Joker
Jeff felt the subtle shift as the Normandy dropped out of FTL and back into normal space. He quickly reengaged the stealth systems to keep any hostile forces that may be in the area from discovering their presence. After he determined that there were no immediate threats, he started to scan the system.
The initial results displayed the medium-sized planet they were starting to orbit. While within the limits of the survivable zone, it was impossibly cold and almost void of life. The display indicated that previous exploration found trace microbial life hidden within the ice sheets, but nothing of substantial value existed there.
The more extensive scan of the entire system gave much of the same results. There was absolutely no activity.
He sighed. "Negative for geth signatures."
Joker heard Navigator Pressly start to pace behind.
"We've been up and down this sector," he said, "and we haven't found a single sign of the geth. After six months, all we found were a few pockets. And those were all in the first month! The Council is wasting our time."
Joker nodded. "They're scared. Can you blame them? They can do something about the geth. The Reapers are a bigger problem. Still, the commander should ask about-"
"A ship just dropped out of FTL," Serviceman Addison Chase interrupted. After a moment, she added, "It is set on an intercept course."
"Impossible," Pressly scoffed. "The stealth systems are engaged. There is no way the geth-"
Joker was studying the display the passive scans formed. The ship in question looked nothing like anything he had ever seen before. It was enormous and with bulbous, organic growths on the stern. One thing was definite.
"It's not the geth." Joker flipped on the ship-wide comms. "Prepare for evasive maneuvers!"
The Normandy started to dance in front of its large pursuer. Joker bobbed and weaved, trying to keep his baby out of any potential firing lines. Unfortunately, the gravity well from the planet below limited his options. When alarms blared about the enemy ship's energy spike, he knew he couldn't completely avoid the coming attack.
"Brace for-" he started. The impact interrupted him.
The entire ship buckled under the force. The console flashed warnings about damages that spread through the entire ship like an infection. Joker heard an explosion and a scream behind him as the console Chase was manning blew. Then there was a second yell that belonged to Pressly as another console blew.
Joker couldn't take any time to check to see if either of his neighbors was still living. He had to work furiously just to keep up with the influx of new damage alerts. The Normandy shuddered again as it was struck with a glancing blow from the destructive weapon.
He turned to his co-pilot and yelled, "Check those two!" Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a blaze. "And someone put that fire out!" he said as he turned back to try to save his ship.
She was in a bad way if the readouts could be trusted. The emission sinks were overloaded and venting into space; the fuel cells were rupture and spilling hydrogen; and the drive core was taxed and about to fail. The Normandy wasn't going to last much longer. Joker knew what he had to do.
He flipped on the ship-wide comms again. "Prepare to abandon ship. Everyone to the escape pods."
"Joker?" his co-pilot said questioningly.
He never faced him. "Go on. I'll buy everyone more time to get off the ship. I'll take the cockpit escape pod once everyone is away."
He heard him running to the nearest escape pod, and he was left alone. His fingers danced, doing everything in his power to give the crew more time. He sealed bulkheads to empty rooms just in case of depressurization. He steadied the Normandy as best he could with the escape pods pointing to the planet's surface. And he did all this while attempting to avoid more fire.
He knew he wasn't always everything he proclaimed to be, but he would never let anyone claim that Flight Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau wasn't the best damn pilot in the Alliance.
Alarms blared that the ship's hull was losing its integrity. Joker swore and activated the kinetic barriers to prevent anyone being caught in the vacuum. He then reached down and grabbed his atmospheric mask in the unlikely case that the cockpit lost its breathable oxygen while keeping its pressure. If all pressure was lost… well, there wasn't much hope for him if that happened.
The Normandy rocketed to the side, and Joker's console showed that one of the propulsion engines had separated from the rest of ship. It made his job all the more difficult, but he wasn't willing to give up. The crew was relying on him.
The alert that Joker was waiting for finally showed on his screen. All escape pods had been jettisoned besides the one just off the cockpit. It was time for him to follow suit.
Yet, when he tried to stand, he found that he didn't want to. The Normandy was his ship. He couldn't just abandon her in her time of need. No, there must be something he could do, something that could save the boat he called home.
