Foreword: This fanfic will be running parallel to Mass Effect 2's story, and may include minor spoilers from Mass Effect 1. This aside, you will get the most out of this fanfic if you have played both of those titles at least once.
Mass Effect: For the Commission
Chapter 1: The Calm
The star Araneed was setting beautifully against the imposing New Plentiful skyline. Although the Hanar colony of Belan was less than a century old, it had achieved a prosperous age through the discovery of large amounts of Element Zero found deep underneath the ocean that covered most of the planet. In the Eezo Rush, many non-Hanar colonists hurried to the planet to stake a claim. Many businesses and research firms sprang up to try to grasp the wealth sustaining the colony. As the corporations vied for dominance, the industries started clamoring for merc groups. Initially, these militias started innocently as gathering and corrupting data from competitors, it began to involve bloodshed fast. After a few years, Belan became known as a blood diamond colony. Every blood-thirsty Krogan and power-hungry Asari was entering this planet's cities in their own path towards riches and infamy.
A lone squad sat atop a building barely three stories high. Their silhouettes were barely visible in the dusk after sunset. The building they were preparing to raid was a Binary-Helix warehouse. On the surface, it was merely two stories above ground. Under the concrete however, the warehouse extended nearly two-hundred yards down into the planet. The warehouse was home to prototypes, various other projects Binary-Helix's R&D department was working on, and the various mercenaries the company had hired.
"It's almost nightfall Commander."
Hearing the flange-ridden voice of his second-in-command, Caellus, Commander Usher turned and looked the corner of the roof. He smiled. Commander was not his call-sign, but his squad always addressed him as such to show respect for his leadership.
Usher stood at a firm height, with a build that was nimble and agile, yet bulky and sturdy enough to give the average Krogan a good fight. His black hair was clean cut, only slightly longer than a soldier's buzz and Usher's piercing green eyes were constantly alert, a gift from his Siberia-born parents. Usher's parents were killed by an epidemic that wiped his village when he has 15, leaving him as one of the few survivors. After wandering to the near city of Barnaul, he boarded a cruiser heading for the Citadel as a stowaway. His adventures on the Citadel eventually led him to a generous Hanar church, who taught him of the Enkindlers. Seeing truth in the Hanar's religion, he began work as a missionary. Usher's work led him to Belan and he found a life full of freedom in mercenary work, which he did not find in his life as a missionary. After working as a freelancer for several years, he found a more permanent home in the wings of ExoGeni and the ExoGeni Security Force.
"Just hold up Caellus, nightfall won't mean anything if you move hastily"
Caellus groaned as he looked in direction of the sound, catching the teasing glare of a young Asari.
"You're one to talk, Frog" Caellus countered.
"Stop bringing up my father like that. You of all people should respect him and his time in the STG, Private." Idosa responded.
Caellus's face wrinkled at that, remembering his time with the Turian Navy. His superiors greatly applauded his ability to think outside of traditional Turian strategies, and he had the highest accuracy scores with any semi-automatic assault rifle of any recruit from Digeris. His abilities were, however, overlooked by high ranking Turian generals, who felt that he would never be more than a foot-soldier because of his untraditional tactics. Because of this, during every shore leave, Caellus would enlist in any mercenary group that was recruiting, so long as their operations would not smudge his military records.
Usher spoke up, unwilling to interrupt his team's concentration. "Idosa, leave Caellus alone. You two can continue this later. The guards are about to change their posts." Usher spotted Caellus surveying the scenery with an analytical gaze. "Something caught your eye Caellus?" The Turian looked at the Asari with a curious gaze. Her lithe body was a shadow against the crimson skyline. Idosa caught his glance and looked away, her eyes trained on the guards. She had learned long ago to keep her intentions and feelings hidden.
Idosa's mother died during childbirth, leaving her in the care of her father. Her father died when she was young, a typical occurrence due to her father being a Salarian, and given the large distance of life expectancy between Asari and Salarians. Idosa's father spent most of his time organizing paperwork for his job at the Salarian Embassy on Illium. On his death bed her father tell Idosa about his past in the STG. Parentless and young, she grew up in the lower slums of Illium, running for most of her life. Her livelihood and freedom depended entirely on how well she could get and stay away from anyone boding her ill. Idosa got by in the slums thanks to the hacking skills her father taught her and the biotic ability passed down from her mother. She joined several mercenary bands to stay safe to earn money and a home. After enough of those groups disbanded, Idosa set out to find a reliable employer, which she found in ExoGeni.
"If we wait for the present guards to start going in and the next guards to come out, we'll have both shifts of guards outside. I don't want to dirty the interior of the building with their blood, if you catch my drift commander..." The Turian trailed off by putting a fresh thermal clip into his rifle, an M-99 Saber. As he spoke, four guards marched out of the doorway while an additional four were already starting on their way back into the confine of the warehouse. "If we're going to take advantage of this, we need to move now, Commander." The guards had begun talking among each other, forming a cluster that could be easily taken care of.
