hey everybody! This is my second Mass Effect story and after being thought in my head for so long, I thought i'd write it down. This is two part story if you missed that. Here we go! I don't own the mass effect franchise of bioware.
Commander John Shepard looked out at the vast expanse of space from the east side observation deck that his close freind Samara, a matriarch, but also a hardened Asari Justicar loved 9 long months previous.
The Asari were no, still are inspite of all, a beautiful race blue, scaled, feminine race of humanoids that live for ancient amounts of time and go through several life "cycles" to account for the different phsychological and physical changes they go through during the atypical 1000 year period that is their life. Instead of natural hair, they have asorted tentacles which act just the same as human hair. Despite being all female they claim they have no concept of gender. They reproduce through an imprintation of the "givers" nervous system using biotic waves. The "recievers" then uses this imprintation naturally to create a genetically diverse offspring. But because they reproduce sexually through imprintation, not gametes, they can reproduce with any other sentient creature with an advanced nervous system. The natural biotic ability comes from Thessia's(Their homeworld) abundance of element zero distributed in small quantities spread out into the water cycle. So every living thing on Thessia has biotic abilities.
Even when gazing out into the infinite expanse of beauty that is the universe, Shepards thoughts were clouded. He couldn't think about the universe right now and its ancient primordial beauty. His thoughts were more, down to earth, so to speak. 3 almost 4 years previous Shepad had uncovered a plot set by the most famous Turian Spectre (An important council agent to represent their race), Saren to call upon an ancient machine race that wakes from a deep sleep every 50,000 years to wipe out all sentient life systematically. After a long hunt lasting months, Shepard had finally tracked down Saren just to learn that it was sarens flagship, Sovereign, was one of these ancient mechanical monsters and that it was planning to call upon its bretheren in "Dark Space" to start the extermination cycle once more.
Shepard and the Human alliance stopped Sovereign but at the cost of many, many human lives. They weigh heavily on shepards soul. But their lives bought the denizens of the galaxy a little more time to prepare for the coming onslought. Th previous race to be exterminated by these machines, Protheans, Called them "Reapers" as they come and harvest the populations of worlds and assimilate them into soldiers for the reapers to carry out their bloody business more efficiently.
A rougue geth sect dubbed "The Heretics" by the main Geth compiliation had sided with sovereign and tried to stop Shepard. Later while patrolling for Geth Shepard and his famous ship, the Normandy, were ambushed by the mysterious "Collectors" a race of assimilated protheans that are controlled by the oldest reaper "Harbinger" and "collect" helpless members of a species to aid in Reaper "Reproduction". (I guess you could call it Reaperduction! HAHAHAHAHHAAHHHHAHHA! Sorry, I had to. X'D ) Sheperd was salvaged and brought back to life over the course of 2 years by "Project Lazurus" run and funded by a shadowy organization by the name of Cerberus, Lead by an even more shadowy and secretive man that not evn his name is known by his closest friends so he goes by "The Illusive Man". The illusive man funded shepard and gave him resources and information to help hi defeat thee collectors and eventually after many more months, he did. Destroying their central base at the heart of the galaxy. But this didn't stop Harbinger from calling all the reapers from their slumber to begin the vicious cycle once more.
Because Shepard worked for Cerberus, when he returned to the Alliance, he was court-marshalled and treated as a prisoner of war. Shepard tried to warn everyoone of the coming danger but only Admiral Anderson, after retiring from his council position to which he accepted after commander Shepard recommended him after the attack on the citidel, and the War-hero in-control of of the Alliances Space Navy, Admiral Hackett. About a month ago The reapers took earth an shepard was forced to flee to rally forces to his banner and to push back the reapers. But back to Shepard in the now.
Shepard had fallen for tali a year previous after a series of event including Liara's rejection of shepard trying to rekindle a romance of 2 years prvious(But 3 weeks ago, she tried to win shepard back and he respectfully declined and told her he tried already and she declined) and helping her regain the admiration of her people which led to her becoming an admiral of the quarian fleet. Shepard had just helped the vacuum nomadic quarian people regain their homeworld with the ASSISTENCE of the Geth Compiliation after forming a friendship with the geth platform "Legion" and letting legion upgrade his people with a reaper data code that would make the geth sentient but also independent from reaper control. After convincing the Quarians Military Armada to call a ceasefire on the Geth's large Military Fleet. They allied and the geth allowed the quarians to return to their ancient homeworld, Rannoch. It was an uneasy agreement at first but both the geth and the quarians saw mutual benefit through daily coexistence. Tali remained on on the Normandy to travel with her lover Shepard and to help him hold together in these troubled times.
