Someone Else Might Have Gotten It Wrong
Chapter One: Defending the Just
Raela stared down at the human that stared defiantly back at her, his eyes burrowing into hers. He wore the uniform of Cerberus and was bleeding heavily. Her tactic to go in all guns blazing hadn't exactly worked when she realized there was no data on the terminals in the Cerberus compound. This Cerberus troop was the last resource she had to find the assassin who had harmed so many. Including her mother. She pointed her Revenant at him as he lay on the ground, the sights aimed directly between his eyes.
"I will give you one last chance. Where is Kai Leng? Tell me! NOW!" She brought her right foot down hard upon his right shoulder and he screamed in agony, writhing on the floor.
"I don't...I don't know where he is! And even I did, I wouldn't tell you! You...justicar bitch!"
She sighed. The Code demanded that she kill the unjust and, even though she didn't always follow the Code exactly, she did stick to that particular rule.
"Then I hope you find peace in the embrace of the Goddess."
"Go to-!" His last insult was interrupted by his head being crushed with a flash of blue. Raela sighed with regret and slowly walked back through the Cerberus compound, which was largely destroyed and all of the occupants lay dead. This had been her last chance to find Kai Leng. The last chance to avenge her mother and sister. Her last chance to prove she was worthy of being called Justicar.
She definetly wasn't expecting the Alliance shuttle that landed as she exited the compound. She didn't expect the Alliance to visit Eden Prime. The relationship with their colonies was frosty at best.
A human woman stepped out of the shuttle. She wore a blue Alliance officer's uniform. Her black hair was tied in a high, neat bun and her skin and eyes were a deep brown. She had an air of authority and protocol about her and looked as if she wouldn't even think about slouching. Raela was wary. She looked a bit stuck up and she didn't want to get on the wrong side of the Alliance Navy as a justicar.
She seemed to be waiting for her to speak first, so she asked, "Is there a problem, miss?" She was itching to be out of this officer's glare as soon as possible.
"Commander Ursula Lee. You are the justicar, Raela?" she asked, her hands clasped firmly behind her back.
"Yeah, I am. Why?" she folded her arms and tried to look as casual as possible. This was difficult with the officer's stare that made her feel like an army recruit on their first day.
"We've read your file and we're impressed by your abilities."
"I have a file?"
"A quite extensive one."
"Crap."
Ursula gave a look that showed she wasn't sure how to respond to this answering back. She was used to having weak-willed soldiers following her very words and continued, "I need your help. We're putting together a task-force of the best the galaxy has to offer."
"I don't want to join the Spectres."
"It's not the Spectres..."
"Or the Alliance."
"Hear me out. It's an N7 task-force that's loosely connected to the Alliance. You can pretend you're not even a part of us, if you really want."
"So why do you need me if it's an Alliance thing. I'm not human. The blue skin is kind of a give-away." She smirked at her clever remark, while Ursula merely responded with another glare.
"Honestly, I don't know. Alliance brass wants you and I was ordered to come and get you. You can ask Admiral Hackett later if you want."
Asari stepped closer to Ursula, eyeing her with slight suspicion.
"And why are you only recruiting me now? What's so important?" she said quietly, very near to Ursula's face.
Ursula turned and looked out across the plains of Eden Prime, sighing lightly. The sun was setting and the landscape was a gorgeous blood red.
"The Reapers are coming, Raela. They are coming fast and soon. Alliance brass wants to deny it but, personally, I'm not sure if we can stop them. But I'm going to give it my damn best. We need everyone we can get to fight them. And we've heard that you're one of the best."
"Well, I'm flattered but I hardly think I'd be any use fighting a myth, Commander. I mean, what's your evidence that the Reapers, something I've only heard of in fairytales even exist?"
"You ever hear of Commander Shepard?"
"The human who stopped Saren and the Collectors? I've skimmed extranet articles." she shrugged, not really interested in this so-called hero of humanity that everyone kept going on about.
"Shepard has faced the Reapers first-hand and has been helping us gather intel on them. Batarian relays have been reading something massive approaching the Milky Way. Fast. Believe me, they're real. And we need your help."
"So, where's your hero then? Get Shepard to save you from the Reapers."
"Commander Shepard is being...court martialled."
Raela couldn't help laughing from the sheer irony of the statement.
"Is it human custom to court-martial all your war heroes? Wait, is this the same Shepard who blew up the mass relay and destroyed Aratoht? " she grinned even more at Ursula's serious expression.
"It is a long story. But we are getting off the point. Will you join the N7 Special Operative Team or not? Will you help us against the Reapers?"
Raela stared out over the plains at the setting sun. She imagined so much beauty being obliterated. The fields on fire and the sky dyed a red of real blood. She imagined the screams of all the humans, which were suddenly silenced. She had not been able to fulfil her duty this day but perhaps she could do something better.
She turned to Ursula, who looked up with the slightest glint of hope in her eyes.
"I'll go with you. I would swear my service to you with a fancy biotic display but my word should be good enough."
Ursula held out her hand and Raela shook it with a slight smile.
"Welcome aboard the N7 program, Justicar."
"Just Raela will be fine, Miss Lee."
Well, did you like it? Let me know in the reviews! Raela is based on one of my ME3 multiplayer characters and Ursula is one of my sister's Shepard's.
Until the next chapter, readers!