A blue shimmer caught Joker's eye. He looked out the viewport to see the planet below, and an idea struck him. Their pursuer's ship was the size of a dreadnaught, much too large to enter the atmosphere of any planet without burning up. The Normandy, she was a frigate. She could maneuver onto the planet surface and hide until help arrives. Yes, he could do this. There was still time.
Just as he was about to start his work, Joker felt someone's hand on his chair. The surprise of not being alone on the injured ship quickly died when he heard his commander's voice. Of course he would still be here, he thought.
"Come on, Joker! We have to get out of here!"
He didn't look at him, choosing to work. "No!" Joker yelled over the din. "I won't abandon the Normandy. I can still save her! I'll escape to the planet-"
"The Normandy is lost," Commander Shepard said not unkindly. "Going down with the ship won't change that."
Joker didn't want to believe it to be true, but he knew that Shepard was right. A quick glance over the status made him realize that she would never survive reentry. The Normandy was done.
His head drooped. "Yeah, you're right," he said reluctantly. "Help me up."
Before Joker could even move, warning bells signaled as the few remaining sensors picked up another energy spike from the attacking ship.
"They're coming around for another attack!" the pilot yelled.
The beam must have been close to the cockpit because the entire room shook with renewed vigor. Joker worked feverishly, trying to move the remains of his battered charge into a position that wouldn't kill them when they left the Normandy in the pod.
He just finished his adjustments when Shepard roughly grabbed his forearm. He felt the bones strain under the harsh pressure.
"Agh! Watch the arm!" Joker yelled.
The commander didn't respond, using his energy to lift him instead. Joker got a glimpse of the CIC as they headed to the escape pod. There was a gaping hole in its ceiling, once bolted chairs floated in the vacuum, sparks flew from exposed wires, and the galaxy map platform was crushed. The planet below bathed the room in an eerie blue glow. Shepard was right; the Normandy truly was lost.
Joker struggled to get into the pod with the violent vibrations coursing through the ship. Without Shepard, he doubted he would have made it without breaking all the bones in his legs. As he strapped himself in, another beam drew the commander's attention. Joker felt the strained metal finally lose its battle, and the cockpit separated from the rest of the ship. The commander was thrown from the pod and was barely able to keep from being tossed out into space by latching onto the wall. More angry fire split the two men apart.
Somehow, through all the debris, Joker saw Shepard's eyes clearly for a brief second. They crinkled peacefully in what he could only assume was a smile.
"Commander!" Joker called. He knew that smile meant something horrible.
Shepard's fingers fought for purchase on the wall. Just before he lost his grip, he hit the external launch button for Joker's pod.
"Shepard!" he screamed as the doors closed in front of him.
The pod's rockets ignite as it was propelled away from the exploding ship. It began to shake as it entered the planet's atmosphere. Once it finished the reentry, the pod maneuvered to join the rest of the survivors.
Inside, the lone occupant felt numb. He stared blankly at the doors that sealed Commander Shepard's fate. Two of the things he had spent the last year protecting were now above him, probably burning away as they fell to the planet below.
Even has he felt the telltale thump of landing, Joker sat unmoving. He didn't know how long he was there, but, after some time, he heard voices outside his pod. Suddenly, the door he was staring at slid apart. Hope rose in Joker's chest, expecting to see the commander's face smiling back at him.
Once the blinding light subsided, that hope died. Lt. Alenko and Dr. T'Soni were standing there, fully armored in the biting cold that was now invading his refuge. He noticed that Liara searched the small pod before finally settling her questioning eyes on him.
"Where is Shepard?" she asked.
Joker couldn't bare her gaze. His head drooped.
"Where is Troy, Jeff?" she asked again, this time more forcefully.
"He…" he choked. "He didn't make it."
Author's Note:
Hello all! I am back. I'm going to try something a little different this time. I want to see how the story will turn out if none of the chapters are from Shepard's perspective. Hopefully it will keep the story fresh and exciting to both read and write. This does mean that the chapters will more than likely be shorter. I imagine that means they will be more frequent and numerous as well, so it all evens out.
The story will have filler chapters for each squad member for those two years Shepard is indisposed, and I will try to keep the chapter count for each member relatively equal throughout the entire story (except for Jacob, I am finding him rather boring and hard to write, apologize in advanced to Jacob lovers).
And, as always, please review to tell me what is good and what I need to work on. I am forever open to criticism.
Enough of me talking and wasting time here. Onward!