This story takes place during the the time spanning the events of ME2 and ME3. While it more or less follows the plot of the two games, I'm disregarding the terrible in-game ending in favor of one more in keeping with the fan-made ending- which I feel is a far superior conclusion to the trilogy.
As with my previous story, this is primarily a FemShep/Garrus story, though a couple of other pairings may emerge down the line. I hope that you guys will enjoy reading this.
MASS EFFECT:
STARRING INTO THE ABYSS
Chapter 01:
"Ashes to Ashes"
Location: Omega Nebula, Amada System, 2183...
Alliance Freighter- SSV Normandy, Crew Compliment: 34...
Captain: Commander Jane Shepard (N7)...
Mission Overview: On the authority of the Citadel Council, Commander Shepard is sent to investigate reports of possible Geth incursions along the Outer Rim...
The bridge of the Normandy was abuzz with activity: Presley, Chief Navigator and XO, was busy at the CIC, his adjuncts relaying information throughout the bridge. The crew moved about the deck, tending to their stations and monitoring activity within the Amada system. And yet, for all the importance that the Council had placed on this mission, it felt like little more than busy work for much the crew...
This was especially true, given everything that happened, including the devastating near-apocalyptic attack on the Citadel only months prior. Shepard's actions had elevated her to a position where she was now one of the most well-known figures in Galactic Citadel Space- hailed as a hero by both her fellow humans and their extraterrestrial neighbors. Aside from this, the first Human Spectre also commanded one of the most advanced ships in existence.
As such, the fact that the Cmdr. Shepard and the Normandy had been tasked with investigating rumors of Geth activity along the fringe, left Shepard and her allies feeling that the calamity they'd risked their lives to narrowly avert was not taken seriously by those in power. However, further speculation on the matter was cut short when they detected another ship- dropping out of FTL speed, suddenly appearing in normal space dead ahead of them, hot on their 12.
It was massive, dwarfing the Alliance Frigate many times over... The giant vessel was unlike anything ever seen before- truly "alien" in design. It resembled a giant asteroid, bullet-shaped, with large pieces of technology grafted into the bulbous stone body. Giant metallic plates formed multiple partial circles around the mass, slowly rotating as varying speeds as the ship moved, and arrays projecting outwards like vicious spines. The "ship", if such a thing could even be called that, slowly converged on the Normandy's location, silent and menacing in its approach.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
At the same time, in the lower decks of the Normandy, the crew- both human and alien- watched the image of the advancing ship on holographic displays...
"Holy shit!" The Requisitions Officer exclaimed. "Look at that monster!"
"What in God's name...?" Ashley murmured under her breath. "I- I thought I'd seen everything, but that thing, who would make a ship like that?"
"Who, or what?" Garrus asked, appearing beside her. "The biggest cruisers in the Hierarchy's Fleets couldn't stand before that thing..." He exchanged a look with the human. "Spirits, I'm not sure that even the Destiny Ascension could stop it." The Turian remarked grimly.
Ashley chewed her lip, before glancing back to him. "Whatever it is," she began, nodding to herself as she looked back at the image. "It doesn't look friendly..."
Nearby, in the Normandy's Core Room, Chief Engineer Adams, Tali, and the human engineers were nervously monitoring the situation from their posts.
"Damn," Adams cursed. "Quick, I want full power to the drive system and barriers!" The Chief called out to the others in the chamber. "That monstrosity out there is coming in hard and fast on our position, on a direct intercept course..." He explained. "The Normandy has to be ready to shift into FTL and get the hell out the system the minute things get ugly." The Chief instructed.
Carter rushed over to the nearby control panel. "Engaging combat protocol... We have full power to the drive core and IES stealth system!" The crewman replied.
"Kelah," Tali muttered. "All systems optimal..." The Quarian declared. "The Normandy is now ready to initiate emergency FTL jump on your orders!"
Adams nodded. "I just hope Presley has an escape vector plotted..."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
The mysterious vessel maintained com silence, only to then open fire on the Normandy with some kind of concentrated energy weapon- sending out a charged beam at the ship.
Joker maintained a vice-grip on the helm as the ship violently shuddered. The impact of the beam was devastating, cutting through the kinetic barriers and armor like a red hot poker. Behind his left shoulder, the navigational interface exploded, killing the young female ensign manning it. The pilot paused long enough to take in the carnage, the residual damage from setting off surges in the power grid.
