The Good Times Are Over
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Roughneck troopers. If I did, I would so bring them back and create better movies for them.
"Speaking"
"Radio call incoming"
"Radio call outgoing"
One Final Push
It had been roughly a month and a half when they had showed up and taken the planet Earth! They were meant to be nothing more than a fairy tale created by a N7 Marine who had seen his youngest recruit be killed right in front of him on the planet Eden Prime. Others say that he was suffering from severe mental trauma from "fighting the dead." Others say that out of nowhere, the guy named Shepard had a vision. Shepard tried his best to warn the Citadel Council-a union of the three strongest and largest races in the galaxy- but… no one believed in what he had to say despite all the good he managed to accomplish. Now, now every single organic race is fighting for the right to live-to exists.
They,-the Reapers-invaded Earth from out of nowhere. The Alliance Navy was caught off guard just like every other planet in existence. Millions of men, women and even children were killed in the blink of an eye from the "eye" of a Reaper. It was a mixed blessing if anything. The frontline soldiers of the Reapers were called the "Husks." Humans that were once human turned into…zombies. Everything that made them human: gone! The Reapers turned them into nothing more than shells of their former selves. Putting them down was nothing more than an act of mercy.
In order save his home world, Shepard did the impossible: he left his home world. Not as an act of cowardice but as an act of saving it! Through orders coming from Admiral Anderson, Shepard and the Normandy SR-2 crew were to gather allies and save the planet! Through actions that only Shepard himself could accomplish, he was able to end a three-hundred year old war, end the genophage, find a vengeful ancient, save the citadel, create an alliance of races and so much more that would have seemed impossible, but not for him.
Now, the final battle for would begin. Asari, Turian, Quarian. Volus, Hanar, Salarians, Drell, Elcor, Batarians, Krogan, Geth, Vorcha, and Humans had come together under the words and promises of Shepard to create a vast fleet that would rival that of the enemy forces occupying Earth. Admiral Steven Hackett gave words of encouragement before the battle had begun; words that were desperately needed to quell the thoughts of so many.
"Never before have so many come together from all quarters of the galaxy. But never before have we faced an enemy such as this. The Reapers will show us no mercy, we must give them no quarter. They will terrorize our populations. We must stand fast in the face of that terror. They will advance until our last city falls, but we will not fall. We will prevail. Each of us will be defined by our actions in the coming battle. Stand fast, stand strong. Stand together. Hackett out."
With that said, the battle had begun. The Normandy SR-2 had the honor of leading the assault on the enemy forces. Serving as both their sword and shield were the men and women consisting of the men and women remnants of the Alliance Second Fleet. Their flagship, the SSV Okinawa a small but fast frigate ship was on the tail of the Normandy. Its men and women were at one time disheartened that their brothers and sisters in the Second Fleet were at one point slaughtered with no mercy. It was not out of failure of being prepared. No. The Second Fleet had engaged the Reapers forces as best they could in order to give time for the First, Third, and Fifth fleet time to escape.
Onboard the SSV Okinawa was Team Alpha. A group of soldiers from the 103rd Marine Division that were considered the best of the best! This group in particular has earned fame that rivals that of Commander Shepard and his Normandy crew. Putting all that aside, team Alpha wanted payback for their brothers and sisters and they wanted it bad.
The Okinawa had been successful in deploying team Alpha while successfully protecting the Normandy. With its crew on Earth, the Okinawa itself could relish in destroying a few enemy personal.
Captain Victor Andrews an orphan, who grew up on Earth very much like the famed Commander Shepard, was having a good day so far. In actuality, he and Commander Shepard grew up together in the big streets of New York City. His team -Roughnecks- had successfully regrouped with a contingent of the Alliance Navy in the ruins of downtown London, were mowing down more enemy personnel than any other unit combined, and have thankfully not so much as lost a single man or woman, while at the same time restored the Thanix missiles! He was thankful that he went with his N7 Destroyer T5-V armor rather his Slayer armor. While his Destroyer suit was designed for frontline fighting, it gave him better shields and came with a top of the line onboard rocket launcher on the right side of his shoulder. It put the Paladin armor to shame.
