ME: Precedent of Paragon: My Only Son

My Only Son

The night sky hangs heavy overhead, cloudy and forboding, a terrifying dread filling the air as all glanced around nervously at each other. None really know what to expect. All they can guess will happen is something bad. And sometime soon.

Not a single twinkling, twinkling, little star can be seen shining overhead, as if the entire planet's been stuck into a kit-bag to shut it up so it can't cry out in terror over what's to come. The air is chilly, the wind biting at your skin like tiny little pinpricks digging in deeper and deeper with every new blast of cold air. As the cry of a wild, unknown animal rings through the air, the brave warrior glances around at his friends.

One nervously stares around, unable to fully comprehend. The other seems to comprehend all too clearly…and seems almost to have stoically accepted his fate.

But he…he doesn't believe in fate. He will not die here. Innocent lives are at stake. He's going to put a stop to all of this.

There's just no more time to waste.

And yet…before he ends this. He just…has to know. He HAS to.

What is it all about? Is it really what he thinks it is.

He sees HIM. He opens his mouth. And speaks with as much urgency as he can muster.

"You can't DO this, Saren!" Jack Harper yelled out, Nihlus sighing as he put a clawed hand on Nick and Eva's shoulders separately, leading the two away and into the next room. Jack was proving harder to hold down, two hulking bodyguards had to grab his arms as he struggled to rush forward at Desolas's brother as the Turian general held his arms over his chest and raised a nonexistent eyebrow up. "Desolas has no idea what he's got in there! Don't let him do this! Don't let these people go in!"

"It's unfortunate you weren't more helpful, Mr. Harper. And unfortunate you choose to be so…problematic. He's seen what my brother wanted him to see. So instead of letting you behold what lies ahead, you can stay with the other two." Saren remarked, waving a dismissive hand in the air as Jack gritted his teeth

"SAREN, you've got to STOP this! Desolas doesn't know what he's doing! But I DO! And…and God HELP me, I wish I DIDN'T!" He screamed out as he was led forcibly down the hall through the tample, Saren's normally solemn and cold face becoming…worried.

For some, being the brother of a famous general like Desolas might be a path to instant career success. Saren, however, wasn't interested in riding the coattails of anyone. Saren Arterius never followed in the footsteps of others. Not his father, who'd taken on a navy position. Nor his brother in terms of how he fought on the field. He WON the coveted slot on Desolas's staff. And he'd been proud.

Colleagues of his had bragged Saren never met any situation beyond his control. The irony being that he'd finally found one…

Working for his brother. He entered the hall of golden crystals, this towering central dome at the hub of the temple, the pale, almost ethereal light of the Arca Monolith glimmering like the surface of a pool in a deep mountain cave. Several Turians had already attempted to bond with the Arca Monolith and…

They hadn't…they…

Their bodies were lying cold on the floor, a foul, almost unnatural bluish/white light forever burned into their eye sockets, mouths agape with horror as a female Turian gently cajoled her son into approaching the artifact.

"Mother, I don't like this, these…these people, they…they don't look rght."

"Stay strong, Lagrion. Avenge your father. There shall never be another Turian lost to war if you do this, as General Desolas has promised." His mother insisted.

Saren flinched as two of the cloaked "priests" took the child from his mother and practically CHUCKED him at the Monolith like he was a piece of meat they were FEEDING him to the thing, the child letting out a horrified scream. Desperately the woman tried to break free from the hold of the "priest" holding her, eyes agape with horror. "NO! My son, what have you-"

She managed to tug down it's hood, seeing it's eyes, the glowing blue veins. "You're not Turian! Wh-what ARE you?"

It was the last thing she ever said. And that was the last time Saren stuck around. He immediately left the room, his face now a stony, dark mask, barely suppressing disgust…and the tiniest hint of real fear…as he entered his brother's room, Desolas speaking to his platoon with a rousing speech, halting as he heard his brother's entrance.

"Oh! Saren, you're here. How good. Just in time to help me review the troops."

"Yes, well…this is premature. The "meta-turians" are simple-minded and they don't obey worth a damn. Besides, I thought you said one of those humans would be the key to controlling them?" Saren wanted to know, Desolas smirking a bit.

