Hell in Paradise
Far above the planet Themis, the Arcturus Station orbited. This station was the capital of the Systems Alliance; the representative body for humans in the galaxy and it was also the headquarters for the navy fleet. On board the station a meeting was taking place in which a decision was to be made, a decision that weighed heavily upon the future of mankind. In the meeting were three influential members of the Systems Alliance.
"Well, what about Shepard? She grew up in the colonies," suggested Udina.
"She knows how tough life can be out there. Her parents were killed when slavers attacked Mindoir," explained Anderson.
"She proved herself during The Blitz…held off enemy forces on the ground until reinforcements arrived," pointed out Hackett.
"She is the only reason Elysium is still standing," added Anderson.
"We can't question her courage…" Udina began.
"Humanity needs a hero! And Shepard's the best we've got."
"I'll make the call," agreed Udina.
In her room aboard the Earth Orbital Station, Jane Shepard was looking out the viewport. Taking in the site of the home of her species, a place she barely ever laid eyes on. Lifting her gaze she found her reflection staring back. Black hair tied behind her head, dark eyes with a face that is usually full of determination. Now, it was different. Looking at Earth, the home of humans everywhere is a thought that sent memories racing through her mind. Memories of her own home, a colony far from here where she lived with her parents and friends. Though it wasn't a rich life, it was a happy life nonetheless. The scar over her right eye was but a piece of reminder of what she went through since joining the military. It was good for her though. These trials helped her deal with the past and become strong in body and mind, coupled with the determination to prevent events like Mindoir, she became an asset to mankind. Though sometimes the screams still echo in her head, she made it past the hardships and now she was a commander of the Alliance.
As her thoughts raced past the stars, the sound of the door bell brought her back to the station. She reached over to the central comm-unit.
"Who is it?" she asked.
"A message from Captain Anderson, ma'am," came the response. Shepard came out of her room and pressed the button to slide the door open. A marine was standing in front of her.
"What is it?"
"The captain asks that you get ready and meet with rest of the crew in the docking bay," the marine replied.
"Thank you, I am on my way."
Packing took little time as most of her things were never used while on the station. It has been less then a week since she arrived here. The reason for her stay and for many others was the prototype frigate that is to be released for her first official stealth test flight. The crew was selected and shipped to the station to bring them up to speed. In this time they learned of the ship and their first mission to Eden Prime, a human colony in the Utopia system, supposedly quite beautiful and Earth-like.
Shepard reached the lift to the docking bay in less than fifteen minutes. When the doors opened there were already two people inside.
"Commander!" both greeted Shepard with salutes.
"Alenko, Jenkins," she nodded back. Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko was what they call a Sentinel. Along with his technological knowledge he is able to use biotics which is the biological manipulation of dark energy, the force that allowed the races of the galaxy to travel star systems and spread across the universe. Surrounded by the military all his life, he became the ideal soldier gaining honors as he climbed the ranks. Yet, his softer side is what resembled him as he is respectful and openly non-violent. Next to him stood Corporal Richard L. Jenkins, a talkative marine with an eager attitude and by no secret, an admirer of Shepard. The surprise visit of their executive officer ended whatever conversation they were having. The way they were looking at the opposite direction made Shepard feel like she stepped in on some "manly" conversation.
Stepping out to the docking bay they looked upon their future ship, the SSV Normandy SR-1. Co-developed by humans and turians, the Normandy was a great step forward for humanity and the galaxy. State-of-the-art drive core, the unique stealth system and a sleek design made her a small, but very effective ship. Crew members were making their way inside while dock workers busied themselves all around. The crew itself was not large, just over thirty people. Some of which Shepard already knew before the selection, people like Captain Anderson or Pressly the navigator who has also earned honors after The Blitz.
Inside, Shepard made her way to her locker. The ship had three levels. The command deck, the quarters section and the engineering level. The officer's storage was in the quarters, between the mess hall and the sleeping pods unlike for the rest of the crew which was on the lower deck in the cargo hold. Shepard was already wearing her military overalls so there was no need to change. She placed her bag and Onyx armor suit inside and closed her locker. Onyx armor was standard issue armor for the Alliance, but hers was different. It wore the N7 emblem which came with being a graduate of an elite training program, what's more, seven being the highest level of proficiency a graduate can have. Seeing this sometimes filled Shepard with pride as she remembers how hard she had worked to become a good soldier since she never had the edge for biotics.
