Name and Rank: Lieutenant Asher Svenson

Military Branch: Alliance Intelligence Service

Role: Operative

Specialisation: Vanguard

Location: Eden Prime

Date: September 21st 2183

I can't believe that Admiral Hackett reassigned me to do a security review for the garrison protecting the beacon, he put it down to the fact that the Alliance budget has shrunk in recent years but still it seemed like a waste of resources. I'm an Intelligence Operative, not a damn clerk or quartermaster. Still, I had sent my report to Alliance HQ as ordered and it wasn't really looking good.

I estimated that even a sizable force of pirates would be able to overwhelm the garrison and make off with the Prothean Beacon if they ever learned that it existed. Eden Prime is on the edge of the Traverse and as such you'd think that there would be large garrison on the colony but that would be a false assumption. There are only one hundred marines based on the planet with only four N School Graduates. These numbers are bolstered by an amateur three hundred strong civilian militia but it still wouldn't be sufficient to defend the colony.

I look up into the sky and truth be told, it's a gorgeous day. The Gas Bags are floating around aimlessly and the birds are chirping away happily whilst the four or five clouds that exist in the sky roll past harmlessly. I'm currently kitted out in full combat gear, a precaution that I'd begun taking after several attacks on Human colonies by pirates had been conducted in recent years. My armour is the standard Alliance Military Brand but with a higher classification, an Onyx X model with a Shield Modulator X.

My weapons are similar with the exception of my pistol, which has several names engraved in the handle as a reminder. As I graduated from the Vanguard Program, I don't carry a sniper rifle. My assault rifle is a standard Lancer X with an enlarged heat sink and an ammunition block that contains Proton Rounds. My shotgun is a Storm X which also has an enlarged heat sink with a Shredder ammunition block. Finally my pistol is a Karpov X with a Tungsten ammunition block; it is one of the most high grade pistols that you can find that isn't Spectre grade. I lifted it off of a Batarian pirate Lieutenant during the raid. Now it has the names of the squad on it.

Some of the other marines in the garrison looked at me as if I was crazy for routinely carrying so much firepower however; I figured that it was wiser to be ready for something that might not happen than it was to be unprepared for something that might not happen. I'm standing atop a hill and am looking down on the small village below, everyone was going about their day normally and things didn't seem to be likely to change at all. I hear footsteps behind me and I turn around slowly, I see Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams approaching me, she seemed to have taken my example and come out fully geared up.

She snaps a salute. "Lieutenant Svenson, sir! Security checks have been completed and the upgrades have been made to the defence towers." She states proudly and I raise my hand before she has an opportunity to continue.

I give a chuckle. "Carry on Williams, but from now on whilst I'm off duty just call me Asher. " I state with a smile.

She nods. "Okay Asher, well I should get back to the garrison now, just thought I should let you kn- get down!" She yells.

The surprisingly strong woman tackles me to the ground and not a moment later a large explosion goes off where I had been standing. This explosion is followed by the sound of very strange small arms fire. We both jump to our feet instantly and I see some kind of synthetics as the bottom of the hill holding what seemed to be rifles. There are two of them and I instantly pull my pistol from my left hip, Ashley draws her assault rifle and instantly fires on the mechanized unit on the left, I start firing on the robot on the right almost simultaneously and they go down within a matter of seconds.

I put my pistol back on my hip and turn to her. "Nice save Williams, we need to get back to the garrison and be ready to rally a defence if there are more of these damn things." I say but as I attempt to move, a splitting pain in my head stops me from moving a muscle.

I hear a loud bang nearby and look to the source of the noise. My jaw drops. About four miles away is a humungous ship that must be at least two kilometres tall, and somehow the thing landed! Not even an Alliance Cruiser is small enough to land in atmosphere. Shit, if that ship is connected to these things then we're outmatched technologically.

"That's a ship, how fucking big do they wanna make it?" I shout in exasperation, losing my cool for a moment.

Williams snaps me from my reverie. "Sir, we need to go now!" She shouts, I nod and we both begin running back to the base.

It only takes a few minutes, but the sight that awaits us is not a pretty one. Bodies of dead marines litter the area as fires rage in the military outpost and among the survivors that I can see; there are only ten of them. The camp has a lot of pre-fab units on the interior which are then surrounded by an outer wall, however the synthetics had managed to conquer the wall and are standing on top of it, firing on the helpless marines from the high ground. We can't enter the base without getting slaughtered from enemy fire unless I use my biotics, we also need to find a way to get rid of their height advantage. Fuck it, if I don't act now we're dead.

I have to shout twice as the intense gunfire and the numerous explosions of grenades make it difficult for me to be heard. "Williams! Stay next to me and lay down a suppressing fire, I'm going to put a barrier around us and try to get us near those marines!" I order.

She nods. "Yes sir!" She shouts over the gunfire.

