Disclaimer: Mass Effect belongs to Bioware while Vandread belongs to Gonzo. I do not own them. I can't promise this story is good because this is my first time I write a fanfic. Constructive criticism and grammar nazi are appreciated. Someone who has great knowledge about ME and Vandread universe and techs are also appreciated as well. Flaming and negative comments are not allowed and will be ignored.
This story sets several days after the Arrival event and before the beginning of Mass Effect 3. Some OCs and new techs (from ME) are included. There are also some surprises (and spoilers) as well.
Prologue
It had been several days after John Shepard visited his old friend, Liara T'Soni who was the new Shadow Broker after Shepard had helped settle her old debt against the previous Broker several weeks before the suicide mission against the Collectors began. Commander John Shepard and his team had successfully defeated them, destroyed their base and the incomplete Human-Reaper along with their horrible experiments and technologies. To think about the Illusive Man asked Shepard to preserve the base both to use against the Reapers and and to "secure humanity's future against the Reapers and beyond", it was diabolical, ruthless and treason of the worst kind. There was no way Shepard will give that base to him.
There was a reason why Shepard had been visited Liara in her Lair. To find out regarding the reactions of the Batarian Hegemony after the death of more than 300,000 batarians in the Bahak System from their point of view. He didn't surprise of what he had found. Just like what Admiral Hackett had said, they want blood. Human blood that was. The batarian government and their people were angry about this incident and they really want to go to war against the Systems Alliance. The extranet had been filled with hundreds of millions of messages, blogs and media from the batarians. All of them flamed about "humanity should be purged from the rest of the galaxy" and all that stuff.
"Humans are the sworn enemy of the whole batarian race! Mark my words that they shall be cleansed by the hellfire from the stars!"
"First they scrutinized and shunned us for our culture and now they want to shed our blood! By destroying our own star system! Those humans will never get away from this damnation!"
"Humanity shall be purged from the face of the galaxy, once and for all!"
"Death to the Alliance! Death to all humans!"
Typical reactions from the batarians. Shepard knew he cannot let a war erupt while the Reapers were en route to the Milky Way galaxy to start another cycle of extinction against all sentient life. He still remembered the conversation between him and Harbinger – the Reaper leader during Shepard's attempt to collide the asteroid 157-Golgotha towards the Alpha Relay.
"Shepard, you have become an annoyance", Harbinger said. "You fight against inevitability. Dust struggling against cosmic winds. This seems a victory to you. A star system sacrificed. But even now, your greatest civilizations are doomed to fall. Your leaders will beg to serve us."
Shepard clenched his right fist in anger due to the Reaper's malevolent statement. "Maybe you're right. Maybe we can't win this. But we'll fight you regardless, just like we did Sovereign. Just like I'm doing now," Shepard said.
"However 'insignificant' we might be, we will fight, we will sacrifice, and we will find a way. That's what humans do," he continued in absolute defiance to Harbinger.
"Know this as you die in vain. Your time will come. Your species will fall. Prepare yourselves for the Arrival."
That conversation with Harbinger had made Shepard aware one crucial point. The Reapers were one step closer to invade the galaxy. He have no time to waste. He needed to unite all races and civilizations of the galaxy to prepare for the upcoming Reaper invasion. But not before where he have to turn himself in and face trial on Earth for charges on genocide and (possibly by Shepard's opinion) collaboration with a terrorist organization a.k.a Cerberus. Even though he had severed the ties between Cerberus as well as the Illusive Man after the destruction of the Collector Base, he couldn't just go away that easily. Not after several months of doing missions for Cerberus.
He was really thankful to Admiral Hackett for try to delay the trial but truthfully, he didn't know how or what to expect once on Earth. What kind of reactions that he would face from the public? How was he going to face the Alliance judges? What would be the outcome of the trial? Every minute, every hour had passed, Shepard always thought on how he was going face all of that matter in his head. It made him very anxious, for the first time of his life. But there was one thing that was always disturbed him every moment he thought about the trial.
How was Shepard going to face his family and the ones he love on Earth? How was he going to face his mother, Captain Hannah Shepard. His father, Rear Admiral James Shepard. His sister, Staff Lieutenant Jane Shepard of the Alliance Marine Corps. And last but not least his lover, Ashley Williams. That matter always made him difficult to sleep every day in the Normandy. When he told his problem about the trial, his family and his lover to his Yeoman, Kelly Chambers. This was what she had said:
"Everything is going to be all right if only you have the confidence within yourself. The same confidence and bravery when you're fighting Saren, his Geth ally and Sovereign along with the Collectors, Commander."
