John Hoover Shepard awoke to his Omni tool notifying a message. He knew it was from Alliance Command because of the tune he had set, a short section of the Alliance Anthem. He really wanted to read it to see if there was new changes to his standing orders, that of a position aboard the new experimental craft, co-opted with the Turians, the Normandy, and serving under his mentor, Captain Anderson. He really did.
But both arms were pinned under sleeping women next to him.
It took some skill, biotics, and military discipline to untangle himself from the knot of loose blankets, untucked sheets, and sleepy hands grasping at the escaping warmth, and adding to the equation a third body that shocked him more at the lack of recall than the actual presence thereof. He stood up and walked to the chair and plucked and clean and pressed dress uniform and got about putting his haphazardly thrown civvies in the bag before checking the message.
Charlie level clearance required:
Voice print required.
John smirked. The orange glow of the Hard Light casting his figure in a warm light. His frame was of average height but his muscular body tensed and pulsed as a deep chuckle rumbled past his lips. Green eyes complimented his brown crew cut and rust colored shadow on his strong jaw.
"The Hammer of Thor is Mine."
Voice print accepted.
Loading encrypted message...
...
...
Message Loaded. Display? Y/N
Hitting the Y, the message showed and it seemed it was from Anderson.
Shepard,
Took some pull but I got your guys in on the Run. Horvath will be under Chakwas when not on missions helping her with evals. Simmons will float between Pressley and Adams with maintenance repair and on mission Logistics as well as Requisitions. You got them. Don't make my life too much of a nightmare, you understand son?
Capt. Anderson
John still barely suppressed the whoop of victory, being respectful to the satisfied slumbering ladies as he finished polishing his Commander Emblem. Now pressed and clean, he wrote a note and left a credit chit, apologizing that he couldn't stay but to use the credits to get themselves to remember him by, he walked out into the bustling Vancouver city air and headed to his new XO position.
This is gonna be kick ass!
XxXxXxX
Job woke with a strangled grunt and sweat covered sheets. Grasping at his non regulation length brown hair, he took measured breathes to calm his aching heart. Once it settled into a calmer tempo, he relaxed the biotic field that was building around him till he was calm enough to stand.
His thin and wiry frame, all long and flexible muscle, felt uneven as he got his bearings and reminded himself where he was.
In my apartment. Safe. Not back there. Not either of them.
He looked around his studio apartment. A mattress with no frame, a computer on a desk, a couch and seat with some cushions thrown around, Pictures and plaques of his degrees in sociology and psychology, and his sometime roommate, Mister the cat. Said cat was giving him a bored glare from his empty bowl near the cat door.
"Yeah yeah, I hear ya. Let's get you a good meal before I ship out." Job Joel Horvath got the last can of food the semi feral deemed worthy of his tastebuds before the feline dug in without even a sound of gratitude. "Here you go bud. Eat up. It will be a long while before I return. Take care of Miss Little Bit."
The cat gave an annoyed blank stare back and meows, Job taking it as "of course I will, Peon."
His brown eyes peek out into the cityscape beyond, his long and pointed features gaunt and the shadows of the early morning light making them more pronounced before sighing and getting dressed, reading the message of new orders on his Omni-Tool and shrugging at the prestigious undertones he was supposedly being bestowed. He got his shower and shave in before he pinned his Lieutenant Commander Emblems on and making sure he was presentable before departing with a final prayer/greeting.
"Hakuna Matata."
XxXxXxX
Jace didn't sleep much anymore.
Mind you he always fell asleep early enough as it was, but he never slept for long. The small hours of the morning were when he usually rose and couldn't go back to sleep. Rarely did he dream any more and when he did they were the usual nonsense or of times he would rather keep in the past.
He would tinker with what was at hand, or play some games. It was what he was good at that he could relax with. He knew of the coming orders. He was the one that made them happen after all. Covertly. Nothing tracing back to him. The desk light showed a pale face, soft edges and bright blue eyes, smile lines and full lips that formed them with the beginnings of a beard that was as brown with copper tint just like his hair.
He was assembling a pistol and tweaking it to his specifications as a helmet with a blank opaque visor loomed in the peripherals of his vision. It made the apparatus at the base of his skull feel all too present as he put a small capsule in it, a rush of medications and stimulants subtly being injected into him. Innocent and civilian grade stuff just to keep one's focus, but the cord that hung from the helmet made him shiver in both dread and anticipation. He squashed both under hard earned discipline and sighed as his Alliance issued Omni pinged next to his custom one on his wrist. The custom one activated, the usual orange replaced my a dark and oppressive maroon. The usual orders being shown as well as an additional section beneath it.
