nihlus and she said that the Turians murderer had been another Turian by the name of Saren.

That name caused Anderson to sit up straighter he got to his feet and paced his office "You are certain he said Saren?"

"Yes Sir, Powell said that Nihlus let his guard down and Saren shot him in the back, he was most specific about that and other things"

"When Commander Shepard wakes up I'll talk to her about this, for now welcome aboard the Normandy Chief and go settle yourself in"

"You – your having me on your crew Captain?"

"Why not? Unless you want to go some place else?"

"No sir, thank you sir" Williams got to her feet and snapped to attention

"Dismissed Chief"

Ashley could barely contain her joy as she left the Captains office. For years she had been shunted onto Colonial protection details, all because of who she was, or to be more specific who her grandfather was.

Captain Anderson must have known that and yet here he was offering her a place on a frigate, not just any frigate..but the Normandy, The NORMANDY. She wanted to settle in but she also wanted to see how Lieutenant Alenko was, and the Commander. For now though she settled herself with heading down to the Armoury and making herself at home, she set a bunk up and picking her laptop up accessed files and began reading up on Commander Cassandra Shepard.

She walked round the CIC with Kaiden, he was introducing her to the crew and she hit it off with Joker almost straight away. When she had finished reading up on the famous N7 XO of the Normandy she had been met by Kaiden who had offered her a tour of the ship. The Normandy was nothing she had ever seen before, Ashley had no love for the Turians, not after all it had cost her family, but she had to admit, they knew how to design a ship.

Chief Adams proudly took her through the ships capabilities and how their Stealth Drive worked. Ashley was impressed, the tactician in her could see all the advantages the Normandy could have in a war time situation. With what had happened on Eden Prime, she could only assume like everyone else on the Normandy, that the Geth had declared war on Humanity, with a Turian at their head.

When she was on her own, she said a small Prayer for Corporal Richard Jenkins, his body had already been returned to his family on Eden Prime. The service had been attended by the Captain, Navigator Presley and Lieutenant Alenko, who was there on behalf of the Commander as well as himself.

She was certain from what she had read that the Commander would, when she was able, send a message to the Corporals family. Ashley had already done that, it sat ill with her that she was the only survivor and sitting at a table in the crew rest room she watched Lieutenant Alenko attend to his duties, as well as keep an eye on the medical bay, where Shepard currently lay.

Ashley had been having a meal with her friend Nirahli listening as she had told her about her plans for her next leave. Nirahli was due to be demobbed in six months. She was going to return to her family in America and open a restaurant. She missed her husband cooking. Ashley could relate to that, Nirahli was a great cook and there were more times then not, she had cooked Ashley an authentic Indian meal. They were great friends, Nirahli was a little older then Ashley but they shared most things. Ashley felt like she had lost a best friend.

Ashley looked up as the Commander came out of the Medical bay, Anderson had been speaking to her for over an hour and now as the XO made her way out she was stopped by the Doctor and given a scan. Just to make sure that she was fit to return to duty.

"You Shepard are too stubborn to do as I tell you but I'm going to anyway. Take it easy for a few days"

"Yes Doctor" Shepard replied. She stood still as Chakwas ran an Omni Scan over her.

"I am a little concerned about the effect the beacon may have had on you, we'll keep an eye on you never the less, just in case there are any after effects we do not know about yet"

"Anything to stop this headache sure"

Ashley stood to attention as Shepard made her way over. "Good to see you on your feet Commander, the Crew will need some good news after Jenkins"

Shepard nodded "Yeah, so how you settling in?"

"The Captain told you?"

"He did, think he made the right choice, you belong here Williams,"

"Even though you wanted me to stay behind?" Ashley narrowed her eyes a little.

"I wanted you to make sure you ready if I needed back up, I was wrong, but you had just seen your whole squad massacred, believe me I know what that can do to someone."

Ashley was taken aback by the Commanders bluntness "Yes Ma'am. Thank you Ma'am"

"Right well welcome aboard Chief, we're going to be heading into the Citadel if you want to join me"

"Yes Ma'am"

"Just in time Commander, I was just about to bring us into the Citadel, see all that tax payer money at work" Joker quipped as Shepard stood beside his chair.

