Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Mass Effect universe. The N7s in this story were co created by myself and my friends. Please don't steal. But Fanart would be appreciated.
Admiral Steven Hackett lets out a soft sigh as he relaxes into his command chair. After the battle for Earth and Shepard seemingly destroying the Reapers, the rebuilding process began as soon as it was possible. In front of him, the galaxy map swirls and glows with a constant stream of information coming in and being processed by the powerful super computers of the Dreadnought SSV Kilimanjaro. Some things he recognized, others were a mystery to him. He closes his eyes and lifts an aged hand to his forehead. As he presses his fingers gingerly against the tension hiding beneath his rough skin, hearing the footsteps of a young looking 2nd Lieutenant approaches him. Hackett lifts his head and locks his steel blue eyes on the younger officer, making the woman flinch slightly as she stands at attention. The admiral stands up, bringing his body up to its full height, and moves closer to the glowing galaxy map. "Report," he says simply, letting his eyes move across the slowly turning hologram. The lieutenant nods as she lifts up her arm. Within an instant, her arm is covered by the brilliant orange glow of her omni tool as she retrieves the necessary data.
"There has been a single encrypted message that I have been told is for you sir. It reads as follows. 'Unto the mighty Zeus, I bring grand greetings and salutations. Far and wide I have searched for those that your highness has called and found each of them, although I must say it was not easy. Herein lies the information you seek. May it serve you well Thunder God. The Death Wasp hunts within the ancient city, her stinger bringing misery and despair to her enemies. Apollyon's shield crackles as it protects Paradise, his anger white hot for those that would turn against their own kind. The Corpse Fairy flits to and fro the garden, sewing her seeds of destruction to rid the land of intruders. The Reaper Dragon roars in the desert of seven, crushing Blasphemers with terrible power. Izanami flows like a river through Troy, tranquil and silent until her temper is brought to boil. Anubis silently stalks through Cocytus, reaping souls when the mood takes him. The Widow returns to her web, dissatisfied with her hunt, she prepares for her next prey. Signed Jinsoku Kitsune," the female lieutenant says before lowering her arm. Hackett stands in silence for a few moments before turning on her suddenly. The woman jumps slightly as she is suddenly placed under the admiral's steely gaze once more. "Send the original message to my personal terminal and delete all other copies of the transcript and message," Hackett says as he heads towards the elevator. The woman salutes and quickly heads off to do as he ordered.
As the elevator doors quietly close, Hackett allows a smile to appear on his normally serious features. He had not expected the operatives in question to be found so quickly. But the informant was very good at what she did. It isn't too long before the elevator door opens to the command quarters of the ship. The admiral makes his way to his desktop, which had a single light blinking to indicate that there was a message awaiting him. He unbuttons the top couple of catches on his uniform as he logs into his computer. He plays the message while accessing the decryption software specially programmed by the informant. The words that had been transcribed may have sounded a bit nonsensical, but that was the point. The informant was very thorough so that if the enemy intercepted the transmissions they wouldn't be able to understand it. Hackett watches the screen as the woman's voice begins to come through the speakers. Soft with a hint of teasing. One could just barely hear the accent that told of her Far East ancestry. As the admiral figured, the beginning of the message was dramatic fluff. Sometimes he believed that she spoke just to hear herself talk. At the beginning of the fifth sentence, the decryption software lights up the screen as it begins translating.
Hackett watches as a name appears on his screen. Lieutenant Commander Vespasia Giorlando. One of the stronger biotic Furies that the admiral knew of. She could have been a staff commander or even a major were it not for a few disciplinary issues. But even with those, she got her missions done, and that was what Hackett needed. But where was she? With the destruction of the Reapers and construction being done on the Relays, several operatives have been unaccounted for. The program continues flashing for a bit before it reveals more information. Feros, the planet that was mostly covered by a ruined Prothean megacity. Interesting and yet an understandable choice of words to describe the person and location. Something blinks on the screen. The admiral looks down at it. A video attachment? To have appeared it must be of interest. He clicks it and leans back slightly as it begins to play.
b~Feros~/B
Captain Halkins checks the heads up display of his Centurion class armor. Shields were optimal, systems read green. He checks over his issued weapon, an M-96 Mattock. The weapon was full and ready to go. He had heard stories of this place. Some sort of ghost would attack all who entered and were not deemed friendly, or something silly like that. He wasn't the superstitious sort. He was a man of science. Everything could be explained through it. "Move out!" he calls out to his troops. The troopers raise their M-25 hornets and move forward. Halkins raises his own weapon and follows after them. They were forced to be close together in their movements because of the massive buildings they had to scour through. Something cracks and crumbles, causing the other troopers to jump. "Keep moving you pansies. It's just some rocks," Halkins declares. There is a slight murmur of dissent, but they keep walking forward.