The captain's announcement came as soon as she was ready. "All crew members are accounted for. One minute until departure. Everyone take your stations and get ready for take-off." For Shepard that meant, being up on the command deck. She hurried up the stairs. Marines standing by the doors saluted as she walked in. Captain Anderson was standing on the little podium in the combat information center or CIC for short, which overlooked the map of the galaxy and the entire crew. The high-seat was preferred by the Turians and looking up at the captain, Shepard understood why. With their militaristic views it would be natural for them to place a ships commander in such places.
"All right, Joker! Nice and easy," Captain Anderson instructed.
"Aye, Aye captain! All systems are ready, the Normandy is a go!" reported the pilot. The ship slowly made its way out of the station's docking bay. Once free, the Normandy headed for open space to get ready to make the FTL or Faster Than Light jump to the Charon Relay.
The Charon Relay was the second greatest discovery after Mars. It was one of the many mass relays in space. Mass relays use element zero to release dark energy which is manipulated into a mass effect field that enables ships to travel instantly across thousands of light-years. The Charon Relay was discovered orbiting Pluto and it connected to Arcturus, a massive star in Earth's cluster. That is where Arcturus Station was built as protection for Earth's relay. The station held many facilities including the special forces program which Shepard trained in to make N7.
Captain Anderson gave orders to Pressly and walked down to Shepard. "Good to have you on board Shepard. Join me in the comm room, I want to discuss something."
"Yes, sir," she replied and followed suit. The comm room was at the rear of the command deck; it is used by the captain to deal with transmissions and also serves as a conference room for the officers. It was also sealed from outside noise for these exact reasons. Turning around they stepped into the circular room and the door closed behind them. Shepard didn't really know what the captain wanted, maybe to discuss the mission in detail or future missions in general. The details of the SSV Normandy's shakedown run were that they are to make a quick pick up in Arcturus and then continue to the Utopia System in the Exodus Cluster where they test the stealth system. Nobody knew what the package was and whispers before take-off hinted that the crew was very eager to find out.
"Take a seat," the captain offered as he stopped in the middle of the room. Captain David Anderson was a person much like Shepard. Graduating from N7 and achieving many titles for his services like that of the First Contact War which took place between the humans and the turians. He was very much respected among the Alliance and was known out of it as well. Shepard was among the ones Anderson handpicked to serve on this ship and certainly she felt it was an honor working with him.
"So what do you want to discuss Captain?" Shepard asked while taking a seat.
"It's about our stop at Arcturus Station," the captain answered.
"What about it?"
"The package we are picking up is a person by the name Nihlus Kryik, a turian spectre," he told Shepard.
This surprised Shepard. Spectres are the agents working directly for the Citadel Council; the governing body of the capital station of Citadel and the ultimate authority in Citadel space; of which humanity was now part of.
"A Spectre? Are we helping him out on a mission?" she asked.
The captain shook his head. "No. He is coming to oversee the Normandy. It is partly turian after all," he explained.
"Is he also making a report for the council?" Shepard asked.
"Probably," he nodded "And that is why I called you here. I want us to look our best."
Small green lights lit up on the wall. Captain Anderson took a seat across Shepard and moments later the ship began to shake. "Looks like we've just cleared the Charon Relay," observed the captain. "Put your suit on and get ready to meet our guest."
"Will do, Sir!"
Shepard left the comm room and made her way down to the lockers. The mass had just a couple of people that were on break. They were probably talking about the stop in Arcturus, Shepard thought. As she was putting her armor suit on, Shepard herself started wondering about a few things. She alone knew that a spectre is coming on board. They were considered above the law. Someone of this caliber surely has more important thing to do than to check on some ship.
By the time she finished, the Normandy was already docked, but since it was made clear they are only staying for a couple of minutes, nobody really moved from their stations. Shepard made her way up to the bridge where Captain Anderson was already waiting for her. Together they stepped into the airlock of the side entry.
"Equalizing interior pressure, with exterior atmosphere…Logged, the commanding officer is ashore…CN Pressly has the deck." As the VI finished, the air-lock opened and they stepped into the humid openness of the docking bay.
