Disclaimer: I don't own Mass Effect
A/N - Monsters is set in an AU where biotics fuel their biotic powers by draining the life energy of people around them, and are feared and hated. The Asari rule a vast Empire comparable of that of the Protheans - all races are conquered and forced to join. Biotic children are taken and raised to be Spectres; the asari's secret police and authoritative right hand.
Originally this was written to be part of the 2016 MEBB but I pulled out due to illness and am now posting it as I edit. Thank you to TLCinbflo who gave me feedback on my original draft! And to my followers on Tumblr who encouraged me to write this story. I hope everyone enjoys it! Yes, it is a Shenko.
Kaidan's boots hit the gangway with hollow metallic thunks that echoed through the council chambers. His black armour with the blue Spectre symbol gleamed in the low lighting as he strode authoritatively through the throngs of aliens, looking neither right or left as he made his way to the meeting. Two turians, their eyes wide with fear, scurried past him carrying a stack of data pads, and he almost paused as he heard the word monster pass between them. Kaidan scowled and forced himself to keep walking; the Asari High Council was waiting for him and the punishments they dealt out to those who dared keep them waiting were enough to prompt him forward.
Besides, he was a monster and they were nothing more than slaves and cattle; walking batteries that he could drain if he needed to and certainly not worthy of a second thought.
The Asari Empire had rolled into Earth near on a century ago, sweeping aside all resistance with an attack that left Earth cowering before them. The sheer size and might of their army had been bad enough, but the terrifying powers the asari wielded, their biotics, was the stuff of nightmares. Millions died on that first day and one by one the major powers of Earth had surrendered. They'd been subsumed into the Empire and the human race had become another cog in their machine.
The asari, who prized biotics above all else, began exposing pregnant human women to Element Zero almost immediately - a process they went through with all their conquered races. The babies born stillborn or with gross deformities were quietly disposed of, while those born with biotics were celebrated and paraded before the public. The biotic children were raised in luxury and adopted by the Empire when they reached a certain age, brought up in training centres as Spectres; the authoritative right hand of the High Council.
Monsters.
Biotics were almost universally feared, and for good reason; when they used their powers they drained the life of others around them. Their biotic power, the control and manipulation of dark energy, required a constant source of energy and all biotics drew that energy from other living creatures. A careful biotic could take a little energy without harming or killing their target, but many biotics were known to drain people dry in combat - friend or foe. There had been a time in Kaidan's life when he'd aspired to use his powers without killing other people, but his training and apprenticeship had taught him that being a biotic meant it was inevitable that he would kill.
Kaidan sighed as memories of his training danced in his mind, but he pushed them aside as he caught site of his partner, Nyreen Kandros. She was waiting with her arms crossed over her chest, her mandibles held tightly to the sides of her face; a picture of someone who was incredibly uncomfortable. He could sympathise, few Spectres enjoyed spending time on the Citadel. There were too many sideways looks, too many people, and always the chance that some asari big wig would scoop you up and assign you to a new duty.
"Alenko." She nodded and fell into step beside him as they headed towards the meeting room. "Any idea what this is about?"
His shook his head. "None."
Nyreen made a turian sound of annoyance and scoffed. "That's so typical of the asari. Recalling us with almost no notice and without an explanation. One of these days someone is going to put them in their place."
"You should watch what you say." Kaidan glanced around as he talked. "The walls have ears. You know that."
She pulled a face but didn't say anything else, which wasn't surprising; all Spectres were raised to have an innate respect for the asari and the council, it was a part of their training that was deeply ingrained. Though, Kaidan had to admit, it wore a little thin when the council made it almost impossible to do your job with all of their meddling.
And Spectres, more than anyone else in the Empire, knew all about asari meddling.
His childhood on Earth had been privileged compared to most people, though it wasn't until he was older that he learned that his parents were being rewarded and compensated by the asari for providing them with a biotic child. The asari had been interfering and controlling his life from the moment he was identified as a biotic. When he was ten years old he was taken from his family and sent to the Asari training facility on Eden Prime, where he spent years training his biotics and learning council law, and later served a three year apprenticeship with an older Spectre - a grizzled turian called Vyrnnus.
Vyrnnus had been a hard but fair man who taught him that death was an unavoidable part of his life now. It was the first and hardest lesson that any biotic had to learn; they were killers and they had to accept that. Kaidan realised by his early teens that most people hated him, feared him, and saw him for exactly what he was - a kind of psychic vampire who could drain their life to power his biotics if he chose to.
