Mass Effect: Republic Councilor, book 1.
Chapter 1: the Universe Introduction, and Eden Prime
By the year 2183, Mankind has mastered the ability to travel throughout the galaxy at faster-than-light speeds, bringing them in contact with a host of alien races. Now humanity struggles to find its place in the greater galactic community.
As if by chance, an unregistered ship arrives from a dormant Mass Relay, its design and name unknown to the galaxy, but one thing is clear, the Council will become bigger, or it will suffer the mighty fleet of these foreign invaders, but to the confusion of most, these people are human, but they did not start from Earth…who are they?
2180: First Contact War with Republic 7th Heavy Fleet.
Within a year, the mightiest Republic fleet, armed with weapons that could make the Turians wish they were a part of the Hierarchy, had shown its far superior weaponry, and shielding, not to mention their honor, for not orbital bombarding the "enemy", sparing all, and yet, they were feared, for their admiral, when angered, would take no prisoners, at all.
He was proclaimed a murderer by the Council races, but it did not bother him, for he had always been surrounded by darkness, dark titles, and he did not hesitate to win a battle, for every ship he lost, the Council races seemed to lose ten if not more, due to his tactical skills, then one day, the war was ended, by a human, who looked eerily similar to the conquering man, the conquering man called him Gash, and Gash called the man Cid, they seemed to argue for days, weeks, it felt, but was only a week or two.
Then, Gash visited the Citadel, in a ship similar to what 'Cid' used, what he called a 'Republic-Acclamator Class cruiser', these were not even the strongest ships, according to Gash, and after many cool-drunken nights, Gash had been recognized as a friend of the Councilors, and they unofficially made him the Councilor of the Republic, upon hearing this, the mighty battle fleet of the 7th Fleet left, replaced by several repair fleets, and corporations like the newer Czerka, or some better-minded companies, who were not after indentured servants, but after helping the people of the area. And when the Council saw the real faces of the Republic, and not one angry old True-Sith half-breed, who somehow was one of the best damn heroes the Republic had, even though Cid was prone to unleashing the Dark Side for victory on that day.
When they saw these people, they truly made Gash a Councilor, much to the dismay of the Humans of the Systems Alliance, who had for years tried to get a seat on the Council, and now the invaders got to be a part of the Council?! So it was, some Infiltration units were sent, ex-Alliance Marines, who were in truth ex-Alliance Assassins, they would slip into Gash's apartment on the Citadel, sneak up to him, when, suddenly a weapon ignited, a sword of some-kind, and one infiltrator died, his head cleaved cleanly from his body. The others held the line with their pistols, and fired at will at Gash, who stood, sending projectiles back with his odd-sword weapon, as he slowly advanced towards them, some falling, and soon one was left. "Tell me your name, affiliations, why you are in MY apartment, and I will let you die painlessly."
"I-I can't tell you." The Infiltrator said, reaching for an old combat knife hidden on their back.
"You do not want to do that, you do want to tell me, everything you know about this assassination attempt." Gash said, using a Jedi Mind-Trick on the Infiltrator, his connection to the force was unmatched by many Jedi and Sith- alike, however he was nothing compared to Cid's power.
"I…will tell you everything." The Infiltrator said, as he tried valiantly to fight against this mental power, and he truly told Gash all he knew, and instead of killing the man, Gash lifted him up with the force, and held him in a stasis field force-ability, and called for C-Sec to come pick the Assassin up, and sentence him properly, after the Assassin was gone, Gash went back to his work, creating a detailed report for Chancellor Palpatine, the leader of the Republic.
When Gash was done, he stared out at the view of the Presidium, a longing sigh escaping his mouth, as he thought of the women he had loved in his life, Revan, well, Jade, Jade Don…Bastila Shan, Violet, the clone daughter of his good friend, for a short while Rin Don, and a few others.
When he was done thinking of them, he sighed, and unholstered his mostly ceremonial side-arm, an old Mandalorian Heavy Blaster, and twirled the blaster once, before pressing it against his head, and pulling the trigger, his 'dead' body collapsing on the ground, and after a few minutes, he got back up, feeling better, the wound gone entirely. "Thank the Force I'm an Immortal, otherwise I might have regrets." He laughed to himself.
"Let's see…" he said, and headed to start cleaning up the Citadel's many problems with gangs.
2183: Rin Don and the Chiming enter the new lands.
Gash would be with the Council, at a meeting, for the past three years he had been able to make a powerful Alliance between the Jedi Council, the Republic, and the Citadel Species, the Jedi had the right to visit the planets of the new found galaxy, and the Citadel Species could travel to the home-galaxy of the Jedi Order. Gash however, would be listening to reports of a Turian-Human engineered ship, the SSV Normandy, of the Systems Alliance. Gash's flagship was a YT-1300f Freighter, the Knife of Steel, although uncreative, Gash rarely even got to fly it, due to his duties as Councilor, and the fact after the last Assassination attempt on him, he had an escort of three C-Sec officers, at all times.
