The Citadel

Nothing made Spike feel safer than when he was wearing his standard marine armor taking out some Batarian slavers that had attempted to establish an underground operation in the Citadel. He and his squad had been making their way through the lower levels of the Batarian base, killing slavers and freeing any captives they could find. Spike burst through the door and found the leader of the slavers, holding a gun to a Salarian woman's head.

"Stop right there, human! One step closer and I'll kill this wench!" the slaver leader demanded. "Drop your weapons!"

Spike slowly bent downwards to put his gun on the floor, only for a sniper shot from behind to fire and hit the Batarian right in the head. The Salarian woman ran after the dead Batarian fell to the ground and clung to Spike. Spike in turn, gently cradled the crying woman.

"Don't worry. You and the others are safe now," Spike said. "We're going to get you to the authorities and see about getting you all home."

The Salarian woman wiped away her tears and looked at Spike. "Thank you, sir. Thank you so much."

Some of Spike's men escorted the woman out of the room as Spike walked through the halls. It would be a pain in the ass to get the bodies out of there as well as getting the captives to the proper authorities. Thank God for Turians being such an honor-bound species. Speaking of which, one of Spike's friends in his squad, Ember, walked up to him with a proud gleam in her eyes.

"Looks like we had a good time here, Captain. Wiping out a nest of slavers and saving innocent people is a cause for celebration to me," Ember said. Spike smiled at his Turian friend.

"Think you can share some of that Turian brandy with me?" Spike asked.

"And have your stomach literally explode? Sorry, but no. I will, however, find something more suitable for humans," Ember replied. "By the way, the top brass want to talk to you."

"It's not that snake Udina is it?"

"Ha! No, it's Admiral Anderson."

That was music to Spike's ears. Everyone loved Admiral Anderson. His actions during the defense of Earth during the Reaper War had finally earned humanity a seat on the newly-reformed Council and he's a celebrated war hero. If there was anyone that Spike wanted to fight beside other than Commander Shepard, it was Anderson. Spike used his omni-tool to patch himself through to the admiral.

The image that popped up was one he had seen at his graduation ceremony. The man had aged quite a bit after the war, but he still possessed the strong bearing that only a seasoned war veteran can have.

"Captain Spike, here and ready for duty, sir!" Spike said with a salute. Anderson chuckled.

"At ease, soldier. You don't need to act so formally around me whenever we speak," Anderson said with a smile. "Anyway, I have a new mission for you."

"What are we going up against, sir? Pirates, red dust traffickers, maybe a rogue mercenary group?" Spike asked. Anderson shook his head.

"No. This is something weirder. People and colonists from several different planets have been acting erratically," Anderson said. "It's as if they suddenly started tearing each other apart like zombies. Me and the Council want you and a crew of specialists to investigate."

This was quite an honor. Spike had only been captain for about a week and the Council was entrusting him with a covert investigation mission.

"Sir, I'm flattered that you and the Council are giving me enough trust for this kind of mission, but I've only been captain for about a week. Surely there are more seasoned and worthy officers than me you can turn to," Spike said.

"You track record so far proves otherwise. You deliver results with the most minimal casualties possible as well as having the trust and loyalty of your men," Anderson said. "Of course we trust you to handle this investigation."

There was no point in arguing with the admiral further. He and the Council had obviously wanted him to lead this mission, and he had to follow orders. Spike saluted Admiral Anderson.

"Very well, sir. When do I depart?" Spike asked.

"You and Ember will meet up with the assembled crew and your ship at Bay 13 tomorrow at 0600 hours," Anderson said. "You will depart for one of the newer colonies first, since they were the first ones to report this bizarre outbreak."

"Yes, sir, admiral. We'll be there," Spike said. Anderson signed off and Spike made his way through the halls of the hideout with Ember following him.

"Any idea as to why you were assigned with me on this expedition?" Spike asked Ember.

"Someone has to make sure you stay out of trouble and not shoot yourself in the foot by accident," Ember replied.

"Are you sure it's not because you'd be lonely without me?" Spike asked humorously. Ember's mandibles twitched slightly, something that Spike learned was a Turian's equivalent of a human blushing.

"Sh-Shut up! I have a sniper rifle, you know!" Ember threatened with her tone betraying how flustered she was.

"You're as easy to tease as ever," Spike said.

In an instant, Spike was tackled from the side by Ember. The two squadmates tried to over power the other as they rolled around on the ground. Spike was laughing while Ember was growling. Some of their other teammates watched them before one of them called to them.

"Oi, just bang already, will ya?!" he called with a smile.

Both Spike and Ember turned to the loud teammate and then to each other. Ember's mandibles twitched rapidly as she got up with Spike. She dusted off her armor and picked up her rifle.

"I'm heading back to the barracks to get everything ready for tomorrow! See you losers tomorrow!" Ember called.

It always made Spike feel joyful teasing Ember like that. Even with the military armor and Turian carapace, Ember was internally as soft as a marshmallow.

"Guess I should head back and get ready, too. Want to make a good impression for my new crew tomorrow," Spike said. "I only hope that this crew is up to snuff."

• + + + -

Bay 13 - 0600 Hours

Spike Drake and Ember walked through the ship docking bays until they came across Bay 13 as directed by Anderson. The ship within the bay held a ship that looked like it came right from the manufacturer. And helping to load cargo and equipment was the apparent crew of the ship. There were a few humans, but a lot of them were aliens of various races. They saw Quarians, Turians, Salarians, Krogan, Asari, Drell, and even a Geth working on loading the ship. Spike ran a hand through his spiky green hair.

