Childhood, that is a word completely alien to me just as "Turian" was before the first contact war. If you want my name, my true name, you will not get it for even I don't truly know it myself and I have apparently had several but none stick out or feel right to me in the slightest manner. As for my age your guess would be as good as mine, the only thing I can tell you is that I appear to be in my early to mid-twenties, but for now let's just say I'm twenty-two.
My memories if they can be called "memories" are what I see in my dreams, some nights I dream I am on earth in the late 21st century learning and mastering many deadly forms of martial arts in china, other nights I dream I'm in japan cultivating skills in swords mastery, then there's the dreams of where I'm on a completely different planet building a metal handheld tube that shoot a concentrated yet short beam of hot light in what I can only describe as a laser sword, and of course there are the dreams where I'm on Palaven honing skills in firearms and biotics. Then there are the nightmares, where I'm on a cold metal slab being tortured and experimented on by people in black lab coats, but I can make out a reoccurring symbol on the shoulders of the coats and the walls behind them a black and orange insignia that I can only describe as a paradigm shaped shield. These dreams must have some truth in them because some wounds and scars I receive in the dreams can correspond with scars I have found on my body which brings me to an important question just who the hell am I and what have those fucking coats done to me.
But as I said I have many different names but only one stands out because of her, she often isn't in my dreams but when she is she calls me Kain, this woman has fire red hair that when the sun hits it looks like a thousand explosion harnessed into one being, her eyes are a jade green color and they can be as cool as ice but they can also burn with a sinister green fire at times. In every dream I have of her we are adults in military and we have corresponding uniforms and what resemble wedding bands on our hands, regretfully every dream with her ends horrendous, always resulting in our deaths and I truly have no desire to watch her die least of in my arms. I know that I have to find her; I have to find a way to prevent any of the tragedies happening to her for one thing is true if these dreams aren't just dreams of her and they are rather visions then the future is always in motion and if time moves than perhaps it can be altered as well. This Jane as I recall being her name at least in my dream may also just be the key to unlocking the mysteries that lurk within my mind. Tomorrow I will take a plane to San Diego, California because one thing is for certain I know Jane is part of the Alliance Navy or at least she will be so I must enlist as well if I am to have any hopes in tracking her down and protect her.
The flight is for lack of a better word shit, babies crying, children fussing around and the stench overweight men with no deodorant fills the air making this entire flight repulsive. Hell the departing from the plane was much more pleasant and somewhat amusing because as I passed the security checkpoint they all looked at me curious probably because of what I was wearing which consisted of black steel toe boots, dark blue jeans, and a long almost blood red leather coat plus my hair was long and a few strands in my eyes. I suppose they were weirded out because not many people wear these type of clothes except maybe gang members who were so idiotic and volatile that they shouldn't even be considered human just for how low those people have sunk into the abyss that is crime. Funny thing though they weren't too considered about my attire as much as they were more concerned I didn't have an omni-tool which practically everyone in this damn galaxy had to have.
I walk just under thirty miles to the alliance recruitment center and I enlist. The head officer practically interrogated me as to how my background records were so clean but I had all these scars that screamed out that I have had my fair share of brawls and fights. Just then an Admiral David Anderson walked into the office whom was clearly concerned stating," I won't have any loose cannons running around my base understood." To which I reply, " Sure thing Admiral I'll play by rules, but quick question sir, When battles happen and they will as you very well know they eventually do would your rather have a pellet gun firing at the enemy or a loose cannon blowing your enemy to kingdom come and doing what needs to be done to make sure your soldiers get back to you safely with very little casualties?" Admiral Anderson just looked at me as if trying to read and just smirked into a low laugh, "Now that's the damn truth ain't it kid, what's your name son?"
"Names Kain sir, Kain Midori, fathers from japan that's why the last name but apparently I take after my mother she was a fighter in the first contact war."
"Where is your mother now son?"
"She died shot in the gut by a turian sir."
The admiral just stares and then tells me, "Kain will that affect your opinion of turians? I hope that fact will not cause you to be liability because we will be consistently working with turian and other alien races alike you might even work with some directly if all goes well in the academy."
I plainly yet bluntly tell Anderson, "No sir it won't affect my performance nor judgement because death is always a risk in war no matter the open, and an entire race should not be held accountable for one bastard sir."
"Good to hear soldier now go to the main barracks get ready at 1400 hours orientation will be given as well as your dormitories bunk and bunkmates and you might want to cut your hair kid that's a liability."
"No offence sir but no thanks no one nor any blade will touch my hair last person that did lost a finger."
"I hope that's not a threat Kain"
"No sir just a statement sir and beside hair adds a little weight to my actions when it comes to my opponents makes them think I'm a wuss making there defeat that much sweeter."
The admiral just grinned and said, "Ha I can respect that kid alright head off to get your gear that's an order."
I walk to the main barracks grab my uniform boots, and dog tags , and report to my assigned dormitories.
3 months and 29 days go by and all the superior officer including some lieutenants are practically awestruck by both my physical and mental capability test scores and the biotics instructor practically praises me every time it is time for training, I am wasting time I've been here a third of the year and I yet to see Jane anywhere, true it may be a decade or more until the visions come to fruition but that's time I could use to prepare us both for what's to come. I break into the communications room at midnight when everyone is asleep or at least should be. I start to hack the alliance records mainframe looking for any trace of Jane that I can get my hands on, the mainframe is practically pathetic in regards to most network mainframes, speaking of pathetic that's exactly how I feel I find everything available on Jane and as it turns out she's been right underneath my nose the entire time she has been here the with me I just never saw her. Her full name is Jane Athena Shephard, born and raised on the streets of Los Angeles, orphaned the minute she was born, has had a number of run ins with the law, she is 19 years old, turns out she had a choice between military or prison for a numerous amount of crimes. Turns out we have both been selected be a part of the N7 program, N7 is from it looks like similar to a black ops regiment in military but also experimental dealing with other alien races. With that I make my leave to my bunk but not without implementing a burner program erasing any and all traces of my being here including camera footage. The response time of the security here was practically horrendous at best.