"Yes, well, neither really said anything for days about it, and when they finally DO start speaking of it, it's nonsense. I'm done playing games with them. Besides, our scientists have actually discovered a behavior link between the evolved Turians and the monolith. They're not "simpleminded" so much as "singleminded", my brother. Driven to protect the artifact for a specific purpose…to create more of their own kind. They let me bring it here, I give them a source of recruits. I shall carry the Monolith into battle as a talisman, with their numbers and beserker drive to protect it…"

Desolas held aloft an ancient war spear, twirling it before hoisting it in the air. "I will topple EVERY challenger. First the sniveling civilian rulers shall fall, then our rivals, one by one. And I shall do the thinking for these new recruits. After all, many an insect species have warriors and drones. Ours shall do both!"

"Yes, well, I'm just worried about where your bugs have been burrowing, brother." Saren admitted, his tone becoming somewhat concerned. "I came to tell you that before I came to see if Mr. Harper would be more cooperative, I caught some of them rooting around in the BOWELS of the temple, clearing rubble from collapsed levels."

"So? They worship the relic. They just want to improve its resting place." Desolas said with a shrug. "You wish to chase shadows, then by all means! Be my guest. I've got more important things to do." Desloas said as Saren slightly bit his lip.

"…right." He muttered out, turning and walking away. "…right."

Meanwhile, down on the lower levels OF the temple…

"Let me GO." Harper demanded, struggling to get free as he was brought towards an open cell, the guards rolling their eyes, one clearly wishing he could plug Jack squarely in his head. "I need to speak with Desolas."

"He's had enough of you, and frankly, so have we-"

"SURPRISE!" Eva roared out, swinging down from the inside of the cell, kicking one of the guards to the ground, Jack wheeling around and slamming his fist into the other one as Nick grabbed the guard's gun, holding it to the man's neck as Eva turned and nodded appreciatively at Nihlus as he exited the cell. "MAN that felt good!" She proclaimed, leaping up and down slightly, punching the air as Nick looked the gun's settings over, selecting "stun" and knocking the remaining guard out as Jack blinked in surprise at Nihlus.

"What? Why are you helping us?"

"The human told me what the glyphs meant." Nihlus said quietly, his face filled with fear, a nervous twitch to his body as Jack glanced over at the "Priests" removing rubble from what appeared to be an ancient doorway, a faint light glimmering beyond in the blackness.

"That's very, very interesting…because I'd like to know what they mean to." Saren announced, all of them turning around to see Saren holding a high-powered pistol at them. "Okay, dog...I'm tempted to put you down because someone let you off your leash and out for a walk, but if you can actually do a little TRICK for me-"

"Here's the "trick". Jack and I can both read the glyphs. We know what really happened here." Nick said as Jack motioned for everyone to follow him towards the now-open ancient doorway, the "priests" heading inside…

And all knelt before ANOTHER glowing artifact just like the Arca Monolith upstairs. Saren's eyes went wide with horror as he held a hand over his mouth, his other one almost dropping the gun in sheer shock. A cold wind blasted out from the inner temple walls, the artifact humming slightly like some kind of disturbing bug zapper. "Another one?" Saren murmured out.

"Your people discovered it ages ago. They created superstrong Turians. THOSE were the "Valluvian Priests of Legend"." Jack murmured as he gestured at the artifact and the kneeling turians within. "But those priests weren't holy in the slightest. Your people realized how dangerous they were so they built this temple for them…then sealed them inside to protect your species! After Desolas's researchers found the smaller relic and got transformed they sensed THIS one was already here, and soon…they'll be transfiguring more of your people into the mutated freaks you've become so acquainted with!"

"You've been letting people in slowly because you weren't sure about this…isn't that right?" Nick asked quietly. "You were afraid that maybe there was something genuinely sinister about these things? And you were right, if people knew, they'd rip you and your brother to shreds for exposing them to this. But soon these "Priests" will outnumber you. They'll just put the monoliths in the city squares, they'll turn your entire population into-"

"Shut UP!" Saren yelled out, holding his head in his hands, cringing as he shook it back and forth. "Dammit, let me think! Why would anyone want to do this?! What's the point of advancing a species to its physical peak if you sacrifice intelligence?!" He murmured…before a sad, unhappy voice rang out, all of them turning to see poor, decrepit old Ben sitting on a rock, looking mournfully at them, his face hollow and sunken, more of his unnatural features visible than before. It appeared as though all his internal organs were being replaced by glowing blue machinery as he glanced about at his old buddies.

