"I hate that guy," Joker says, immediately following the turian Spectre's departure from the bridge. "Woo-hoo, I can zip up my spacesuit after using the bathroom! Yeah well I just jumped through a mass relay at light speed and hit a marker the size of a pinpoint! So who's badass now, huh?"
Co-pilot Lieutenant Alenko gives the commander a wary look before dropping his eyes on Joker. "He's a Spectre. That demands a lot of respect considering his experience and training," the handsome Alliance soldier states. Joker snorts, the commander silently watching the monitors flash before the pair of pilots.
"Yeah well he can kiss my ass. I hate stuck-up Citadel people." The Lieutenant shakes his head with pursed lips as the bridge intercom blares.
"Joker, this is Captain Anderson, tell Commander Shepard to report to the Debriefing room now. Nihlus and I will be waiting." As soon as Anderson's voice quiets, Joker does a little dance with his arms.
"Joker do this, Joker do that, oh hey Commander, the Captain wants to see you," Joker doesn't even spare a glance. Moments later Anderson's voice returns.
"I heard that, Mr. Moreau."
Joker groans while Alenko shakes his head a second time.
"Way to go Joker, and thanks for the info. I'll head there now," Shepard finally speaks, getting the irritated pilot to flail a hand in frustration. The commander smirks, spins on his heel, and strides down the bridge corridor. When he reaches the crowded CIC, he overhears his senior navigator disputing with someone over an omni-tool chat. The grey-beard Alliance officer hardly notices Shepard make his approach to the galaxy map.
"Something wrong, Pressly?"
The officer twitches his shoulders in alarm, turning around in surprise. He meets the commander's eyes as expected, anything less from the crew and it was known Shepard might snap. The only problem with Shepard's eyes was that they tended to dig right through people. The commander's bright-blue eyes had a way of doing that unintentionally.
"Um, no Commander. Chief Engineer Adams and I were just having a conversation."
Shepard's brows raise, his lips hinting a smile. "Any particular reason I caught the Spectre's name being mentioned?"
The navigator swallows, rubbing his head with his one free hand. "Well Sir, we just sort of find it odd that we're flying so carefully just for a shakedown. Isn't a Spectre a bit much just for a shakedown of a colony? Let alone someplace like Eden Prime? We think something bigger is going on here, Commander. Adams thinks he's here inspecting Anderson, but I feel like there's something more."
The commander nods, his eyes acknowledging two other crew members debating the same thing. He scratches his dark chin hair in thought. "Whatever the hell is going on, we'll find out eventually. Now get back to work, Pressly."
The navigator bobs his head eagerly, putting his back to the commander and lifting his data pad. As the commander stalks away, he catches the navigator informing the Head Engineer of their brief conversation. Goddamn gossip in space. It never leaves.
The thought stood true when Corporal Jenkins made a remark worth stopping for.
"I'm so excited to finally see some real action!" The commander came to a halt just as Doctor Chakwas began to scold him, grim faced, gray hair, and all.
"I wouldn't speak so lightly of such matters, Corporal. Every time you see action you end up in my medical bay receiving treatment." The soldier ignores her though, his eyes targeting the bald commander.
"Any word on Eden Prime, Sir?" The Corporal asks, his kiddish voice far too enthused for Shepard's liking.
"Nothing yet, but Chakwas is right. Try not to get yourself hurt this time kid. Just follow my orders and keep your damn head down, got it?" The corporal looked ready to laugh the way his face brightens, but doesn't dare in the commander's presence. Chakwas appears to approve of the commander's advice, her expression not finding the words amusing in the least.
"Yes sir, of course. Follow your orders."
"Aren't you originally from Eden Prime?"
"Yes sir, I am. It's nice and peaceful actually, but too peaceful for my liking. So I joined the Systems Alliance," he replies cheerfully, his brows abruptly furrowing afterwards. "Any idea as to why we're landing on Eden Prime, Sir?" Chakwas folds her arms as if annoyed with the solider.
"Not sure yet, but do your damn job and everything should go fine." With that the commander hurries away, hoping to escape anymore unwanted questions. He can feel their eyes on him as he retreats around the bend towards the elevator and debriefing room. Once out of sight he sighs, his eyes aching from the ship's bright lighting. Time for more talking . . .