I feel a familiar rush up my spine as a blue aura washes over my body, I raise both of my hands and a biotic bubble envelopes Ashley and I. I begin walking forward through the entrance to the camp and the synthetics quickly spot us and identify us as an easy target. They open fire with their rifles and I can feel the pitter patter against my barrier. There are about seven of them firing on us, so I feel the strain almost immediately and I grunt quietly as I train to maintain my focus. However my burden suddenly lessens, the other marines had gotten the hint and began laying down suppressing fire with their assault rifles which roared out mountains of metal shavings at the enemy. They managed to down all but two of the enemy troops before Ashley and I crashed into cover behind some crates next to a marine.

I waste no time trying to get a grip on the situation. "I need a status report now soldier!" I demand and the marine fires off a few bursts from his rifle at the enemy before turning back to face me. He looks young despite the fact I'm only 22, a crumpled helmet lies next to him and I can only assume it's his. He has the standard military buzz cut and hardly a wrinkle on him. His deep blue eyes look almost pleading.

"Corporal Jarvis reporting sir, the damn synths came out of nowhere and attacked the garrison! We've tried calling for reinforcements from the other side of the planet but they've set up a jamming rig at the spaceport and we don't have enough men to get to it. The rig is blocking all long distance communications. Short distance still works though." He summarizes and I let out a curse before punching the dirt.

I regain my composure quickly. "What happened to Commander Singh? How many men do you have that can fight?" I ask urgently.

The young marine hums for a moment and from the lack of gunfire, I can tell we'd won for now. "Commander Singh was killed in the first attack along with all of the other higher ranks in the garrison. We only have nine survivors of the 212 left sir, that's not enough to assault the spaceport." He explains hopelessly.

Ashley looks at me grimly. "He's right LT, not enough firepower to get there but if we don't then we can't get reinforcements anyway and we're still screwed. Looks like a no-win situation." She says, appraising the situation and I merely nod.

I place a reassuring hand on his shoulder and smile under my helmet. "Don't worry Jarvis, we're gonna get out of this. Chief Williams, as the highest ranking Alliance Solider here other than myself, you're in charge of the remainder of the 212." I command, feeling apprehension at what I'm about to suggest.

She immediately interjects. "Sir, what do you mean?" She asks.

I point behind me. "I'm heading to the spaceport, I'm gonna try and bring down the jamming rig so we can call in some reinforcements. Hold this position and set your radio to channel Theta Seven. I'll stay in radio contact, good luck Williams." I say, hoping I was doing the right thing.

She looks down at the ground before looking at me. "Yes sir...I'll get it done." She responds with renewed vigour. "Just, be careful." She adds softly.

I sigh in relief. "I'm always careful Williams; I'll see you on the other side." I say before running off through the entrance that we came in from.

I know the way to the spaceport as I'd memorized a map of the local area shortly after arriving at the garrison; one of the first things I was taught upon joining intelligence was to know everything there is to know about the environment you're working in. I just hope that Ashley can keep those marines safe because this definitely has the potential to be a one way trip. Also, it was looking likely that the enemy we're fighting are Geth. In hindsight I should have realized earlier, I mean do I know of any other race of damn synthetics that are known for wiping out organic life? No. Not really. This is deeply unsettling though, the Geth haven't been seen outside the Veil for nearly three hundred years and this can only be interpreted as an act of war. A war against an enemy that has had that much time to prepare doesn't fill me with hope and I feel my stomach drop at the thought. The Alliance would surely lose if we fought them alone; even if we fought alongside the Turians our chances were probably slim.

I pull my pistol off of my hip as I break into a sprint, dodging a formation of rocks by side stepping to the right as I do so. I need to get to this jamming rig fast, those marines aren't going to last forever if I don't get a move on. I'm forced to stop running and dive to my right behind a tree as a round comes extremely close to slamming into my head. I lean with my back against the trunk of the tree as adrenaline begins to crash through my veins and assault rifle fire immediately begins to eat away at my cover; I peak out of cover and see four 'Geth' bearing down on my position. I slam my pistol onto my hip and switch out to my assault rifle in record time.

For fuck sake, I knew I should've joined C-Sec, but no. Join the military they said, it's a better life they said.

I lean out of cover and peer down the sight, the four Geth are in a standard line formation, I open fire on the trooper on the far right and with one prolonged burst it goes down however, almost immediately the remaining Geth turn to me and open fire. Gunfire starts to eat away at my shields and they drop to 30% before I can get back into cover. I turn out of cover again, holding my rifle with my left hand, a biotic aura forms around my right hand and I launch it forward. This throws two of the troopers backwards and allows me to open fire on the only Geth that is still on its feet, I cut it down within seconds. I shoot the two Geth on the floor into pieces before they can get back up and renew the fight.

Static starts to build on my radio. "You need to get moving LT, we just got hit by another wave and I don't know how much longer we can hold out!" Ashley yells, her shout is then cut off by an explosion in the background.

"Williams! Ashley, do you copy?" I shout but nothing comes through and the line goes dead.