"I think it WANTS us all that way. It knows, Jack. It knows about humanity now too…because of me. And now that we found this second artifact it wants us to act."

"It's not your fault, Ben." Jack said, gently helping Ben up and leading him over to them, a mournful expression on his face. "You didn't make these devices. I just haven't worked out the angle. The WHY."

"Okay skull faces, You guys better do something fast or you'll have a whole planet of these…drooling behemoths. And perhaps not even a whole PLANET if you get my drift." Eva warned as Saren held a hand in the air.

"Alright, enough, ENOUGH! Stop nattering, woman! I may be an Arterius and family means nearly everything to me…but I'm sworn to defend my people first and foremost. This has to stop." Saren said. "Nihlus. I'm going to call up Sentry Station and they'll patch me through to Palaven Command. I'm declaring an unsecured bioweapon emergency. Meet me at the temple IMMEDIATELY! Because we are burning this WHOLE PLACE TO THE GROUND."

The priests twitched. Nilhus reached for his rifle. "I think…they heard you…" He muttered out, quickly firing on the things as they raced towards the group, Ben flinching, struggling desperately to stay sane as the others took off running. "GO, GO, we've not much time!"

…

…

…

…Indeed, they didn't. Desolas had TRIED to calm the newly-armored warriors down, but he'd just been tossed to the side. And when Saren and his troops entered the main hall…tossed at HIM.

"OOF." Desolas groaned, flopping to the ground behind his brother as Saren glared darkly at the mindless drones.

"That's…it." He hissed out. "No More Mister Nice Guy. FIRE!" He roared out to the soldiers, his gun belching hot, plasma-fueled bullets that tore through skulls and crests. "Don't let a single one outside!"

"Didn't your mother ever teach you NEVER BRING A KNIFE TO A GUN FIGHT?!" Jack Harper roared out, firing on two priest-warriors that pulled wicked, curved knives at him, their death shrieks filling the air, black blood splattering around their bodies as Nick helped Eva and Ben along, murmuring something almost melodic under his breath. "Can you sing later?!" Jack whispered back at his comrade. "We're almost out of here, let's just clean this s—t off their front lawn."

"This is THEIR front lawn, THEY can handle it." Eva said. "Getting Ben help is what we should be focusing on. Getting him to a human hospital and away from these mutants!" She said as the four of them shuffled to the back of the main hall, gunfire blasting in their ears, Nihlus racing past them, slamming the butt of his gun into a mutant Turian, kracking it's face open, sending it falling to the floor in a meathy THA-THLUK.

"He's dead weight, Eva we can't help him." Jack said. "I've thought about it more, WHY someone would do this and-"

"Stop THINKING for once and FEEL, we can't give up! We've gotta get away from these things!"

"There's no place far enough away from these things, Eva! I could feel their presence even on Arcturus Station!" Jack proclaimed as Eva held up the highpowered rifle she'd grabbed from one of the guards, gritting her teeth with furious resolve.

"Yeah, well…one thing we AIN'T tried yet…" She hissed out, Jack's eyes widening as he realized what she was going to do, firing on the artifact. "DIE, you piece of SHIT!" She yelled out, blasting away again and again.

"It's not very effective…" Nick murmured…before realizing Ben's eyes had begun glowing more brightly and he was now tearing free of Jack and him, racing at Eva. "Oh no!"

"HILSOP, DON'T!" Jack screamed out, Ben tackling Eva…

Slamming her into the wall, her head cracking against it…blood trickling down slowly as Ben's furious, snarling face suddenly turned into one of absolute horror, sorrow filling his inhuman eyes. "…E…Eva?"

"Eva, NO…" Jack whispered.

"What have you DONE?!" Nick murmured, holding his hands over his mouth, Desolas rising up, held up on a staff, his tone becoming cold.

"What he was SUPPOSED to do. Protect the monolith. You might be the only person here who DOES what he's told." He remarked. "Astounding technology is it not? You'd need an orbital bombardment to scratch it. If THAT!"

"I…had to stop her, Jack, I…it didn't give me any choice…" Ben murmured. "I…I tried…Jack. I tried…"

"It's not too late." Nick whispered. "You can still redeem yourself."