"Attention Cerberus troops. You are in a restricted area. Leave now and you will be able to keep your lives. If you continue on any further, I shall happily take them," a loud female voice calls out thorugh hidden speakers. The sudden noise and declaration stops up the assault troops, making them swing their weapons around as they search for the source of the noise. The Centurion growls and moves his weapon around as well. "That's a very nice offer, but I know that only a small group of you Zhu's Hope colonists have military training. Your attempts to scare us are charming, but will not help. We will find you and make you see the error of your ways," Halkins shouts back. An eerie cackle comes over the speakers in response the Centurion's declaration. "Very well," the woman replies. "Keep moving!" the Cerberus captain shouts. The troopers begin their advance, moving a bit more cautiously than before. Halkins could feel his hair standing on end. Something didn't feel right. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something was off here. He looks down at the motion tracker and narrows his eyes as he briefly sees a red blip before it disappears. What was that?
"Sir!" Halkins snaps out of his thoughts as one of the troopers in front of him gestures to the motes of light that had begun appearing in the middle of formation. Now he could feel goosebumps forming on his arms. Within the next instant, biotic power explodes outwards in a blinding light and deafening sound. The Centurion is thrown backwards from the power moving out from the single point. The captain coughs as he tries to gain his bearings and clear the stars dancing in front of his vision. He could hear the sound of his troops screaming. He slowly sits up, only shaken up due to the fact that his suit had shields. His eyes widen as he watches a feminine form smash her foot through the helmet of one of the pleading troopers. Blood, gore, and metal splatter over her brilliant red armored form. 'Damn it! Who is this?' Halkins thinks as he reaches for his rifle. She turns towards him, the pure white eyes of her mask locking onto his body as he wraps his hand around the grip of the Mattock. His breathing increases as she stalks closer, a dark purple black cloud radiating off of her body. With every step she took, his discomfort rose. What was she?
As he lifts up his rifle, she disappears with a ripping snap and reappears in the same manner, her hand now pushing the barrel to the side. At this close proximity, he could now clearly see the N7 emblem over her right breast. It all made sense now. The power, the ruthless efficiency, of course Spec Ops was behind it. Purple-black energy crawls across his body as his armor screams at him about his shields being completely drained. Halkins screams as it feels as though his body is being burned alive from the inside. He writhes in pain as he tries to move away, but cannot break his eyes away from the haunting white gaze of the woman standing over him. He sees her right hand cock back, biotic power coalescing around it as it moves. "Who are you?" he asks, pain making his voice tight. He watches as the fist slices through the air towards his head. Time seems to slow as the appendage comes down. He watches the glass of his helmet stop it advance for a split second before it cracks and shatter, throwing Halkins into death's sweet embrace.
b~Fifth Fleet SSV Kilimanjaro Admiral's Quarters~/b
Admiral Hackett taps his chin lightly as the video feed cuts to static. She seemed a bit ruthless, but not any more so than other marines he had dealt with. He quietly catalogues off her brutality as the decryption software brings up the next line. Staff Commander Trenton Willis. He held a many decorations upon the battlefield for rescuing troops who were under heavy fire from the enemy. Many thought of him as a Guardian Angel of sorts. He was a natural in the use of the omni shield as both an offensive weapon and defensive tool, and sometimes went out of his way to show it. All in all, a good officer and skilled combatant. The software continues the decryption, revealing his location to be Eden Prime. Again the software displays that there is a vid to view. Hackett leans forward slightly and opens it.
b~Eden Prime~/B
Jimmy Falks grins as he follows his friends, two males and four females, around with his video recorder. With all the devastation to his Eden Prime in recent years, it felt good to be able to go out and enjoy the sunlight from time to time. He tilts the camera up to stare at the clear blue sky for a few moments. He swings the camera back down to catch the backs of his teenage friends still moving around a head of him. "Hey! Wait up guys!" he calls out to them. "Come on Jimmy! You gotta hurry up or they'll notice we're gone before we can do anything," one of the dark haired teens shouts back. "Yeah right Peter. Everyone is busy repairing things after that last attack. We'll be fine," Jimmy retorts as they come up to one of the ruined square buildings. One of the females of the group, a brunette, smiles and strikes a pose as Jimmy puts the camera on her. Jimmy chuckles and gives her a thumbs up. "So this is it Peter? This is where Shepard fought Cerberus?" another of the females asks. "Yep. You can even see the scoring where some rounds hit the wall," Peter replies. Jimmy brings the camera off of the brunette and takes a look at the gouges that had been put into the wall by some sort of powerful weapon. The sounds of automatic weapon fire causes all of the teens to become still.
