Mass Effect: Pale Hunter Chronicles
Summary: What if one of Commander Shepard's potential recruits was from long thought extinct legendary species known for being the greatest hunters in the galaxy? Disclaimer: I don't own Predators, Mass Effect or any of their characters, ok?
Chapter One:
From his vantage point above the treelines, the hunter is observing the three individuals invading his territory.
Two were females. One he vaguely recognized and the other a complete stranger to him. Seemingly weak if one didn't take into consideration the weapons and armor they bore or the crackling energies that their bodies were infused with which was registering on his scanners.
It would be a foolish mistake to underestimate them based on their gender alone.
The third one is a massive reptilian alien who was of the same race as an…. Old acquaintance of his. And from what he knew of their species from previous hunts, they were extremely strong, resilient and generally difficult to kill even by Yautja standards.
Difficult but not impossible especially to one such as himself. A worthy prey just the same.
But what were they doing here out in the middle of nowhere in the galaxy? Could they be members of the organization which he previously dealt with for some of their technology in exchange for his services in killing some of their enemies? Was he not clear enough in his desire to NEVER deal with the honorless group of scavengers again when he sent back the mutilated remains of their emissaries?
No matter. He would continue keeping watch and assess if they were going to be a threat to him. If they were….. Then he has an enjoyably challenging hunt to look forward to.
…
It was days like this when Commander Jane Shepard, formerly an N7 Vanguard of the Systems Alliance Navy, had to wonder for herself what exactly were Cerberus's criteria was when it came to scouting out potential recruits? Considering that almost everytime they go and recruit anyone in the dossiers she was provided with, she and her team ended up having to fight for their lives in one way or another, whether it be against airborne viruses which only affected aliens, maddened tankborn Krogan rejects or mercenaries who got too greedy or too power trippy for their own good.
So as far as she could tell, their latest recruitment effort which took them to this to this remote jungle planet in the Far Rim where anything ranging from the local fauna, the treacherous environment to the resident wildlife could kill them if they weren't careful, was not going to buck the trend anytime soon.
After that fiasco at Horizon, the Illusive Man was rather determined to get results which prompted him to send another set of dossiers which included this one which was simply labeled as 'The Predator'. When asked about the identity of the Predator, the Illusive Man's cryptic reply was that she needed monsters to fight monsters which did very little to reassure her.
At least she wasn't alone in her misery. Miranda didn't look happy to be here either because of how she described as a 'horrific experience she'd much rather not relive'. But by virtue of being the only in the Normandy (and quite possibly the only one in Cerberus left alive) who could recognize their current recruit, she was tapped to accompany Shepard.
The third member of her current away team was a no-brainer. If this 'Predator' was as dangerous as Miranda says which is saying something since the Cerberus operative was NOT prone to exaggeration, then Shepard needed someone equally or even more dangerous. And what could be more dangerous than a tankbred Krogan super soldier like Grunt.
Of course, she could have brought more personnel here but Miranda discouraged it saying that bringing more people with her might be interpreted as hostile action by the 'Predator'.
Riigghhtt…. And the sight of three heavily armed people sneaking around the jungle isn't? At the very least, she would've felt more at ease if it wasn't just the three of them.
"Bloody hell." Miranda swore as she waved off the swarm of insects buzzing around her head. "Just my luck that I'm the only one who've seen the Predator and I'm not real anxious to see that savage again."
"You haven't really told us much about this him Miranda except how dangerous he is. Who exactly is this guy and why is the Illusive Man so damned determined to recruit him? Don't we have enough mad scientists, loose cannons, ex-cons and berserkers in our team?" Shepard asks before looking at the said berserker. "No offense Grunt."
Either the Krogan didn't hear her or just didn't care.
"We better find our recruit soon or we'll be in danger of getting eaten alive here. There's no telling what sort of viruses these insects carry." Miranda said, trying to change the topic.