"Brother, we have to leave. The temple's not secure and I've called outside help to-"

"Nonsense, we're pacifying them. Recall the forces outside, I simply need to ADJUST the experiment." Desloas remarked, waving a dismissive hand in the air as Ben tightly embraced Eva's prone form, a single tear slowly making its way down his cheek.

"I can't fight it…I cannot avoid it…it is…inevitable…"

"It won't WORK, Desolas. Don't you get it, even now? It was never going to work!" Jack demanded angrily, Desolas frowning as he wheeled around, pulling a pistol from the inner folds of his robe.

"I have had ENOUGH of you, human. I should have done this long ago…" Desloas snarled.

"It's INEVITABLE!" Ben roared out…

Shooting at Desolas, tackling him against the artifact, a horrifying, screeching wail emitting from the Arca Monolith as if it had been STABBED, blue lightning shot through the room, grazing Saren's cheek, soaring over Jack as he grabbed Eva and dived away, Saren struggling to pull Desolas off as Nick shot forward, yanking him and Desolas off the artifact and falling back to the ground with a THUMPA-THUD…

…the artifact finally going silent.

…

…

…

… "I'm sorry, Eva. Despite everything the monolith gave me, it almost made me lose sight of what really matters." Jack said, carefully lifting Eva up in his arms as she murmured softly, tilting her head to look up at him.

"B-Ben?"

"No, Eva, it's Jack. Ben…he…"

"You gotta…save him."

"He saved us all, Eva." Jack whispered, shaking his head back and forth, ben and Desolas's still forms lying on the floor as Nick carefully turned Ben on his back and placed his hands over each other, silently muttering what appeared to be a prayer. "He gave the monolith another victim…and made sure Desolas won't be bringing in any more of his own. I KNOW what the artifact is. It's not an evolution device. It's a DEVOLUTION device. A booby trap. It's creates planted it to alert them to the presence of advances species and to transform them into something THEY could control."

Saren slowly rose off the ground, panting and heaving, casting a glance over at his brother's still form before SLAMMING his clawed fist into the ground with a pained, agonizing wail, almost like the cry of a child as Jack sympathetically shook his head back and forth.

"Warn your people, Saren. I wish I could stay and watch what happens. But…I need to take care of my own." He mumbled, gingerly carrying Eva out the temple as Nick slowly rose up and walked over to Desolas's body, carefully lifting his head up, then turning to Saren.

"…I can…make sure nobody else leaves the temple." He offered. "In case…y'know…"

"…I would like that." Saren muttered out, tossing Nick his communicator and rising up from the ground and exiting the temple as well. "Thank you."

"…don't thank me just yet." Nick mumbled to himself, placing the communicator behind Desolas and putting his form back onto the ground, calmly heading over to the Arca Monolith, glaring darkly at the thing as it seemed to audibly HISS at him, as if disgusted being in his presence. "Hateful thing. Pitiless, evil scorn."

Do YoU tHiNk YoU'vE aCtUaLlY hElPeD tHeM? DONE sOmEtHiNg?

"Yes. And that must burn you up inside. You ugly, overgrown piece of jewelry." He said, promptly KICKING the thing hard as it toppled over onto it's side, letting out another wailing scream, Nick smirking down at it. "I would love…to explain why your voodoo don't do nothing for me. OHHH I'd love to go on and on about it, really rub your face in how disgusting I think you are. But I'm just going to stand here. And I'm going to watch you die. And when you're rotting in Hell…"

He smiled. "Tell the big guy at the gate that I hate to make him wait. But he's not getting me just yet."

An hour later, Desolas slowly awoke, moaning in pain, holding his head as he struggled to get up. "Ooooooh. My heeeeaaad…" He mumbled out before he heard his brother's voice.

"Brother? Brother, can you hear me?"

"Saren? Is…that you? Where are you?" Desolas muttered softly, rubbing his pounding skull, faint whispers filling his head as he turned to look down at the activated communicator which showed his brother's form, arms across his chest, his face somber and sad.

"Right behind you…well, not actually. Not entirely true. I'm behind you, but QUITE some distance away. You'll understand why soon, I assure you."

"I don't understand much of ANYTHING, my…my mind is going…it hurts…" Desolas whispered out as Saren sighed.

"That's how the process works. I don't know why I wasn't affected by the artifact. Perhaps it has something to do with indirect contact. Whatever the reason, the Palaven forces and I have to act now whilst you and your mutated forces, whatever may remain of them, are still inside with the monoliths. To protect our species, just as you've always tried to do."

