Chapter Text
They arrived without a warning and turned Horizon’s capital Discovery into a battlefield.
The Alliance Marine kept firing, just as the collectors kept attacking, wave after wave. Trying to fend them off brought even the sturdiest of assault rifles on the brink of overheating. Not to speak of those bugs they had in tow, those were the worst. They swarmed over the civilians, and put them in some sort of stasis.
They had even tried it with her, had flown directly at her, only to divert a few feet away from her to seek another eligible target. Whatever kind of space magic the geeks at Alliance R&D had discovered, the result, the device added to the Operation Chief’s armor, had made her somewhat invisible to those swarms. In turn, she had tried making the most of her time, and helped a lot of colonists back to the safety shelters, before those insects could have attacked them.
At some point, the device must have lost its effect. Had it run out of energy, or had these insects adapted? She didn’t know. But she felt the sting, it went right through her armor. Ripping that insect off didn’t change anything. Just like so many civilians before her she collapsed seconds later, and fell onto the ground like she was frozen. She still had her senses however. Within a limited field of view, she witnessed everything. How those creatures now put their victims into some sort of cryo pods. Very organic looking cryo pods. The process went quickly, and all the Marine could do was watch. They had made it almost to her. Lilith, one of the only few people she could call a friend on this rock, had already been taken. She was next up in line.
Hadn’t it been for the gunfire from across the plaza, which caught their immediate attention. One alien after the other fell in battle.
And then she saw him. Accompanied by two people she didn’t know, there he was. A living legend. No, almost a god, having died only to be reborn and reappear more than two years after his death. John Shepard. So the reports were true. He was alive.
The trio fought as hard as they could. But ultimately, they were overwhelmed. His two henchmen had already fallen. The enemy’s forces were too many. Not even legendary war hero John Shepard could defeat them. He fell down, wounded, but apparently not grave enough for those creatures to finish the job. The put him into a pod, just like all the others. Just like they would do with her in a few moments.
She felt them, felt those hands on her body, as they ungently shoved her into this container.
At least, we’re finally reunited in death, were her last thoughts, before the collector closed the lid, and everything went dark.
Ashley Williams woke up with a start, covered in cold sweat, as she recalled some last fragments of the nightmare that had just plagued her. Some parts had been true. Not however that Shepard and his team had been fallen victims. Ultimately, they had saved the day. Including her.
Sleep-drugged, Ashley stumbled into her kitchen to grab some water, only to knock a chair over, which she was sure didn’t use to stand there. Since it was nighttime, and otherwise silent, it was quite the rumble.
As soon as she flicked up the light switch to check for damages, she already heard a voice coming from behind her, “Hey, Ashley? You alright?”
Ashley spun around, and saw the man who had just walked out of her bedroom, wearing nothing but boxers. His appearance had almost given her a heart attack.
Shit. He must have heard the noise I made, she silently cursed. Ugh, what’s his name again? Th-something. Was it Theo? No. Thomas. Yeah, that’s it!
“Yeah. Sorry, uh, Thomas. Just needed some water.”
For a moment, due to the aftereffect of the nightmare, she had forgotten that she wasn’t alone. Her sister Sarah had paid Ashley a visit to introduce her new boyfriend, no fiancé already, since they had set things in motion very quickly.
The whole situation itself had been a surprise. It’s not that she didn’t trust her sister to pick the right guy, since Sarah had learned in that regard, especially from a certain incident during high school. But her youngest sister had always had a certain distaste for everything military. In Sarah’s mind, the Alliance had broken their father, and ultimately, had taken him away from his girly horde. For Ashley, it was quite the irony, when she had learned a week ago, that her baby sister had met “the one”, and that he wears the uniform.
Originally, they’ve met a few months back, while a bunch of naval guys had celebrated graduating from the academy at the bar where Sarah jobbed at the side, to help finance her aim to study planetary geology. When they told her the story yesterday over dinner, Sarah had made it sound like this big, love at first sight story straight out of a rom-com, but when Ashley gave Thomas a scrutinizing look, she could tell that apparently, he thought the same thing.