Shit! That didn't sound good but I need to keep moving. If we even have a chance of calling in reinforcements, we need to get communications back online.

It's only a short way to the spaceport after my skirmish with the Geth squad and I continue moving, hefting my rifle and sweeping from left to right as I stalk forwards up a hill. Eventually, I reach the hilltop that overlooks the spaceport and the sight that greets me is not a happy one. It's carnage. A squad of seven colonial militiamen are trying to hold off about fifteen Geth that are slowly encroaching on their position.

Looks like the militia are trying to get the jammer offline too. I need to step in and help, as I take my first step to carefully move down the hill I look up and see a militiamen go down from a perfect headshot by a Geth sniper. They need a diversion.

I run down the hill and crash into cover next so some crates and the Geth forces still hadn't noticed me. I spring out of cover and pepper the Geth positions with sustained rifle fire and I manage to bring down three of the synthetic soldiers that were clustered together before they turn their fire onto me. The volume of fire is devastating and my shields drop almost instantly as the majority of the twelve remaining troopers' fire on me, I feel a thud and then a sharp pain in my left shoulder which causes me to let out and small shout of pain, and makes me to fall back behind the crate.

Damn synthetics nailed me in the shoulder. I take out some medi-gel and apply it to the wound so that it can stem the bleeding and dull the throbbing pain that's starting to develop. I grunt in pain and I know that my left shoulder's now out of commission. I put my assault rifle on the small of my back and bring out my pistol; I peer out of cover again and see that my sudden appearance had distracted the Geth enough for the militia to take down a few of them, leaving the once sizable Geth force of fifteen to a more survivable number of seven.

I hear two bloodcurdling screams and see that two more of the militiamen had been caught in an explosion. I grit my teeth and see that my shields had recharged, I pull out my pistol and flare my biotics, wrapping myself in a protective barrier. I come out cover again and spot a Geth trooper toting a rocket launcher. I immediately set my sights on it and fire seven shots from my pistol into it, four of them take down the shields and the other three are distributed with two in the chest and one in the flashlight head. I feel several rounds crash against my barrier, but they don't even make it past the biotic barrier to get to my shields. I get back into cover and drop the biotic barrier immediately.

Keeping that barrier up is tiring! Especially after creating a large one to protect myself and Williams earlier, I pop out again as the colonists skirmish with the troopers and I flare biotics in both of my hands. I lift two troopers into the air with my mind and they are cut down by my comrades, I then quickly pop back into cover behind the crate. There should be four of them left protecting the rig, judging by the amount of scrap metal is littering the ground I expect there were a lot more Geth here originally than the fifteen that were here when I turned up.

I hear a high pitched whine and another trooper goes down to a lucky pistol shot from a colonist. To my horror, one of the Geth throws a grenade directly onto the barricade that the colonists had set up.

"Grenade!" I shout, but an instant later it explodes and rips through all six of them, leaving me as the only man left fighting.

Fuck! How many more people are we gonna lose to these synths? I flick my own grenade off of my belt and throw it blindly behind my cover, not wanting to risk getting overwhelmed by rifle fire. It detonates and I hear more metallic shrieks. I come out of cover and see that only one Geth soldier remains. I use a biotic lift which suspends it in the air, finishing it off with several shots from my pistol. It eventually lands on the ground in a pile of twisted and broken metal.

I walk slowly over to the jamming rig and survey it, the thing is about six feet tall. A couple of grenades detonated at once should be enough to destroy it. I have three grenades left, and I attach all three of them to the structure, making sure to spread them out nicely. Better retreat to a safe distance, I don't want to die by blowing myself up.

I step back twenty paces and press the detonator. The result is a huge explosion which rips the rig apart and sends debris spewing in all directions; the affect is felt immediately as I begin to hear comm traffic coming through my helmet.

"Calling any Alliance Military Personnel in the area, this is Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212th Marine Division! Eden Prime has been attacked by an unknown enemy; we are taking heavy casualties and need immediate reinforcements- Get down!" I hear her words in my helmet and breathe a sigh of relief, but also mixed with dread at the sounds of battle surrounding her.

Okay, the jamming rig is gone. Now time to regroup with the 212 and try to secure that beacon, god I hope the Alliance sends reinforcements in time.

I raise my pistol and roll my left shoulder. No time to waste. I run back up the hill as fast as my tired legs will carry me and towards the sound of multiple gunshots and explosions that ravage the once beautiful planet of Eden Prime.

Please be alive Williams...

AN: Hey guys, I'm back with a new OC insert. Just a warning, this story will contain a lot of death and dark themes but that's not say it will solely be dark. Next time we will see if Asher can get to the survivors of the 212 in time to assist them against the Geth advance.

If you have any questions feel free to PM them to me. I'll take this story forward if it gets a good enough response, any favourites, follows and reviews are much appreciated and help keep these stories going. Thank you and goodnight folks!