Out of this World

A groan escapes me as harsh orange light leaves my eyes burning; I blink furiously to clear my vision as I sit up and gaze upon the source of my agony… orange street lights?

I look around me to find that I'm in the middle of an alley between two large modular containers forming a row of apartments that looked similar to a settlement outside Sacramento made from repurposed railway cargo vans.

I rise to my feet; grateful I wasn't wearing power armour, and stepped out into the main road. Looking along the road in both directions, I saw that the immediate area was largely made of these modules and formed a series of loose courtyards and streets around a central area I could only call 'a village green'. On the far side of the green were a couple of larger modules with large signs on the sides. I started walking towards the larger modules, hoping to find something that could tell me where I was.

As I crossed the green, I noticed the modules all looked standardised and mass produced (in and of itself nothing unusual but the design itself seemed odd, alien even), the asphalt beneath my feet didn't FEEL like asphalt beneath my boots and the street lights weren't running off wires to nearby fission cells. I was starting to feel a coldness filling my stomach, the likes I hadn't felt since I was a lab rat at Big Mountain.

I reached the line of modules and looked at the signs on each one; a recruitment poster for the 'Systems Alliance Marines' the poster showing a rather pretty woman with fiery red hair and bright green eyes, high cheekbones and a patch of freckles on her nose wearing a sleek black coloured armoured suit holding a curved rifle with two barrels in an 'over and under' arrangement with the designation 'M7' on the fore grip.
The second poster showed a man in a blue dress uniform with a type of kepi cap that had gold trim like the old 19th century civil war Union uniforms, the man was saluting and there was also a patriotic slogan in gold lettering next to him, this time for the 'Systems Alliance Navy', but what caught my eye was the object in the background.

It was a vague wedge shape; roughly triangular at the rear with a large vertical section between two sweeping wings that angled a little over 900 from the vertical centre. There were a couple of what appeared to be engines at the rear attached to the wings and there appeared to be a spinal cannon mounted in the centre vertical hull.

I stared at the picture for several moments, not quite comprehending as my mind reached the only logical conclusion… a starship? On a recruitment poster? Instead of an advert for a pre-war movie or sci-fi novel?

Then… that means… humanity made it into space? But how? We bombed ourselves back into the 17th century: no modern transport, no major cities, cottage industries, still rediscovering our own world.

The only spaceship anywhere near Earth was the one I was abducted to, captured and turned into an orbital research station and refuge.

I look to the next building and see it's the equivalent of a Super-Duper Mart, minus the raiders of course, but the third building was what made me stop.

'New Berlin Transit Station, scheduled departures: Current date July 15th 2185, next scheduled departures: Ganymede orbital station, 17th July 21:30, Titan station 17th July 22:45, Utopia colony Spaceport, Mars 19th July 10:35.'

Titan, Ganymede and Mars?

'Dogmeat, we aren't in D.C anymore'

As the information sinks in, looking up I can see stars, so as this place has breathable air that rules out anywhere in the solar system.
Which means… I'm on another planet in another star system, with a mix of antique guns, energy weapons, twenty thousand bottle caps and ten thousand NCR dollars.

'I'm screwed.'

"Hold it."

'Correction, now I'm screwed.'

I turn to one side to see a man and a woman in similar armour to the woman in the recruitment poster but with a different collar badge and a red cap that screams 'Provost', well the best place to go for help is probably the authorities.

"Can I help you, officer?" I ask as they approach, the pair are holding their hands close to a sidearm on their thighs, probably held in place by a magnetic strip like on power armour.

"Yeah, who are you and why are you here?" the woman demands rudely, her partner gives her an exasperated look and is about to speak but I cut him off.

"My name is not important, hasn't been since I became a mercenary five years ago, as for why I'm here? I honestly don't know, or even where here is, I woke up in an alley on the far side of the green," I reply evenly, pointing to the just visible alley entrance.

The woman doesn't look impressed but her partner appears to be considering my story. "I don't know how I got here and I can barely remember anything about myself since I left my old home five years ago, I was hoping to find shelter and perhaps some food and drink before finding a way back but that doesn't seem likely," I continue, noting the woman looking at my pip-boy as I do.

"Probably not," the man agrees, giving a slight hand signal to his partner, "Look we're going to have to take you to the station because you're out after curfew but hopefully we can get things sorted in the morning," he says, ignoring the look his partner gives him.