"What…what are you saying, Saren?" Desolas asked, his voice pained, a hint of fear entering it as Saren closed his eyes and slightly bowed his head.

"I am sorry, brother. I have a duty to Palaven. Like you. We all do. And I understand now that some secrets are meant to STAY buried until we are ready to understand them. I will mourn you…and avenge you." Saren promised, giving a final, firm nod…

As all around Desolas was suddenly engulfed in burning hot light, pure orbital power raining down from satellites above as Saren slowly walked outside of the watchtower, looking at the distant burning fire far away, waiting…waiting for it to die down slightly before he finally descended the steps of the security tower, heading through the streets past people who were already quickly heading back home, eager to stay away from the ruins of the temple as he made his approach.

The temple itself was now a burning, hot, humid wreck. It appeared that nothing had survived, and Saren glanced about, looking for any other signs of life as the smoke from the ravaged palace drifted up into the skies above. No more guards…no more priests…no more mutants, no more anything-

No. NOOO. It…it couldn't be.

Something was emerging from the wreckage, panting a bit, body dirtied and sullied with soot and skin peeling slightly in the heat, blood matting his face as he carried the form of his brother out of the wreckage, Saren racing towards the two. "What have you DONE, he's…" Saren began to growl out, reaching for his pistol-

Only to stop. Seeing his brother's eyes. Which no longer held the glow of the diabolical artifact's influence. Now they were just sad and sightless…but his. HIS. Not something else's. Desolas's.

And Saren could see WHY his brother was blinded as his kin moaned slightly, head bowed…a hard piece of rebar from the palace jutting into the back of his head as the young human named Nick mournfully gazed from Desolas to Saren. "I don't know how long he has." He managed to get out, his voice breaking. "God, I'm so sorry. I can't give him any more than this. Nothing's working. I tried, believe me, I did, but…he doesn't have long."

Saren gently took his brother in his arms, kneeling him down on the ground as Nick sat nearby, looking at Saren's face as Desolas felt somebody take his hands. "…wh…what's going…how…?" He managed to gurgle out, mouth half full of blood as he began to cough, Saren turning his head to the side to spit the fluids out.

"It is I, Des." Saren said, speaking his brother's "pet" name. "It's me. The human, the one with the necklace, he…he carried you out."

"…you…I heard you." Desolas mumbled, his sightless eyes widening a bit, a soft smile coming to his face. "You…you SANG for me. That…that was rather touching…trying to lull me to sleep? Perhaps a prayer?"

"I tried to fix you." Nick managed to get out from his bowed head. "I tried my best, but I didn't succeed."

"I need you to…be there for our people." Desolas managed to tell his brother. "Please. Save them. It'll hurt them so bad. It knows we're here and it'll hurt them. Promise me you'll do everything you can to save us."

"I promise." Saren swore, gently burying his face in his brother's slowly rising and falling chest as he felt tears begin to well up in his eyes as the chest finally ceased it's breathing, his brother's form falling utterly silent with a final, satisfied sigh. He clutched Desolas's form tightly, Nick nervously sitting there on his knees, looking from Desolas's dead body to Saren. "Please. Just…don't say anything. This is the absolute worst thing that could ever happen to me, and you're here, WITNESSING it, and…and I KNOW you gave me a chance to truly say goodbye, I KNOW you tried to save him but…just DON'T say anything." The Turian managed to get out, slowly lifting his head up and looking into Nick's eyes, silvery/blue into hazel/green.

Nick glanced off to the side, then back at Saren. Do you want me to go? He asked, giving a slight jab with his head.

Saren shook his head.

So Nick instead, very carefully, crawled over on his knees to Desolas and closed his eyelids, placing Desolas's hands over his chest as he looked up expectantly at Saren, who gave the human a grateful nod, choking back a sob as he clasped his hands together…

And began to pray.

PRESENT DAY…

"Help me turn this stupid engine on!" Commander Shepherd growled out, slamming his fist on the top of the jeep as Jenkins nervously approached, his hat held over his chest as he shook his head back and forth. "Come on, Jenkins, I've got to get going to the front lines at Battalion A, that's where the heat of it all is, where the Batarians are swarming upon!" He yelled, pointing down at the jeep with a gloved finger as Jenkins cringed.

