Revenge Is Fun… Because You're Dead
Chapter 1
Callidus Shepard was standing in a sea of gore, the mutilated bodies of mercenaries surrounded him, and his body was cloaked with dark energy. His facial scars glowed with the malignant orange light of the cybernetics beneath his skin. Armed with his biotic abilities and a Phalanx heavy pistol, Shepard was cutting his way through a band of mercenaries who thought attempting to kill him was a good way to pass the time. The mercenaries obviously hadn't been aware of his temperament, because they were completely unprepared for the brutal reprisal that came shortly after.
A mercenary came flying around the corner, and Shepard threw a warp out at him; he was torn apart at the molecular level. Within a few seconds, all that was left was a cloud of bloody mist. Shepard laughed. He was intoxicated by the smell of blood, whether it be Turian, Salarian, Asari, Batarian, or any other species out there. It wasn't as if he needed it, he just reveled in it. Killing was part of his life, and he thoroughly enjoyed it.
Another mercenary started firing at him as he rounded the corner, Shepard threw a stasis field up around him, completely freezing him. He used this time to walk around him so as to position himself behind the mercenary. He willed the stasis field out of existence, placed one hand on the mercenaries chin, the other on the side of his head and snapped his neck with a satisfying crack. He turned around to see another one of the churls coming at him and threw him into the back wall with sufficient force to rupture the body, seeing as there was a trail of blood on the wall where the corpse had slid down after impact.
He heard heavy footsteps coming down the hall toward him, and flicked on the laser-dot sight on his pistol. As soon as he saw the first mercenary he put a round right between his eyes. Three more came after, the first two he dispatched with clean headshots, the last he hit with a biotic slam. The mercenary flew up and then hit the ground with a crunch that would sicken a normal person. This carnage, in various forms, had been going since he hit groundside 9 hours ago, and as of right now there was no end to it in sight. It didn't matter, he had time to kill. He chuckled to himself, turned the corner, and found himself in front of an opening elevator, with four very large, very angry Krogan inside.
20 Earth Standard Hours before, The Citadel, Zakera Ward Level 26, That one Noodle Shop
The Ramen was overpriced, un-appetizing, and undercooked, but the beer was good and that was why Shepard was there. Genuine Coors beer, brewed in the Rocky Mountains, and imported from Earth, and the noodle shop was the only place outside of Alliance space that had it on tap. This small detail was incentive enough for Shepard to brave the sub-standard food, and drop the necessary credits to get his beer. Shepard was not usually a drinking man, but after blowing up a star system, and with the Batarian Hegemony clamoring for his head on a silver platter, he was making an exception. After his seventeenth beer, he still wasn't feeling at all intoxicated so he dropped a thousand credits on the counter and left.
He went to go find Tali and Legion, who were in Saronis Applications haggling over some software upgrades for the Normandy, and as he passed the warehouse he was tackled by a Hanar. (This begs the question, how does a Hanar go about tackling someone anyway) The Hanar had a hypodermic needle in one of its tentacles, and was in the act of inserting it into Shepard's jugular when he produced a mass effect field that increased the mass of the Hanar to such a degree that he imploded in on himself in compressed mess of pink, gelatinous ichor.
Shepard reached into the mess that used to be a Hanar, and found both the hypodermic needle and the Hanar's omni-tool intact near the middle of the puddle of goo. Before C-Sec could stop him, Shepard ran to Saronis Applications, paid the Salarian clerk, and made haste to the Normandy. Once there they fired up the engines got the hell out of dodge.
"Shepard-Commander, we did not acquire the necessary program updates. We recommend that we return to the Citadel post-haste." Legion was saying as they entered the CIC from the airlock.
"Legion, which do you think holds higher priority? An attempt on my life; or some system updates?" Shepard replied sarcastically. "Wouldn't you be a Reaper worshipping heretic if it weren't for me?"
"Shepard-Commander, the updates are required for the Normandy's critical systems to run at optimum efficiency. Logically we should -"
"Legion, Shepard cannot be reasoned with when he's angry, why don't we go analyze that omni-tool so we can give him something to channel his anger into." Tali had interrupted Legion for his own safety, against her better judgment, but an affront on her captain was an affront on her, and thus concessions had to be made. "Let's go find out who wants Shepard dead, so we can find them."
An hour later, and Shepard had the location for a base on the planet Klendagon, in the Century system, in the Hawking Eta cluster. Mordin had analyzed the contents of the hypodermic needle, it was a mix of stonefish venom, from Earth, and powerful neurotoxins from the Hanar's stingers. The poisonous cocktail would have been enough to overwhelm the cybernetic systems in his body that made him immune to poison, and he would have been dead in seconds.
Naturally, Shepard was seeing red. Once the course was set, Shepard went up to his cabin to put on his armour, and then began to kill his fish by creating air bubbles in their tiny little brains, and then popping them with his biotics, causing brain aneurysms. He saw it as precision training. The little fishies would die and slowly sink to the bottom. He derived sick pleasure from this activity. He felt the lurch as they were shot through the mass relay, and decided to stop, since he had accidentally destroyed the tanks once before. And he did not want to fix them again.
As they transitioned back to sub-light speeds they plotted a course for the Century system and Shepard made for the conference room to assemble the team. He was going to do this alone. He did not want to share the glorious bloodshed with anyone else on the team, not when it was this personal.
The first person to arrive was Jacob, which was understandable since the armoury was right there. Shortly after Mordin came in, fidgeting with his omni-tool. Then Kasumi, Garrus, Thane, Samara, Legion, Grunt, Jack, Zaeed, and Tali all came in at once. How did they all fit in the elevator at once? Shepard thought to himself, No matter, they probably aren't going to like my plan.
"Battle-Master, why have you summoned us?" Grunt asked, getting straight to the point. "Are we going to kill more big things soon?"
"Yeah Shepard, what gives? I was asleep." Jack said, in that gleefully bitchy way that she liked to do things.
"I am going to assault a mercenary base on Klendagon. You are going to watch my back, and watch out for reinforcements after I go in. I am going in alone, nothing any of you say or do will make me change my plan. Someone tried to assassinate me, and I would like to give my reply personally." Just as Shepard finished his explanation, Tali began to voice her opinion on the various shortcomings of this course of action. Shepard promptly cut her off. "No, none of you are coming with me, you will be on the surface, And on the off chance that I need assistance, I will call for you, but as of right now I am doing this alone. You are dismissed, prepare to board the shuttle. We leave in two hours."
Shepard stepped over the body of the last Krogan, and into the elevator. He looked out on his handiwork, the most interesting kill had all four extremities torn clean off, a considerable feat for any biotic. Shepard wasn't even winded. He thumbed the switch on the elevator and accelerated down into what was likely the central command center of the base.
He stepped off the elevator, and walked straight into the biggest Elcor he had ever seen. "With the utmost sincerity: It is time for you to die."