"That's probably best," I agree. "I was about to start looking for the local police station any way, may I ask the reason for the curfew?"

"A number of colonies on the borders of the Terminus Systems have been attacked, no signs of battle or that anything bad had happened except that everyone is missing," answers the woman grudgingly.
"Slavers?" I ask, my tone darkening enough for them to notice.
"We don't know, but that's what most think and I'd normally agree but… the attacks are too clean for slavers," the man replies, gesturing for me to follow and quietly explaining what was known to be found at one of the missing colonies after an attack.
"It's not unheard of for slavers to 'police their brass' but I've never heard of it done to such an extent," I say quietly, angered and disturbed by the possibility.
My escorts quietly agree with me as they lead me to the local police station, which is attached to the local marine garrison.
Once there, I'm led to a cell after they find out I don't exist on their system and told I'll be woken to record some details and receive an ID. I drift off to sleep wondering what the hell happened.

The next morning, I was woken up by the male officer who brought me in last night and brought to an office with several other personnel and what looked like holographic terminal screens like the couple I'd seen in the Sink, Officer Jason Baker, my escort, had me enter my approximate details into their system (he didn't know that though).

I was then put through a scanner several times as their equipment couldn't get a good read on me, a previous advantage now a liability. The revelation about my many adaptations and my artificial heart, spine and right eye were also received with astonishment. I did request that this information be classified as I didn't want to end up being experimented on in a lab again.

I was also given an omni-tool and several blank credit chits in order to help facilitate my reorientation, the officer handling data entry had accepted that I had never left Earth before and had virtually no knowledge of the wider galaxy, I also applied for and received Systems Alliance citizenship.

I spent the rest of the day with Jason, learning about the new world I was now a part of, he explained the first contact war, the citadel council, alien races, and even human history, proving to be a very patient man.

He had just begun to explain about the Eden Prime war two years prior when a klaxon sounded, sending most of the civilians running and the marines and police in to a frantic dash to the garrison building.

We charge out of the café to find a ship descending towards the colony, as we watch a spread of missiles are launched and arc down over the colony, the majority impact across a wide area doing scattered damage but a dozen impact around the garrison buildings, likely targeting the garrison and it's handful of M-35 IFVs.

Just as the noise from the impacts died, a voice broadcast from the ship above announced for us to surrender ourselves and prepare for our new lives as slaves. The announcement makes my blood boil.

Jason told me over the chaos to find shelter, but I gripped his shoulder and told him I was going to fight, whether he wanted me to or not, "I'll not stand idly by as these people are robbed of their homes, families and lives. I have never left someone to the 'mercy' of any slaver and I'll be damned if I start now," I said, unslinging my MK II battle rifle.
He looks at me but grudgingly nods, before leading me to the makeshift checkpoint where the rest of his team is waiting.

I take a position on the right of the barricade, on top of one of the buildings, lying prone with my rifle steadied on a set of sand bags. I hear someone nearby scoff that I'm using an outdated weapon, I know I'm using an antique by their standards but the kinetic barriers these people use are designed to stop a low density high velocity projectile, I'm betting they can't cope with a high density low velocity projectile, but just in case the actual armour is any good I'm using tungsten tipped armour piercing rounds.

I hear someone else note that it looks like an M-14 from the twentieth century, which was almost true as it was based off of a surviving M-14 but was chambered for.308 and semi-automatic only, the stock was the wrong shape to have automatic fire with a full size cartridge and be accurate.

I am currently wearing the black Veteran Ranger armour Chief Hanlon had given me after I killed Caesar, with a few modifications like a rangefinder from a T-51b, a digital ammunition satchel that worked like a pip-boy but didn't add the mass to mine so didn't overburden me, a water jacket from a patrol ranger chestplate, the combat knife sheath from the same armour for my trench knife, a shoulder holster for my modified Compliance Regulator/ Laser pistol MK II and a thigh holster for my Ranger sequoia. On the left side of my back I've slung a modified AER-14 Laser rifle and I have both a Bowie knife and my oldest weapon on my belt.

We wait and watch as the slaver ship descends and lands behind a small ridge, they're letting us see the ship and know they're coming but protecting the ships engines from any possible retaliation in case we have heavy weapons.

We're forced to sit and wait as the slavers organise, I and the others on my vantage point can just make out figures moving on the ship's bridge and the ground forces assembling.