"Look at the size of that ship!" Ashley exclaimed as the Normandy came past the Destiny Ascension. She was a beautiful ship and armed for bear as Shepards father had once said. "Look at that main gun, they can rip us apart"

"Good job they are on our side then Chief" Kaiden took his seat beside Joker.

"Yeah well size isn't everything" Joker remarked in his normal flippant attitude.

"Why so touchy Joker?" Ashley quipped.

"I'm just saying, all that fire power can't help you if you don't know how to control it" Joker was a little defensive.

Shepard glanced at him as he contacted Citadel Control and was handed to an Alliance Docking Officer.

He had an attitude and his disregard for some rules of command irked some of his previous commanders, but not Cassie, mainly because she liked Jeff's attitude, and mainly because they had been on the Arcturus Station when Shepards mother was stationed there, She had been a teen then and Joker was a couple years younger, their mothers had been great friends, so she knew about Jokers own personal demons. Still he was the best damn Pilot in the Alliance if not the galaxy, and she was pleased that he was piloting the Normandy, she doubted anyone else could make her dance like Jeff Moreau did.

Anderson joined them on the bridge and patted Jokers Shoulder "Nicely done Joker, Shepard, Williams, Alenko come with me. We don't want to keep the Ambassador waiting, he is a less then patient man"

"So I've heard" Joker muttered "No offence Captain but Udina is not someone I would trust to date my sister...if she were old enough"

"Joker," Shepard leant forward "You wouldn't let a teen date Gunny, and she's at that age now"

"Yeah well she's my sister" Joker scowled "No man good enough for her, I'll be saying that when she's in her thirties too"

Shepard chuckled and joined her Captain. Since Jokers mother had passed away he had been his sisters protector, his father and sister had settled on a little colony called Tiptree, somewhere in the arse end of the universe as Joker put it. Still it finally gave his sister somewhere to call home, unlike her big brother and Shepard who had grown up on Starships and star-bases,

Joker turned in his seat and met Shepards gaze, the unspoken word clear between them, "Watch your backs"

Shepard uttered several curses and some of them directed at Udina, the man was an ass, he had more or less shouted down Anderson, disregarded anything Cassie had said and all he could think about was Shepard not becoming a Spectre. To be honest the Commander didn't give two figs about whether or nor she was a Spectre, all she cared about was catching Saren and avenging the deaths of the citizens of Eden Prime and young Corporal Jenkins.

"Where do you think we should start Commander?" Alenko asked.

"Better head to the tower, get that over with before Udina gets another rat up his arse. I fucking hate politicians"

"I was just going to say that" Williams added "We do all the leg work, they sell us down the swanny"

"Down the swanny?" Alenko asked with a grin.

"Something I picked up from one of the 2-12. Pete Lawrence, born in London and always teaching me new words I didn't know"

Shepard nodded a little "I like it" she stopped by a computer that was beeping with an Alliance signal and pressing a couple of buttons she read what was on there. Something about strange signals in the Hades Gamma Cluster. Shrugging to herself she motioned with her head and they walked out the Ambassadors office.

The Presidium was something to be seen to be believed. The three Alliance officers wouldn't know where to start even if they tried. It was a hive of activity, members of all races wandered around like they were in paradise, and they might well have been for all anyone else knew. The seat of the Galactic affairs, the home of the Council and it showed.

The main races they saw walking around were Asari and Turian, more Turians in the uniforms of C-Sec then anything else. Williams shook her head, "This place is something else, give me the comforts of a ship Commander or a base on Terra Firma, but then this must be nothing new to you"

"I can't say I have ever been here" Shepard replied, "I have been on some bases growing up, but none of them touch the Citadel."

"We had better get to the Tower;" Kaiden sighed. "Hopefully we can get Saren hung drawn and quartered"

"Somehow Kaiden I don't think its going to be that easy" Shepard muttered and the three of them headed to the taxi rank.