A group of three people was approaching them from the entrance. The turian on the right was easily recognizable. These humanoid beings resembled raptors if anything else. Standing quite tall with fierce-some look on their face, they were a commanding race indeed. It was known to Shepard that the Turians are one of the three races on the Citadel Council. Along with the Asari and Salarians they represent history of galactic proportions. Yet her confidence in her own abilities was enough not to make her feel intimidated by any other race. Next to him was a person who she knew well, Admiral Hackett the commander of the Fifth Fleet. The third person she has only seen in the news, the human ambassador if she remembered correctly. Stepping up, Captain Anderson greeted them.
"Hello again, Captain!" greeted Hackett as they shook hands.
"This as you no doubt have guessed, is Nihlus Kryik."
The turian reached over to shake. "Good day, Captain! I am looking forward to working with you." Shepard noticed that as he said that, he drifted his gaze upon her. She met his intense stare without blinking.
"You should be on your way, I still need to escort Ambassador Udina to his ship," explained Hackett.
"He is right Anderson, we are all busy people. I'll be returning to the Citadel. I trust you will forward any relevant information to my office."
"Will do, Ambassador," replied Captain Anderson and offered Nihlus the way. Shepard saluted Admiral Hackett and followed the others into the ship.
On deck, heads were turning from monitors to the turian that walked passed them. Captain Anderson walked up to the podium with Nihlus and called for silence. Turning on all level communications he addressed the crew.
"This is Captain Anderson speaking. The first part of our mission is over. We have been joined by Nihlus Kryik. He is a spectre working for the Citadel Council. I would like all of you to show him you were picked to be on this ship for a reason. The reason being, that you are amongst the best. Now, let's pick up where we left off! Joker, take us to Eden Prime!"
"Aye, Aye captain, all stations prepare for take-off," Joker replied almost nonchalant.
Captain Anderson let go of the intercom and turned to Nihlus. "Nihlus, this is Commander Shepard, my second in command," explained the captain. Shepard took a step closer and reached for a shake. Nihlus took it firmly.
"Yes, I have heard about the commander, I am sure working with her will be interesting."
"You are planning on staying long term?" Shepard asked.
"We'll see…now, Captain. Is there a station where I can set up?"
"In the comm room, this way. Shepard, take over for me!" ordered the captain.
"Yes, sir!" Shepard nodded straitening up, while both of them left the CIC.
Whispers began almost immediately after the comm room door closed. They all felt what Shepard did. There was something more going on here. She wondered if the captain knew or was he just about to find out. Anyway, she had her orders so she walked up the podium to watch over the crew. The Normandy cleared the station and made its way into space. Couple of minutes later Nihlus emerged from the comm room followed by Captain Anderson.
"I'll go to the bridge to inspect the control systems," Nihlus said.
"Alright, I'll meet you back here after we've cleared the relay," answered Captain Anderson.
It didn't take long to reach the edge of the system. As the Normandy was closing in on the relay, Shepard walked ahead to the bridge to get ready. Joker's voice came on the intercom. "The Arcturus Prime Relay is in range. Initiating transmission sequence… We are connected. Calculating transit mass and destination… The relay is hot. Acquiring approach vector... All stations secure for transit…. The board is green, approach run has begun." The green lights lit up all around the ship. The relay got bigger and bigger as they closed in. A giant fork-like structure with rotating rings in the middle that circled around the massive, blue-glowing element zero. It was a sight just by itself.
"Hitting the relay in 3…2…1…" The Normandy began to shake as the energy swallowed the ship and sent it flying across the galaxy.
They arrived in the Utopia System; the relay itself was close to Eden Prime so Joker initiated the stealth system. Nihlus asked for a systems analysis.
"Thrusters... check. Navigation... check. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift... just under 1500 K.," reported Joker.
"1500 is good…your captain will be pleased," said Nihlus and he left the bridge. Looking back, Joker made an unpleasant face then he turned back to the monitors. Joker was only a nickname to Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau and due to his wise cracking attitude it fit him pretty well. Despite staying on Arcturus Station at the same time, Shepard never really knew him until the selection.
"I hate that guy," Joker said once Nihlus was out of earshot.
Kaidan who was sitting at the station at the right raised an eyebrow. "Nihlus gave you a complement… so… you hate him."
"You remember to zip-up your jumpsuit on your way out of the bathroom… that's good!" Joker retorted. "I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead, so that's incredible! ...Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having him on board. Call me paranoid."
Shepard stepped forward to join the conversation.