Before the war began, Captain Andrews, age 28, was without a doubt the most sought after man in the Alliance Navy and amongst several races as well. Women wanted him, men wanted to be him, his team was loyal to him and was a brilliant soldier to boot. His schoolboy personality, left women wanting more from him, his electric blue eyes were able to swoon over any one and his fox like grin made any one who loved him have a great orgasm. Well, maybe not that far. The point being, he was a very popular man.
Currently, we find the Roughnecks on their way to the center of London, specifically to where high command has claimed where the "Conduit" was located. As if an exact location was a guaranteed thing for a soldier! Gunfire was coming from all sides as the Roughnecks pushed their way forward. Captain Andrews second in command, Sergeant Isabel "Dizzy" Flores was having a field day shooting down as what she liked to call the Rachni turned abomination: "bugs."
"WOOHOO! Hey Cap, did you see that! That bug pirouetted like a ballerina!"
While she may have been a sergeant, "Dizzy" was without a doubt the heart and soul of the Roughnecks. Without her, the team would lose all its motivation and would inadvertently break down…
"You've got nothing on me Diz! My score is in the 90s already, beat that!" Corporal Jeff "Goss" Gossard, the master technician of the group and on some occasion, the "Voice" if you will. Like any combat situation, he and Dizzy would have a competition to see who could "kill the most bad guys on a mission."
"Can it apes and just shoot em,'" the taskmaster of the group, Sergeant Francis Brutto. He was without a doubt the most ruthless son of a gun you could ever meet. While he may have a ruthless side to him, he would always let it be shown that he cared deeply for his team. His standards may be ridiculously high but hey, when you are a member of the famed Roughnecks Alpha Team, you gotta have high standards.
Unknown to Brutto, a Cannibal, a former Batarian turned abomination had snuck up on him while he was reloading his Avenger assault rifle. Before the Cannibal could do any harm, the Cannibal was captured by a mechanical arm and then ruthlessly crushed.
"Hey Francis," a laidback voice coming from behind Brutto spoke. "Take cover when you're reloading! You'll live longer and I won't have to watch your hide!" Corporal Richard "Doc" Lecroix, the teams' medic and Kodiak pilot. Instead of piloting a Kodiak, Doc was now piloting a recently acquired Cerberus Atlas… and was he having fun with it!
While both Flores and Gossard may have been good soldiers, they were far from being professional. Yet, that is what made them great: the fact that they thought for themselves and didn't follow proper protocol. Victor didn't need soldiers who followed protocol. No. He needed soldiers to think for themselves and give their input on the mission. That is exactly what each and every single member of the Roughneck team did. They brought something that no other could do. They were a hand, each representing a finger and when the fingers worked together you would have a perfect fighting force.
"Alpha Team, this is Admiral Anderson, come in. Over."
Without hesitation, Captain Victor took cover behind a nearby Mako and ordered his team to take cover as well. "Admiral this is Alpha Team. Over."
"Good to hear from you Captain . Wish it were under better circumstances but that's beside the point. Sigh… Captain , I need for you and your convoy to cover us from the rear. Commander Shepard believes that the Reapers may have a miniaturized Mass Relay in the center of the city. We believe that it leads towards the citadel and we need as many men as possible to enter and take back the Citadel! Your orders are to stand fast and cover the oncoming convoy from enemy fire. Over."
So…that was it. The reason why Alpha team was sent to safeguard the Normandy crew? For just one man, one man who just had a belief and not so much as a full out plan? It was times like this when being a solider truly sucked…
"Admiral...? This sounds like a-''
"It is Captain , it is. I won't lie to you: Your team will hold down the fort for as long as you can. Taking fire from the both the rear and where the Mass Relay is located at. This… sigh… this is a suicide mission that only the Roughnecks can accomplish! This is your chance to take revenge for the Second Fleet! Over."
Revenge for the Second Fleet sounded nice to hear… but not at the cost of his team.
Before acknowledging his orders from Admiral Anderson, Captain Victor took a look at his team. His brothers and sister were the last remaining ground team that survived the Second Fleet Slaughter. Each and every one of them had lost so much the day the Reapers had invaded. Friends and family, brothers and sisters, and so much more that was lost that could never be given back to them.