Cassie watched Anderson leave, the council audience had not gone well, not well at all. Either they were not prepared to listen to the fact their top Spectre was a murderer, or Saren had them so wrapped round his fingers that he could do everything and anything he wanted, either way it did not look good for humanity. Despite the mission to Eden Prime being top secret, and evidence reports saying that Saren was on Eden Prime and not in any place where he could get Nihlus's reports, in fact in a conversation with Nihlus, he had told Cassie that he was doing this on his own, no help, no outside interference. Did he know that there was something rotten in some areas of the service he was so proud to serve?

Add to that the history between Anderson and Saren had given the Turian enough ammunition to sway the council to his point of view. Not that they needed much swaying. Udina was, as ever unhappy with the outcome and for once, Shepard didn't blame him. She turned to face Williams and Alenko.

"Suggestions?"

"We could go see this Garrus, when we saw him before we entered the chamber he was not happy, he did say something about a cover up" Williams rubbed her cheek.

"Yeah, he wasn't that happy about things was he" Shepard mused "OK so lets go find this Harkin."

"Errrr Commander, you do know what Chora's Den is right?" Alenko asked.

"I may not have been on the Citadel before Kaiden, but I have heard all about Chora's Den, you worried I might get insulted by what I see?"

"Well you know, not the place I would take a lady" Kaiden remarked going a little red round the cheeks.

"Ah but I am no lady Kaiden. I never have been and I never will be, never had time for it. Besides when you been with an Asari once or twice, there is nothing in Chora's Den that will remotely make me squirm" Shepard smiled a little "but its sweet of you to think of Williams well being"

"What? Me?" Ashley spluttered "Um I've been in some clubs that would make the LT blush"

Shepard hid the smile and motioned with her head for them to follow her. They made their way down the steps to see a Salarian crouching by an insect like creature they knew to be a Keeper. The caretakers of the Citadel and for reasons of historical importance, it was forbidden to touch them or interact with them in any way.

"What's that Salarian doing?" Williams enquired. "Should he be doing that?"

"Fancy finding out?" Shepard asked Williams.

"Well I am curious" Williams admitted.

"Hi" Shepard dug her hands in her pockets making the Salarian jump "What you up to?"

"Um err.." The Salarian stammered and shook his head "Nothing, I am just looking at the Keeper"

"Don't be coy" Williams sternly said "I know what I saw"

"I don't know if I should be talking to you, I don't know who you are" He nervously wrung his hands.

"We're just talking" Shepard smiled "If it helps I am Alliance Military, not the police, I don't care about the laws here and my name is Commander Shepard, is that enough to put you at ease Mister?"

"Chorban," Shepard shook his hand "Perhaps you can help me after all Commander. I am scanning the Keepers"

"Scanning them? Why?" Williams asked.

"There is so much we do not know about them, they have been here since the Citadel was discovered by the Asari, and probably before that. We don't know how they got here, if they are born here or come from somewhere else." Chorban held out his scanner and warmed to his subject "There is much we could learn but the council forbid such actions. The Keepers themselves are nigh on impossible to read or conduct any physical research on, they self destruct if you do, but I have a scanner here that will allow them to be scanned without causing them to destroy themselves. If you can help me Commander I can figure out what is going on with them, what makes them tick..."

"Make a name for yourself in a scientific journal?" Alenko added.

"Not just that. I have studied the Keepers from afar and up until a month ago they went about their business, now they are – I know this is going to sound crazy – its like they are waiting for something. I can pay you Commander"

Shepard thought about it for a moment and nodded "Sure I'll help you"

"Thank you, good luck" With that Chorban walked away. Shepard pointed the scanner at the Keeper that Chorban had been leaning over and scanned it. The scanner clicked then came up scanned, at the same time Shepards omni tool came up with a message that some credits had been deposited into her account.

"I did see one or two around here" Williams idly said "hey..."

"Here you go Chief" Shepard handed her the scanner "I'll share the profits in a poker game when we're done here"

Ashley took the scanner and giving her new Commander a rueful look she walked away. Alenko stayed with Shepard and scratched his jaw. He was nervous for some reason or other and Cassie couldn't work out why. When Ashley returned several minutes later she handed Shepard the Scanner.

"All done up there, now what?"

"Now we go find Harkin and scan any creepy insect like things on our way"