With a decisive motion, Usher unloaded his sniper rifle, a modded M-29 Incisor he had received upon joining ExoGeni. This variant on the M-29 included a prototype scope that would be used as a colonization tool. The scope's prowess included an adapting angle that calibrated to the conditions the user is under, and various modes of recognition such as IFF and thermal.
"I hope you're right Commander, if we don't take these guys out, Kalarn will be pissed" Idosa said with concern in her voice and eyes wandering over the Incisor and it's owner. She then stood up, and in a brilliant blue flash Charged towards the guards. Two of the guards went flying in a chaotic somersault, while Idosa sent a shockwave into another one. Caellus jumped down after her and fired off three shots from his Mattock, all three of the shots finding their mark and claiming additional lives. With a practiced inhale, Usher looked into his scope. The remaining guards were on the run. Both of them were stumbling because of their flight from the encounter. Once they were lined up right down his scope Usher pulled his trigger. The first bullet cut through the closest guard's spine, the second snapped the farthest guards rib, and the last bullet pierced his heart, ending his life.
"Good thinking Caellus, that worked perfectly." Usher called, joining his squadmates by the entrance to the warehouse.
"Well Commander, I learned from the best on Digeris." Caellus replied.
"You're not talking about your family again are you? A mercenary shouldn't be talking about his political connections so openly, there's no way of knowing what's bugged and what isn't." Usher warned.
"Admiral of the Seventh Fleet is easily to brag about" Caellus remarked with a smirk. The trio then started down the long hallways of the warehouse. Shouting could be heard from farther away. A sudden pinging noise interrupted the silence.
"Is Delta in position?" a coarse voice crackled over the omnitool's radio, urgency in his voice.
"Delta is in position Dehkarr. We're all in optimal condition and ready for our objective." Usher stated.
"Negative Delta, we need you to assist Beta. They're pinned by a gunship just west of your position. Go help them. Dehkarr out." the voice replied.
"That damn Batarian is always counting us to pull everyone else's ass out of the fire." Caellus stated.
"Better that we're the ones doing the saving than the other way round. I wouldn't want to have to rely on you to cover my ass." Idosa replied in a mocking tone.
"You heard him. Move out." Usher called, already running for the waypoint, rifle still in his arms. With a sigh both Idosa and Caellus started after him.
Kalarn was pinned down. He tried desperately to hide his massive Krogan frame among crates and alcoves as the gunship flew past, his deep ebony shell keeping him hidden in the darkness. Kalarn's green eyes were surveying the area rapidly, looking for an opening. His homeworld of Garvug made him cunning and hardy. He helped his brother, Hailot Wrang, command their clan in a partnership that was born after their father was killed in battle. Kalarn and his brother led the clan successfully for a few centuries. When they rose to leadership, the planet was already in ecological chaos. Wrang wanted to restore the planet to its former glory by negotiating support with the corporate ecoengineering teams. He wanted his brother out of the picture, so Wrang framed Kalarn for conspiracy in order to prevent him from interfering with his plans. Kalarn took the betrayal and focused his rage into working for mercenary bands across the galaxy, eventually joining ExoGeni.
The gunship flew over towards the far side of the entrance area, gun still scanning for the intruders. Kalarn made a mad dash for better cover, biding his time until he could get a clear shot at the gunship with grenade launcher. The gunship started firing suddenly, startling Kalarn. He heard a scream over his omnitool striking him with the grave realization that one of his Krannt had perished. The Krogan slowly looked down at his omnitool. "Damn" he thought "Pirr is dead. That Quarian was one of my best hackers." Kalarn called for his remaining squadmate. " Amaru are you still there? Pirr is down." The radio silence was excruciatingly long, irritating Kalarn. After another moment, his omnitool sprang to life.
"Amaru standing by. I'm behind some crates a few dozen yards from your position. I can create a diversion if you need an opening to take out the gunship." the croaking voice answered.
"Not needed, I can take it out by myself." the burly Krogan responded. Kalarn heard the gunship closing in on his position. Readying his grenade launcher, he leapt out from behind his cover. He quickly spotted the crates where Amaru was hiding. Wanting to keep his squadmate alive, he quickly lined up his sights on the gunship. Kalarn fired off the ballistic weapon, the heavy shrapnel tearing a hole into the shell of the gunship and blew a hole in one of the mass effect cores right wing, causing it to spiral out of control. The gunship started plummeting towards the ground. Kalarn closed his eyes in satisfaction of the kill. His omnitool started blaring static after the gunship crashed into a pile of boxes. A scream was heard across around the dock. He checked his omnitool for a pulse on his remaining squadmate. Seeing none, Kalarn came to the conclusion of Amaru's death. Only one word escaped his lips "Coward" Kalarn walked over to door, which his squadmates lost their lives attempting to open. Kalarn made a note to record the deaths of his team when he got around to it. As he neared it, he heard it open. Still holding the grenade launcher, he turned. His battle-ready smile dropped when he saw who opened the door.
"Kalarn! We came as soon as Dehkarr told us you were pinned." Usher called. Kalarn lowered his weapon at the sight of his comrades. His eyes were glowing with annoyance.
"You couldn't get here sooner?" Kalarn roared. "My squad was wiped out because you took your damn time!" he lumbered past them, intent on finishing the mission.