"What do you all think?" Captain Victor asked to all of his team. Each of them had given him a questionable look. "Should we hold down the fort for revenge and take as many of them with us as possible…?"
As expected, his teams began to look to one another for an answer. Hoping that someone; anyone would answer the question that struck them all as odd. After what seemed like an eternity, Dizzy had finally answered.
"CAPTAIN, for the last month each and every one of us has wanted nothing more than to avenge the Second Fleet. We've wanted revenge more than our need to breathe air!" Dizzy had stopped talking and instead began to look up at the blackened sky, tears swelling in her eyes. "Now that we're back on Earth, our desire for revenge comes last. While we've wanted vengeance, the people-our people- have been suffering! Right now, the needs of the many outweigh the need of a few." Dizzy finished with a slight smile on her face. As much of a tomboy as she was, Dizzy was still a woman. A woman: who joined the Alliance Navy not for the glory or firefights; but to protect those who were precious to her.
"She's right CAPTAIN," came the voice of Gossard. "Now isn't the time for revenge. It's time to protect our people and end this war!" Like Dizzy, Gossard too had a smile on his face. It wasn't a happy smile; more like… a smile that signified he understood something at last.
"Damn Atlas is out of Eezo," Doc said as he jumped out of the cockpit of the Atlas. "I agree with them CAPTAIN, Now is the time for self-sacrifice in order to give out people a chance of surviving!"
Finally, Dizzy, Gossard, and Doc turned their heads toward Sergeant Brutto looking to see if he was ready. Not even hesitating, he answered.
"Agreed. Let's do what we do best!" Like his team, he too had a smile on his face.
If there was ever a time that Captain Andrews could say he was proud of his team, it would be now. Their past victories meant nothing to him than what they had said to him right now. In his own personal opinion, he too wanted revenge for the Second Fleet as well as those in the 103rd Marine Division. After arriving on Earth and seeing the damage first hand, that changed instantly. He realized early that revenge is nothing more than a poison that slowly consumes you.
Like his team, Captain Andrews had a smile on his face as well. Looking toward them he had one thing to say: "Come what may, the Roughnecks will stand fast and will live forever."
In perfect unison, the Roughneck team gave a powerful shout of "Hoo-Yah!"
"Admiral Anderson, this is Alpha. Over!"
"Anderson here, over!"
"Tell Commander Shepard he better be right! The Roughnecks will hold the fort down for as long as we can! Over."
"I'll be sure to pass the message along Captain. One more thing," Anderson paused for a moment, "Make it out of this alive. I have a bottle of Brandy I want to open with you and your team along with the Normandy ground crew."
Try as he might, even Captain Andrews had to laugh just a little at this.
"That is going to be one hell of a party sir."
"Once WE win this war, we're going to have a reason to party Captain."
"Understood sir! Alpha Team moving out. Over.
"Who Dares Wins. Anderson out.
As soon as the radio chat will Admiral Anderson was over, Captain Andrews began to give his team the orders. Hopefully not for the last time…
"Gossard, I want you to get on the comms and have the nearby Mako's cover us while keeping their distance! Brutto, ammo and weapons check! I want us to have more than enough ammo to last us until the end of the week! Doc, do a quick sweep and make sure the team is good to go! Check your armor! Everyone: We WILL make it out of this alive. DO YOU GET ME APES!
Once again in perfect unison his team answered: "SIR WE GET YOU SIR!"
"Once you're prepped, we move out. And we show the Reapers to never mess with the Roughnecks!"
(0.0.0)
The push towards the center of the city had been just as he had expected: Hell on Earth!
Bodies from both sides lied on the ground.
Cars as well as building lay in ruins
Fires were running amok from the ongoing war.
If THIS was London, what did the rest of the world look like? Was it just as bad or… worse even?
That didn't matter not right now at least. Once the war was over, they could rebuild once again.
The Roughnecks had the distinct honor of leading the charge towards the center of the city. While a good portion of soldiers were covering their rear and Mako's were bombarding enemy personnel, the Roughnecks were slowly but surely advancing.
"Incoming Banshee's at eleven o'clock," a random soldier had said.
Captain Andrews immediately targeted the Banshee's using his Hawk Missile Launcher. Within the matter of a few seconds, the Banshee's were blown to pieces.