But Shepard waas thinking about earth. His home. Everything that was left behind. Everyone... They left behind... He couldn't let go of that boy. His face of terror when he boarded that ship praying for life. He'd probably lost his parents. Sheperd knew the feeling. When Shepard was 13 his family left the metropolises of earth behind for a quieter life on the frontier. They Moved to the colony of Melminks 7c or "Harmony" in the Attican Beta. There he lived till he was 17 and Alpha Burn, a group of infamous Battarian Pirates and slave traders attacked Harmony and killed his parents. Shepard was force to watch. The images still haunt him. From there, Every Child was chained and taken into slavery. Luck for them though, an Alliance Patroller had spotted thhe ship and realized its purpose based on the Alpha Burn Insignia. They engaged in combat and boarded. They took every child and adolescent they could as quickly as possible. As soon as they cleared out the upper slave quarters with shepard, the batarian captain regained consiousness and sealed every room exept the upper slave quarters and vented it, killing two alliance soldiers instantly. Alpha burn then escaped taking all of the slaves on the lower slave deck with them.
The patroller returned the children and adolescents to a nearby space transit station where they could be picked up by relatives. The captain of the Vessel, Captain Anderson(Later commander, then admiral) picked out Shepard and talked to him. Anderson inspired Shepard to join the alliance navy 3 years later. Anderson gave shepard his alliance navy captains metal badge an told shepard: "Nomatter where you come from, nomatter whats happened to you, nomatter where you plan to go, you're always the captain of your own destiny."
These words inspired shepard through the rest of his life and soon ater being dropped off, Johns aunt, Suzanne Shepard Picked him up and he lived with her for 3 years on the star ship that she captained "The Nomad". He learned important technological knowhow in that period which looked very good on his reume for applying to the alliance navy.
Shepard was broken from his reminicing when Communicator Taylors voice came over the intercom.
"Um, Commander? I've just recieved a message... for you. Its best if you just come see it." Taylor nervously spoke.
"Affirmative . I'm on my way." was shepards response.
It took Shepard a few minutes in the elevattor but he arrived in good time and walked over to the comunicator She promptly saluted and began to speak again.
"Sir, here it is..." Taylor said as she pressed the button to play the message.
Commmander Shepard. This is outpost 193 of Kepler 34b otherwise Felthan by its quarian name. We have news of the utmost importance. It makes this problem much simpler if I just fill you in, in person. This is seargent Annie Cawthorne reporting. Sending coordinates attached with this message.
"Just recieved the coordinates sir." Taylor said attenively typing away at the console.
"Good work Taylor. Send the coordinates to Joker and EDI. Tell him we're plotting a course."
"Yes sir." Taylor saluted John and went back to the console.
John Shepard sat in the main gun core with his Closest friend, a turian, Garrus Vakarian. Shepard and Garrus have been friends for the entire 4 years, excluding the 2 years that shepard was quite literlly dead and was being reanimated by cerberus. He met him after going to ask Dr. Michel(a popular doctor on the citadel) if she knew anything about Saren or anyone who knew . Michel was being held hostage by the thugs of a crime boss named Fist. A thug tried to stand behind michel and use her as leverage to escape. Garrus shot his,missing Michel by a small margin. From that moment on, they worked together after shepard explained the problem with Saren and Garrus followed Shepard into the Citadel when Sovereign and its geth attacked without hesiation, he would give his life for shepard in heartbeat, for shepard had become his only and best friend.
When Shepard was reported dead, Garrus was devastated. He didn't eat or drink for a week until his body rejected its faste and he had to. But in his grief, he decided that he'd do his best to help people, live by his dead friends example. So he went to the most lawless part of the galaxy: The Terminus Systems. There he made a base on the former mining colony, now a capital for all of terminus, Omega. He gathered men and woman that wanted to end the crime bosses reign and add law and order to a lawless world, to make things better, for everyone. Things were going well and he even earned the name "Archangel", given to him by grateful locals. But as a direct byproduct, the crime bosses and mercenary groups: Blue Suns, Blood Pack, Eclipse, and the Blood Pack.
Garruses fireteam was betrayed by a member, Sidonis, and was wiped out by the 3 groups. Garrus swore revenge ad later shepard found garrus and helped him escape the groups but unfortuntely a rocket shot by a blue suns gunship, exploded next to his face and permanenty scarred him. Garrus was glad to have his friend back but he needed proof that it was really shepard. Shepards actions proved himself and garrus was his best friends once more but he was consumed by his hate for sidonis, like he was with the mad salarian organ harvesting doctor 2 years previous. Shepard helped garrus find sidonis but shepard talked to sidonis instead of letting garrus kill him. Sidonis confessed, Shepard pointed garrus out and Sidonis broke into tears. He begged garruses forgiveness and admitted that his life was hell. He could barely eat an drink.