"You're paranoid," Kaidan said simply. "The Council helped fund this project. They have the right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."
"Yeah, that is the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story," Joker pointed out.
"They don't send Spectres on shakedown runs," agreed Shepard.
"So there is more going on here than the captain is letting on- " Joker was cut off by the comm unit.
"Joker! Status report!" the voice of Captain Anderson came through the speakers.
"Just cleared the mass relay, Captain. Stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid," reported Joker.
"Good. Find a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime."
"Aye, aye captain. Better brace yourself sir. I think Nihlus is headed you way."
"He is already here, Lieutenant." Kaidan looked over as Joker shook his head in disbelief of his bad luck.
"Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing." The transmission ended.
"You get that Commander?" Joker asked.
"He sounds angry. Something must have gone wrong with the mission," Shepard noted.
"Pff. Captain always sounds like that when he is talking to me," explained Joker.
"I can't possibly imagine why," Kaidan added sarcastically.
Shepard made her way down the bridge to the CIC and heard Pressly talking through the comm, if she guessed correctly, to Adams who was down at the engineering level. "I'm telling you, I just saw him! He marched by like he was on a mission," exclaimed Pressly.
"He's a Spectre. They're always on a mission," responded Adams nonchalantly.
"And we're getting dragged right along with him!" Pressly said clearly annoyed.
"Relax, Pressly. You're going to give yourself an ulcer."
The navigator noticed Shepard coming so he turned off the comm unit and turned around.
"Congratulations, Commander. Looks like we had a smooth run. You heading down to see the captain?" he asked while giving a salute.
"I'm on my way to give him a status update right now," Shepard replied.
Pressly sighed. "With all due respect, ma'am, maybe he'll finally tell you what we're really doing out here."
"You think the Alliance brass is holding out on us?" Shepard asked.
"If all we're supposed to do is test out the stealth system, why is Captain Anderson in charge? You don't send a soldier like that on a do-nothing mission. And then there's Nihlus. "
Shepard heard that Pressly was not a fan of turians so she decided to press the subject. "Sounds like you don't trust our turian guest," she said tilting her head toward the comm unit inclining on the conversation that just took place.
"Sorry, Commander. Just having a chat with Adams down in engineering. Didn't mean to cause any trouble. But…. It's pretty obvious this shakedown run is just a cover. The whole crew feels it."
Shepard knew this was to be expected. Even Captain Anderson couldn't persuade her of the purpose of the Turian's visit. Sending a turian was fine in prospects, but why the turian in question was a spectre was something no one could explain. "I'll see if I can get some answers when I see him," she said and continued her way to the comm room.
Pressly called after her. "Good luck, Commander!"
Couple of meters down the way, behind the podium another conversation was taking place. Jenkins was telling his own speculations to the ship's medical officer, Dr. Chakwas. She was an older member of the crew. Judging by her accent she was of British decent. During their stay on the Earth Orbital Station, Shepard found out that the doctor worked with Captain Anderson on several occasions and has good relations with him. It was no surprise that she was picked to be on the Normandy after that.
"I grew up on Eden Prime, Doc," said Jenkins. "It's not the kind of place Spectres visit. There's something Nihlus isn't telling us about this mission."
"That's crazy," the doctor responded skeptically. "The captain's in charge here. He wouldn't take orders from a Spectre."
"Not his choice, Doc. Spectres don't answer to anyone. They can do whatever they want. Kill anyone who gets in their way."
Amused, the doctor laughed. "Ha! You watch too many spy vids, Jenkins."
Shepard stepped closer and both sides turned to her. Jenkins gave a salute.
"What do you think, Commander?" he asked. "We won't be staying on Eden Prime too long, will we? I'm itching for some real action!"
"I sincerely hope you're kidding, Corporal. Your "real action" usually ends with me patching up crew members in the infirmary." pointed out Dr. Chakwas.
"The doctor's right," Shepard agreed. "Only a fool goes looking for a fight, Corporal."
"Sorry, Commander. But this waiting's killing me. I've never been on a mission like this before. Not one with a Spectre on board!" he said excitedly.
"Just treat this like every other assignment you've had and everything will work out," Shepard assured him.
"I heard Nihlus once took down an entire enemy platoon all by himself. Man, I can't believe I'm on a mission with an actual Spectre! "
"Relax, Jenkins," Shepard said warningly.