Pressing the green terminal, the door to the debriefing room whooshes open to emit him. He descends the slanted ramps to find only Nihlus waiting for him. The Captain is nowhere to be found in the circular room.
"I was hoping you would beat Anderson here," the turian admits, whirling away from the large blue screen to greet him. Shepard takes in the Spectre with intrigue. Everything from the dark turian's unique white facial markings to his red-black armor are imposing, he truly looks the rank of Spectre. Still, Rick Shepard wouldn't mind having a brawl with him. The idea was entertaining.
"Where's Anderson?" he replies, getting the turian to circle around him.
"On his way, no doubt. I suspect the Captain can travel through his own ship untroubled. Tell me Shepard, what do you know about Eden Prime?" The question throws the commander off slightly.
"Eden Prime? It's an undeveloped human colony; there really isn't much to it yet. Why do you ask?" The turian growls in interest.
"Because it's of an interest to the Council, for too long humans have gone out of check some say. The turian hierarchy might try doing something about that soon." The turian completes his route around Shepard, stopping to stare up at the screen again.
"Are you trying to scare me, Spectre?" Shepard demands, getting the turian to chuckle.
"By no means Shepard, I'm here to evaluate you and your opinions," he confesses, just as Anderson walks in. Evaluate me?
"For what purpose?"
"Shepard," the Captain breaks into the conversation, "Nihlus and I have put your name forward as candidacy to become the next Spectre." The commander's ocean-blue eyes widen at the captain. He hadn't been prepared for something so prestigious, nor had he even guessed at the idea. To become a Spectre . . . No, not just any Spectre, the first human Spectre. The honor preceded him but . . . Why did he feel so uncertain about the role?
Whatever, it's just another job.
"And yes, the Council sent Nihlus here to inspect and evaluate you, Shepard," Anderson concludes with a nod. "But right now we've got bigger fish to fry, we can talk more about your candidacy for Spectre later. Right now we have an important mission."
"And just what mission is that," Shepard inquires, getting the captain to smile.
"It involves an ancient alien species known as the Protheans. I'm sure you've heard of them before, Commander," Nihlus answers, crossing his muscular arms. Anderson nods stiffly, approaching the screen.
"But the Protheans have been extinct for 50,000 years. What the hell could this assignment have to do with them?" Anderson and Nihlus confront the commander together with sly smiles. "I thought this was just a shakedown?"
"No commander, this mission is actually of upmost importance to the Council. You see, we've been assigned with the task of retrieving an uncovered Prothean artifact," Captain Anderson explains.
"And this job needs muscle power like the Normandy to perform it?" He gives a look of disbelief and impatience. "Why waste such a ship on a retrieval mission?" Nihlus chuckles at the question, drawing the commander's frustration to him.
"Because commander, this artifact is valuable . . . Anyone could be trying to get there grubby hands on it." Suddenly the intercom buzzes, Joker's voice yelling.
"Captain, incoming transmission from Eden Prime! You have to see this!" The trio in the room looks up at the speaker in unison, each deathly silent. The Captain puts a hand to his ear comm. link.
"Patch it through, Joker," he orders, the transmission instantly appearing the large screen overlooking them. Static plagues the screen at first but quickly clears to reveal an obvious battlefield. The trio squints in anticipation as mingled gunfire, screams, and shouts reverberate around the room. An Alliance solider appears on the screen blasting away with a pistol, only to go down seconds later in a spray of blood. Moments after, part of a trench explodes, causing the camera to wildly shake until someone grabs hold of it. An Alliance officer rushes in front of the screen and crouches, hands hovering over his head.
"Normandy . . . Come in . . . Ah fuck! This is Sergeant . . . We're under . . .!" The officer freezes, slowly inclining his head towards the sky, his eyes widening. "Oh my god, what is that?" He hoists the recorder into his chest, twirling it around to see what he's gawking at. Anderson, Shepard, and Nihlus have a identical response as they watch the descent of what seems to be a giant metal hand from the clouds. Red lighting dances around the thing as the camera's focus begins to deteriorate. Then a blinding red beam ensues, summoning hundreds of screams and the untimely end of the transmission. The screen fuzzes to a black.
"Freeze at 38 seconds," Captain Anderson says in a hushed voice. The hand-like octopus machine reappears on the screen, the misty clouds hiding most of its bulk.