"Captain," Dizzy said, "We've got Commander Shepard and his team incoming at six o'clock!"
That was when Captain Andrews finally noticed it. The Reapers were waiting for Shepard and his crew! After Dizzy had said that, enemy forces came to a halt. What was once easy at first was now difficult as hell! Ironically enough, a Destroyer class Reaper, christened "Harbinger" had arrived on scene and fired its laser toward the oncoming convoy of Alliance soldiers.
The Mako's that was once providing covering fire for infantry had moved forward hoping to shield both the Roughnecks and the Normandy team. They were gone in a blink of an eye by Harbinger's powerful laser. Without the covering fire from the Mako's, this assignment has just become a lost cause….
It was now everyman for himself on the battlefield.
Taking a look around the battlefield, Andrews couldn't help but feel like giving up in that one second. Instead, he pushed through it. So long as he breathed the fight could continue! That is when he noticed that Harbinger seemed to be looking at him. Directly. For a split second he could have sworn that Harbinger's eyes had turned green.
Team Alpha could NOT hold this area. Not while they were being targeted by Harbinger, complete and total disarray of soldiers running towards the Mass Relay. There were only two orders that he could give to his team. One: retreat, this order would easily save their lives while at the cost of the soldiers running towards the relay. Two: Serpentine. This would have his team run towards the relay and take their chances in the crossfire.
Save his team at the cost of the Normandy Crew or join with the Normandy Crew and better the odds of success while the survival rate was at zero?
Turning around, Captain Andrew was about to give the order for a full retreat in order to save his team and his team alone when he saw him…
Commander Shepard, hero of the Citadel, Destroy of the Collectors, and the Last Hope against the Reapers!
The captain's orders were to escort and protect the Normandy Crew at all costs but, what about HIS team dammit! They were NOT cannon fodder! They were just as much as important as the Normandy Crew if not better than they ever were!
Gritting his teeth in sheer anger, the captain began to see red. His orders stood. As much as he hated them, he stood by them.
"ALPHA," Captain Andrews yelled, "WE PUSH THROUGH! COVER SHEPARD AND HIS TEAM! PROTECT THEM AT ALL COSTS!"
With that being said, the Roughnecks moved to cover Shepard, the Quarian, and the Turian. The Captain taking the front, Gossard and Brutto taking the right flank, while Dizzy and Doc took the left! Team Shepard was now being covered from all sides except for the rear.
They all began to run as fast as they possibly could, avoiding the destructive laser beam as beast as they could. Fortunately yet, unfortunately, Harbinger was focused more on the Alliance soldiers that had made it ahead of them. Poor bastards… they never stood a chance against it.
'Shepard, the captain thought to himself, 'you better be the one to destroy those goddamn monsters! So many are dead and they're sacrifice rests on you!'
Running as fast as they possibly could, they were halfway towards the relays when Harbinger began to focus on the Roughnecks and Shepard as well. One of the converging Mako's was beginning to draw Harbinger's attention. It worked for a while but was then shot and rammed into another Mako. The crash caused them both to flip backwards and towards the Roughnecks!
"Shit, Move!" Captain Andrews ordered, he and Shepard had ducked at the last minute.
Victor got up quickly and began to look for his team. He found them as he looked around. Both Gossard and Brutto's armor was cracked exposing parts of their skin; they were unconscious as best he could tell. Dizzy was fine, she was checking over Doc whose arm was bent in a way it shouldn't be.
"Joker, bring the Normandy down, we've got injured!" Shepard had said to his pilot. Yeah, he met "Joker" a few times, good guy but a serious bastard when angry, and when he is joking.
"You've got it Commander." Joker said, "I'll be down there in twenty seconds, be ready!"
Moving quickly, the captain, picked up Gossard firemen style, when he spotted a rookie gunning and running toward the relay. "Private," he said, "Get your ass over here and help me carry my squad!" The private whom he had called stopped shooting at the reaper and did as ordered. He quickly picked up Sergeant Brutto and made his way behind a downed Mako.
"Doc, you okay?"