There was nothing they could do to stop him either. As a Spectre he answered to no one except the High Council, and he had the authority to use his power wherever and however he needed to. He was judge, jury and executioner when it came to hunting down rebels and enemies of the council.
And, Kaidan thought proudly as they crossed the chambers, I'm damned good at it.
They reached the High Council's inner sanctum and were waved in by an asari aide, the woman's powers stroking along theirs as they moved past. Kaidan ignored the subtle probing of his biotics and strode up to the council's dais. He knelt in front of it, struggling to breathe through the heavy press of the Council's power and picturing each of the Councillors in his mind as he waited for them to acknowledge him; Tevos, Aria, Benezia and Samara. Each matriarch was terrifyingly powerful, even for asari, and they ruled their Empire with ruthless efficiency.
"Spectres Alenko and Kandros, you may rise," Tevos instructed them, her voice echoing through the chamber.
Kaidan straightened, trying not to hunch in on himself. He always wondered if this is how normal people felt around him. Could they feel the press of biotics? Could they feel the tendrils of feeder energy reaching out and brushing against them, threatening to latch on and drain them dry? Or were they blissfully ignorant of the threat dangling over their heads?
"We'll keep this simple," Aria looked down at them as she spoke, her expression bored. "The Empire has commissioned a new stealth frigate that is due to start its shakedown mission in a few days. It's an intriguing mix of human and turian design." She smirked. "And we'd like you on board to oversee the mission."
He nodded. "Of course."
Nyreen murmured her agreement.
"There is a human on board." Tevos brought up a picture on a screen behind them of a human woman with red hair, hazel eyes and freckled skin. The image was familiar and Kaidan blinked in recognition. "This is-"
"Commander Shepard," he finished for her, his heart beating a little faster as he remembered seeing her in action on Elysium. The first moment he'd laid eyes on her was burned into his mind; her red hair had glowed like a halo in the setting sun, she'd clutched an assault rifle tightly in her hands, and her lips had been twisted into a snarl as she relentlessly pushed the rebels back. "She's the human who almost single-handedly stopped the Skyllian Rebellion on Elysium, and helped organise the reprisal attack on Torfan. She's one of the most decorated non-biotics in the human branch of the asari army."
Kaidan flushed when he finished speaking, wondering if he sounded as enamoured as he suspected.
Benezia nodded and smirked, evidently pleased that he had some knowledge of the Commander. "Of course. I'd forgotten you were one of the first Spectres on the ground after the Batarian rebellion on Elysium."
"Yes, ma'am." He puffed his chest out with pride, remembering how the colony's rebellion had been crushed within the space of two days, and their species taught a valuable lesson. He hadn't spoken to the human commander, but he'd heard tales of how she'd faced down several rebel Batarian Spectres, resisting their biotic attacks and using sheer brute force to bring them down.
He'd been tempted to track her down and get to know her better, especially after the initial impression she'd left on him. But he'd been called on another mission, and their paths hadn't crossed again.
"We have reason to believe the Commander is a latent biotic," Benezia continued, and something in Kaidan's chest fluttered. "We want you and Spectre Kandros to work with her on a ground mission, test her powers and see what you think. We arranged for her to be deliberately exposed to element zero multiple times over the last few months, and we're hoping close proximity to biotics will help her manifest. This is top secret, of course. If it became knowledge we were recruiting latent biotics we'd have all kinds of loonies turning up to try and apply." She sniffed distastefully. "However, Shepard's particular skillset and experiences make her an excellent candidate. Should she manifest, she will be apprenticed to you to complete her training, and then be partnered to you."
Kaidan barely stopped himself from flaring at the news that he would finally be getting a human partner. "Thank you."
Beside him, Nyreen stiffened almost imperceptibly, and he fought not to look at her as he picked up the subtle tells of her body language. If he did get a new partner, it meant they would be going their separate ways. She would be getting another partner as well, and would have to learn to work with a whole new person; not an easy thing to do when you were as mistrustful as she was.
Aria inclined her head elegantly and her smirk widened. "Your orders will be forwarded to you. Dismissed, Spectres."
Kaidan snapped off the asari version of a salute, thumping his chest plate with his fist and then marching from the room. The image of Shepard was burned into his skull, and his biotics curled inside of him excitedly as he thought of having her by his side. There were so few human biotics that he rarely saw any, let alone worked with them, and she was an impressive and ruthless soldier, the perfect type of person to become a Spectre.
If she manifested.