2167
Elysium, Human colony
The early morning sun shone brightly on the cozy colony paradise world. On the outskirts of Eve, a town on the edge of the major colony city, the morning patrol was just finishing their rounds. Not much was to be expected, but on the edge of the Terminus Systems, you could never be too careful.
In the center of the town, Marines from the Systems Alliance were waking up in the town's small Ma-and-Pa bed and breakfast. Among the Marines was Private John Shepard, a new recruit straight from boot camp. He was on leave with his fellow privates before he was to receive his first assignment.
Shepard groggily propped himself up onto his bed and rubbed his eyelids. He stared through his half-open eyes as he pushed himself up and out of the bed and stumbled into the bathroom. He had a stunning headache that he could only blame on the alcohol he had ingested the previous night.
"Dammit, I knew I shouldn't've drunken so much last night. This hangover is going to kick my ass." His voice sounded strange and hardly his own.
"Do I really sound like that?" he inquired to himself. "Wow, I need to drink less from now on."
He heard his bunkmate stir and mumble incoherently. Wanting to see what he was babbling on about, Shepard walked back into the bedroom. He entered to see his friend, Private Jeremiah Richards, whom he recalled not only was dared, but completed a keg stand challenge.
"What's up, Richards?"
Richards groaned loudly. "Fuck off, Shepard. I'm way too hammered for early morning convos." Shepard just chuckled and shook his head.
"Well, hurry up. The others are probably waiting for us downstairs." Richards sluggishly got up and barged into the bathroom. Shepard made his bed, sat on it, and waited for his friend to have a cold shower. He had no idea what awaited him later that same day.