At the edge of the Lylat system a metal hull cut through the starry void.

Captain Jake Stevens paced across the command catwalk situated just in front of the bridge view port. His job was not glorious nor was it exciting. He'd been assigned to patrolling this sector at the edge of the years ago, just after one of the wars with the Venomians. He remembered Commander Shepard's words as if it was yesterday.

I don't understand why I'm here sir.

Don't you, well then let me make it clear to you, in war it is acceptable to spend lives but it is not acceptable to waste lives let alone three hundred lives. You ignored the information provided to you by Cornerian command and took your frigate to Sector Y to engage those Venomian ships rather than wait for reinforcements, then when you found an enemy armada waiting for you instead of a few scouts you attempted a micro jump in a nebula when you could of easily outran the warships and left the nebula before retreating. If you had chosen more wisely three hundred men would never have died. As of now you are being reassigned to patrol sector 492 at the edge of known space. You have a week before you must report to orbital dock 57 at 0800 hours to take command of the frigate Redemption to leave immediately.

Stevens remembered standing up and shouting.

You can't do this to me!

He remembered Shepard standing up and slamming him to a wall.

Your error was so enormous that regulations would have me send you to a court martial, but I've always believed in second chances. If you want to be court marshaled than by all means I'll set it up for you but this way you will have a chance for redemption.

Stevens brought his hand to his face and pushed the memory back down. Suddenly he was jerked out of his meditation when another ship suddenly appeared in front of the view port. Roughly triangle shaped it was at least twice the size of his own ship a battle cruiser maybe. Within seconds fighters dumped from its hangers and weapons flashed and with horror he realized that it was hostile. There was shouting and confusion on the bridge as his relatively inexperienced crew tried to bring the ship to battle stations, but it was too late. Huge blue energy beams lanced through space and stabbed into the Redemption. For a few seconds the shields held, than they collapsed and the bolts slammed into the hull. Out the view port he could see blue energy currents playing across the hull. Computer screens went blank or burst into static and a technician screamed as his computer screens exploded in his face, showering him with glass fragments and electricity.

"Shit, sir they've hit us with Ion cannons we've lost all systems except life support, lights, door control, and all minor subsystems!"

"Sir, we have incoming boarding craft!"

Stevens's mind was raced, along with his pulse, he couldn't shoot back, he couldn't call for help, and he couldn't run, and the enemy was about to board.

" Damn it deploy all fire teams, seal off all major airlocks and close blast doors in any areas we don't need!"

Sergeant Moody flew out of his bunk as deafening alarms suddenly started wailing and a message came over the intercom.

"Attention all personnel, the ship is disabled, internal combat imminent, report to your assigned battle stations immediately, this is not a drill!"

This can't be happening. Moody thought as he zipped up his coveralls, strapped on his flak vest, donned his helmet, then grabbed and loaded his assault rifle. He and his men charged out of the bunkroom, grabbing spare ammo on their way out.

They charged past rapidly closing blast doors and ran through various corridors, cutting through the number five mess hall before arriving at the closed blast doors that sealed of Airlock 59.

"Alright men we don't know what the hell is gonna come through those doors but it'll try to kill you."

He crouched behind one of the overturned tables they'd dragged in from the mess room and pulled the charging lever on his weapon.

There was a loud clanking as something hit the hull and a grinding sound as it breached the airlock, then a faint red light appeared in the corner of the blast door and slowly began to work it's way around until there was a red circle covering most of the door.

"Get down!"

The door exploded, showering them in hot fragments and filling the room with smoke. Moody peaked out from behind cover and pulled the trigger as more than a dozen armed soldiers swarmed into the room. His shoot caught a coyote in the face and his gun fired a burst into the ceiling as he went down. Then the room was full of bullets and blaster bolts, another attacker was hit, and another, and another, but then his own men began to die. Banner took a burst to the chest, Johnson got hit in the head, Anders took a shot to the stomach. More enemies came through the jagged hole in the door, these ones held arm mounted energy shields in front of themselves, shielding the wave of troops behind them.

"Fall back!"

Moody shouted before turning and sprinting for the door. He dove and rolled into the mess hall as half a dozen of his men followed. The last two were hit in the back and collapsed to the deck in pools of their own blood. Moody dove behind a table as a burst of blaster bolts tore threw another soldiers chest and hurled him against the wall. He stood up and charged across the room holding down the trigger until the clip emptied, before he felt a burst of pain, like a hot razor, tear through his stomach. His vision blurred as he fell to the deck, and saw a lupine soldier standing over him. The soldier aimed his weapon at his face and pulled the trigger.

It had taken thirty minutes for the enemy to overrun the ship.

This can't be happening, this can't be happening.

Stevens thought as he drew his sidearm and crouched behind a console. The red line had almost burned a complete circle in the blast doors that sealed off the bridge. The rest of the bridge crew was crouched behind various consoles, side arms held in trembling hands as they covered the entrance. The door exploded and soldiers charged in.

"Eat this you bastards!"

Stevens shouted as he held down the trigger, he had never been a very good shot but at this range even he couldn't miss. He had the satisfaction of see his bullets tear through the face of a feline soldier, one tearing through his left eye, the other entering his mouth and exploding out the back of his neck, showering the soldier behind him in blood. Suddenly he felt a burst of pain in his torso as he was hit. He cried out as the force of the hit threw him against the view port. His vision swam and the last thing he saw was one of the soldiers aim a blaster rifle at him.

"Consider yourself a prisoner of the Brotherhood."