"Easy for you to say," he said. "You proved yourself in the Blitz. Everybody knows what you can do. This is my big chance. I need to show the brass what I can do!"
Shepard straitened. "You're young, Corporal. You have a long career ahead of you. Don't do something stupid to mess it up," she warned him.
Jenkins noticed the tone and seemed to calm down. "Don't worry, ma'am. I'm not going to screw this up." Dr. Chakwas shook her head at Jenkins.
Shepard felt like she should leave before Jenkins gets riled up on something again. With a brief side step she turned to Dr. Chakwas. "The captain is waiting for me," she said looking at the comm room door.
"Goodbye, Commander," the doctor said as she let her pass.
The person inside the comm room was not who Shepard was expecting. It was Nihlus. He was inspecting something on the big holo-projector at the back of the room. As Shepard got closer he turned around.
"Commander Shepard! I was hoping you would get here first… It will give us a chance to talk."
Shepard somehow found that she wasn't really surprised by this. "What about?" she asked.
"I'm interested in this world we're going to -- Eden Prime," he replied. "I've heard it's quite beautiful."
He is asking the wrong person then, Shepard thought; since she has only seen the place on pictures. "I've never been there," she told him.
"But you know of it," he continued without pause. "It's become something of a symbol for your people, hasn't it?" He turned to face the holo-projector which now, Shepard realized, was showing Eden Prime. "Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them… But how safe is it, really?" he added seriously.
The change in his voice suggested that the defense of Eden Prime was important for him. Or perhaps he knew something that others didn't and seeing who he was, it wouldn't surprise Shepard. It was time to find out something about Nihlus and this mission.
"If you've got something to say, just say it," she told him.
Nihlus turned around once again. "Your people are still newcomers, Shepard. The galaxy can be a very dangerous place." He looked over Shepard's shoulder. "Is the Alliance truly ready for this?" he asked.
Shepard realized that someone entered the room. She turned to see Captain Anderson walking in.
"I think it's about time we told the commander what's really going on," he said.
Nihlus stepped forward to face Shepard. "This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run," he said with a serious tone once again. Everyone was right, Shepard thought. It was obvious, yet she was still left in the dark.
She turned to Captain Anderson. "I figured there was something you weren't telling us."
"We're making a covert pick-up on Eden Prime," he began. "That's why we needed the stealth systems operational."
"There must be a reason you didn't tell me about this, sir," Shepard said with just a slight feel of demand in her voice.
"This comes down from the top, Commander. Information strictly on a need-to-know basis," he told her. "A research team on Eden Prime unearthed some kind of beacon during an excavation," he continued as he walked over the Nihlus' side. "It was Prothean."
The word rang a bell in Shepard's mind. She remembered learning in school that the Protheans were a technologically-advanced ancient race that lived over 50,000 years ago. They were the ones who created the Citadel and the mass relays and are responsible for the ruins on Mars that allowed humanity to become an intergalactic race, but somehow they vanished from the galaxy. Now she understood why it was necessary to keep this entire mission a secret. Secret or not, now she was part of the mission. She needed to know more. "What else can you tell me?" she asked.
"This is big, Shepard. The last time humanity made a discovery like this, it jumped our technology forward two hundred years," he said. "But Eden Prime doesn't have the facilities to handle something like this. We need to bring the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study."
"Obviously, this goes beyond mere human interests, Commander," Nihlus added. "This discovery could affect every species in Council space."
Obviously that was the case, Shepard thought. It may turn out to be nice having a Spectre on board. "It never hurts to have a few extra hands on board." she told him.
"The beacon is not the only reason I am here Shepard," Nihlus said as he walked past Shepard.
"Nihlus wants to see you in action, Commander," the captain added. "He's here to evaluate you."
Looking at the turian Shepard became suspicious. An evaluation would explain why the captain told her about Nihlus beforehand. But why would she be evaluated by a Spectre? ... "What's going on, Captain?" she asked.
"The Alliance has been pushing for this for a long time," he said as he walked over to Nihlus. "Humanity wants a larger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Citadel Council," he explained. "The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks, it shows how far the Alliance has come."
"You held off an enemy assault during the Blitz single-handed," Nihlus continued. "You showed not only courage, but also incredible skill…That's why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres."
For a second Shepard thought she had heard wrong. There were no human spectres until now and considering the relationship between the humans and the turians, Nihlus' actions seemed unrealistic at best.