After a couple of minutes of tense waiting the first slavers appear, a handful, spread out and poorly led. The snipers on my level open fire but I save my shots, something feels off so I start looking over the heights above the approach, which is where I spot my prey. My augmented vision allows me to pick out a turian spotting our positions.

I shift slightly and take aim. I watch my target closely as I pull the trigger; I am able to see his kinetic barriers flash into existence, strain and collapse, then I see the material of the turian's breastplate deform as the tungsten tipped round impacts, causing a compressed ring to form as the projectile forces its way through the unknown material, I can even see shavings catch in the compressed ring as the bullet passes through the armour and enters the slavers body.

The spotter doesn't have time to blink as the bullet strikes him and he is thrown on his back, never to rise again.

The rest of the slavers realised their chance of an easy victory was over and began their attack in earnest, proving to be decently equipped but poorly led at the squad level.

The return fire toward the barricades was inaccurate but claimed two lives and wounded three others, the return fire claimed seven slavers, the slavers seemed to be a mix of turians (who could all shoot straight, unfortunately) and batarians (who couldn't seem able to hit the broadside of Rivet City).

I ducked instinctively as a turian bullet flies over my head, I reply in kind bringing down the shooter and his two friends, switching fire to a group of batarians that tries to storm the barricade as they get too close.

I keep firing into the mass of charging slavers until my clip empties, as I reload a rocket soars overhead. I look up to see three rocket launcher armed batarians aiming at me and my comrades. I take a few shots but a large blue hued shield appears, not enough to stop my shots but it slows them down enough for the trooper's shields to be effective.

As they reload, I switch to my laser rifle, drawing odd looks from the remaining marksman. I take aim and fire, the lack of recoil briefly feeling alien to me. One of the batarians is claimed by a bright green beam of light, I can just make out the surprise in his eyes as he falls, his two friends do a double take as I continue firing, killing one and reducing the next to ash.

I hear someone shout "HOLY SHIT!" as I return to firing on the skirmish line, killing four and turning two more to ash.

After trading fire for several minutes, one of my fellow snipers spots a group breaking off, followed by another. The bastards were running.

I switch out my rifles for the tesla cannon I stored in my pip-boy, the dematerialisation of my rifles and materialisation of the shoulder mounted energy cannon stunning the colony defenders enough to stop firing, allowing more of the slavers to fall back. I heft the large weapon onto my shoulder and take aim at the part of the bridge I can see and shoot at.

I aim and fire.

The energy discharge ignores whatever shields that ship has up and tears through the bridge structure, ripping right through the hull and view port visible and likely scorching the crew to death and definitely wrecking the control consoles.

The shot halts the slavers retreat, their only means of escape now grounded their only choice is to either die fighting or surrender…

The dumb bastards choose to fight.

I get up and fire down on the nearest group, barely flinching as several bullets pass by or strike my chestplate and shoulder guards, switching out the fusion cell as needed.

After a few minutes the majority of the ground forces are decimated, the handful left have already fallen back to the ship.

I turn to my pip-boy and select the Enclave Mk II plate I modified so long ago along with my custom Plasma Pulse Carbine and pistol (think of a cross between a Laser Rifle and Imperial Plasma weapons from 40K) before jumping down from my vantage point, the armour cushioning my fall a bit.

I ignore the cries coming from the other defenders and sprint towards the ship. There are a few scattered slavers but all are wounded and in no shape to keep fighting so I ignore them.

I reach the hull to find the hatches open, obviously they hadn't expected a counterattack or to take such heavy casualties.

I lean in to peek around the edge of the hatch and a bullet zips past, close but not close enough, between my augmented eye and the suit's Head's Up Display I spot five batarians waiting for me to attack.

I decide not to disappoint.

I throw a plasma grenade at the slavers, the bronze cylinder exploding at the feet of the lead batarian, turning him and two more to green goo and killing the other two. As I enter, the compass my Pipboy projects onto the helmet's HUD goes haywire with hostile and docile markers…

"The Illusive Man wishes to see you, Miranda and Jacob in the Comm Room, Commander," Valerie nodded to the seemingly eternally cheerful yeoman and headed for the comm/briefing room, Kelly Chambers was definitely one of the more likeable crew members but she was still uncomfortable being around so many Cerberus personnel.

The red head walked through the door into the armory, signalled Jacob to follow and continued into the next corridor and into the comm room, Jacob entered shortly after her.