"Sir, it's not gonna work, I'm afraid. We had to strip it for parts to get one of the generators running, remember?" Jenkins told him as Shepherd sighed, hopping out of the jeep as the faint firing of guns in the distance echoed through the city as he looked at the other vehicles present, rubbing his chin.

"Tell me, Jenkins. Which one of these ISN'T missing huge chunks of their insides?"

"The ambulance, but that's only to be used for an emerg-"

Too late. Shepherd was already making a beeline for the ambulance, hopping inside and quickly switching it on, grateful that they had all been made easy to hotwire ever since the Batarians had started their attack. The ambulance barreled down the street, Grey racing out of the nearby makeshift hospital doors as he gaped, seeing Shepherd making for Battalion A. "Oh no, he did it." He muttered out.

"You KNEW he was gonna do that?" Jenkins asked of the medic as Grey quietly sighed and nodded his head.

"I figured he would. Come on, Jenkins, let's reinforce the hospital walls and then head on down after him on foot."

"Shouldn't we go after him immediately?" Jenkins wanted to know as Grey shook his head back and forth, glancing off in the direction the ambulance had went, the "weeee woooooo weeeee wooooo" of it echoing through the skies over the roar of cannon fire in the distance.

"This is something he has to face himself, Jenkins…" Grey murmured gently. "…the same way I did."

…

…

…

…a heavy pulse cannon blast sent ground and wall pieces flying at Battalion A as Commander Shepherd readied his high-range turret, aiming carefully in the control console, a rotating chair feature that allowed him, thanks to the wonders of modern human technology, to send hot burning plasma death through the skulls of Batarians a mile away. Which he was eager to do. Despite the whiz of bullets through the air and the screams of the injured and dying…he felt he was at home. That this was his true purpose. He was keeping people safe on the front lines and felling more Batarians than they were downing HIS people.

His gloved hands gripped the triggers of the turret and he let out a roaring snarl, blasting away at an oncoming Batarian fighter that was soaring in from above to dive bomb them, the turret tearing through the hull and turning it and its pilot into slag as Shepherd heaved and panted, seeing the wings falling to the ground…

Wait, someone was running towards the wall! Towards HIS turret! Not just someone, a whole horde of batarians on foot, evidently attempting a surge attack. How had they snuck past the defenses? Must have waited until the other turrets were overloaded.

Well his needed to recharge for a few minutes now, but Shepherd wasn't going to give in. He leapt down from the turrent, past the ladder leading up to it and onto the grass below as his men held the line behind the defensive perimeter wall they'd set up, readying their guns as he nodded firmly at them. "Platoon A, fall in behind me."

"We could die out there, sir. You ready?" One of the men asked.

"That would be interesting, wouldn't it?" Shepherd wryly remarked, leading the charge, firing off his assault rifle as hot bullets blazed out to tear through flesh and bone of Batarian raiders. He blasted away again and again, eyes aglow with righteous fury, hearing one of his men let out a pained cry, blood splattering over him as he saw a man to his right get shot by a Batarian that was trying to aim at HIM, his gun evidently jammed.

Shepherd wasn't having that. He shot forward, SLAMMING the assault rifle into the batarian's face, blood and bone splattering with a SCAH-FLUKKA-BLORK sound, bringing it down again and again, panting and heaving before suddenly realizing the shot human was still alive.

I have to help him. Get him to the medical bay.

Shepherd quickly pulled the wounded soldier, racing over to the wall as his fellow comrades kept firing on the batarian troops, Shepherd tearing off towards the medical bay and placing the wounded soldier down on a makeshift bed. They'd turned this golf course into a battalion to hold the Batarian menace at bay and this bar was a poor medical bay, but it was all they had, and the medics looked the wounded soldier over, his long brown hair matted with blood from his blown open chest, the medics cringing as they shook their heads, sighing slightly.

"I don't think we can help him." One of them managed to mumble out. "He's got too much internal damage." The medic said. "Medi-Gel won't help." He admitted, feeling the man's pulse whilst another looked over the chest wound. "We can see his RIBS for Pete's sake."