Despite the severe pain he was in, Doc answered, "Yeah Captain, I'm good. I-I think my career as a soldier is over though…"
Not knowing what to say, the captain simply nodded. The Alliance is what made the Doc who he was. To take that away from him… was just cruel.
"Captain Andrews," Commander Shepard said, "Order your team to withdraw! They can escape via the Normandy!"
Before he could respond, Dizzy beat him to it.
"What? Hell no! He's a Captain 'Commander' Shepard! HE outranks you!" Dizzy said angrily. Who could blame her for being angry? Two of her teammates were down and in an unknown condition while the other's arm may never be of use to him again.
"Diz," Captain Andrews said in a voice that made her worry, the captain sounded as if he's been beaten, as if all hope seemed lost. "The Roughnecks are in no way able to continue…" the captain said, looking away from his team and towards the relay. With Shepard's team down and his team wounded, they were compromised and Shepard knew this.
Sure he could sacrifice his three wounded, take Dizzy and follow Shepard to the gates of Hell if he wanted to! He wouldn't do that though. As a unit, they –the Roughnecks- were unstoppable. However, there comes a time when a leader has to face the odds himself. When he has to place himself in danger to give his team a chance to escape! Just like his former squad leader-Lieutenant Jean Razak- had done when he was the original leader of the Roughnecks. No sacrifice, no victory after all.
"…Roughnecks are to retreat alongside the Normandy Crew."
At hearing her captain's words, Dizzy's emerald green eyes went wide. She couldn't believe he had just given the order to retreat. They had never once retreated! Roughnecks were always an accomplished unit!
"Captain, you can't be-"
"I am Dizzy. As of now," he said as he walked over to her, and removed his captain insignia from his chest and placed it on her right arm. "You are now in command of Alpha Squad."
If her eyes could grow any wider from disbelief, this would be the perfect time.
Isabel "Dizzy" Flores could not believe what Captain Victor Andrew was saying. As of now, she was the leader of HIS Roughnecks? That couldn't be right!
Before she could even argue, she looked up to see the sight of the famous Normandy-SR2 making its descent with the cargo bay doors open. The hell with what the captain said! The roughnecks were his to command not hers! She made her way to Doc while the private and her captain helped out both Brutto and Gossard and began to make their way up the Normandy.
Both men were beginning to regain consciousness but just barely. The soldiers onboard the Normandy made their way towards the injured teams, they began to help them up while others returned covering fire.
"Dizzy, you stay here and watch after the boys. God only knows they fall apart without one of us."
"Captain," Doc spoke up, "What are you doing? Why is Dizzy wearing your rank?" Doc asked, completely out of the loop.
"C-cap'n, what's going on?" Gossard, his friend asked as well, "Did we win?"
Despite the situation, Captain Andrews couldn't help but laugh just a little at Gossard and his question. "Not yet, Goss, but we will, I promise," the captain said in a voice loud enough for him to hear but not necessarily yelling at the poor guy.
Deciding that he couldn't stall anymore, he had to end this now! As painful as it would be for him, it had to be done. "Roughnecks," he said and despite their conditions, his team heard him and paid attention. "Working with you all, has been a true honor," he said as he removed his Destroyer helmet showing off his face. "Each and every one of you has been nothing but a true friend to me. For that, I am thankful."
The team was looking at one another hoping that one of them would tell the other what their captain was talking about! And why he took off his helmet! That was a serious breach of HIS team protocols! He never took his helmet off during a mission. More importantly, why did he have tears in his eyes?
"As of now," he said as they snapped their attention back at him, "Dizzy is in charge of the Roughnecks."
Okay, it was official; they were given too much medigel and were having hallucinations. Yeah, that's it; there is no way their captain just said that Dizzy was in charge.
'Holy Hell…These guys are the famous 'Victory Roughnecks?' The Roughnecks that have never, ever failed a mission holy hell!' The private thought to himself. The "Victory Roughnecks" was a name they earned from their commanding officer, Victor after an impossible mission that didn't have any likelihood of succeeding. They proved to be the victors anytime, against all odds.
"ROUGHNECKS," Captain Victor Andrews said in his "obey my orders or you will be shot" voice, "MY FINAL ORDERS TO YOU ALL ARE TO BE FOLLOWED," Andrews said as he looked at them one by one, remembering them for who they were, shared experiences and so much more.