"You are not a monster. We know who you are. We trust you, we are always support you, we are always stand beside you and we are always defend you. Regardless of what they accuse you, sir."
Kelly was right. He had everybody that he trust, everybody that support him, stand beside him and defend him. He had Joker, EDI, the Normandy's crew, and his team members which were Miranda, Jacob, Garrus, Tali, Mordin, Thane, Samara, Kasumi, Zaeed, Jack, Legion, and Grunt. They were his trusted and loyal friends. They knew why he had no choice but to destroy the Alpha Relay. To prevent the imminent Reaper invasion. The thought that rest of the galaxy literally had minutes to spare, unprepared for the invasion, it was a close call. A very close call.
Afterwards, Shepard had ordered Joker to set a course towards the Sol System, where he had prepared himself to face the trial on Earth. But when the Normandy was en route towards their destination from the Hourglass Nebula, after visited Liara's Lair, Joker contacted Shepard who was in the Captain's Cabin through the ship's internal communication channel.
"Hey, Commander, we receiving an incoming message from the Citadel, it is Councilor Anderson. From the looks of it, it is a video call and its sounds urgent," Joker said.
"Very well, Joker," Shepard said as he walked towards his private terminal and accepted the video call. Councilor Anderson's face appeared on the once a model ships display, turned into a large holo-screen. Shepard moved a few steps back to get a full view.
"Commander Shepard, we've got serious situation. I contact you because you are the only person who knows how to deal with this," Anderson said. His tone, face and emotion present in front of Shepard hinted a dire situation at hands.
To be continued…..
Author's Note:
So….errr… how was the first chapter? It's my first story, you know? I maybe take reference from other authors' fanfiction such as Freedom Guard (my opinion, one of the best author have ever seen and I respect him), Vault08 and erttheking.
Be warned, right now it's a school holiday in my country and there is a possibility I'll update the second chapter next week (if I don't get myself busy with my homeworks). After the school holiday, the rest of the updates for this story might become slower because of school assignments. So please, be patient, alright?
Other than that, I need all the help I can get from you guys from correcting grammar to give additional knowledge and info that can keep this story running. Why? Maybe because I'm a perfectionist, I guess.
By the way, there is a reason why I added Jane Shepard in the story and that she is John Shepard's sister. The reason is because of this one Mass Effect 2 meme that me and my friend saw in deviantART. Type the website address below:
http:/pen-gwyn. deviantart. com/art/ME2-Massive-Meme-158782666
Once you're there, read the meme. After that, find the name zxcv1911 (my friend's username) in the comments section below and read his comments. You'll see what I mean.
Here is a little preview (or spoiler, I don't know which one is appropriate) of what is to come.
Trailer:
"Hey, you guys must be John's friends, right? I'm Staff Lieutenant Jane Shepard, Alliance Marine Corps. I'm his sister," Jane said after introduced herself.
Garrus then turn his head towards Commander Shepard. "Why you didn't tell us you have a sister, John?" Garrus asked him as several of John's team members began to look at him, each with a perplexed looks on their face. Except Tali where it is hard to see her face other than the glowing eyes through her visor.
Miranda looked as if she had anticipated this situation. This would mean that she knows about this before they meet John's sister. Probably because that she is or was a Cerberus Officer and during her time the organization, she had every detail about Commander Shepard, including his own family.
Legion however…..not so surprising as well as he also had 'studied' Commander Shepard through various extranet sites regarding to him and some unencrypted along with encrypted Alliance files before Legion met him in the derelict Reaper.
"Before I'm going to introduce the man behind who created these new upgrades and techs, I'm giving you all a single warning; Do not and I repeat, DO NOT laugh at his last name. Got it?"
Commander Shepard and his team members nodded in acknowledgement of that warning. All of them were wondering, what kind of the guy's last name they've could laugh about?
John and his teams cover themselves behind an obstacle from the continuous gunfire of their enemy. All people, including John, were very shocked of what kind of enemies they're facing right now. Garrus was the first one to spoke.
"Since when these husks know how to duck and shoot!"
"And since when those husks have body armor and firearms!" Tali exclaimed in disbelief.
"Don't care! Shoot first, ask questions later!" Shepard ordered his teammates to shoot the gun-wielding husks in front of them.
Comments, critics and reviews must be constructive and helpful. They are most welcome while flames will be ignored and deleted the first they are caught.
See you guys on Chapter 2!