A chain of explosions went off, turning access points into balls of flame and sparks. The bridge was in ruins, fires raged everywhere and charred debris and bodies littered the floor. Amidst all the chaos, the large CIC astro-navigation hub transformed into a giant ball of fire. The blast instantly killed Navigator Presley, his lifeless body flung to the floor. Worse yet, a second burst of energy from the attacking ship breached the hull, exposing the interior to the vacuum of space...
Down in the crew deck, Dr. Chakwas helped Liara T'Soni to her feet, the Asari having been thrown to the floor by the second impact. The two doctors watched as the doors to the medical bay were forced opened- the segments quickly sliding away to reveal a familiar figure clad in a suit of self-contained dark green N7 Alliance armor, save for the helmet.
The redheaded woman braced herself in the doorway, using her own body to prevent the door from sliding back shut as the vessel shuddered again.
"Commander..." Chakwas acknowledged bleakly.
"Shepard?!" Liara spoke nervously.
"Quick, both of you, go get suited up and head to the escape pods!" The woman announced with a serious expression. "It's over... the Normandy's finished." She added with grim finality.
Shepard led the two of them to the mess hall. "You'll have to use the emergency access routs to get to the escape pods." She instructed. "Make sure anyone you encounter gets off the ship."
"What about you, Commander?" Chakwas asked.
"I've still got a few things to take care of..." She replied, retrieving her helmet from the floor.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
The hangar bay and Engineering were in total disarray... Everyone had been sent flying by the first blast from the ship. Ensign Carter had flipped over the railing, while Adams and Tali were knocked back, and the technicians killed when the interface exploded.
Adams pulled himself up and made his way to the flickering secondary controls in one of the walls of the drive chamber. "Come on, give me something to work with..." He muttered "The mains are down... Auxiliary systems are detecting multiple hull breaches." The Navigational Officer discerned from the flickering interface, before turning away when he heard a faint groan.
The Chief quickly rushed over to the bent-over figure of Tali. "Hey, hey kid, are you alright?"
The Quarian looked up, her face obscured by the visor of her helmet. "I- I'm fine, Chief... I just had the wind knocked out of me." Tali replied as she got to her feet. "The others... They- they didn't make it."
"Yeah," Adams replied with a nod. "We're dead in the water- venting atmosphere on the upper decks," he explained as he turned back to the access panel. "Right now, there's no way of knowing if anyone on the upper decks is even still alive." He lamented.
Carter went to check one of the panels. "It gets worse... There are faults in all systems, and ship-wide fluctuations in the power grid." He explained. "Right now, everything's switched over to the emergency power system, but at this rate... life-support and other systems won't last much longer."
Tali looked over to the drive core. "It's not just life support... the core is damaged." The young Quarian warned them. "If the power drops much lower, the containment barriers will fail..."
"And the Tantalus will flood the deck with Element Zero." Adams finished. "And everyone down here will die from Eezo poisoning well before exposure kills us." He finished.
"The lift will be down, so we'll have to find another way to the escape pods." Tali reasoned.
Meanwhile, back in the hangar bay, Garrus was busy prying open an emergency hatch on the wall that lead to the upper decks of the Normandy. Just as the ship was rocked for a second time, he finished pulling the panel off, revealing a ladder that lead into the upper decks.
"Crap, thing's are serious- that's the evacuation alert!" Ashley exclaimed as she ran across the hangar to help the Requisitions Officer get to his feet.
Garrus turned to the female officer. "Chief Williams, get the others to the escape pods..." He explained to her. "I- I still have something to take care of."
"Bullshit!" Ashley snapped, suddenly loosing her military-honed composure with the Turian amidst the havoc around them. "There's no communications coming from the upper decks, this whole damn ship is coming to pieces around us!" She exclaimed.
"What could you possibly hope to accomplish by going up into that death trap?!" She didn't know why she was so upset by the idea of him risking his life. He was a damned Turian, and she'd spent so many years seeing his kind as the cause for so much of the grief her family had experienced...
Inhuman blue eyes looked into hers for a moment. "I... I have to find Shepard." He replied simply, the subtle inflection in his baritone voice resonating in her.
And just like that, Ashley fell silent. She had tried so hard so stick to her views, but over time, working with Shepard had forced her to face the bigotry she'd lived with for so long. It had been one of the few constants in her life, and yet, she could no longer find the person she had once been within herself, the narrow-minded xenophobe who'd scorned the same people she'd unknowingly come to care about.