Anyway, Thomas and Sarah stayed at Ashley’s place for a couple of days to see the Citadel, before they went on to visit his family on Bekenstein, and then later the rest of the Williams family on Earth. Which led to this peculiar situation with the two of them standing in her kitchen. At around 0200. Both having nothing but the bare minimum of sleepwear on their bodies.
“Sorry about waking you.” she remarked, once she had poured herself a glass, and had stilled her thirst, as Thomas was still standing there with concern written on his face. “You seem to be quite the light sleeper,” Ashley added, to prevent him asking questions about her wellbeing.
Contrary to Sarah, who would sleep trough an artillery barrage, he had been up quickly. Ashley appreciated it, his reaction showed her that the guy had keen senses. And, so much she could tell, he’s a fighter, who would protect Sarah at all costs. Thomas was not one of those Marines, who just want to become officers for the free college education.
He apparently came from quite the rich background, his mother working as the president of one of the most renowned manufacturers of luxury ships, and his father being a media tycoon. Both a little bit snobby, or so she had gained the impression through his tales. But Ashley was the last person, who’d let the deeds of one’s ancestors dictate her opinion of the actual person.
Besides, despite his upbringing, Thomas had opted for a career in the military. An officer, yes, but not desiring some prestigious career track, like space aviation, or wanting to hide in a designator, where he’d do his time, and then get out. Instead, he chose to be a real ground pounder, first to fight. And the SNCO in her appreciated that.
“It’s alright. Comes with the profession, I fear. But who am I talking to? You of all people should know,” he shrugged.
“Yeah, LT,” she gave him a weak smile. She could relate to that. The last two years had kept her busy. And on several occasions, being quick to respond to an enemy night raid had saved her, and the Marines under her command.
“Oh, please. What have I told you, Chief?” the man asked with a smile on his face. “We’re going to be family soon, I think we can drop ranks.”
That made Ashley chuckle. He was humble too, not the typical arrogant academy grad. But one willing to listen to subordinates with more field experience. He’d make for a good leader once. Almost like…
No, you’re not thinking about him right now, the enlisted woman stopped her own thought process.
“You’re a good man, Thomas,” Ashley instead said. “Sarah deserves it, she had some bad luck with guys in the past.”
“I know. She told me. She also told me that her big sister had been there for her all the time. So your blessing actually means a lot to both of us.”
When she heard that, Ashley looked down to her feet for an instant, allowing herself to change her expression. She had been so close of warning Sarah to further this relationship. Ashley had first hand experience what it meant to be involved with a service member. Fighting for the Alliance was not exactly the kind of job, where reaching the retirement age was anything but a guarantee. But, she had to admit that Thomas had made her sister happy, and continued to do so. And that was all she as the eldest sister could have asked for her siblings.
“Hush now. You are making me blush,” Ashley laughed, before he could have noticed her reflecting about that short moment of doubt, when he had first introduced himself as Alliance Marine. “Well, I’ll need to catch some shuteye. I won’t wake you anymore.”
“It’s alright,” Thomas said. “Goodnight.”
With that, her future brother-in-law walked back into the bedroom, while Ashley moved towards the living room, back to the couch, where she had taken up quarters during Thomas and Sarah’s short visit.
Despite her best efforts to keep her mind occupied with different matters, as she was lying there, curled up in her blanket, her thoughts revolved around him again. John Shepard. Those nightmares had brought her memories of their last encounter back. It happened only a few weeks ago, and it turned everything she had believed upside down.
Not only was Shepard alive, which was impossible, since all escape pods had been accounted for, and the commander had been in none of them, he had acted so differently. Instead of being the caring man she had fallen in love with during their time aboard the Normandy, he appeared cold, and distant as soon as he had ended their short hug. And not only that, what had worried her the most were his face and his eyes. His skin had these deep furrows, almost like a sort of spider web on his face, and just like the eyes, they were glowing red. Hadn't she recognized the man as Shepard, she would have deemed him fearsome.
Seeing that there was no way she could sleep due to her black thoughts, she silently stood up, and fetched a datapad from a nearby dresser. With a few moves, she had her bedtime reading selected.
Tennyson’s Ulysses.