"Why would a turian want a human in the Spectres?" she asked Nihlus.
"Not all turians resent humanity," he said. "Some of us see the potential of your species. We see what you have to offer to the rest of the galaxy... and to the Spectres…We are an elite group. It's rare to find an individual with the skills we seek. I don't care that you're human, Shepard. I only care that you can do the job."
Shepard closed her eyes for a moment. His answer seamed reasonable, yet it was still hard to believe that she of all people was picked to be a Spectre.
"You approve of this, Captain?" she asked for reassurance.
"Along with Admiral Hackett and Ambassador Udina, I was the one who made the decision," he explained. "Humanity needs this, Shepard. We are counting on you!"
It was a done deal. Hearing this from the person she looked up to the most, Shepard felt it was the right course for her future. "Just tell me what I have to do."
"I need to see your skills for myself, Commander," Nihlus answered. "Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together."
"You'll be in charge of the ground team," Captain Anderson continued. "Secure the beacon and get it onto the ship ASAP. Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission."
"Just give the word, Captain," Shepard said feeling ready for the challenges that lay ahead.
"We should be getting close to Eden-" The captain was cut off by the comm unit.
"Captain, we've got a problem!" Joker reported.
"What's wrong Joker?" he asked.
"Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You better see this!"
"Bring it up on screen."
All three of them stepped closer to the holo-projector. The transmission was coming from a personal recorder. Gun fire erupted from the feed and marines were visible as they were shooting at something outside the screen. One of the marines rushed over to the cameraman as an explosion blew in the background. "Get down!" she told him as she pushed him to the ground before returning fire. The scene was chaotic.
Shepard looked over to the captain to catch a reaction, but there was none, but he was taking in everything he saw. As she looked back on the screen another marine appeared from the chaos in front of the camera.
"We are under attack! Taking heavy casualties. I repeat: heavy casualties! We can't... argh!...-eed evac! They came out of nowhere. We need-" He was silenced by bullet. Next, the sound of something big filled the speakers. The cameraman turned to the rest of the marines; he didn't know what was happening. Looking at something in the background the marine closest to the camera stared in disbelief. The cameraman spun around to show a gigantic hand surrounded by red lightning, reaching down from the sky in the distance. People started running; the camera shook violently and the feed suddenly ended.
"Everything cuts out after that. No comm traffic at all. Just goes dead. There's nothing," Joker finished.
"Reverse and hold at 38.5," the captain ordered. The transmission re-winded to the giant hand. Upon closer look, Shepard found that it resembled tentacles more than fingers, but it was mechanical. It could have been a dreadnaught-class vessel.
"Status report!" the captain requested.
"Seventeen minutes out, Captain. No other Alliance ships in the area."
"Take us in, Joker. Fast and quiet," he told him. "This mission just got a lot more complicated," he added looking over at Nihlus.
"A small strike team can move quickly without drawing attention," Nihlus offered. "It's our best chance to secure the beacon."
"Grab your gear and meet us in the cargo hold," Captain Anderson told him. Nihlus turned and left. The captain turned to Shepard.
"Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up, Commander. You're going in."
Shepard looked at the alien machine once more. Whatever it was, it didn't feel right.
"Commander, is it true that Eden Prime is under attack?" Jenkins asked as Shepard stepped out from the comm room.
"Yes," She admitted.
"How bad is it ma'am?"
"The transmission we've received was not clear, I'm not sure."
"If I may ask, what are we planning to do?" he asked. Shepard could tell he was worried about the colony; it was his home after all.
"Go get your gear Jenkins! We are going in," she told him.
"Yes, ma'am!" he saluted and headed downstairs.
Shepard stepped up to the podium and switched on the bridge comm.
"Joker, tell Alenko to head down to the garage, it's time to go."
"He's on his way, Commander," he replied.
Pressly looked up from the monitors. "Looks like we got more than we bargained for Commander," he said.
"A lot more," she agreed. "At least the mission is clear now. We are here to pick-up an important package, but I highly doubt that this attack is just coincidence."
In the meantime, Kaidan reached the conversation.
"Pressly, make sure the crew is ready," she ordered. "Alenko, let's go!"
Kaidan halted. "Right behind you, Commander," he said and let Shepard pass him.
At the bottom of the stairs, Kaidan stepped into the elevator and pressed the button to descend.