"Live forever apes. That's an order." With his peace made, he turned around and walked down the ramp of the Normandy, just in time to hear Shepard speaking to the Quarian.
"I have a home." She said voice full of sorrow and fear that she may never see Shepard again. Captain Andrews just kept going, ignoring the pleas of his own team as they begged him not to go without him. As much as it hurt him, he knew it had to be done. They were in their early twenties while he was in his late twenties. They had so much more to live for; they had family that deep down inside of him, he knew that they were still alive despite what his team believed. (AN: This was tricky to write but to clarify, Captain Andrews knows that the families of his team were alive despite what they believed.)
The long walk was meant for leaders after all and not their subordinates. As soon as both Andrews and Shepard had touched the soil, the ramp to the Normandy began to close and soon enough, escaped from the battlefield. Both men watched as their teams left hopefully to safety. Their attention was back to the task at hand when they began to hear the sirens, gunshots, and screams.
Facing each other, both knew what had to be done. One of them had to get into the Citadel, open the station, and then the Reapers would be killed by the "super weapon."
No words were spoken between them but they simply nodded in understanding what had to be done.
As fast as they could, they ran towards the relay, hell bent on making it to the Citadel! They dogged oncoming blasts better than the other Alliance soldiers could and were so close to the finish line they could taste it! Shepard was leading the charge while Andrews was hot on his heels covering him.
Shepard and Andrews were hauling ass as fast as they could. Looking up at the Reaper, Captain Andrews saw its eyes turn green again. So at least now he knew he wasn't crazy after all. No reports of reaper activity mentioned the eyes of a Reaper turning green before so, why now? The damn thing was driving him crazy.
That's when he heard that god-awful noise all Reapers make when they prepare to fire their primary weapon. One word was going through both men's mind at the sound: shit!
Time seemed to slow down considerably as the Reaper fired its destructive beam. Instead of it being the usual crimson red, its beam was now an eerie green. Two choices presented it for the captain. One: sacrifice Shepard by pushing him down, and saving the day, or two: run past Shepard and sacrifice himself to give Shepard the chance he needed to make it to the relay.
Grinding his teeth in sheer frustration, his choices were limited severely! This mission would… would be the death of him and he knew it. Captain Andrews made his choice!
Captain Victor Andrews ran faster than Shepard, and was now in front of him. The captain grabbed Shepard and threw him as best as he could towards the relay. The beam was closing in on him and there was no possible way for him to evade it.
Sighing in content, Captain Andrews looked towards Shepard, with a small grin on his face. "Take care of my team Shep." With his peace said, Captain Andrews stood patiently, waiting for his time to come.
They say then when a man faces death with a smile, that the man had lived a good and righteous life, that he has no regrets and is able to face his maker with pure and utter confidence.
(0.0.0)
He felt warm.
He felt tired.
He felt accomplished.
For the first time in his life, Captain Andrews felt accomplished. Granted all it took him was his death but still, he did what he needed to do and nothing more. Opening his eyes slowly, he was surprised to see that he was no longer on the battlefield. Then again, after being vaporized by a Reaper, he shouldn't be surprised.
Looking to the right, "Well, no chorus of angels here to greet me," he said to no one in particular. Looking to his left, "neither are little devils here to drag me off…"
"That's because you are not dead."
Rather than being shocked or even alarmed, Victor looks around to see where the voice came from. "Huh, I guess I am losing it after all," he said to himself.
A childlike laughs makes him look around to see where it came from but to his surprise, nothing. "I'm down here silly!"
Looking down towards his feet, Victor was surprised this time to see a little girl with bright green eyes, and neon green hair. As they made eye contact, she gives him a bright smile and a small wave of her hand. She was wearing a bright summer white dress and a small cat that covered a small section of her head.
Not one to be mean to children, Victor kneeled down and gave her a light pat on her hand. "Hello, princess," Victor said as he returned the smile to her. "What's your name if you don't mind me asking and what do you mean I'm not dead?"
Giggling to herself, she frowns for just a second before speaking. "Well, you're not dead, just like I said Naruto; I've been waiting for you for a long time actually. And it's quite rude for a gentleman to keep a lady waiting you know!" She said with a small but adorable pout on her face.
