Ashley Shepard, Forgotten Hero

Chapter 17

Why do people get so frantic when I am not where I usually am, seriously it isn't a big ship. There are footsteps above me and people yelling, finally i stop listening and decide to ask what the big fuss is about. When i get upstairs there is yelling coming from the briefing room.

"Bullies have few friends when they need them most!" The Dalatrass yells at Shepard. Oh great, something bad just had to happen.

"Ashley be ready, we're rescuing some female Krogan."

"Ok, I'll be ready Commander."

It takes me exactly five minutes to get my armor clothes on and put my barriers up. I walk up to the helm and wait for Shepard to call for me.

"Ashley, Shepard needs you and Garrus in the shuttle bay."

I mock salut Joker and take the elevator down, I see Shepard and Garrus kissing in the shuttle. The click of my built on omni tool camera makes then stop kissing.

"Lets go love birds, before the sun goes down and the stars come up."

Wrex joins us in the Shuttle and I drift behind Shepard, I still don't like him.

"Where are we going?"

"Sur'Kesh," Shepard says. Everything becomes distant as I remember the horrors inflicted on humans, that included me there. They injected us with different serum to see what humans could stand up to, the tests were inhuman.

Luckily Liara came with us, just no come.

"Shepard I'm going to stay with Wrex," I say when we land. She nods, probably guessing it has something to do with my past.

Gunfire echoes across the base and Wrex and I run to the shuttle to provide cover fire.

I contact Shepard after awhile, "Shepard hurry up, Wrex and I took the shuttle and he says that if you don't get the female to safety then the deals off!" I yell as the gunship cases us.

I swing the side door open and fire a biotic disk at it, I see them swerve and crash into a building. The shockwave knocks me out of the shuttle and I have to use my biotics to land on the landing pad. My ankle hurts a lot after I land so quickly but I get back up and kill all of the Cerberus troops that are near me.

I hear footsteps behind me and pull out my dagger, ready to do melee combat. It is a lone Cerberus trooper, I stick my dagger in between the cracks in his armor and he collapses. I have to hold my own for ten minutes but it is easy compared to the six hours I had to do before.

Finally Shepard gets up to the landing pad, then a giant stupid atlas decides to come fight us. As Shepard draws its fire I sneak around back and hop on the back. I send a tiny disk into the Atlas and do a backflip off to avoid the explosion.

Shepard helps me up and I see the female Krogan is alright. On the Normandy I sit in the Med bay getting my ankle looked at and talking with Eve.

"Ashley why do you have a knee brace on? It can't be from the recent battle, leg looks like it has been healing for a couple months."

I stop him, "Ship crash right after you guys destroyed the Collector base."

"Ah, I see. Well your ankle should be better in a couple days, only strained the muscles didn't break or tear anything."

I limp over to Eve, "Hi Eve, how are you?"

"I am fine." we don't continue the conversation. I lay down in my cabin and the memories of Sur'Kesh filter through my tired mind.

Fires burn as the prisoners riot and try to escape the prison, escape the inhuman test and escape the aliens. Kaiden and I race against the flow of people, trying to reach the Asari ship.

Someone picks me up and I kick and scream, I hear Kaiden doing the same thing. "Calm down, I'm Commander Zaria T'Soni and I am here o help you."

I relax and let her set us down, we run onto the ship and I cry.

"David, David, why did they have to do that to you?!" My friend died because of some stupid test.

A knock at my door ends my sad memories and when the door opens I don't turn to the person. They clear their throat but I still don't turn to them, I don't have the energy.

"Ashley, just turn around will you?"

Finally I turn around and face Garrus, "What?"

"I need your advice about something, do you think Shepard would like this wine or do you think I should just have lunch with her the next time we're on the Citadel?"

"Why should I know? Love is over rated and stupid."

I whisper to myself, "Plus, the only boy I have ever loved broke my heart for some psychotic bitch. We were supposed to love each other forever."

He leaves and I turn to my terminal, where Shepard put all of the data from my ship. I see all of my old emails, all of them either telling a family that their family member won't be coming home or telling some person higher up who we lost.

I find the one I sent to Mia's family.

'Dear Mr and Mrs Masana,

I am so sorry to tell you that your daughter Mia won't be coming home. It with great sadness that I tell you that she was killed in action when Quarians attacked the docks of the Citadel. Mia will be missed, she was my best friend. I feel that it is my fault she is gone and I will make sure her death wasn't in vain. I am mourning with you for the loss of Mia Masana.

Sincerely,

Commander Ashley Shepard.'

As I read the emails telling families of their losses tears streak down my cheek. When I get to the end I find that I had lots of unread messages.

Most of them are from families that lost someone, actually every damn family in this galaxy lost a family member. They all pretty much say that they are thankful for me ending the war and that I avenged their loved ones.

The last one is from an unknown number.

'Dear Ashley, you might not remember me but its Sofia. I am sorry that I left you for dead on Virmire, I wasn't in my right mind. I hope you get this and that you forgive me, I am so sorry.

-Sofia Rosewood.'

Oh ya, her. I forgave her already. I was mad at her for the whole time I was in my own time but when I was frozen I was forced to relive the war twenty five times. Shepard woke me up right at the end of the last time, and after I saw how she acted I know that it was the stupid chip.

I sigh, I look into our surveillance and I find one where it is Kaiden and I kissing. Everything has changed between us, I felt true love with him and that loves gone.

"Kaid what happened to us?! I use to love you, I still do! What came between us?!" I cry into my empty room. I don't usually cry over a boy but he is my first and only love and he broke my heart by going to my best friend.

I slap myself, "Ashley get ahold of yourself, he is a stupid boy and Jack can go to hell. Lets take after Jack, well not the killer part but I won't ever love again. Thanks Kaid, and thanks Jack, for braking my heart." I mutter to the empty room.

I close my terminal and walk over to my bed, and fall asleep.