"Should we call off the mission if it's too dangerous?" Idosa asked meekly. The spout of yelling from the Krogan told her it was a bad question.
"Of course not! They signed on, they knew what was at stake in a mission. We need those prototype specs regardless" Kalarn spat.
"Way to piss off a Krogan Warlord, Idosa. Usher, I think we should split up in order to cover the ground we lost from Beta squad. Who should go with you?" Caellus inquired, eager to get back into the action.
"Kalarn, I want you with me. Caellus, I want you and Idosa to lead a shadow squad through the warehouse and take out any small pockets of guards you may find throughout the ground floor. Kalarn and I will punch a hole through down into their lower levels, try to dwindle their numbers so Alpha and Charlie can get through to the prototype." Usher decided.
"Can do Commander. I just hope the Frog doesn't croak on me." Caellus remarked. Idosa was quick to counter.
"Hopefully the bird doesn't-"
"Enough! I'm going to crack both of your skulls if you don't get outta here right now!" Kalarn bellowed. The two comrades quickly moved out, bickering to each other as they went. "Well Human, it's just the two of us now" the Krogan grinned and stepped into an elevator, ready to continue the fight. With a sigh, Usher followed him in. The door shut with a hiss and began its descent.
The door opened in a small control room. A wall of computers was directly across from the elevator with a window overlooking a spacious room. Off to the sides were two doors that led to balconies that circled the room. A machine that looked like a large turret sat in the center of room. It's sleek two barrel design marred by a back end that held two holes in the back of it.
"Looks like we found the prototype. After we secure the area, we can download the specs and wipe the local data." Kalarn said once he had finished observing the surroundings. Usher began walking towards the window when gunfire shattered the panes in front of him. The two mercs looked around, seeing security guards storming the room.
"Split up! If each of us takes one side, they will need to divide their fire." Usher ordered. A bullet whizzed past the Commander's ear and took down his shields.
"If Binary Helix wants me to keep this damn thing safe, they had better give me a huge raise after this. Boy am I going to have stories for the recruits after this." a Turian voice called over a comm system. He stowed his sniper rifle and climbed down a ladder to the turret. He inserted his arms into the holes at the rear of the machine, activating a kinetic barrier and powering up the gun. A blue biotic glow coursed over the machine. "Roast, bitches!" he shouted. A bolt of biotic energy hit the ceiling above Usher and knocked him back. Kalarn was already on the balcony launching Carnage blasts and Concussive Shots at the incoming guards and taking cover behind support pillars when they fired back. Usher ran for the opposite balcony to give his comrade some covering fire.
"Commander Nedasus! You don't have clearance to use the gun!" a merc shouted over the fire. Nedasus responded by taking one arm out of the turret and hurling him upward then downward in a viscous Slam.
"I think the higher ups will understand" Nedasus said sarcastically, returning his arm to the opening.
Kalarn and Usher were getting pinned by enemy fire. They were simply outgunned, with more and more mercs entering the fray.
"Hey Usher! There's got to be some sort of novelty on that plaything of yours to turn the odds in our favor. We don't need the actual gun, just the specs. Do you got anything?" Kalarn shouted, firing off Carnage blasts in tandem with his grenade launcher. Looking into his scope, Usher activated one of the scanning modes on his Incisor. A purple hue lit up his scope. He took aim at the prototype and fired a small probe. The probe held a Virtual Intelligence waypoint that allowed a VI to analyze and detect structural weaknesses through a small vibration that conducted a stress test on an area around the impact point. The probe hit the base rotary engine of the turret. In the display of the scope, several blips appeared over the prototype, highlighting the weak points in the base. Firing a quick burst at the last merc on his balcony, Usher took aim and fired two bursts at the base. Several rounds bounced off a biotic barrier, but two bullets pierced the weak points. The turret started whining an d groaning, ceasing to turn anymore. Seeing an opportunity, Kalarn jumped down to the ground floor, and fired a Concussive Shot at Nedasus. The shot knocked the Turian out of the prototype, stunning him and taking out his barrier. The opening was enough for Kalarn to launch a grenade at Nedasus. Disregarding any possible collateral damage, Kalarn fired. The explosion ripped Nedasus to shreds and caused the prototype to explode in a mass effect fueled explosion, vaporizing any remains of Nedasus.
"Kalarn you headstrong Pyjak! If we had the actual prototype, we could have gotten to use it sooner! But because of your impatience, we need to wait for a new prototype" Usher shouted at the Krogan. Usher typed a code into his Omnitool. "Dehkarr, we have the specs, but the prototype is destroyed. Contact ExoGeni and we can call it a day."
"Roger that Delta, we'll have shuttles come by to pick you up." Dehkarr's strong voice replied over the radio.
Author's Notes:
I got the idea for this story during a playthrough of the suicide mission in ME2. I liked the suicide mission very much, and wanted a game to have every mission play out similar to it. Complete with the possibility of every main character dying. This fic will not be a "perfect" playthrough of my story, so hopefully I don't ruin the story as I go. I hope to update this at least once a month.