"Naruto?" Victor said with a questionable look on his face, "I think you have me confused with someone else Green Bean." Victor said with a mischievous grin on his face. "My name is Victor Andrews, and speaking of rude, it's impolite for a lady to not give her name!" He said as he crossed his arms, still smiling at the young girl and her antics.
Releasing a sigh, she spoke up and looked at him with a serious expression. "Perhaps, this form isn't serious enough for you; I hoped that my 'child form' would ease you into what I have to say…" Before Victor could ask what she meant, with a snap of her fingers, the young girl was absorbed into a bright green light! Victor covered his eyes due to the sheer brightness it created.
"So, how's this for you?" Lowering his arm, Victor had to blink a few times, and rub his eyes to make sure what he saw was indeed real. Gone was the little girl and in her place stood a beautiful voluptuous woman wearing the same white dress the young girl wore moments before! Victor had seen plenty of beautiful women in his life but this woman took the cake!
"Now, as I was saying-"She began to speak but was interrupted by Victor's sudden outburst of excitement.
"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! You're perfect!" Victor said as he began to inspect her from all angles, to stare at her amazing beauty. Out of seemingly nowhere, he pulled out two miniature signs that had the number '10' on them while still looking at her.
She had her eyes closed with a growing tick mark appeared on her forehead as she began to get fed up with Naruto's childlike antics, in his own way, he was very much like his Godfather Jiraiya. To get his attention again, she quickly punched the young man on top of his head which stopped him dead in his tracks. "Listen up idiot! I'm only gonna say this once, I can't give you my real name because you don't have the power to withstand the voice of a god, so, call me 'Emi' got it!"
As Emi opened her eyes, she was quickly engulfed in a hug by the blonde idiot. "You're the tsundere type aren't you? Oh, man, I thought those kinds of girls only existed in the Japanese manga Gossard read all the time!"
Emi may have been a goddess, but her strength was failing as she tried her best to escape the massive hug the boy had her in. "That does it!" Emi said in an angry tone of voice and with a snap of her fingers, she reverted back to her child form again. Hands on her hips, anger evident in her eyes and her face in a pissed off look, Victor/Naruto could do the only thing he could think of: he grabbed her once again into another hug.
Letting out a squeal of excitement, Victor/Naruto couldn't help but hug her. "Emi," he said, "you're so cute when you're angry!"
Trying to squirm her way loose from Victor/Naruto's grasp, she finds that it's impossible and ultimately decides to give up and tell him what he needs to know. Letting out a sigh from frustration, she begins, "Listen," Emi says, "The reason you are not dead is because I've been assigned to look after you ever since you came to this particular Earth."
Victor/Naruto too let out a small sigh, there was a time for fun and games and sadly, this was not it. "What do you mean Emi? Am I alien?" He asked. This was going to be one of those days when something life changing happens. Like when you go your favorite restaurant and order your favorite dish only to find out the restaurant you love has betrayed you and no longer serves the dish because management had decided to cut corners and save money by taking your favorite dish off the menu…
A few moments of silence had passed; Emi was contemplating what sort of answer she should give the blonde idiot. *Sigh* during the time Victor/Naruto was on Shepard's earth, a few days had passed for her while it was years for the blonde dummy. Knowing exactly what to say, Emi continued, "In a very narrow sense are you 'alien.' While you are a human full through, you come from an alternate earth where humanity has fully evolved to where they can use special techniques but," she paused dramatically, "at the cost of being fully evolved, their level of technology suffers greatly. So, that is their one fault."
During his early days of training, he was taught to "never show face." Meaning, to never show your expression to the news you are given, this was done to give the Alliance Navy the appearance of seasoned veterans regardless of being new recruits or actual veterans of war. He was failing to mask his appearance. His expression was one of mixed shock and confusion. An alternate earth, fully evolved humans?
"A-Are they like me? Do they have Biotic based powers?"
"No," Emi said as she freed herself from Victor/Naruto's almighty huh. "They have what is called 'chakra.' This allows them to manipulate elements to their will. Also, they have soldiers but not entirely." Emi said as she was now looking Victor/Naruto eye to eye.