"You have five minutes, Lieutenant. Pass it on to Jenkins," she told him and went around to her locker. Shepard put on her Onyx suit and joined the others in the cargo hold to arm herself. Fully equipped, she was able to carry four weapons; a pistol, a shotgun, an assault rifle and a sniper rifle; which she learned to use perfectly during her Soldier training in N7. This was possible because of the folding ability of these weapons. When the users wanted to use the weapon, they'd have to enable it first making it unfold and charge up. Charging is required since these weapons use mass accelerator technology. The energy is used on a bullet the size of a grain of sand making heavy metal bullets unnecessary. While running out of ammo is possible it is highly unlikely during the course of a single mission. On the other hand, due to the mass accelerator the weapons overheat if used for longer than the cooler unit can handle.
The Normandy's marine squad had a full range of weaponry from Hahne-Kedar; the Systems Alliance's Earth based supplying manufacturer. Not as effective as some of the galaxy's other companies' products, but they were certainly reliable. Shepard equipped her weapons and joined Kaidan and Jenkins at front of the hatch.
"You boys ready for some action?" she asked.
"Yes, ma'am!" both replied in the usual militaristic fashion.
Kaiden stepped forward. "Could you bring us up to speed, Commander?"
"The objective of our original mission was to pick-up a Prothean beacon that was discovered on the planet," she began. "As you no doubt have guessed, the situation has changed. We will have to secure the beacon while dealing with whoever attacked the colony."
"Is there a reason why we are not bringing a full team?" Kaidan asked.
"We want to move as undetected as possible," she said. "A smaller group will have a better chance of success."
Jenkins punched his hand. "Those bastards will pay for attacking us!"
He was right to be angry, Shepard thought, but she can't let it affect his judgment. There was no way to calm him down indefinitely so it was best just to level with him.
"No heroics once we're down there, Jenkins!" she told him. "Keep your head clear, follow me and we will get the job done."
"I understand," he replied.
Captain Anderson walked in with Nihlus. The captain made his way over to the team while Nihlus started checking his weapons.
"Helmets on guys!" Shepard ordered the team. As their captain got there, they all saluted him.
Captain Anderson nodded. "At ease."
Joker's voice came through the comm. "We are planet side. Somebody was doing some serious digging here Captain."
"Find a spot to land near the excavation. Not too close. I don't want anyone to know we're here yet."
"Got it."
Captain Anderson turned to Shepard. "Your team's the muscle in this operation, Commander. Go in heavy and head straight for the dig site."
"What about survivors, Captain?" Jenkins cut in.
"Helping survivors is a secondary objective," he said. "The beacon's your top priority."
"Approaching drop point one," reported Joker. The cargo hatch started opening as Nihlus stepped up.
"Nihlus? You're coming with us?" Jenkins asked him.
"I move faster on my own." He answered while readying his shotgun. Once the way was clear he dropped outside.
"Nihlus will scout out ahead," Captain Anderson explained. "He'll feed you status reports throughout the mission; otherwise, I want radio silence."
"Understood, Captain," Shepard responded.
Captain Anderson looked behind her. "Are your men ready, Commander?"
"Ready and able, sir!"
"We are approaching drop point two," Joker's voice sounded once again.
"The mission's yours now, Shepard. Good luck!" said Captain Anderson as the ship came to a stop.
"Let's move out!" Shepard yelled through the wind and the team dropped outside.
Drop point two was on top of a hill just a few klicks away from the dig site. The surrounding terrain made a good fighting environment due to its rocky nature. The team watched as the Normandy flew into the distance where Eden Prime's giant towers were. Most colonists were housed in such towers and by the looks of them these towers were unharmed.
"It looks like they haven't attacked everyone," Shepard pointed out. "The shooting is coming from the other side, let's go!"
They made their way forward to a clearing where balloon like aliens floated about. Nihlus' voice came on the radio. "This place got hit hard, Commander. Hostiles everywhere. Keep your guard up."
"What the hell are those?" Kaidan asked looking at the strange creatures.
"Gas bags," Jenkins explained. "Don't worry, they're harmless."
"Less chatter guys," Shepard told them. "It looks like we are getting close," she said pointing at two burned bodies in front of them.
"Oh god… What happened here?" Jenkins asked as he walked up to the bodies.
"Probably an explosion burned them up," Shepard answered. "We need to be careful."