"Any idea what this is about?" the black soldier shook his head.

"No, but if he called all three of us so soon after departure, it must be important," Jacob replied looking worried.

Valerie turned as Miranda entered, noting a similar expression on the Aussie Ice Queen's face, "before you ask Shepard, I have no idea what this is about, as far as I know we haven't been in space long enough for anything to have happened without us noticing," Miranda said.

Valerie was about to reply when the QEC activated, revealing after a few seconds the Illusive Man distracted by something to his right and outside the projection envelope of the QEC.

It was Shepard coughing that brought the man's attention to the fact the device was on.

"Shepard, there's been a development," he stated, stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray beside his chair, his voice steady despite his whole body, even his eyes, betraying concern.

"Yesterday when you left, I gave you several Dossiers on potential recruits to your team, unbeknown to me a battle was raging that would require a re-evaluation of that list," he continued.

"What happened?" Shepard asked, starting to feel fear as the Illusive man didn't strike her as someone to easily unnerve.

"Slavers attacked New Berlin, destroying most of the heavy equipment in the opening salvo and landing forces that should have overwhelmed the remaining defenders before help arrived," the Illusive man explained, "They failed… Spectacularly."

"How?" Jacob asked.

"Because of one man possessing technology even the asari couldn't dream of, and the salarians have failed to build for centuries," The Illusive man replied, he then set a vid to play on their end of the QEC.

The three watched in curiosity which fast turned to shock, amazement and finally denial as they watched the battle unfold.

"But… that's… shoulder mounted energy cannon…" Jacob stuttered loudly.

"Impossible," Miranda whispered, "we'd have known if technology like that existed, especially if a human…"

"Cerberus isn't in 1984 Miranda," Valerie rebuked idly, still trying to comprehend exactly what she'd seen, "Is this accurate?" she asked her 'boss'.

"Every second has been verified by our best experts and through discrete enquiries on the ground, what you saw happened," Illusive Man replied flatly, "Until shortly before the attack, officially, this man did not exist."

The Illusive man elaborated at both Shepard's and Miranda's cocked eyebrows, "this man simply did not exist in any form of official records, it is possible he slipped through the cracks in the slums on Earth but that does not explain how he got off Earth without being noticed somewhere."

Shepard watched the looping footage for a moment, frowning as she realised something, "wait, roll back to 10:35 and play to 11:07 and loop."

The others watched as the VI complied, not understanding what Shepard was looking at until the second loop.

"What the Hell?"

"Did he just de and re-materialise his clothes, some kind of power armour and an energy rifle?"

"Yeah, but how? I mean, that armour has to weigh between a quarter to half a ton, no human would be able to carry that," Miranda asked.

"I don't know… but I think it has to do with that thing on his wrist," Shepard answered, pointing to the green metal device when the looping footage allowed.

"This could be the greatest breakthrough in Human history," Miranda whispered, Valerie looked to the brunette to see her eyes lit up in wonder, slightly surprised by the lack of the calculating glint almost always present, "If we can persuade them to explain the science," Miranda finished, a little too quickly.

Shepard rolled her eyes, "Do you have the co-ordinates?"

"I'm forwarding them to EDI now, do whatever you have to to secure his services and, if possible, his technology, we can't afford for that kind of tech to find its way into the wrong hands," TIM stated.

"Who're the 'right hands? Cerberus?" Shepard scoffs.

"Right now I'd settle for the Alliance sharing it with the Big Three," Illusive Man declared firmly, "Just make sure this chance isn't wasted."

The projection cut there and Shepard stepped off the pad as it powered down.

"Joker, you have the Co-ordinates?" Shepard asked over the open deck comm.

"Received Commander, want me to plot a course?" Joker replied.

"Do it, and plot courses for the other pick-ups we need to do while you're at it," Shepard confirmed.

"Got it, let's find us an Uber-High Tech Super Soldier," Shepard had to laugh at Joker's reply.

"When we arrive, I'm taking you two with me. Cerberus is being blamed by some for the attacks so your to wear either Merc Armour or something casual, nothing with Company Logos, clear?" Shepard addressed the two Cerberus regulars, fixing them both with a stare.

Jacob nodded and headed for the Armoury, Miranda glared briefly then nodded slightly and walked out.

Shepard sighed, it seemed like it was going to be one of those days. And no doubt her particular brand of luck would turn it on its head.