"What was that?" whispers the brunette. "Sounded like gun fire," Jimmy replies. Peter shushes them and they all wait in silence. Again the sound comes, this time louder and more distinctive, accompanied by shouts. "Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit…." repeats the third boy. "Quiet," Peter says sharply. Jimmy swings the camera back and forth between Peter and the panicking boy. The girls had all huddled up against the wall together. Another burst of automatic fire is accompanied by the sounds of multiple dying screams. The sound of boots slamming against the rooftop draw the camera lens and the eyes of the group up to watch a black suited being drop down from above and land into a roll. Jimmy follows it with the camera, taking in the female figure and the single red optic. The black suited female gets up and barely seems to register the group as she continues moving, seeking cover. "Jimmy look out!" The teen spins around in time to come face to face with a female figure dressed in four eyed white suit. Jimmy takes a few steps backwards before stumbling over his feet and falling to the ground. The camera stays focused on the white suited female as she raises her gleaming blade over her shoulder. The blade begins its travel through the air, aiming to cut the male in half.
A shadow goes over the white woman as something drops down and stops the blade. The glowing shield crackles as flame leaps from its surface and onto the white armored woman. The assailant screams as brilliant orange flames leap across her body. Jimmy stares up at the golden armored male that was crouched before him. With a grunt, the newcomer pulls his shield up and slams it against the twitching woman. Jimmy winces at the sound of the impact of the woman's body against the wall, a sickening crunch of bone giving against metal. The teen gathers up his camera and aims it towards the head of his savior. The N7 emblem is shown briefly as the camera travels up the front of the rescuer's body. The crimson face plate seems to stare back at the camera for a moment before a high pitched whine fills the air. The N7 grabs the teenager by his shirt and pulls him forward, causing Jimmy to tumble again. A rifle report is almost instantly followed by the crack of the round hitting the savior's shield. "You play with fire, you're going to get burned!" the N7 declares as an omni tool beeps.
Jimmy recovers and picks up his camera, aiming it towards the screaming and burning woman in black. The N7 places a hand on the teen's shoulder and chuckles. "I didn't think you would flip out over me saving your life, but your enthusiasm is appreciated," he jokes. Jimmy couldn't help but crack a smile and laugh, letting the fear exit his body through that coping method.
b~Fifth Fleet SSV Kilimanjaro Admiral's Quarters~/b
Hackett leans back and lightly strokes his beard. That vid showed just what Trento was known for. Efficiency, bravery under fire, and the willingness to put his body in harm's way for others. A small smile plays across the old man's lips as he nods in acceptance of this. He would be a balancing factor to the team. He closes the video and moves on to the next dossier that had been revealed. 1st Lieutenant Faereni Jonston. Another peculiar case of good officer with strange tendencies. She had led many a marine into dangerous territory to rob the enemy of key assets as a squad lead within the Bridge Burners outfit. A technical genius and brilliant explosives expert. Unfortunately, she often lost members of her team on those missions. And instead of becoming sullen about it, she was known to always have a positive demeanor at the end of each mission. This led to others not wanting to not only field her, but none would willing go on missions with her as well. Last, Hackett had heard, she was left aboard SSV Midway awaiting orders. It seemed as though she had finally gotten some action. The screen glows as it reveals her location. Benning. A major producer of food for the Alliance that was supposedly overrun by the Reapers in the beginning. Desperate times called for desperate measures. The computer beeps as another video clip shows itself. What would this one show? The admiral clicks it and hopes for the best.
b~Benning~/B
Private Greg Jennings sighs as he reloads his M-8 Avenger. The grey rifle hisses as it vents the heat into the air. He looks over at the Cannibals and Marauders that were bearing down on his position. He really hated being bait. He takes a pair of deep breaths before lifting up his rifle and letting loose, shouting a mighty battle cry as he empties his thermal clip. A pair of the Cannibals would cry out, flailing their gun arms up as their faces disintegrate under the hail of gunfire. His rifle beeps empty and he drops back down behind cover to reload. They were running towards him now. He could hear their misshapen feet pounding the ground as they close the distance. Jennings wasn't ready to die, and would fight to his last. Just about everyone else in the battalion that had been sent here was dead. They were so few and far between that they now went out in teams of two. Today, he had drawn the short straw. The private pops up from cover in time to see a Cannibal roar in his face. His left hand grabs the beast by its lower jaw and he grunts as he pulls it over the barrier he was using. He then flips out his omni blade and slams it down into the face of the reaper troop.
The young private felt extremely pleased for a few seconds, he might just live through this. Then the burst from the Marauder's rifle bounces off of his shields and makes him drop back down behind cover once more. "Shit shit shit," Jennings curses as he tries to jam in a new thermal clip. His motion sensor showed that the Marauder and Cannibal were right behind him. This was not a good time to not be able to shoot. Suddenly, Jennings hears the sound of rotten flesh bursting following a single loud report roars over the noise of the battlefield. "Aw come on Jennings, you aren't even trying. You are lucky that I had already recovered that capacitor or you might have been in serious trouble," a female voice says over the squad com. "Really Lt? I think that we are a bit too busy trying to survive. Maybe you should hold of f on the scrap collecting until we are out of danger?" Jennings shouts back. "Aww pish posh Jennings, one must always strive to collect anything that would give them an advantage over the enemy," the female voice replies. The private could hear the pout on her voice and it causes him to sigh. "Yes ma'am," he says dejectedly.