"What the hell is that?" Shepard wonders out loud. Nihlus somehow keeps quiet, his expression one of mingled emotions. Amazement and fear both present on the turian's face.
"I don't know, but one thing is for sure. Things just got a lot more complicated." Anderson's face grew grave as his eyes met Shepard's. "Shepard, Nihlus, suit up immediately, we're deploying ASAP. Shepard, bring Alenko and Jenkins. Now go, that's an order!"
The cargo bay doors swoosh open, pouring fierce winds and light into the Normandy. All the eye can see are gray-white clouds coating the atmosphere. Every so often red lightning spikes upwards, threatening to pull the Normandy into the cloudy sea. Thankfully the Normandy has a talented helmsman keeping them at the perfect height. Roughly 15,000 meters.
"ALIRGHT, SHEPARD! THIS IS SERIOUS BUSINESS! GET DOWN THERE AND FIND THAT PROTHEAN BEACON AT ALL COSTS!" Captain Anderson has to yell over the swirling, howling wind disrupting the ship's interior. Before him, Shepard, Kaidan, and Jenkins stand armed to the teeth. Each wearing slick black armor and visor attached half-helms.
"WHAT ABOUT SURVIVORS, CAPTAIN?" Lt. Kaidan Alenko yells back, his hands working to load his pistol. Nearby Nihlus is doing a similar action with a shotgun, the turian Spectre looking much more prepared for the mission than his human counterparts. Mainly because Corporal Jenkins looked half teenager, but still, the turian's experience went unmatched. Did Torfan make us equals though? Commander Rick Shepard couldn't help but ponder the thought, slipping a small smile on his face.
"CIVILIANS ARE A SECOND GOAL LIEUTENANT! THE BEACON IS THE PRIORITY! IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?" Shepard and his companions nod, Nihlus taking a few steps forward.
"ARE YOU DROPPING WITH US?" Jenkins shouts to him.
Nihlus spares them a glance. "I WORK BETTER ALONE!" With that the Spectre jogs forward and leaps from the ship. A revered stillness follows the Spectre before the commander moves forward. Kaidan and Jenkins flank him at the edge of the ship, all three staring down through the endless clouds.
"SHEPARD!" The commander turns his head to the side for the captain. "GOOD LUCK!"
Shepard doesn't reply. Instead his feet take flight, sheer waves of wind pounding against his form as he falls. Kaidan and Jenkins jump seconds after, the corporal yelling in excitement as the cloudy sea swallows them whole. Moist, damp, and humid, Shepard emerges first only three thousand meters from the ground. Deploying his parachute, the velocity of his journey to Eden Prime is drastically cut. Now he sways left to right, sinking closer to the greenish-gray land beneath. Above, the parachutes of his squad mates open with a snapping sound, Jenkins nearly falling past him before activating his. Stupid kid is going to get himself killed.
"Well that was fun, what's next?" Corporal Jenkins exclaims, kicking his parachute off. The commander and Kaidan pace forward to survey their new surroundings. To Jenkins this was home, but to them this was just another mission, on some other planet. With more action than usual, Shepard reflects dismally, his eyes scanning the towers looming in the distance. Some are tall enough to poke through part of the misty cloud lines, but none are tall enough to penetrate the cloudy sea higher up. "Wow, this place looks to be in rough shape." Jenkins reaches the duo on the grassy hill, his vision tracing theirs down into the valley and stream. The small valley is buried beneath a cluster of hills, cliffs, and rocks. The only possible route from their position looks to be along the rippling stream.
"Looks like our only option out of this valley is down through there," Kaidan announces, pointing where the stream bends with the rock cropping. The commander nods, his feet carrying him down the hill with the soldiers in toll behind him. Gunshots echo somewhere further up, making Jenkins draw his assault rifle. "This place smells like ash and death," Kaidan claims, Shepard's right foot splashing into the shallow stream.
"Yeah for real though. If I'd known this was gonna happen, I never would have left home," Jenkins replies, his eyes watching the hilltops, the gun inaccurately being aimed.
"Uh, I disagree. I think you would've wished you had left."
