AN: So hello and welcome! The names Phantom. I figured I'd take a shot at writing a Mass Effect story, both because I wanted to and as a sort of... back up in cases of writers block for my other story. Hope you guys enjoy!
You know, I never knew what I was going to do with my life. Never thought it'd lead to this anyways. The names Mercer. Richard Mercer. Figured I'd give a little info about myself. I was born in 2148 and raised on Earth by a military family. Simple stuff really.
Not really much to say about my childhood. Dad was hardly around, mainly due to both the First Contact War and the 'call of the Alliance' as he loved to put it. Mom thankfully had the time to teach me some basic stuff, like how to fight and to shoot. Really helped out to tell you the truth.
I went through high school pretty easily, and before I knew it I was given a chance to serve the Alliance. Much to my dad's annoyance, I declined. Not really a fan of following orders, so I decided to go solo. Besides, it usually paid better.
That's when tragedy struck. Cliche sounding, but that's what happened. When I was 22, my parents were killed. They died trying to take back Mindoir, a human colony that Batarians attacked. I went to their funerals, accepted the medals they had earned, and left. Didn't really have anyone else. Grandparents died before the War, so I hardly knew them. Mom and Dad were single children, so no extended family. So with no family, hardly any friends and nothing to do. I just visited their graves a couple of times.
After that? I wandered.
For years I just drifted from planet to planet, taking jobs were I could. More often than not those jobs included hunting down criminals. Other times I was on a ship as either security or low maintenance. I really didn't know what to do. Then one day I got a letter from someone, a letter that changed everything.
Location: Illium
Date: 6/12/2176
I downed another shot, the whiskey giving me a much needed burn. I just finished another odd job. Unfortunate that left me with little to do. I opened my omni tool, searching for... anything to do really. Nothing. Well guess that means I'm getting off this planet. Illium was a nice place and all, but it didn't have anything else for me. I scowled slightly, tempted to break the glass in my hand. This always happened... the restlessness. Moving from place to place. Sometimes I question why I keep doing this... other times I just ignore it all together. This was one of the former sadly. When the hell was a new job coming up? I can't just stay in this god forsaken hotel... Ah whatever.
Just as soon as I paid my tab, a salarian walked up to me.
"Excuse me? Are you Richard Mercer?" He asked, typing something into an omni tool. I raised an eyebrow. Wonder what this one's deal was. I nodded.
"Who's asking?" I shot back, discretely reaching for my pistol. I'm not normally a paranoid man, but this planet wasn't exactly known for it's hospitality.
The salarian just put a datapad in front of me. "I was told to give you this. Good day." He said, walking off. Well shit, this ought to be good. Normally clients approach me in person. If they left a message, that meant big money. I glanced down at the datapad.
Well haven't you been busy? Freelance pays good eh? Look, you may not know me, but I know you Richard. I know that you're trying to find your place in the galaxy, and I'm going to help you do it. I understand this may seem odd and completely random, and you're free to forget this. If not, would you kindly come to the building listed below? I'd like to give you something. An investment of sorts.
Come by Turos. Ask for room 20.
From a friend.
A friend? What the hell? I checked my omni tool for the time. Ah fuck it. My ship wasn't leaving for another day, so I might as well indulge whoever this is. I quickly left the bar. Let's see what they have to say.
I stared at the building the message mentioned. It had a big neon sign, which had 'Turos.' This was the place alright. I walked in, noticing an Asari at the front desk. I walked over when she noticed me. "Yes? Can I help you?" She asked.
"Yeah. I'm here for room 20." I said. Her eyes lit up as she checked her terminal. "So you're the client. Alright, this way please." She said, gesturing for me to follow. I did, and before I knew it we were in front of a… rather armored door. The asari waved her omni tool, and the door opened.
"Take all the time you need. They're waiting for you." She told me, before walking back to her desk. I shook my head, before walking in.
As soon as I entered, the door shut behind me. Oh boy. The room was dimly lit. I could barely see anything really.
"So what now?" I asked, not expecting an answer.
"That's a great question. Hello Richard." A distorted voice said. I looked around for the source. Where the hell did...? That's when I saw a flicker of light, before a projection lit up. I saw... a figure sitting down. I couldn't tell anything about them, because they were shrouded in darkness. Great.
"So what's all this about then? Who the hell are you?" I asked, not beating around the bush. I wanted answers.
"Straight to the point then. Very well. For now, who I am is not important. Why you're here however is. You're here because you show potential for something greater than you are right now." They said. Well isn't that vague?
"What exactly are you talking about? I'm just a regular guy." I shot back
They chuckled. "I know that. Like I said, I want to help you. You have two choices here. You can turn around, walk away and pretend like this never happened. Or you can stay, and your life changes forever." They told me. I thought it over. Ah fuck it, freelance was starting to get a bit boring anyways.
I smirked. "I'm in, but I want something out of this. We'll talk about it later. Where do we start?" I asked.
The figure clapped their hands. "Excellent! We start here and now. First of all, you're going to need some gear." They said. I nodded.
"Sounds fair. Oh and since we're working together now, what do I call you anyways?" I asked, crossing my arms.