"Well since you have survived this long, I will give you a bit more assistance," the Lieutenant replies. Jenning raises an eyebrow slightly as he catches a sudden glow and beeping off to his left. He turns in time to see a crimson combat drone spark to life. "Drone Cee Arr Dash One at your service," the drone says in a voice that could only be described as not only low, but both smooth and rough at the same time. The private stares at the constantly whirling ball of red energy and shakes his head. "Ooo I see that the Marauder dropped a relatively undamaged Phaeston. Been awhile since I have been able to get my hands on one of those. Also private…" The female voice pauses for a few seconds before the roar of the sniper rifle causes Jennings to look up. He hears it hit something solid and slowly turns, following the quickly disappearing trail of the round's path. "Deal with that Brute would you?"
The marine soldier lets out several curses in quick succession as he watches the glowing eyes of the hulking Reaper turn and focus on him. CR-1 spins on its axis as the massive monster roars and begins its advance. Jennings lifts up his rifle and begins firing while retreating. The combat drone, however, floats placidly beside him, keeping its glowing eye on the advancing threat. "Worthless piece of tech! Some help you are!" the private snarls at the unhelpful A.I. floating beside him. He then cocks his arm back and throws an incendiary grenade at the Brute. The massive reaper roars in pain and anger as its body is lit aflame by the attack, and halts briefly. Jennings watches as its eyes turn red and it charges faster than the soldier thought it could move. The private scrambles backwards and feels something catch his foot. He lets out a yelp as he falls and hits the ground hard, the wind leaving his lungs in an undignified oomph! Jennings screams as he watches the massive claw draw back, intent upon ripping through his armor.
The blow never lands. As the Brute brings its massive melee attack forward, CR-1 floats between it and Jennings. "Kekekekeke DIE SCUM!" it declares as it sends a volley of missiles into the Brute's chest. The monstrosity stumbles backwards, off balanced by the sudden attack. A bolt of lightning leaps from the glowing eye of the drone and strikes the monster in the face, causing another howl of pain and anger to tear through the air. Jennings gathers his wits enough to load in a new thermal clip and scream as he pelts it with automatic weapon fire. The Brute lets out another roar and charges through the combat drone, now clearly intent on ending the private's life. Regardless of this, the marine fires until his weapon goes empty. The Brute comes into striking distance and another loud report rings out. The light leaves the Brute's eyes as it stumbles forward a few more paces and falls. Jennings rolls to the right to evade the claw, but is not able to get out from under the monster. He curses loudly as the beast lands on his lower half. Luckily, his shields held, but he was stuck.
"Come on private, we don't have time for you to be lazing about. This sector is cleared and secured, but there are plenty more places to check out," the female voice from before calls to him from the other side of the fallen brute. "I would love to do that LT, but I am kinda stuck under this corpse," Jennings calls back. He hears the sound of footsteps and turns his head to see his superior come to stand off to the side. What she wore looked more like a jumpsuit with armor plating rather than armor. The jumpsuit itself was a dark yellow or brown color, it was hard to tell in this light. But the armor, that covered her arms, lower legs, abdomen, collarbone, and head, was a brilliant red. Even from his trapped angle he could see the white N7 lettering over her right breast. It was then that the private wondered why the brass back at Alliance headquarters thought it was a good idea to leave the breasts slightly accentuated and exposed. He quickly banishes the thought as he watches her kneel down and begin fiddling with something that he couldn't see. "Well then, we are just going to have to get you unstuck," the N7 says as she stands back up and quickly puts some distance between them. "Um…LT…?" Jennings asks. "Fire in the hole!" The private feels his stomach sink. Surely she didn't- His thoughts are interrupted as an explosion rips through the brute's body and sends the young marine tumbling end over end away from it. "Step lively private, we've got a mission to attend to," he hears her call out to him. Jennings sighs as he lays there. Worst…day…ever…
b~Fifth Fleet SSV Kilimanjaro Admiral's Quarters~/b
The admiral leans back, closing his eyes as he rubs the bridge of his nose. As skilled as that N7 was, she could pose a problem to the mission. Hopefully, the others that had been selected would be able to keep her in line. Hackett stands up and removes his jacket, stretching slightly. How many more files did he have to go through? He places the jacket on the back of his chair and heads to the miniature refrigerator next to his desk. He opens it and pulls out a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy and a chilled glass. He pours himself a bit of brandy and sits back down. It was going to be a long evening.