Rin Don was who he recommended leading the assignment, and after a small debate she was put right under Cid Shepard's command, Rin Don was an amazing scientist, and technically a Jedi of the Jedi Order. She had personally developed and modified her own armor, light as a feather, but as hard as a Colossus-line of light armor, in combat she used her lightsaber, dual blaster pistols, a heavy minigun, and grenades, while technically exiled from the Order, she was too valuable a Jedi to exile completely, she had in her spare time, cloned her own 'daughter', Violet Rinaka Don, and was currently en-route to the Normandy SR-1 with what was originally Gash's 'flagship' of sorts, that he used when directing his fleet in battle.
When that time came however, Rin found herself finding dreading the thought of going on a mission, without knowing the crew of the Chiming where with her, after Gash had obtained his promotion, he more or less had all but given the Republic Acclamator-class Frigate to Rin.
But now, she would be leaving the safety of her ship, to go on to the Alliance's SSV Normandy SR-1. She had heard it was a co-opted design, modified Turian and Alliance ships, but Gash, being a kind soul had donated an extra shielding device for the Normandy for its maiden voyage, Clone Engineers would set it up, before it left the area to go to its test-run to Eden Prime.
It would be on that voyage that everything would be tested, the Tantalus-Drive Core, the IES Stealth System, and etc. Although Rin knew little of this, and Gash didn't relish the thought of not telling his friend what she was getting into.
Shepard, on the other hand almost dreaded the thought of the "Republic" being allowed on the Normandy, a Spectre was one thing, but the organized "Galactic Republic" had become a power? That was absurd. They were new comers to this, but he had little say, as Lieutenant Commander Cidarian Shepard. Many in the Alliance joked that he was "An angry Abraham Lincoln." And they were fairly perfect in describing it, except for the long blade-scar over his right eye. Something he had the Batarians to thank on Elysium.
Cidarian was no Xenophobe, no, he liked some, like the Asari, and found what he learned of the Krogan as a worthy ally to have in battle. He found some Turians agreeable, but like many, he didn't trust them entirely, he doubted he ever would, the Quarians were ok, in his mind, but he found some of the other annoying, like the Snobbish Hanar or the Mercantile-like Volus. And don't even get him started on Vorcha, granted he found the Elcor to be an interesting people to talk to.
But here he was, standing at the Air-lock, with a few of the ship's Marines, Biotic Kaiden Alenko, and Nihlus the Turian Spectre. Captain Anderson wasn't too far himself, and Joker made a small joke.
It'd be then that the shuttle from the Chiming launched, and Cidarian 'Cid' sighed. "I don't like this." He muttered to himself, and not even five minutes later the shuttle boarded, and the first in were the Engineers.
"Move, we're already behind schedule men." Came the honey-sweet, yet dangerous voice of Rin Don, and the Engineers nodded, two Marines escorting them to where they'd set up the shield generator. She looked over and smiled. "Greetings from the Galactic Republic, I am Rin."
"I am Cidarian Shepard." Cid said, in reply and shook the Republic Officer's hand.
"I am Nihlus." The Turian Spectre said, and she shook his hand, he raised an eyebrow…or whatever the Turian equivalent was.
"I'm Richard, although most call me Jenkins." Jenkins piped in.
"I'm Kaiden." Kaiden said, shifting slightly, unsure what to think of the Republic Officer.
"Then you…" Rin's voice said, looking over at Anderson. "Are Captain Anderson, I presume?"
"You would be correct in that assumption, ma'am." Anderson replied, while he had no distrust, he remembered well the 'First Contact War with the Republic' fairly well, almost too well as was.
"I know my people have plenty to make up for, with one of the hell bent Admirals causing all the panic. But we're not war-makers. Admiral Rod is being spoken to by the Senate currently, and may well stand trial…and likely face another execution."
"You said, Admiral Rod? I thought that was the Councilor, Gash?" Cidarian asked.
"You're about half-right, Gash was an Admiral Rod, but he commanded the Republic 173rd Battle-Fleet. Not the 7th that gave your people hell. That would be Admiral Cid James Rod."
Cidarian raised an eyebrow. "Tell me you're joking…" he sighed.
"Sadly no, I wish I was however, would be better then." Rin looked over, towards the Galaxy Map, her Engineers already finished, in record time, while the shield wasn't especially good, or even expensive, it would buy the Normandy an extra few seconds in a major fire-fight.
"The objective is complete ma'am." The head Engineer said.
"Good work Sven." Rin replied.
"It wasn't that hard, we had a bit of help from the Normandy engineers." Sven replied.
"Roberts, anything else you men need to do before you go?" Rin asked.
"No ma'am." Roberts replied, and Cidarian noticed the all-but same exact voice.
"Go back to the Chiming then, good job men." Rin said, and the Engineers left, then, with a nod.