The figure chuckled. "You can call me... Azrael." They told me. Azrael... if I remember the Bible right, that was... The angel of death I was correct. Well that's... interesting.
"Okay then, what happens now Azrael?" I asked them, looking around the room. Guess I could humor whoever this was.
Azrael simply waved to a box next to me. Huh, wonder how I didn't notice that. "This contains armor I acquired some time ago. I'll give you time to put it on. It's rather simple, I assure you. Just press the blue button to let me know when you're ready." They said, their image fading to give me privacy.
I walked over to the box, opening it. Whoa... this is badass. The helmet was interesting... it didn't look like anything I had ever seen before. It was surprisingly armored, covering my entire face, along with a t-shaped visor. When I put the helmet on, it felt way different than the average one. It seemed that the helmet had given me a heads up display. Nice.
I looked down, picking up what looked to be a chest piece. It was slightly armored and painted black. Beneath that was gauntlets and greaves to match. I put it all on, over the clothes I was wearing. Hah, knew spending all that time with Mom was good for something. Once it was all in place, I took a look at myself. The armor I was wearing was sleek, and let me move really smoothly. I like it. Suddenly I felt a slight jolt. Huh, weird.
Time to call Azrael. I pressed the blue button, and their image appeared once more.
"Ah you're done. What do you think of the armor?" They asked. I chuckled.
"Not bad. Where did you find this?" I asked, stretching out and giving the suit a feel.
Azrael chuckled. "Oh this? It's experimental Alliance Spec Ops gear. I added a few modifications to it however." They said. I just gaped.
"You... stole this from The Alliance!?" I asked, now feeling tempted to just tear this off. They chuckled again.
"Stole is such a harsh word. I simply acquired a non essential prototype. Trust me, the Alliance had plans to scrap this suit. Do you want me to explain its functions?" Azrael asked. I just nodded, still a bit speechless.
They clapped their hands. "Excellent. So first of all, the suit has a tactical cloak built into it. It's a bit more advanced than your average tactical cloak. This one won't dissipate after you attack someone, allowing you to make multiple sneak attacks. Despite it's slender look, the armor is actually very sturdy, capable of taking gunfire for a while. It's also pressurized, so you'll be able to survive in the vacuum." Azrael said. Well shit, I made the right decision didn't I? Azreal continued.
"It also has a function that helps with hacking. The armor also increases your speed, strength and reflexes. Long story, but suffice to say that jolt you felt earlier? It essentially connected the suit to your body. Call it a form of synthesis. Don't worry, you can still take it off when you want to. This just makes it so that no one else can use the suit." They assured me, putting their hands up to placate me.
Damn... what else can this thing do? Azrael continued. "Now, onto the helmet. Besides the HUD, the helmet is equipped to deal with hazardous and toxic conditions, mainly with a rebreather. The helmet also has various vision modes, including thermal and night. Let's see... I believe that's all for now. Considering that this armor isn't exactly... legal, I have something else for you." They said, gesturing to their right.
I looked over to see... a duster? I walked over to inspect it further. The duster was definitely old school. It was ebony black, looked to be made of leather, and had a hood to go along with it. Nice. I threw the duster on, pulling the hood up.
Azrael looked at me. "Good, now you'll be able to blend in. I hope you're ready for a trip, because you're going to be leaving." They said.
I nodded. "Where to?" I asked them. This is going to be fun.
Some time later
Location: Elysium
Elysium was a nice place, not going to lie. I walked off the shuttle, wearing my duster and and some regualar clothes. Thankfully before I left Azrael mentioned that the helmet and suit were collapsible, but could be activated using my omni tool. Talk about handy am I right? I walked through port, making my way into the colony. Let's see... I checked my omni tool. Azrael told me that the store was... ah there we go!
I moved to the coordinates that Azrael had sent me. Looks like it was the location of a pretty decent weapons store. I activated the helmet, for privacy and all that. Walking in, I noticed the walls were lined to the brim with guns. Oh joy. I walked up to the counter.
"Excuse me? I'm here to pick up an order." I told the man behind it, filtering my voice. I showed him the receipt, and the man nodded, going to the back of the shop. While I waited, I looked around. That's when something caught my eye. It looked like a... Bowie knife? Yes that definitely was a Bowie knife. The man came back with two cases. He set them on the counter, and I opened them.
Inside were the first case was a Raptor V assault rifle. It was a good model, able to shoot about fifty rounds before overheating. The other case held two Stinger V pistols. Excellent. I paid the man for the guns. "Oh, and how much for that?" I asked, pointing to the knife.
After a bit of bargaining, I walked out of the store with my guns and a new knife strapped to my side. Awesome. I think it's time for a drink.
I managed to find a bar rather quickly. When I entered, I noticed there were a lot of Alliance troops off duty. Fair enough. They're human too. I had just sat down when I heard an alarm blaring. What the...? I ran out of the bar, followed by the Alliance troops. The skies of Elysium were filled with dozens of ships. All of them waving a single color. Shit. Pirates.
AN: Talk about kicking the story off with a bang huh folks? Now our protagonist has to deal with the Skyllian Blitz. Hope you guys like this. Let me know what you thought about the story. Until next time, Read, Review and Enjoy!
AN 2: Just polishing up this chapter! Nothing else to see here.