"We'll be fine. Doctor Chakwas did give us our inoculations before we went planetside." Shepard said. "Places like these are always a hotbed of diseases back on Earth so there's no telling what we can catch here which is why we got those shots. But I'm frankly more concerned about the potential recruit and the fact that you're avoiding the subject altogether. What are you not telling us Miranda?"
"This recruit is a predator in the truest definition of the word, Shepard." Miranda said with a shudder of fear and revulsion. "The only thing I saw was his profile as he was attacking the team I came with when they got…. Insistent. But he was just so brutally efficient about it. He butchered them all and I didn't even see him actually doing it. Just blood and body parts flying every which way. The aftermath of that battle is something that STILL haunts me to this day and I think that the only thing that kept me from losing my lunch is that I've already seen YOUR remains before we reconstructed you."
"Why exactly were you looking for him in the first place anyways?" Shepard asks.
"We've done business with him once before. The Illusive Man was so pleased with the results of that transaction that he wanted to acquire his services at ANY cost." Miranda revealed reluctantly. "Unfortunately, my late colleagues at the time misinterpreted the instruction as their cue to try and kidnap the Predator. I got the hell out of here as fast as I was able to and luckily, the Predator did not pursue."
"And WE are supposed to try to recruit this psychotic super hunter now? Someone whom, I might add, is probably equipped with some sort of stealth tech and could be watching us as we speak?" Shepard asks incredulously. "What the hell makes you think he'll even listen to us instead of just blowing us away on sight?"
"I actually advised against recruiting him because I believed him to be an unstable factor." Miranda said. "But the Illusive Man insisted that the Predator could be a useful asset to us against the Collectors if we can find and convince him."
"That's assuming he doesn't find US first." Shepard snarks before looking at Grunt whom she now noticed was ignoring whatever physical discomfort he felt (if he had any) in favor of watching his surroundings with a look of irritation and…. Uncharacteristic wariness. "What's wrong Grunt?"
"It just occurred to me that the imprints Warlord Okeer gave me about jungle warfare is not as…. Extensive as I'd like." Grunt growled, his eyes darting around. "And when I say not as extensive, I meant almost non-existent. If what Miss Lawson has said is true, then there are a LOT of places and shadows here where he can hide in wait for the perfect opportunity to take us by surprise."
"He's not supposed to be our enemy Grunt." Shepard points out. "He's a potential ally until proven otherwise so no headbutting or shooting him till then, understand?"
Grunt muttered unhappily but nodded his assent. But despite chastising Grunt for his aggressive proactive behavior, Shepard was determined NOT to get caught by surprise herself. Grunt was right about their current environment though. The foilage and the shadows just screamed ambush to her which was eating away at her already frayed nerves and normally collected temperment.
They continued along the jungle trail in search of their recruit and comes across a clearing with a sight that would forever be burned into their memories.
The clearing had the remains of various species in various states of decay and mutilation.
There were Asari and Humans that were skinned and hung up on the trees, the skulls of a number of Turians, Batarians and Vorcha with the spines still attached, bisected Salarians strewn all over the place, a few decapitated Krogans and even the head of a large, four eyed alien on a pike. There were also a few makeshift tables in the area and a wooden wall on one side with a number of bladed implements on display and the ground was littered with broken armor belonging to groups ranging from mercenaries to police and military organizations from all species to a number of Cerberus operatives and even the charcoal grey armor of a Council Spectre.
All in all, it was a slaughterhouse.
"Good god. What is this place?" Miranda said with a horrified expression in her face.
"Looks kinda' like the processing area of whoever the hell did all this." Shepard said, wandering the area. "And THIS is the guy Cerberus wants us to recruit?"
"This was NOT in the report I was given." Miranda said, trying to hold back her gag reflex from the stench. "What are they even being processed for?"
"Trophies." Grunt answered, holding up one of the Turian skulls to study. "All the corpses here belonged to warriors of one sort or another and it looks like this guy wanted something to remember them by." He explained with grudging admiration in his voice.
