A/N: I made it better.
In the year 2148, explorers on Mars discovered the remains of an ancient spacefaring civilization. In the decades that followed, these mysterious artifacts revealed startling new technologies, enabling travel to the furthest stars. The basis for the incredible technology was a force that controlled the very fabric of space and time.
They called it the greatest discovery in human history.
The civilizations of the galaxy called it...
The Metal Effect
The first time Shepard saw Chief Williams, she held her ground atop a ruined stone pillar on Eden Prime. A stray shot had ignited her hairspray, wreathing her head in flame as she howled her furry at the oncoming hordes. Her weapon was fully half her size and easily twice her weight, and it sang in perfect harmony with its wielder, three-inch steel razor spikes thundering from its tusked maw to impale the techno-bright, flashing armour that marked its targets as Geth.
Shepard couldn't help but smirk as he felt Kaiden Alenko shift in his studded leather-and-crematic Alliance combat suit. It may not have been love at first sight for the Brütal Lieutenant, but it was damn close. Shepard slapped Alenko on the back. It would be good to tease him about something other than his weirdly not-long, soft-rock styled hair.
Alone, a Geth is as dangerous as the average metal dog, and around half as smart. A squad of Geth, rainbow-lined faceless visors emoting in perfect sync, is difficult to deal with. The ten squads of heavily armed troopers facing Shepard, Williams, and Alenko was downright deadly. Worse, Alenko has spotted several keytars before being pinned by technicolour gunfire.
"Let's just fucking shoot them already!" Williams hissed for the eight time. Shepard sighed. William's passion for bloodshed was endearing, but getting ventilated by techno-jackoffs was not on Shepard's to-do list for the day. So he sat back against the steel-and-laminate pillar he was using for cover, and took a breath.
Shepard was a Roadie. There weren't many Roadies in the Alliance; those who join humanity's legions have dreams of glory and metal. No one joins up just to be on the crew. But Shepard liked it. He was quiet, he was quick, and he was good with people. That's all being a Roadie was about, really. Getting stuff done, getting the right people into the right places, and doing it without anyone even knowing you were there.
The first Geth died as Shepard's omni-axe lopped off its head. Shepard forwent the traditional cry of 'Decapitation!' that all Alliance soldiers were encouraged to perform, and instead used the time to unload into several of the headless Geth's friends.
Williams let out a practically orgasmic woop as she leveled her massive Razorfire Cannon at the thickest crowd of Geth and opened fire. Alenko covered her, Brütal field flashing to unmake any who would strike back against Williams.
Alone, a Geth is as dangerous as the average dog. A squad of Geth is difficult to deal with. The ten squads of heavily armed troopers facing Shepard, Williams, and Alenko didn't stand a goddamn chance.
Nihlus, the Turian Spectre, was dead. Shepard didn't know Nihlus well enough to feel one way or the other, but he still snapped a solemn salute to the charred and blackened corpse before moving on.
The road through the spaceport to the First One beacon was much, much too quiet. Alenko's stumbling attempts to talk to Williams were painful, but Shepard preferred it to the unnerving silence.
The beacon was ruined. The twisting leather and chains and impossibly-living flesh were blackened and peeled, bleeding viscera onto the dull metal ground. A single straight finger of steel poked out from the gore, deep in the heart of the beacon; probably the control rod or power source or spine of the broken thing.
Williams occupied herself with reciting every curse in the known galaxy while simultaneously smashing everything within arm's reach. Alenko and Shepard poked at the remains of the beacon. Maybe, somewhere, there was something salvageable.
A bullet slamming into his shields alerted Shepard that he was in trouble. The next six bullets reinforced this idea, sending Shepard, Williams and Alenko scurrying for cover. Geth poured out from every possible direction, their trap sprung, robotic masks flashing the same rainbow strobe as their weapons. Worse, the Geth were not alone. Synthetic humans, thrumming with the same lightshow as their fully robotic masters, flowed like a river over walls and through doors. They were unarmed, but each one has a massive, trilling speaker lodged in their chest. These empty husks broadcast the techno-synth of the Geth, shattering glass and arcing electricity over every conductive surface.
Williams laughed as she fired blindly over her cover. She was in nirvana - there were so many targets that she simply could not miss. Alenko added his Brütal strength, but he knew the same thing that Shepard did - they were outnumbered and outmatched.
A voice spoke to Sheppard, then. Feminine and sweet, cruel and deadly and oddly mothering. Shepard stood. He was vaguely aware of Alenko shouting something, and Williams alternating between waving for him to get down and flipping him off. As if of its own mind, Shepard hand reached to the jutting finger/spine of the ruined First One beacon.
He pulled.
A voice, different from before, howled in his head.
TOUCH YE NOT THIS SACRED AXE, LEST YE SUFFER THE WRATH OF THE TAINTED COIL!
And Shepard remembered nothing more until he woke up, days later, aboard the Alliance warship Normandy.