The Lieutenant's response ends the chatter as they start trekking through the water. In a few minutes, the squad rounds the bend and find themselves stepping onto dry grass. Feeling much closer to the action, the commander draws his handgun. Kaidan copies him in grim silence, both faces impassive with thought. Jenkins on the other hand remains twitchy and excited. Abruptly, Shepard throws up a hand and drops into a crouch. After a long pause, he shuffles up to a rock and waves Jenkins forward, uphill. The corporal obeys diligently, his feet scurrying, the gun aiming.
A whistling noise announces the arrival of three bluish-gray drones at the top of the hill. Each one hesitates for a moment, but then swoops in at Jenkins blasting away with machine guns. Now or never!
Shepard watches for less than a second before flinging an open palm at the helpless Alliance soldier. Just as intended, a blue wave pulses from his hand, sweeping the corporal off his feet and slamming him into a rock. With the younger man out of harm's way, Shepard joins the firefight with pistol fire, Kaidan already engaged.
The nearest drone goes down first, combined shots of Kaidan and Shepard blowing it to pieces. The other two put up more of a fight, weaving back and forth their bullets rapidly pepper the two Alliance officers into cover. Resorting to blind fire, Shepard manages to steal their attention long enough for Kaidan to emerge and flare up his omni-tool. Just as he ducks back into cover, one drone begins frizzing out. It explodes shortly after, knocking its fellow synthetic off course. Shepard seizes the opportunity to jog out and finish the drone with two well-placed shots, each making a ring off the now dead synthetic's figure. When the skirmish is over, Jenkins comes to life rubbing his head.
"Ow fuck, what just happened," he whines, his face scrunching in pain as he continuously rubs his head. Kaidan runs over to help the corporal to his feet. He gives Shepard a rather dirty look.
"The Commander saved your life, perhaps by almost ending it himself." Shepard shrugs, checking his heated pistol without looking in the lieutenant's direction.
"I did what had to be done," he says absently, his eyes narrowing at the rise where the drones had emerged. "Let's get up that hill and figure out what's going on here. Move out!" The commander sets off up the hill, Kaidan's eyes searing holes into his back. Kaidan looks to Corporal Jenkins who picks up his weapon reluctantly, his expression still confused.
"You alright?" The corporal nods in solemn silence for once. "Alright, well let's hurry and catch up to him." The pair of soldiers race up the hill after their commander dutifully, only to discover a grove of thick twisted trees. Shepard is cautiously assessing the environment in a crouch just over the rise of the hill, the trees making the scene rather dangerous. "What's the situation, any more drones?" The lieutenant's question is answered when one zooms into sight not fifteen yards ahead, Jenkins gasps behind his superiors.
"Yeah, quick get in cover," the commander yells, bullets suddenly pelleting at them. Both men obey, their backs slamming against trees while Shepard crouches against a slab of rock. "Return fire!" Sure enough, the Normandy trio unleashes a barrage of bullets back at the drone, several shots dismantling the small target in seconds. Just as the commander starts to shuffle forward however, three more drones replace the one they had destroyed. One by one, Kaidan, Jenkins, and Shepard combine their shots to kill them with relative ease, enabling them to progress through the grove. On the other side they find a small battle torn valley of sorts. Dirt, corpses, and rock being its main features.
"What do you think happened here?" Corporal Jenkins wonders out loud.
"No idea, but I intend to find out," Shepard replies coolly, his eyes narrowing at the sight of an armored person sprinting in their direction below. Obviously female by her body shape, it's also obvious that she's Alliance military based on her military grade assault rifle.
"Commander, look!" Kaidan points her out, along with the trio of robots chasing her. Beyond the chase scene, two more one-eyed robots yank a man over a silver cylinder. Moments later the cylinder extends drastically, impaling the man through the chest in a spray of crimson. "What the . . ." Kaidan's voice drifts off in shock as the survivor below seeks shelter against a wall of sandstone.
"Let's get down there," Shepard bellows, half sliding half running down slope with his sidearm drawn. His squad mates follow, adrenaline filling their bodies as gunfire rings. The five flashlight-headed machines are closing in on the Alliance solider, their bullets keeping her from moving. As the Normandy squad hits the sandy surface of the valley, they fan out in different directions, Kaidan making for the solider while Jenkins and Shepard go left and right. The synthetics respond by refocusing their fire at the new targets, thermal rounds ripping through the sand after their heels. This gives the female solider a chance for offense, and she uses it effectively by unloading on one machine's head. Accompanied by a splash of white liquid, the robot's bright eye diminishes as it collapses.