"Trophies? He kills for trophies? The reports did say the recruit was some sort of hunter but for him to do something like this…. He even got a Yahg for crying out loud!" Miranda exclaimed.
Before Shepard could ask what a Yahg was, a sudden noise catches their attention.
*Rustle*
The three were instantly on alert and stood back to back to back in the middle of the clearing with weapons at the ready. They spend the next few minutes watching their surroundings intently, waiting for their objective to show himself.
The objective didn't disappoint.
When something heavy lands in their midst, the Normandy crew explodes into action. Not wanting to risk friendly fire, the N7 Vanguard and the Krogan super soldier instinctively opt for close quarters combat with Grunt attacking with his omni-bayonet equipped shotgun while Shepard swung for the fences with a biotically empowered punch.
Much to their surprise, their attacks were countered as something grabbed Shepard by the wrist in mid-attack and used the momentum of her punch to send her crashing against Grunt whose omni-bayonet was blocked by seemingly nothing but air.
Miranda backpedals and opens fire on the unseen attacker. But a three dotted laser sight was her only warning before she had to dive to the side to avoid a searing ball of plasma that was launched at her.
Grunt managed to recover quickly from his unintended impact with Shepard and saw the attack on the Cerberus operative. With a roar, he charges at the direction where he saw the plasma bolt was launched and collides with something solid which he rams to a nearby tree and delivers a couple of kidney punches. The savage blows causes whatever was keeping the attacker invisible to flicker, giving them a glimpse of their rather tall adversary.
Seeing what Grunt was doing to its stealth system, the attacker retaliates with a massive headbutt which stuns Grunt long enough to kick him away from it. But before it could follow up on the attack, Shepard had also recovered and fires off a biotic shockwave in conjunction with a biotic push from Miranda with an angry yell, sending a virtual tsunami of rocks and dirt at the shimmering form of the attacker. The biotic attack connects, staggering the attacker and collapses the stealth field surrounding him, revealing its identity to the Normandy crew.
The attacker was a tall, white skinned, dreadlocked alien with thick muscular arms and legs. It wore a makeshift armor composed of chainmail bandoleers over its chest with a spiked guard on its left shoulder, an armored loincloth, spiked shinguards and a metallic mask decorated with a horned cranium and a pair of tusks.
Visible weapons and equipment included the triple barreled gun on a swivel mount on his left shoulder, a spear held in his left hand, a left arm brace with a control console indicating it was some sort of computer, a right arm brace with some sort of retractable blade and a massive knife sheathed sideways on the small of his back.
"My god. It's YOU." Miranda whispered in awe. This was all the confirmation Shepard needed to know this was the one they were looking for.
"You're the Predator I assume? Why the hell are you attacking us?" Shepard demanded as she aimed at the attacker. By this time, both Grunt and Miranda had also recovered and were aiming their own weapons at him. "We're just here to talk!"
The tall figure remained silent and seemingly unconcerned with the odds. Its head slowly swiveled from one person to another, as if assessing whom it should attack first.
"Look. Like I said, we're just here to talk." Shepard said, deciding to take a chance and lowers her shotgun.
"What the hell are you doing Shepard? You can't ever lower your guard against this thing even for one…." Miranda yelled, lowering her gun which proved to be a mistake.
Demonstrating a speed which belied its large frame, the large being charges at Miranda with the blade on its right brace out who curses and raises her pistol again, knowing it might be too late to prevent her from being skewered.
Shepard also curses and initiates a biotic charge to intercept the Predator and manages to keep the point of his blade from reaching Miranda's throat while she held her pistol against its belly. Meanwhile, the attacker had also raised its spear to hold Grunt, who was aiming at him with his shotgun, at bay and his plasma caster targeting Shepard.