"Leave me with him." Shepherd asked quietly. "Please." He added, the medics nervously nodding before leaving the two to get a quick drink of water and wash their hands in the bathroom as Shepherd carefully held the young man's hands in his, struggling to find the right words to say, his tongue feeling as though it weighed a thousand pounds as he attempted to speak. "Hello…Peter." He said, looking down at the young soldier's dog tags, still wrapped around his neck.

"I can't feel anything below my chest." Peter the corporal mumbled out, mouth beginning to fill with blood, coughing the contents out as Shepherd tilted his head to the side to keep him from choking. "Oh. OHHH."

"Just stay with me."

"This is…this is it. I can't…I can't see." Peter whispered out, eyes widening in horror as Shepherd felt a deep chill strike deep into the back of his neck. "What's…I can't feel you holding my hand. I'm dying, aren't I?" Peter managed to mumble.

"Can you hear me, Peter?" Shepherd spoke, holding Peter's head in one hand, his hand in the other. "Peter, can you hear me?"

"Y-yeah. I…I can hear you."

"What's…what's happening to you? Please. Tell me. Can you FEEL anything? SEE anything?" Shepherd murmured, Peter blinking slowly, lips pursing as if trying to focus on something that only his blind eyes could now behold. "Please. I HAVE to know. What is HAPPENING to you?"

"I…" Peter murmured softly, a small smile coming to his face. "I smell milk…" He whispered, smile widening a bit…before giving a soft, quiet cough, turning his head to the side…his breathing fading away as Shepherd bit into his lip, cringing, feeling his body wracked with dry sobs as he slowly released Peter's fallen form and sat down on a nearby bench, holding his head in his hands.

A minute later, he heard someone approaching him, a gentle hand patting his shoulder as he gazed up, seeing Grey and Jenkins looking into his tear-stained face.

"The communications channels are clear. The Alliance will be here in an hour. We need to rally everyone and hold on. They need you, Shepherd. ONLY you." Grey requested quietly. "They love you that much. Trust you that much. And for good reason."

"Sir? Your orders?" Jenkins wanted to know as Shepherd stood up, taking a deep breath, then folding his arms across his chest, head bowed slightly.

"Reinforce the walls, ready the mines we've got left and prepare the Molotov cocktails we've cooked up." He ordered firmly, Jenkins making his way out of the medical bay as Shepherd turned to Grey himself. "Sorry, I should…hold on." He muttered, wiping his cheeks clean as Grey looked over at the dead soldier.

"…He'll be fine now." Grey spoke up. "At least…it's what I believe."

"How-I thought…you said…" Shepherd began to say as Grey carefully reached inside an inner pocket, pulling out a small necklace from within. A mood necklace in the shape of a cross.

"I'm not curious, Shepherd. Because I know." He told the commander. "You're a peacemaker…our…Shepherd. And I believe that He is well pleased with you. You're one of the most courageous and compassionate people I know."

"You know, sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like if I hadn't gone into the military." Shepherd wondered with a small smile. "But if I had, I wouldn't be able to help these people here, would I? I suppose Life works in mysterious ways."

"Everything in it's place. And yet…there's no fate but what we make. Now…I'M going to stay here and tend to the wounded. You…go kick Batarian butt." The medic proclaimed, patting Commander Shepherd on the shoulder. "Godspeed, commander."

"Please. Call me…Shepherd."

"What's your FIRST name?"

Shepherd blushed, muttering it slightly as he passed by the medic, who burst out LAUGHING at this, wiping a tear from his eye. "Oh my God, are you kidding me? THAT pretentious…really?"

"But do I LOOK like that? I look like a "Shepherd"." The commander chuckled. "Now I'd best tend to my flock."

"Hey, give it a rest with the jokes, Shep. I've got three more months of duty with you and I don't want you using up all MY material." The medic said with a smile, the commander racing out the medical bay to join the fray anew as Grey turned to Peter's body, gently placing his hands over his chest. "War's Hell, Peter. It's cliché but it's true. And…I'm sorry I can't help you now. Sorry there's so LITTLE I can do."

Peter, of course…didn't answer. So Grey gently shook his head, sitting down on a nearby chair…and cried.

I knew a simple soldier boy,
Who grinned at life in empty joy,
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,
And whistled early with the lark!

In winter trenches, cowed and glum,
With crumps and lice and lack of rum,
He put a bullet through his brain,
And no one spoke of him again.

You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when soldier lads march by!
Sneak home and pray you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go…

Siegfried Sassoon, 1918.