It's closing in on a year, now, since I started dabbling with this. I was reluctant, having stories of my own to write, yet obviously I gave in. If I were doing this professionally, I've had a chance to go back and make sure this early stuff fit before I published it, but I felt that the original Chapter One, titled 'Into the Breach', was no longer a proper introduction to a character with the back story which Kara Shepard developed along the way. What I can do is go back and change it.
The story has been expanded, Kara's thoughts and interactions updated. Overall, it reads cleaner, and fills in more of the plot details which I previous expected the reader to bring with them.
I intend for this update to extend, eventually, through the first three chapters. A note similar to this one will appear on them, when I have done so. Readers old and new should feel free to leave a review; they are always much appreciated.
vkerinav, 28/9/12
CHAPTER ONE
Revelations
Kara Shepard watched the Normandy's pilot as he sat at the ship's helm. His eyes moved over the display, and his fingers danced over the controls. The small viewports at the front of the ship showed a chaotic scene, heavily distorted by their velocity, and tinted blue by the laws-of-physics-altering mass effect field that surrounded them. According to the specifications, the ship was capable of covering just over twenty light-years per day.
"… what do you think is going on, Commander?" The pilot finished, turning his head to check that she still stood there. His name was Jeffrey Moreau, Lieutenant, a competent pilot if the casual skill he projected confirmed the notes of praise attached to his service record.
Kara realized belatedly that he was addressing her. Beside him Kaiden Alenko, a marine lieutenant just a few years older than her, watched her curiously. She sighed inwardly. The Normandy was fresh out of the shipyard, its crew still strangers to the ship and each other. They would be curious about her even if she were not a declared and decorated heroine, savior of Elysium. The only faces she recognized were amongst the marines. "A shakedown cruise," she answered, keeping her voice flat. The oddities could all be explained away, though collectively they suggested something more important than a test flight. After all, testing a prototype stealth frigate required that someone be looking for them.
"See, Joker. If something were going on, the commander would know about it," the other lieutenant, Alenko, replied.
Not likely. Keeping people in the dark was a time-honored military tradition. Her transfer to the Normandy had come without much warning, and against the protests of Captain Sadashiv of the SSV Anqing, for whom she had served as XO and marine commander. That alone was unusual, enough to make her suspect some special purpose. Accompanying it with a promotion to full commander did nothing to dull her suspicions.
"She wouldn't be able to talk about it," Moreau noted. He seemed about to continue when the captain interrupted over the internal com system.
"Joker, send Commander Shepard to the briefing room," he said. Captain David Anderson's presence was another clue. One of the most decorated officers in the fleet, a shipload of admirals made more sense for an otherwise diplomatic mission, and many of them would have fought for the privilege. A member of the defense
"You got that, Commander?" Moreau asked, but Kara had already turned away. If this were more than a shakedown run, it was time they explained just what they expected of her. As she walked down the length of the bridge, she tried to shrug of a sense that, somehow, things weren't going to end well.
The Normandy's briefing room was small, like everything else aboard ship, with a circle of chairs in the center, and large display screen against the far wall. The last curious element sat in one of the far chairs, studying a data pad. A male Turian, Nihlus Kryik's semi-metallic skin reflected the dim light in a distinctly non-human manner, and without looking up he spoke. "Commander Shepard. I was hoping to speak with you alone." His voice had an oddly metallic quality as well, but it lacked the sometimes mechanical inflections of VI translation. He spoke English, accented but clear. Nihlus' presence was easily explained as a representative of the Turian Hierarchy, which had cooperated with the human Systems Alliance in designing the Normandy. They would certainly wish to observe it in flight, particularly the effectiveness of its stealth systems. She had seen him on the bridge many times, but he never stopped to talk her with, beyond politely trading formalities.
In their place, the Systems Alliance would have sent an admiral, with an aide or two. The Turians had sent an elite agent, a Spectre, who answered not to the Hierarchy, but to the multi-species Citadel Council. That suggested a wider interest than a simple assessment of a prototype; something that involved the Council itself, at the very least.
"Sir?"
He eyed her curiously, as though he expected her to say more. She met his gaze, firmly but silently. "I'm sure you've guessed that I'm not here solely to observe the Normandy in action. I've been following your career with interest since that bloody slaughter on Elysium. Your acceptance speech for the Star of Terra was a highlight of the affair."