I can't sleep at all so I make my way to the shooting range here on the premises honing my skills with my own modified version of the standard alliance rifle the Mantis-I, the modifications I made quicken reload time, fasten cool down times to a mere two seconds, and massively reduces recoil when fired. As I am firing low and behold who should walk in to the shooting gallery, none other than Jane Shephard, looking exactly as she had in what I now I call visions.
"Can't sleep jane?" Immediately I realize the stupid mistake I made in saying her name and she wasn't any form of identification so I couldn't say that I saw her name on her persons.
"Honestly no I can't because I am stressing out because I have some meeting with the directors of this facility. By the way how do you know my name?" I have no reason not to tell her the truth, at least not she needs to know, the rest of it would just sound like insanity.
"I hacked into the alliance mainframe and your name popped up so to speak and don't worry you're not in trouble you and I are both being inducted into the N7 program." Jane gives me an amused look.
"You know hacking into alliance systems is very illegal punishable up to 20 years in prison."
"Well that may be but I know how to cover my tracks Jane Athena Shephard born in L.A."
Her entire demeanor changed but amused to quickly one of interest. "Really what else popped up about me, umm by the way I didn't catch your name."
I only told her the name I forged into the alliance databanks, "My name is kain Midori, and the records on you state that you are a born leader and you know your way around biotics and firearms and that you can be somewhat of a loose cannon."
With a grin she lets out a low laugh and says, "Don't let that intimidate you Kain, I can be a bitch but also I can be one of your closest friends."
"Jane I'm not easily intimated I've seen my fair share of how cruel reality can be and have had my run-ins with authority before, and I don't really have the luxury of friends." She gives me a playful but also sorrowful look. "Is that so? Well let's make a wager for every perfect target you hit I tell you whatever you want to know and vice versa."
To which I simply reply, "I'm game!"
The wager is a bit unfair because I know everything about her already but I tell her whatever she wanted to know, which was nothing too revealing about my past, that even I don't know too much about.
The next morning Jane woke me up using her neural shock ability and said, "Good morning soldier, it turns out you were right away the N7 program we're leaving in 6 hours so pack up your shit and get ready Kain."
"I told you so Jane, trust me when I say never doubt what I tell you." I exclaimed
"So we're being sent to some spec ops facility on palaven." She says, "Well we have 6 hours to kill, how about a little R&R?"
To which I calmly reply, "What did you have in mind?"
There I was pretending to be drunk forcing myself to stumble, unfortunately my biotics are too potent to allow even an ounce of alcohol to damage my brain cells in short I can't get drunk because of how much metabolism my body burns. In my opinion I think that sucks very fucking much.
Five hours go by and there we were running as fast as we could to the docks, unfortunately there were civilians everywhere because we could've biotically charged making the distance in a quarter of the time it took to get to our destination.
Jane and I board the ship and proceed to our designated quarters unfortunately our rooms were right next to each other and the rooms had a door conjoining our rooms together. I settle into my living space which is suited perfectly to me because it has the look and feel of a small studio apartment, which is good considering the voyage to palaven is roughly a week. Not even an hour passed until Jane was storming into my dormitory.
"Kain have you seen the size of this place?! I mean damn we could practically live here!" She seemed as excited as a kid getting her first videogame.
"Yes Jane I noticed how surprisingly awesome it is." I said sarcastically, "All its missing is a slide and kiddy pool for you." I laughed, but Jane punched me in the shoulder angrily.
"Okay bastard very funny now shut up before I drop you!" she said in a playful tone.
"Oh I'm sorry did I offend the great Jane Shephard? Besides you would need allot more than biotics to take me down."
She gave me a pissed off look that made her eyes glow a deadly viper shade of green then she smiled and said, "Those be some fighting words dickhead care to back them up?"
I knew I would win but I never back down from a challenge, "Alright Jane I'll humor you just don't go crying to the ships' captain when I mop the floor with you! Be at the training room in 4 hours Jane." And with that she left and I prepared myself for an interesting confrontation.
Midnight came and we both met in the sparring section of the training room Jane seemed more excited than anything else. "All right Jane don't hold anything back nothing is off limits for you. As for me I will not be using biotics that should make it a fair match. Just to make sure I don't I am wearing gloves I designed myself to suppress my biotic abilities."
She just smirked, "That's a bit cocky even for you Kain."
I just grin at her remark, "Are you ready or not Shephard?! Remember hold nothing back kid!
With that her eyes flared and she ran towards throwing a biotic shockwave at me hurdling, rippling the air as it got closer. I dodge it with ease however she is quicker than I anticipated she was already behind me throwing a biotic fueled fist at my face to which I dodge and deliver two knees hitting her gut with crushing force. With that she jumped back and said, "You're good Kain I'll give you that, but it won't happen again bastard!"
An hour went by exchanged blows from fists and elbows and kicks, we are both covered in sweat bruises and blood. Until she hit me square in the nose causing blood to squirt out knocking me back. Then "IT" happened, my vision blurred until I heard crackling noises coming from what looked like my hands then electricity began to sparkle at my fingertips. In an instant red lightning shot out of my fingertips and cracked the air and finally hitting Jane until she screamed in pain then it just stopped.
Frightened she looked at me, "What the shit was that Kain?!"
Horrified I stared down at my hands and I said, "I don't know" in a trembling voice and then I ran. I ran as fast away from as I could terrified at myself asking myself, "AM I A MONSTER."
END CHAPTER ONE