"What do they have then?"
"They have ninja, Naruto. Also, Naruto is your name. You're Godfather; Jiraiya named you. Your parents' names are Minato and Kushina Namikaze." She said as though he knew what he was going to ask her.
He had so many questions, ones that he had saved up from when he was a child in the orphanage. What happened to his parents? Did they ever want him? Were they alive? Did…did they ever love him. Naruto spoke up hesitatingly, "I-I have the feeling… I'll be meeting them soon enough huh…?"
A sad smile appeared on Emi's face, "Yeah, they've missed their twelve year old son for a long time. Before you ask, time proceeds differently in different parts of each and every galaxy. And…" she trailed off for another dramatic pause, "Just so you know, Earth was saved, the Reapers were defeated, your team is alive and well, enjoying their golden years."
'Golden years…? That can't be right, she has to be wrong! They were barely in their early twenties!'
Realizing the look of confusion on his face, Emi spoke up again, "Time progresses quickly here." She said as she took out a pocket watch from seemingly nowhere, looking at her watch, she realized that she was running out of time as well! "CRAP" she said in a pissed off tone of voice. "You can't stay here any longer; you need to get home – your REAL home, Naruto-kun!"
Immediately Emi snapped her hands and what appeared next further shocked Naruto into confusion even more. Appearing from the green light was none other than a UT-47A Kodiak. Naruto was excited at seeing a Kodiak again. He was a crackerjack pilot that could land anything you give him on any terrain! Once again, Naruto began to squeal from excitement from the sight of the war-machine alone!
Another tick mark appeared on Emi's head. 'Does he squeal out of excitement for everything or is he just an idiot? Still, it's nice seeing someone become excited for almost no reason at all.' Emi thought with a small smile adoring her face.
That came to an end though when Naruto placed his hands on her hips, picked her up and began to twirl her around in circles while calling her a "adorable little tsundere creature."
On the outside, she may have been pissed off by him and his antics but deep down, deep down, she loved the attention he was giving her. Mentally shaking her head, she snapped her fingers again.
One second Naruto is twirling the green beauty around and the next; he was seated inside the Kodiak. From outside the seat of the cockpit window, he was able to see Emi with her hands on her hips and looking adorably pissed off right now.
"LISTEN IDIOT,'' Emi said, "YOU NEED TO GO HOME NOW! HUMANS AREN'T MEANT TO BE HERE FOR SO LONG! THE LONGER YOU'RE HERE, THE MORE TROUBLE I GET INTO!" She said trying to ignore the starry eyes coming from the blonde idiot, "ANYWAY, THE SHIP IS YOURS, IT'LL TAKE YOU TO THE 'LAND OF WAVES,' ONCE THERE YOU'LL MEET ANOTHER IDIOT WITH SILVER SPIKED HAIR, WEARING A MASK, HE'LL HELP YOU OUT! AND FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD, DON'T TELL PEOPLE YOU TALKED TO A GODDESS, THAT'LL JUST CREATE MORE PROBLEMS FOR YOU!"
Naruto simply nodded his head with stars in his eyes.
'It's almost impossible to stay made at the blonde idiot….'
With that, being said, Emi slowly but surely raised her hand, ready to snap her fingers at a moment's notice. Yet, she didn't want him to go. In the short time they had talked, she grew attached to him. However, the longer he stayed, the less time he would have to spend with his parents. She would never allow a noble soul like his to suffer an eternity of loneliness ever again. So… with that in mind, she snapped her fingers and then… he was gone. Enveloped in the emerald green light, Naruto was sent back to his world of origin.
Mentally sighing, Emi began to go over her checklist.
Retrieve Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze and explain his origins. Check
Sent him back to his world of origin. Check.
Confiscate his "Black-Box" of weapons, and armor to keep his world in balance.
"OH CRAP I FORGOT ABOUT THAT!"
(0.0.0)
AN: Wow! This chapter really took me a long time as well as research to study up on. First things first, Doc, Gossard, Brutto, Dizzy are all from "Roughnecks: The Starship Trooper Chronicles." IF there is one thing I hate the most, it is creating an original character. Next Chapter: A land in need!