The remaining four continue to blindly fire from the open, seemingly unaware of the change in numbers. Once again Kaidan lights up his omni-tool, the Alliance female beside him watching in curiosity.
"What the heck are you doing?" she demands.
"You'll see! Second verse, same as the first!" Kaidan bolts to his feet when the enemies aim elsewhere, and just as before one synthetic receives a shock, sending it into an uncontrollable spasm. Corporal Jenkins then blasts the machine into the sand with a wave of inaccuracy. "What did I tell you?" The female nods at Kaidan approvingly, her face giving away no true emotion.
Another robot receives a bullet from Shepard's handgun in the shoulder, but as it scrambles to regain its feet, the female soldier wastes it. The remaining synthetics shift their attention to the center rocks hiding Kaidan and the survivor. Acknowledging the opening, Shepard raises a hand, lifting one of the robots into the air with ease. The other pauses its sporadic gunfire to look up; right on time Kaidan copies Shepard, biotically lifting the enemy. The machines hover in midair for precious moments before the commander slams his into Kaidan's, annihilating both in a single motion. Lifeless, they crash to the sand.
Immediately with the battle's' conclusion, the Alliance soldier jumps to her feet and strides toward Commander Shepard. His bald head gleaming in the sunlight, he folds his arms as she stands somewhat at attention.
"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212, you in charge here, Sir?" Her voice has a winded tone to it, which wasn't surprising given the circumstances.
"Yeah, what's happened here, Williams? Where is the rest of your squad?"
"We were patrolling the perimeter when the attack hit. They cut off our communications somehow and ambushed us. My squad and I split up, we tried to double back but then . . ." the light in her eyes fade as her head droops slightly. "I think I'm the only one left." Lieutenant Alenko pats her on the shoulder in sympathy before moving to inspect metal corpses with Jenkins.
"They died heroes' deaths," Shepard says simply, getting her eyes to meet his again. "What else happened?"
"Well, we tried to hold out as long as we could near the dig site, but the geth overwhelmed us," she confides, getting Kaidan to spin around.
"The geth haven't been seen outside the Vale in nearly 200 years," he claims, getting Shepard to rub his chin. So why now? "Why are they here now?" The lieutenant read the commander's mind. Ashley perks up at the question.
"They must have come for the beacon! The dig site is close, just over that rise." She indicates the sandy rise woven between the rocks.
"Take us there now, Williams," Shepard orders. She gives a brisk nod then trots off with Kaidan and Shepard in tow, Jenkins lagging behind but following. Upon locating the dig site, Ashley and Kaidan gun down a pair of geth troopers before Jenkins even catches up with the rest of squad.
The dig site was a circular stone crater surrounded by pillars. Just by looking, one can tell the Eden Prime archaeologists had dug into the hill to uncover the incredible find. There was only one issue with the breath-taking discovery, the Prothean artifact was missing.
"This is the dig site," Ashley says, turning to face Shepard. "The beacon was right here, it must have been moved."
"Yeah, but by our side, or theirs?" Kaidan inquires.
"Hard to say, maybe we'll know more once we check out the research camp," Ashley says, gazing up the steep hill.
"Okay, then our path is clear. We move up that hill to investigate the research camp," Shepard announces, his feet moving faster than his words. Together the squad ascends the curved slope pathway straight into the research camp. There they find only destruction.
Cold bodies, burning research structures, and more of the peculiar spikes impaling humans. The whole scene plays out as eerie to the squad, causing everyone to remain extremely alert.
"Careful, might be an ambush," Ashley says, seconds before a cluster of spikes ahead retract. Lowering their victims' feet to the grass, the squad is speechless as sickly gray-blue monsters rise. Like zombies they limp forward, their brilliant blue eyes alight with hunger. "What the . . ." An ear-splitting shriek cuts through the air as the pack of monstrosities charge them, each with outstretched arms.
"WASTE THEM!" The command is more of an implied action as four sources of bullets rip and tear at the creatures' flesh. Losing limbs, eyes, heads, flesh, and skin the once humans fall one on top of the other, not a single abomination getting within two yards of their mercy killers.