It had been her father’s favorite, then hers. And later, it had become hers and Shepard’s, when she had introduced him to the world of poetry. She had loaded the poem with an entire new connotation, when she had made it theirs. Never again would it be just her father’s, or just hers. Today, just like so many times before, it would remind her of Shepard. Her John Shepard, her CO aboard the Normandy, the man who she had admired, and loved even. And not whoever that was, whom she had met on Horizon.
And it helped ease her mind. It always did. After a few verse paragraphs, she felt her eyes getting tired. So she put the datapad away, and rolled over.
In the morning, the trio had just assembled at the kitchen table for coffee, before they would head out, when Ashley’s omni-tool flared up.
“Uh, uh, I know that look,” Sarah frowned.
Ashley downed her mug, before she declared, “It looks like I need to cancel our plans for brunch. I have to leave. Sorry, sis, Thomas,” she gave them an apologizing look.
“On such short notice on Sunday? Is something amiss?” the fellow Marine wanted to know.
“I don’t know. Could be anything,” Ashley mused, as she went out of the room towards her wardrobe.
Years of training meant that Ashley could change into all her work related clothes very fast, be it dress blues, or armor. Or a simple set of fatigues, like she had opted for now. She had just fastened her boots, grabbed her cover, when she heard a knock.
“Come in,” she said.
In front of her stood Sarah, Ashley asked her in.
“Sis, have a few minutes before you have to leave?” the younger Williams asked, and closed the door behind her.
“Sure,” she smiled. “I’m sorry for having to change our plans.”
“Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, Sar,” Ashley uttered, immediately knowing that Sarah saw through that facade. The youngest of the for Williams sisters had always been the one, who could read Ashley like an open book.
“There, you’re frowning again,” Sarah noticed. “And it’s my fault. I didn’t think, when I asked, if we could stay. I should have considered that it would remind you–”
“It’s alright, really, “Ashley calmed her sister. “Those wounds of mine are healed. It’s just… I know, not everyone serving the Alliance suffers the same fate, but I just don’t want you to get hurt the same way as I did.”
“Even more than two years later, he’s still important to you, right?”
Ashley nodded, and her sister was quick to offer a hug.
Two years of coping had allowed the hurt woman to get over the grief, to allow her heart to heal. Even though she had used to say it doesn’t get broken, only bruised, which in hindsight couldn’t have been further from the truth. On a day like this, she still had to suppress the tears that wanted to come out.
Especially, since she had learned that Shepard was still alive, had seen him with her own eyes on Horizon. But how could she tell this her family? Should she at all? They for sure would form their own opinions on that matter. And the most plausible one was that Shepard had faked his death. That he had left her, the woman he had claimed to love, alone. Only to work for terrorists? No, she wouldn’t tell that to her family. Not now. Not until… Well, somewhere inside her, Ashley still had the hope that one day, she would find out what happened.
“I’m sorry, Ash,” she heard Sarah’s voice pulling her away from those thoughts.
“No need to be, Sar. Are you happy?”
“Very,” the younger Williams sister beamed.
“Then I’m happy too. And I’m glad to have meet your guy, really. How would you say? He’s cute.” Ashley quoted the video message she had received from Sarah. Only for Shepard to walk in on her, and tease her about it. And it now felt good to see the blush adorning her younger sister’s face.
“Look, I need to go now,” Ashley said, and gently pulled Sarah in for another hug, before she left the room.
Both women walked back into the kitchen, where the Marine had already taken care of cleaning the empty mugs of coffee, and put them aside to dry.
“Thomas, it was nice meeting you,” Ashley called, and held out her hand.
“Likewise, Ashley,” the man replied, and shook the hand, which Ashley had offered.
Just as she had her palm hovering above the panel, which opened the door to her apartment, she turned around. She looked at the young couple in front of her, Thomas having his arms around Sarah's shoulders. Ashley’s face suddenly formed a smirk, and she said, “Before I go: Behave, guys. You’re not married yet.”
Thomas shared a sheepish smile with the woman, but Sarah, she let out a fake groan, and threw a complaint towards her older sister. But Ashley didn’t really hear it anymore, she had quickly left her place.
It wasn’t the first time that Ashley Williams had spoken to the human councillor in his office, but being summoned on such short notice was new. She guessed that her report regarding Horizon had anything to do with it.