She'd risked her life alongside Salerians on Virmire, shared drinks and exchanged banter with a Krogan and a Turian, and she was pretty sure she'd take a 'bullet' for Tali if it came down to it. She wasn't blind to the relationship between Garrus and her Commander, and even she- for all her flaws- could see that his feelings for Shepard were about as 'human' as they came.
Ashley realized that she'd changed, that while she may have been pushed into it- she'd come out of her experiences a better and wiser person. "Garrus..." She began. "Take care of yourself up there."
"You too, Chief Williams." He replied simply, before making his way up the ladder, leaving Ashley to help the surviving crew members to the ship's escape pods.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Shepard was about to don her helmet when she heard an all-too familiar voice calling her name- a voice she'd come to know quite well, on the field, on her ship, in her bed... She turned around just in time see as Garrus appeared on the crew deck, calling to her as he approached.
For a moment, she was compelled to smile by his presence, but the state of the ship, as it threatened to break apart around them, stopped her. Garrus ran up to her, his dark blue eyes meeting her sharp green ones as his talons came to rest on her shoulders. "Thank the Spirits you're alright, Jane." He murmured, relief flooding his voice. "But... why are you still here?"
The ship trembled, the hull warping and contorting as bulkheads buckled, the tremor sent Shepard into his quick embrace. "Joker's still in the Command Deck," she explained, while looking into his eyes and fighting the urge to hold onto him and let the Turian take the lead. "...I can't leave him up there, to die with the ship- I have to try and save him." She replied, pausing to press her lips against his mouth in the closest approximation to a kiss they knew.
With that, she stepped back from him, putting on her N7 helmet and and sealing it- creating a contained environment inside her armor. "No matter what happens, I'll see you again."
Garrus became silent for an instant. "Alright, Jane, just don't get yourself killed..." He replied softly, taking a step back from her. "After all... Remember, there's no Vakarian without Shepard."
She nodded, then made her way towards an access panel...
By the time Shepard had reached the Command Deck, she could see the blue-black firmament of space through the massive breaches in the vessel's hull. More than anyone else, as the Captain, she knew that the ship- her ship- was lost. The "Normandy", that had seen the Commander and her crew through so many adventures... was dyeing, and there was nothing she could do.
Shepard moved forward, with slow deliberate steps. If not for her magnetic boots keeping her anchored to the scarred hull, she could just as easily been pulled into space. For the moment, as she walked, she focused on the task at hand- she had to find Joker and get him out. She'd heard his voice on the bridge, so she knew he was alive. Eventually, the Commander reached helm control, finding Joker struggling to man the controls, an emergency breather covering his face.
There he was, manning the helm in spite of the hopeless situation. But even Shepard could see that the ship was beyond saving, there would be no last minuet Hail Mary saves... This was the end.
She reached down to grip Joker by the shoulder, insistent that he abandon the Normandy. Time was running out, and Shepard- strong as she was- hoisted the pilot over her shoulders and carried him away to the escape pods, like a solder from the 20th century. As she placed him inside, she realized that any other survivors would had already left the ship- it was just the two of them now.
Shepard triggered the manual release on the damaged controls, launching the escape pod into space to join the others. But just as she was about to make her escape, the Normandy heaved one final time and she was sent was hit by a peace of debris as the remains of the ship was pulled into the gravitational pull of a nearby planet. The Commander briefly fumbled with the severed air line in her suit while the Normandy descended and broke apart in the planet's upper atmosphere.
Seconds later, everything went dark...
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Post-Mission Overview:
While patrolling the Amada System, in the Omega Nebula, the SSV Normandy came under attack by an unknown vessel. Interviews with the survivors yielded conflicting accounts, and the unknown vessel is believed to have left the system after the attack...
Investigations into the matter are now closed...
Status of the SSV Normandy: Lost, no possibility of salvage... Location of wreckage- the surface of Alchera, after being pulled in the planet's gravitational field.
Status of Crew: 20 confirmed casualties... Survivors relocated. Status: Classified... Alliance Memorial to be established on Alchera, pending clearance...
Status of Commander Shepard: Unknown- Presumed dead (KIA)...
Report Ends.
(- End of Chapter 01 -)
I originally posted a version of this in my other ME story, and I was never really happy with this just being another chapter of The Art Diplomacy. Aside from that, it felt too rushed to me, so I've gone back and fleshed the narrative out a lot more. I had previously been working on an extended version of chapter five, but I lost that when the flash-drive I was using was damaged.
-Bojack727