Agent Janus:
Mission #2548
Board Alliance Vessel SSV Normandy and maintain surveillance over command structure and crew. Primary objective: Ensure missions conducted on such vessel are accomplished at any means and report issues through usual channels. (The Suit is prepped and secured in external port). Ensure Commander Shepard attains Specter status. Secondary objectives: provide further evaluations of all members and update dossiers as needed. Shepard must maintain loyalty to Humanity first and our interests. Specter Kyrik is to be watched at all times covertly. Do not intercept calls or hack into Terminal. Not enough data to pursue aggressive means yet. Do not be compromised.
Terminate message Y/N?
Keying in the termination sequence, he pushed back and sighed before going and washing his face and looking into his eyes, a vacant gaze.
It's showtime, Jace. Put on that winning smile.
And in a flash gone was the tired eyes and weary expression. His eyes shown with an analyzing gaze but a disarming smile and open body language just made most people overlook him or think naught but the best. The kinda guy you go to for advice or to lend an ear. The good guy who will hold your hair and open the door for you. A good guy.
But I know I'm not that person anymore.
But he had a duty. And he would see it through.
By any means, damn the personal sacrifice.
XxXxXxX
"Decontamination in progress.
Logged. XO Sheppard aboard. Full crew is aboard."
Sheppard was surprised at being the final person aboard, doesn't send the best message to his underlings, but he was still technically early so it was whatever. He cleared the airlock and was immersed in the dim lighting of Alliance deep blue and stark white in a narrow half-circle tube with the left leading to the cockpit with a trio of chairs, the central one being manned and worked on by what he assumed was the Flight Officer. Going by the occasional snark he heard as the man dictated his fellow pilots he was probably gonna be a joy to work with. Now if he meant that or was facetious he would see. He turned right down the tube, bordered by rows of flight terminals were manned each by another officer with engineers hovering over a few to either introduce a new guy to the particulars or to run last minute diagnostics.
The tube opened up into a larger expanse where what can only be Navigator Pressley, an older veteran of the FCW with a gnarled expression and barking voice, ordered the men and women into place before noticing Sheppard and in that same barking tone shouted, "XO on deck!"
Immediately everybody there stood at attention and with a mix of disciplined and awed expressions and hushed whispers of "Hero" and "Blitz" being quieted, he knew his reputation preceded him. "As you were." With that dismissal everyone returned to work, he looked towards Pressley with a question that he hoped asked for where the Captain was. It must have because with a nod and twitch towards the stairs, one on each end of the end of the room. A divider leading to the meeting room which he will check later rested between them. He made his way down the stairs and walked into the mess hall and crew quarters where he noticed a familiar face right off the bat. Hard to miss when he is that tall.
"Horvath."
The lanky man gave a jump at the call and turned to the noise and a big smile broke out on his sharp face and his tired eyes brightened at the sight of his friend. "John! How are you my friend." His mellow tenor greeted as he put the tablet down and wrapped his long arms around his friend.
"I am great. Just came aboard and heading towards the Captain to check in. You seen Simmons around?"
"Last I heard, he was crawling through the ducts about some Scrubber seals not right. You know him," he shrugs, "raised on ships so he gets paranoid that anything can go wrong."
"Oh I know. Preventive maintenance. More like rampant paranoia." Shepard chuckled and pat his friend on the shoulder. "Gotta head out. See you after?"
"Sounds like a plan."
With that Sheppard went to the door and after making sure he wasn't anything but dress perfect, he knocked on the door. "Commander Shepard requesting permission to enter."
"Get in here, son."
Smiling at the informal command, he taps the portal and the door opens up for him, seeing the rough looking African skinned man who was looking over tablets in one hand with his sharp, aged black eyes and swirling a whiskey glass in the other. Putting down the tech and downing the drink, not even wincing at the bite it must have, walked up and took Sheppard by the hand. "Glad to see you, son. Enjoy your leave?"
Not able to hide the smirk, Sheppard nodded. "It was the usual sir. A few autographs and pics and free drinks kept me from remembering the rest of the night sir."
Giving a knowing smile, Anderson offered a seat and poured them both a glass of the whiskey. "It comes with repelling enough Slavers to occupy a whole planet. Though a bit much no?"
Swirling the drink much like his mentor was earlier, he took a sip and hissed at the strong burn. "A bit but this is gonna be a long posting so I was told, so I decided to cut loose and then come here all outta party."
Anderson snorted at that and gave a pointed stare before moving on. "We got a pick up on Arcturus and then the actual shake down will begin. Got a VIP to oversee it all."
"Politician?"
"Quite the opposite. You will see what I mean soon." He smirks and lifts up his glass. "To a smooth and uneventful run."