He almost could never sleep, and when he did, their faces haunted him. He was living his punishment and he could never be free. He told garrus that if he wanted to shoot him, go ahead. He has nothing left to live for. Pity and forgivness entered garruses heart that day. He spared Sidonis and later sidonis tried to turn himself in but was refused because there wasn't any law in the Terminus, much less on Omega.
"Hey Garrus..." Shepard began.
"Yes Shepard?" Garrus asked in his scratchy but yet smooth voice.
Do you ever think of how far we've come? Everything we've been through? And to think that theres still more to come."
Garrus turned to shepard revealing the terrible burn and shrapnel scar that adorned his face from under his left eye down his face an even over his mandable.
"I don't like to look back Shepard... It makes it all the harder to keep moving forward. You taught me that its always about the best way, not the quickest. But the best makes you look back. The quickest hurts less...
"But it hurts more people. You need to remember why you fight. What if a reaper killed me? Would you keep fighting? or would it hurt too much to remember me?" The question was bold. Even for Shepard. He'd considered his mortality a few times but he always brushed it aside, but now, with down time, in the middle of a full blown war with the most powerful and destructive beings to ever exist, Shepard genuinely considered his own death. What would happen to the alliance, Humanity, All of the galaxys creatures, The Crew of the normandy, If he died?
"I know Shepard... and you're right. Its best to remember the fallen. It just hurts. I guess we take it out the enemy don't we? Take a kind of vengeance?"
"In a way." Shepard replied.
Then Jokers voice rang over the intercom. "Approaching Felthan Commander."
"Thanks Joker."
"No problem Commander."
Shepard went and got his combat armor on and prepared for anything to come. He'd seen plenty of horors in his past that still kept him up at night. He refused to be caught off guard by another. There was a quick depressurization when the Normandy entered Felthans atmosphere and then after a minute or so, there was a gentle lurch as the ship landed.
"Damn, Jokers a good pilot." Shepard said as his suit locked together and became tight against his body.
Shepard made his way to the bridge and called up his two chosen companions. Tali and Garrus made their way to the bridge in their protetive gear. Garrus was a bit quicker as he never took it off unless he slept, which was a rare occurance at the present time. Tali always had to wear an biological exo-suit being a quarian so she just had to activate the ballistic tightening program she downloaded at the primary armory of the heavy fleet.
Shepard smiled when he saw tali and he believed he saw her smile back. Garrus smirked at the pairs electricity.
"Are you two ready?" Shepard asked the pair.
"To the bitter end." Garrus aid as he pulled out his sniper rifle and it extended to its full length. Shepard looked at tali.
"In this life..." Tali began.
"And in the next..." Shepard finished for her. She looked down and closed her eyes.
"Keeh'lah'salai." Tali whispered.
"Keeh'lah'salai." Shepard whispered in response. Shepard then pounded the door once and it slid open to reveal a dry desolate world with some desert shrubs here and there surrounding the most magnificent natural rock formations he'd ever seen. They formed smooth collumns and arches, bridges to the sky, tall towers that appeared if they were ade as he seats of gods to look down upon their mortal counterparts. Shepard sheilded his eyes from the blinding orange sun as a small gust of sand and dirt rushed into the exit and enter port.
"Felthan... One of the frontier worlds of my race. It was called the ancient majesty. I thought the vids were breathtaking... I never thought i'd see it i person..."
Tali spoke in awe.
Garrus was silent but his jaw dropped slightly at the breathtaking sight of it all. A ping appeared on shepard holo-visor. A small rotating circle appeared where the camp should be. But there was something large and purple...
like a deep purple tower rising into the sky. It looked like... Shepard shook his head. It couldn't be a reaper. There had been no reaper sightings anywhere near felthan. He'd just ask Seargent Annie would explain. The mako lowered to te ground from an extendable arm and the trio loaded in. It was a short drive in a mako, only 15.7 miles, only a few short minutes in the all terrain craft.
They pulled into the camp and a female form in N7 armor with a deathmask on approached the arriving mako, flanked by a krogan and a turian. A salarian brought up the rear staaring and tapping on a virtual clipboard in ballistic intelligence armor.
The purple tower lay buried in the ancient Felthan soil, surrounded by lab tents and scanning mechs and scientists, guarded by attentive but slighty bored soldiers.
"Hello commander." Annie saluted shepard as he climbed out of the mako. "Now lets begin the talk of our buried god..."
That is the last of part one. I hope you liked it Slap that follow and favorite and please eave a review and don't forget to check out some of my other content if you're interested and PM me if anyone wants to talk.
Part 2 soon!