"Well, may as well introduce ourselves to the crew," Spike said. Ember followed him as they approached the crew. The crew of the ship stopped what they were doing upon seeing their new captain. A Quarian woman walked up and gave a polite bow to Spike.

"Good morning, Captain Drake. My name is Twi'Lyte nar Rayya, but you can call me 'Twilight'. I'm in charge of the ship's engines," Twilight said in greeting. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Twilight," Spike said. "I have a feeling that we'll get along well. And the rest of the crew?"

Two Turians stepped forward, siblings from the looks of them, with red and orange facial markings. The female Turian spoke for them.

"I'm Applejack and this is my brother Big Macintosh," Applejack said. Spike tilted his head slightly.

"I've never met Turians with human names before," Spike said. Applejack chuckled.

"Our pa was a human missionary on a Turian colony planet and our ma was a Turian soldier," Applejack said.

"Wait, does this mean that humans and Turians can have children together?" Spike asked.

"No. Hybridization between humans and Turians through sexual conception alone impossible. Both were born through viable sperm donor," a female Salarian replied for him. The woman spoke quickly and without stopping to take a breath.

Twilight walked over to the pale female Salarian and placed a calming hand on her shoulder. The Salarian adjusted her glasses and held onto a pad in her hands.

"This is Moondancer, xenobiologist and renowned doctor, as well as the medic on the ship," Twilight said. "I know, she's like a squirrel that drank coffee."

A beautiful Asari walked forward and gazed at Spike with bright blue eyes. She walked with all the grace and poise of a highborn noble woman. Spike was immediately taken by how beautiful she was, but then again, all Asari were beautiful.

"A pleasure to meet you, dear captain. My name is Rarity. I do hope we get along well over the course of this mission, sir," Rarity said in a cultured voice. Spike could hear Ember growling from behind him. He only ever heard her growl like that whenever she was mad about something. Spike had to look to another member of the crew.

The one he turned to was an albino male Krogan decked out in full armor standing next to a crate of weapons. The Krogan gave a respectful solute to Spike.

"My name is Bulk. Weapons and munitions expert. I've heard of your exploits in the Alliance Marines, and I'm proud to be working alongside a capable fighter such as yourself," Bulk said. "Hopefully there will be plenty of enemies for us to destroy."

Bulk did look like a very capable fighter, even by Krogan standards. The only thing was that he didn't have a native Krogan name, which could mean that he wasn't from Tuchanka. Spike smiled at Bulk.

"Glad to have you on the crew, Bulk. Always good to have a Krogan around to help smash some skulls," Spike said.

"Heh-heh-heh," Bulk chuckled.

Two human women dressed in Marines uniforms approached Spike and gave him a salute. One of them had long light pink hair while the other one had purple hair with a teal streak. The purple-haired one spoke.

"I am Starlight Glimmer and this is Fluttershy. We and a few other Marines are tasked with security detail during this mission. I know we won't let you down, captain," Starlight said. "I'm excited to be working alongside you, sir."

Spike gave them both a salute in return. "Happy to be working with you on the crew. Something tells me that I can rely on you on the battlefield. Make the Marines proud."

"Yes, sir!" Starlight and Fluttershy called together.

The other one to be introduced was a female Drell. She had more pronounced head fringes like other Drell women and had a more cerulean blue skin tone. She bowed at Spike.

"My name's Trixie, captain. I'm a biotic that was hired by the Council to accompany you on this trip," Trixie said. "I'm honored to be meeting such a distinguished Marine."

The rest of the crew consisted of two other human Marines named Lyra and Bon-Bon, who would act as the ship's navigators, an Asari named Octavia that would serve as another biotic fighter, a female Turian named Derpy that helped Moondancer in the medical station, and a Geth named Centurion that would maintain the ship's primary systems. With the crew assembled, Spike stood before them to brief them on what they were going to be facing.

"Alright, everyone, listen up! We're heading beyond Citadel Space to look into an outbreak of violent behavior and even mass killings! We don't know if this is some kind of virus outbreak or maybe some biotics going crazy, but our job is find out what's going on and shut it down!" Spike informed them. "I honestly don't know what we'll be facing out there, but I do know that I can rely on each and every one of you to get this job done. I know we all just met each other today, but I know that you'll be the best crew the Alliance can assemble. Let's load the ship and move out!"

The crew nodded and left to get everything on-board the ship, with Spike and Ember helping. Once everything was loaded, Spike stood on the bridge with Ember as Lyra and Bon-Bon were preparing to depart. Centurion walked up to Spike's left.

"Spike-Captain, everything is ready for the ship to depart at peak efficiency," Centurion said.

"Thank you, Centurion. Alright, crew, let's get going," Spike ordered.

"Roger that, Captain," Lyra said.

The ship rose into the air and flew directly out of the Citadel and right into outer space heading towards one of the mass effect relays. Bon-Bon spoke to Spike without looking.

"Where's our first stop, Captain?" she asked.

"We're heading to the recently-colonized planet Orion. It was the first to report these violent occurrences, so we should head there," Spike said.

The ship hooked up to the mass effect relay and set the coordinates for Orion. The ship then jumped to hyperspace to make it directly to Orion to begin their investigation. Spike had to hope and pray that everything was fine for the colonists.

Author's Note

Twilight and Rainbow Dash - Quarian
Rarity - Asari
Applejack & Big Mac - Turian
Bulk Biceps - Krogan
Moondancer - Salarian
Fluttershy - Human
Starlight - Human
Trixie - Drell
Ember - Turian
Lyra - Human
Bon Bon - Human
Octavia - Asari
Vinyl - Human
Derpy - Turian
Centurion - Geth