"Doubt it knowing me" Sheppard says before lifting his glass and they toasted to the voyage.
XxXxXxX
"Ten minutes till lift off ladies and gentleman. All aboard the shiny new ship for a boring shakedown run."
Shepard felt the corner of his lips twitch at the informal tone of the flight lieutenant. Peering over the display in the CIC, he could tell that Pressely didn't approve but kept it strictly professional. Good. Always a comfort to know most of the Command on ship was willing to allow quirks if they didn't impede command or combat. Otherwise him and his buds would have pushed him into early retirement.
He logged off the tablet and handed it to the techie that wanted an executive eye on how his section of the ship was running and all seemed systems go. John made his way to the cockpit, wanting to see the lift off of the maiden voyage from the best seat in the house. Plus, he wanted to get to know his pilot. He had already got to have a one on one with his Chief Engineer and Navigator, but he still wanted to meet and greet others still; pilot, mess seargant, armory chief, and his platoon commander (a fellow biotic from what he recalled). Jace was on that list, but knowing his semi reclusive ways, he didn't know when he would get the chance to catch up with him.
"-All I'm saying is that it's an option, Joker." An even and placating tone calmly stated loud enough to be heard down the "hall".
Speak of the devil. Passing by the airlock, he scanned the small room, three pilot chairs and two side terminals with very little standing room, he saw his pilot having an opinion about what his buddy and non biotic of the trio had to say.
"And all I'm saying is that I don't crap gold and spit out credits," the tone of the reply was a mix of nasal, snark, and just a dash of whine, making a cocktail that would make most men think they were being talked down to like an idiot. "This isn't just a single broken bone, it's my entire skeleton that would need to be replaced. And I don't know about you, but I don't feel shelling out every penny I will ever earn in, like, two lifetimes just to feel like the bionic man."
The pilot must have had an expression that closed down that line of dialogue cause Jace sighed and shrugged, conceding the point more than likely. He was seated in one of the co-pilots chairs, the other manned by an actual person licensed to sit there hopefully. Jace turned when he noticed Shepard's presence and smiled with a wave. "Howdy hey Commander."
The pilot merely turned in his seat and offered a lazy salute. "So you're the big-shot XO huh. Hmm, I imagined you taller." He snarked before going back to his screen and finishing something, diagnostics maybe.
"Aw, see, I told you that you were short, and that the bulk just made it worse." Jace teased before hopping out of his seat, adjusting his clothes and retucking his shirt.
"We are the same height, and I still can kick your ass so shut it." John and Jace embraced and pat each other's back twice before separating at arms length. "Though somehow you seem more round! What happened to all that bulk we worked together on you getting."
"Traded it for padding to enjoy my desk job with, which I have you to blame for my not having anymore. And I was just getting the secretary to fall to my charms." Jace shot back with a feigned disappointed tone before chuckling and putting his arms at his side.
"Can you both take your bromance elsewhere, people gotta ship to fly and your steaming up the displays." The pilot (Joker, the dossier said was his nickname, gotta remember) caustically remarked as he proceeded to wipe his screen for added effect.
If this wasn't his present command, he and Jace would have hammed up some overly dramatic and romantic display just to mess with others, but he wanted to have this thing called Respect and Authority, so he let it slide. "Just reacquainting with a friend is all Lieutenant Moreau." He pat his friends shoulder and nodded down the hall, conveying to meet up later. "How's the ship coming along?"
"She's been on a few test runs, making sure the hull was not filled with little holes and that the stealth wasn't just a gimmick. All in all, after a few adjustments she is running smooth as silk, Commander."
"Good man. Mind if I sit through the takeoff?"
Joker turned in his seat and gave a mildly accusing stare. "Am I being evaluated?"
"'Course not." John took it in stride. He didn't like others hovering over his work either. "Just want to see the best part in the," he eyed the main pilot chair before settling on the co-pilot seat, "second best seat in the house."
Joker immediately lightened up at that and with a flourish of his hand gestures to the chair as he returned to his terminal, "Be my guest, sir. About to start up anyway. Just some last minute adjustments."
John smirked and settled in, logging in and observing the spread of data and the input the man next to him was typing in at an impressive pace. Seeing all was within safe (and legal) parameters, he settled in and watched as the ship started up, thrumming to life and rising off the ground. The quick feeling of vertigo before the gravity simulators popped on passed and they started making their way out of atmosphere, Joker making the mandatory calls over the Com.
And then Blue bled into Black, and they were ready for their journey, no one knowing exactly how long this very journey would take, nor how deep into the abyss it would take them.
XxXxXxX
So yeah, this was a thing. Please read and review!