As the outer office secretary asked the Alliance Marine in, she made a few quick steps into the room, stopped when she had reached the appropriate distance to the desk, and snapped to attention.
“Operations Chief Ashley Williams reporting–”
The hand the councillor had held up made her stop.
“At ease, Operations Chief. We can drop the formalities,” David Anderson said, with a sympathetic smile. “Please take a seat. Can I offer you something? Coffee?”
“Yes, thank you, sir,” she replied.
“How is the shoulder, Chief?” Anderson asked.
Ashley resisted the urge to rub it. During the assignment immediately prior to the one on Horizon, she had been hit right as she was about to extract a hostage. There were no lasting damages so the doctors had assured her, and despite that sometimes she still felt the pain when she stretched the arm.
“Perfectly healed, sir,” she said. It was no straight lie, just a little embellishment.
“Good.”
For a moment, the non-commissioned officer thought that there was something else visible in the councillor’s expression. Unfazed by her doubts, Anderson went to the terminal on his desk, and asked his secretary for three mugs of coffee.
Ashley was surprised at first, but then she saw some commotion in a corner of the office. An admiral stepped into her field of view, and Ashley was about to jump to her feet and salute, but the man quickly said, “Remain seated, Chief.”
“Admiral Hackett, sir. What gives me the honor?” Ashley asked.
The flag officer sat down on the edge of Anderson’s desk, and handed her a datapad, “We are sorry for disturbing your little family time, but we want you to have a look at this. We’ll consider it the final mission of your training.”
Hackett was straight to the point, just as she preferred. Intrigued by his announcement, Ashley looked at the datapad. The device checked her security clearance, and moments later, she could see its contents.
She skimmed over the details of this apparent new assignment of hers, Operation Turncoat. She had spent the majority of the past two years with completing a sequence of first going on a training course, followed immediately by a highly classified mission. It was a whole series of assignments, one more difficult than the other, and each pushing her to her limits, and beyond. And each putting her closer to that life-long dream of hers, reaching the coveted N7 status. A dream she had had ever since she had enlisted. A dream, which had further flourished, when she had, for a short time, served under the command of the first N7 graduate, and later under his mentee.
Her initial enthusiasm of having received her final ICT mission vanished within an instant. She knew from the moment she had accepted the invitation letter to Rio that nothing in the following months would be easy. It was a program intended for the best of the best, and she felt honored that someone at command considered her to be good enough for this.
This new assignment, however, was unlike anything she had expected. She flicked through pages of text, which detailed an in-depth plan, which she was expected to follow, and studied the accompanying images: A familiar looking diamond-shaped logo, a ship with a vaguely familiar silhouette, an itinerary of planets, along with some potential destinations on Illium, Omega, and the Citadel, some high-ranking crew members of said ship, and finally, the main target, its commanding officer.
None other than former Commander John fucking Shepard.
Apparently, due to his time with Cerberus, however long it actually was, a few months like he had claimed, or really more than two years, or even longer, he had finally painted a huge target on himself.
This mission, however, it was surreal. She wasn’t even sure, if she had the necessary skillset. The tactics involved had more to do with intelligence than the abilities of a traditional Marine. This was unlike anything she had infiltrated before.
There was no chance that this could work in the first place. If Shepard still was the man he claimed to be, he would see through it the moment she made her intentions clear, especially after their argument on Horizon.
Additionally, there was no way she, a Williams, would do this. This mission, it betrayed every core principal she had held so high. Ideals, both her grandfather, and father had begun to ingrain in her before she had even started wearing the uniform. Before fine men like Gunny Ellison had further molded her into this, until it had become a lifestyle, outfitting her with abilities future fine commanding officers could draw upon; even if only few actually had done so, until she had been put under the command of a certain John Shepard.
Being an Alliance Marine, it wasn’t just her career. It was her life. Her and her family’s name. And her new orders would destroy it all, shatter the hard work she had put into clearing her family's name, and instead putting more shame to it.
Frustrated, Ashley let the datapad drop onto the desk in front of her, where it impacted with a loud thud. She put her hand over her face, forcing herself to find her inner calm again. Still, her voice was more snappy than she intended to, when she asked, “Sirs, with all due respect, but you want me to do what?”