Shepard stared at the camera drone. His cybernetic eyes gave off an unearthly red light. And the drones 60k resolution camera captured Shepard's scars with perfect fidelity.
Shepard was tall for a human. Even in a simple suit he gave off the aura of an worrier. Of a an that has been to hell and Come back. At least, most of him came back.
"I don't always drink batarian whiskey", Shepard said as he lifted a bottle of alcoholic drink, "but when I do drink batarian whiskey I drink Verush's Inspiration"
Shepard then downed the whole bottle of whiskey in one go. "Walk in peace, my friends"
The lights dimmed. Shepard dropped the bottle of alcohol. Out of the corner of the eye he saw someone entering the room.
"That was pretty good Shepherd. In another life I think you could have made a great actor"
Shepard shrugged. His dear friend, Counselor Miranda Lawson, had a cat like grin on her face. Shepard wished that he had another bottle of whiskey.
He also wished that the flimsy film set had a chair or something. Instead all of the budget must've gone into animating something cool on the blue screen behind Shepard.
"This was a favor for a friend.", he explained, "Half the proceeds from each bottle of whiskey sold will go to a charity."
Miranda Lawson used her Biotics to raise the empty bottle into the air, and pull it towards her.
"Varren bile, four different types of synthetic sugars, 80 percent proof . . . three bottles of this could kill someone"
"Maybe that's the point", replied Shepard grimly.
Miranda sighed. She dropped the bottle and took a few steps towards Shepard till they were an arms length apart. She could smell the whiskey on his breath.
"Have you . . . Been doing okay", Shepard asked awkwardly
"I have.", Lawson replied. "But- sometimes I just feel like humanity deserves a different representative"
"Humanity deserves the best. And you are the best"
"And how much of that is me, and not the gene editing. I swear that Oriana can match me at everything."
Shepard nodded.
"It's not always about what a person can do, or what they were born with. There were better candidates for the N7 slot that I received. Better men, better women, better people in general. But I got it, because the alliance new that I would do anything to accomplish the mission."
"You think I'm the best candidate because I'm ruthless?", Miranda asked.
Shepard shrugged, "I just know that being a counselor isn't an easy job. And I know that because of your actions Oriana can live a normal comfortable life. I know that you're the kind of person that gets shit done"
"Fair enough." She moved up even closer to Shepard. Till they were just a step away. Miranda was his height. She didn't have to look up at him to stare right into his soul
Shepard's instincts started to scream. The way they screamed before the shit met the proverbial fan.
"I need something from you Shepard.", Miranda said quietly, "it involves a third party that's . . . Interested in your talents"
Shepard closed his eyes. He was really hoping this day would never come.
Miranda put a hand on Shepard's shoulder. "It was the only way to normalize relations with the Salarians. I'm sorry."
"Sur'Kesh. You're really going to send me there."
—-000—
Shepard ran his hands across the barrel of a tired old gun. It was an M29 incisor. Albeit an incisor that was warped and modified far beyond its factory specs.
Kinetic coils were boosted for increased shot penetration. Barrel was cooled by eezo enhanced carbonite molecules. The weapon was calibrated by certain Garrus Vakarian, and the obscenely modified scope made up a third of the weapons weight.
This was one of the guns that Shepard carried. And when he leapt out of a shuttle on Sur'kesh he pointed it at the first Salarian he could see.
"Your friends can come out now. With their hands up"
"We're so glad you came, Shepard", replied the Salarian STG operative.
"Let me guess, you have me surrounded. That means I can fire in any direction I want and I'll probably hit something"
"Absolutely commander.", replied the Salarian, "And there's a chance you might actually win that gunfight. Fortunately we seeded this valley with bombs that are ready to blow at a moments notice. A precaution we introduced during the Reaper war.", the Salarian turned and started to walk away, "There's no time to waste, please follow me commander"
Shepard did follow the Salarian. And he hated every minute of it. Sur'Kesh was humid, and Shepard was pretty sure that half the creatures they walked past were at least a little poisonous. Damn place gave him flashbacks to the Jungle phase of his N7 training.
Eventually, they came to an innocuous cleft in a cliff. A small little gap that one wouldn't notice.
"That's the entrance of the base?", Shepard Guessed.
"No", his Salarian Replied, "That's the entrance to the Ship"
Shepard raised an eyebrow. And then he looked left, and right, and realized that the "cliff" he was looking at was around 2 kilometers long.
"An Fucking dreadnaught"
"Yes commander. Unofficially the largest dreadnaught ever produced. Not that we'd ever advertise that fact. We understand that you humans are proud of your 1.6 kilometer SSV Anderson"
"The SSV Anderson is the best crewed ship in the Galaxy", replied Shepard, " Whatever flashy toys you have crammed up in that tin can of yours can't match the skill and professionalism of Alliance Navy Personnel."
"Come along Shepard", the Salarian said. "There will be time for boasting once our task is finished. First, you should see what our toys can do"
-000-
Lawson's office was a simple dull place based on the Office that existed on the old citadel. There were chairs. But Lawson and the Salarian Dalatrass before her did not sit. They stood across from each other.
Miranda Lawson glared at Esheel, the new Salarian Councilor. "Are you really telling me that your species had nothing to do with the Yaghs uplift?"
" I didn't say that", replied the Salarian Dalatras. She told Lawson, "During the reaper war our species did look into the possibility of Uplifting the Yagh. Shepards victory made those plans irrelevant. Remember Councilor, that Salarian Probes first reported the incident."
Miranda sighed. Clearly, arguing with the Dalatras would get her nowhere.
"Who did uplift the Yagh?"
"We don't know", the Dalatrass replied quickly.
Miranda's jaw almost hit the floor. A salarians admitting that they didn't know something . . . now that was a new one.
"Who are the likely suspects?"
" The Leviathans, Rogue Krogan scientists, Cerberus remnants, a rogue Asari Matriarch, a Turian with a grudge, a rogue STG agent, or . . . well the last theory is absolutely improbable"
"What's the improbable theory?"
-0-
"What the fuck is that thing?", Shepard asked.
The thing Shepard referred to was a massive spinning object the size of a small sun. In the center of it there was a ball of Eezo bigger any planet Shepard had ever seen.
An STG operative suddenly decloaked next to Shepard. Shepard involuntarily drew their side arm and pointed it at the Operatives head.
The Operative, with some difficulty, ignored the gun pointed at their head, "That thing is the reason we're out here in dark space. It resembles the Mass relay system, and it predates the Reapers by 300,000 years"
Shepard lowered their weapon.
"Let me guess, you activated it and found something you didn't like on the other side. So now you want humanity to swoop in and fix the mess you made"
The Salarian chuckled, "were it so simple."
Shepard's eyes drifted towards the massive hideous construct sitting in dark space. Who, or what, could have possibly built something like that?
-0-
Miranda pinched her nose and sighed.
"I know it's a lot to take in", said the Dalatrass.
"It sounds crazy. That there's another humanity that evolved in another galaxy. A harsh militaristic humanity that lives at the edge of their galaxy", Miranda laughed out exasperation, "and they worship a Monarch from earth as if she were a god. If Cerberus was still up and running then they'd probably move to this galaxy in a heartbeat"
The Dalatrass simply nodded.
"That's why we kept this information a secret. If the Asari found out they'd want to send a diplomatic mission. If the Turians found out then they'd want to send in a fleet of warships. But the way forward requires discretion"
-0-
The two kilometer Salarian dreadnought approached the spiny alien object. There was a flash of blue and violet light.
And blindly, those onboard hurdled towards their own damnation.