"It seems like we're in a stalemate here buddy." Shepard commented before lowering the pistol from the Predator's belly. "Look. We got off on the wrong foot here. But like I said before I was interrupted…." She glares at Miranda as she said this. "….We're just here to talk."
The Predator tilts its head quizically at Shepard before he also lowers his spear, retracts his wristblade and deactivates his plasmacaster. He then pointedly looks at Miranda and Grunt who were still aiming their weapons at him.
"Stand down guys. He's ready to talk." Shepard said. Both Grunt and Miranda does so, albeit reluctantly.
"Talk." What sounded like the recorded voice of Shepard came from the alien's helmet which she took as her cue to continue.
"We were sent her by Cerberus to try and recruit you for our cause. And from what I've seen so far, I know why." Shepard said without preamble. "You'd be a great help to our team if you decide to join us against the Collectors."
The Predator stares at her for a moment before a recorded voice from his helmet spoke one word. "No."
Shepard blinks at the rather straightforward answer. "That was quick. We haven't even explained the situation yet." She said.
The Predator shook his head for emphasis. "No." The recorded voice repeated before the Predator turns around and walks off towards one of the makeshift tables.
Undaunted, Shepard follows the large alien who was now sharpening his knife on a whetstone. "So that's it? You're refusing? Is it because of Cerberus? Because if it makes you feel better, you won't be working with Cerberus. You'll be working for ME."
The Predator looks up from his work, shakes his head and turns his attention back to the knife he was sharpening.
"Let's go Shepard. It's clear that he is not interested." Miranda said. "It would've been a mistake to add someone as unstable as him to the team anyways."
Shepard disagreed. If the Predator was as unstable as Miranda said, then she would've been dead by now.
There was clearly considerable intelligence behind the brutish appearance. One which recognized Cerberus for the xenophobic terrorist organization that they were. And anyone smart enough to know that was someone she needed by her side…. Or at the very least, well out of Cerberus's clutches.
But how to appeal to the Predator? Shepard idly looks around the clearing and was struck with inspiration.
"Listen. From the looks of all these trophies, you are clearly a hunter of considerable skill." Shepard casually comments while the Predator continues his task. "But aren't you getting just a little bit tired of waiting for the prey to come to you?"
There was definite interest in the Predator's body language now from the way it slowed down in its task. All that was needed was just a little more push.
"I mean luring your prey in and hunting in your own territory is just common sense. I get that. But doesn't it get monotonous after a while? Wouldn't you like something that will actually challenge your skills?" Shepard asks.
The Predator was now looking straight at Shepard.
"What the hell is she doing?" Miranda whispers harshly to Grunt who had a wide grin on his face.
"Appealing to the pale hunter's pride." Grunt answered. Sure he was still a little sore about the way the pale hunter handled both him and his battlemaster with apparent ease but in Grunt's opinion, any battle you walked away from was a lesson learned. And the addition of this pale hunter was only going to make the Normandy clan, and by extension himself, that much stronger.
"This is a horrible idea." Miranda opined unhappily.
"Hasn't stopped her so far." Grunt replied with a shrug.
Shepard stood face to face with the Predator. Or as much as a 5'4" woman could against a 7'6" killing machine like the Yautja.
"These Collectors I'm referring to? Not only are they sport worthy of your skills, but they also work for forces who intend to annihilate life on a galactic scale and robbing you of potential future prey. Our…. Hunting party are in need of your skill and experience against them and any others who intend to get in our way."
The Predator silently regards Shepard then tests the blade of his knife which was sharpened to his satisfaction.
"Bone…. White…." A recorded voice said from the Predator.
"Excuse me?" Shepard asks in confusion.
"Name…. Bone…. White…." The recorded voice repeats. The Predator then emphasizes his next words by sheathing his blade with a resounding click.
"We…. Hunt…."
Author's Notes: Another what if story for you guys. Haven't really seen anything like this around yet so I hope you guys enjoy. As usual, R&R pls