Jenkins turned away from the scorched bodies and grabbed his weapon firmly. With a determined face he looked at Shepard.
"Permission to take point, ma'am!" he said holding his gun across his chest. Shepard's initial thought was to deny him. His special circumstances are what led him to this point. But the fire in his eyes suggested that if let loose just little, he can outperform himself.
"Granted." Shepard looked around. "We need to go around this ridge. Let's head that way," she said pointing at an opening.
Slowly they followed the path all the way to the side of the hill, sometimes running into more bodies. Ahead was a rocky opening. Shepard ordered the team to halt. Looking around, there were no sign of activity besides a few Gas bags. After making sure the way was clear, she signaled Jenkins to lead on. They were half way into the opening when sudden fire erupted from up ahead. Screams echoed as Jenkins was shot multiple times all over his body.
"Jenkins!" Shepard shouted in desperation. The drones turned to fire on her, but she quickly jumped behind one of the boulders. She looked to the side and she saw that Kaidan managed to do the same. There were three drones of some kind. Flying machines equipped with small defensive turrets, when used against infantry they were quite effective.
Shepard quickly drew out her assault rifle and enabled it. Turning to Kaidan, she signaled him to draw fire from the enemy. With his pistol already in hand, Kaidan used biotics to form a barrier around himself. He then jumped out sideways the opposite direction and started shooting. The drones immediately focused their fire upon him, but his barrier reversed the mass effect on the bullets and rendered them useless. Shepard used this opening to stand clear of her cover and shoot the drones one by one in quick succession.
"Jenkins!" Kaidan called out as they ran to their fallen teammate. There was nothing they could do however. Jenkins was dead.
"Damn it!" Shepard swore as Kaidan kneeled down to inspect the body.
"Ripped right through his shields," he said as he closed Jenkins' eyes. "Never had a chance."
Shepard walked over to the edge of the cliff. Loosing a marine on her first assignment with Normandy was not how she imagined this. She was used to death, but there was something tragic about how Jenkins' life ended. Kaidan stepped up to her side. There were more towers down in the valley, but these looked under attack as their gun towers were firing into the forests below them.
"Eden Prime will never be the same again," he said.
That's right. Eden Prime was under attack. Shepard took a big breath to calm herself. She looked at her fallen teammate then turned to Kaidan.
"We'll see that he receives a proper service once the mission is complete. But I need you to stay focused."
"Aye, aye, ma'am!"
The two man team entered a small forest area on their way to the other side of the ridge. They encountered another group of drones that were moving through the shadows of the trees. This time they were ready and managed to make quick work of the machines. Another clearing came as they reached the edge of the forest. Gun fire erupted once again, but this time they were not the target. From the opposite end a marine came running at them. She was being chased by a couple of drones. Shots bounced off her shield as the machines caught up with her. With pistol in hand she rolled forward to her back and returned fire. Her shots tore up the drones and sent them crashing to the ground.
Only now Shepard noticed what the unlucky marine ran into. There were two humanoid looking machines forcing a man onto some sort of device. The man panicked as they held him down and for good reason. The device turned out to be a huge spike which impaled the human raising him meters above the ground. Only then the two machines noticed the marine next to them. She quickly got up and hid behind one of the bigger rocks putting away her pistol and readying her rifle. The two machines reached for guns of their own and slowly closed onto her position.
Not wasting any time, Shepard signaled Kaidan to take the left one as she ran forward to aid the marine. They opened fire which forced the machines to get behind cover. Whatever they were, it seemed they were well programmed for combat situations. The marine fired on them, but it was useless as they hid behind the rocks. Shepard and Kaidan got behind cover just a couple meters behind the marine. It looked like a stalemate.
Shepard reached into her pouch for a grenade.
"Alenko! Sabotage, then get it on the ground," she called over to him. "On my signal."
She threw the grenade towards the right machine. It landed behind cover, which caused both machines to jump out into the open. As they did Shepard pressed the button to detonate. "Now!"
The explosion only caught her target and it sent it flying, but because the left stepped out from cover to avoid it, Kaidan had a clear view to use his omni-tool to overheat its weapons. Shepard was already running to her target, firing as it tried to get up while on the other side, that machine had no means to defend itself against Kaidan's biotic push which sent it crashing to the ground. Shepard finished her target with a couple rounds and made it just in time to see the other hit the ground. She took aim and silenced the hostile machine with a round to its head.