"What the heck were those things?" Jenkins says, tapping his boot against a severed gray arm in disgust.
"They were humans . . . Once," Ashley informs him, getting a stutter of disbelief from the soldier. The corporal stares at the mangled bodies in dismay, Commander Shepard, Ashley, and Kaidan don't display such emotion.
With the conclusion of the brief skirmish in the ruined research camp, Shepard ordered the door of an intact research structure open. Kaidan obliged by hacking it open with his omni-tool, discovering two survivors inside. From the survivors, the party managed to learn little more about the assault other than it was well coordinated. The female research scientist confessed that she had only survived because she sealed herself inside with her assistant. This made no difference to Shepard; it was her rambling assistant that had brought upon his wraith. The young assistant, seemingly only a few years apart from Jenkins, had gone quite mad. He spoke of the galaxy's end along with the end of humanity, the commander replied with a fist, knocking the assistant unconscious. After doing so, the commander advised the woman to stay hidden with her assistant until help arrived, then led his squad back on the search for the Prothean beacon. It was at the top of a rise not far from the research camp that all four of them found themselves frozen to the spot.
"Commander, I still don't think that was necessary. He was just scared," Kaidan speaks his mind, not realizing the others had come to a halt. "What, what am I missing?" He looks between the three of them in confusion, his brows raising as Jenkins's jaw drops. Finally the lieutenant gazes up at the sky to behold the awesome sight.
Propelling upward through Eden Prime's atmosphere accompanied by thick red smoke, was the monstrous metal hand Shepard had seen back aboard the Normandy. Only this time, the thing was in-person, and beyond magnificent to witness. Like before, red lighting sparks about its ascending form, the majority of it already hidden amongst the clouds. Soon the tips of its fingers disappear too, leaving the squad to breathlessly stare in awe. Nobody dares to twitch a muscle until a plasmic round clips Jenkins' shoulder, announcing the presence of more geth.
"Hostiles inbound," Kaidan shouts, diving behind a stack of crates. In retaliation, Ashley fires a plethora of Avenger rounds before ducking, Jenkins already gasping in cover beside her. While the corporal nurses his shoulder, Commander Shepard moves downward under cover fire from Kaidan and Ashley. He reaches a large rock and draws his Katana shotgun, pumping the firearm with a smile. He leans out on cue to obliterate a geth trooper making its way up the hill.
Seeing the explosion of white liquid and metal at the bottom of the hill, Kaidan takes advantage of his abilities by lifting a crate with biotics. As Shepard reloads his shotgun and Ashley scampers downhill shooting, he hurls the crate at a closing geth. The synthetic solider only gets a foot off the docking platform before being unexpectedly crushed. Letting loose a toothy grin, Lieutenant Alenko proceeds down the hill with Jenkins.
"Shepard, to your left!" Ashley calls outs, her accurate gunfire being directed at a geth trooper near the center of the silver docking platform. The commander heeds her warning, leaning out to the left just in time to be face-to-face with the machine. Making a methodical shriek, it attempts to raise its pulse rifle far too slowly. Shepard's single shot rips the synthetic in two as Ashley blows off the head of the final synthetic trooper. The battle's aftermath leaves nothing but the sound of Jenkins wincing. The small group unites at the base of the hill, roughly seven yards from the docking platform's steps.
"Are you okay, Jenkins," Kaidan asks, getting a cheerful nod.
"Yeah, it just stings a bit. I think my shields held up." The commander looks away, his expression could care less about the corporal's well-being. Cautiously Shepard stalks up the steps onto the docking platform, his bald head reflecting sunlight. It doesn't take long for his companions to trail him in a similar manner, each person aiming their gun proficiently. Passing miniature flames, overturned crates and blood stains, it's Ashley who spots the bodies.
"Shepard, we got more dead," she says, drawing the commander's attention to her line of sight. Ashley approaches the two corpses slowly, her eyes scanning over the lifeless human and turian. Her hazel eyes lock onto the turian upon a second examination. "One of them is alive!" The four-man squad closes in on the pair of bodies, each easily deciphering the human from the armored turian. It's ever so gently that they notice the rise and fall of the turian's chest. . .
"Shepard!" Kaidan exclaims, hurrying to kneel beside the turian. "It's Nihlus."