That was a surprise. At the time, she had expected it to get her discharged, only to find that the Alliance had quietly replace it with much more respectful version, read by an actress who barely resembled her. "Thank you. How did you come across the original?"
"There are benefits to being a Spectre," the Turian said. "Benefits I think you're ready to share."
Her? She almost laughed. The Alliance had frantically been pushing for more power, more authority in galactic affairs since the end of the First Contact War. What they needed was patience, for humanity to have a chance to integrate. Constant pressure would only result in resentment and mistrust.
Aside from that, she had no desire for the kind of life the role would entail. After ten years with the Alliance, she still did not think of herself as a soldier. She liked to immerse herself in alien cultures, played the violin, and wrote on occasion. She did not have as much time for those things as she might have wished, but they were her, not the instruments of death she more frequently wielded, or her uniform and the occasional medals.
"No offense, but Spectres are dangerous, with too much power and not enough oversight. I don't want the job, and I don't want to be the means by which humanity forces itself on the galaxy."
Nihlus' expression was one more of amusement than surprise. "Take some time to think about it, Commander. We have a mission-"
The door slid open, cutting him off.
Kara sighed. She knew, as any experienced officer did, that it was possible to make no mistakes and still lose people. Like any good officer, that didn't make it hurt any less, as she stared down at the body of Corporal Jenkins. His life had been her responsibility, and she'd failed him, mistake or no. What gave her the right to order anyone to their deaths? What had he been thinking, to accept her authority without question? They were questions she'd struggled with since Elysium, and she hadn't found a good answer. She was in command, and that had to suffice.
"Jenkins' was from here. He said it was dull."
Kara ignored Kaiden. As a model colony, on the edge of Alliance space, mainly agrarian and still small, dull was likely an apt description of Eden Prime. Except, not today. The colony was under attack by unknown forces, and the only thing of value on the planet was the newly discovered Prothean beacon, which she had been sent to retrieve. It was the obvious target, but supposed to be a secret.
She wondered if Jenkins still had family on Eden Prime, and if they were still alive. A part of her hoped not; she didn't want to see any more parents crying over the body of their child. She looked up, meeting Kaiden's dark eyes. "I need you focused, Lieutenant." Or was it her, who needed focus? One death didn't alter their mission, or the fact that a delay could cost the lives of more colonists. The older officer frowned, expecting more, some ongoing respect for the dead. It was just a body to her, but she understood the need. "We can come back for him later."
She led the way forward, the map on her command HUD giving not only direction, but a general topographical overview. At any other time, she might have found Eden Prime a pleasant world, but dust and ash from the attack had turned everything a hazy red, and the warm wind from the direction of the space port carried the mingled, nauseating smell of burning synthetics and flesh.
They followed a narrow path into a copse of trees, tall and brownish in the gloom. Sparse undergrowth added to the oppressiveness, blocking the breeze and much of the light.
Moving cautiously, she heard the whine of the drones' exhaust fans before she saw them, and took cover behind a thick trunk. They sped past, responding she guessed to the destruction of the other set. She was familiar with the recon drones of the Council races, the most common corporate models, and those of several other major races, but she did not recognize these. Did they belong to a new race, or were they an attempt by a known species, possibly even an ally, to disguise their presence? Either possibility was troubling.
As the last drone passed, she signaled to Alenko, and they opened fire together. The even with the devices' attempts at evasion, a few quick shots overwhelmed their barriers, and with little or no armor they went down in a shower of sparks. Kaiden checked his pistol's status lights, before nodding at her.
She had only just gestured for him to follow her when she heard shouting ahead, and they moved quickly through the rest of the copse, seeking the source. Once clear, they could see an armored figure, shooting at something else, out of sight behind a ridge. She motioned Alenko forward, following him closely. Some sort of robot, perhaps an experimental combat platform, was chasing the soldier.
The soldier tripped, firing several rounds from her assault rifle at the robot, to gain time to recover. Alenko moved to help, firing his pistol as he approached. Kara tested the barriers of a second unit with a biotic disruption field, firing through the gap she created, and sending the robot sprawling with a dying mechanical sputter. The first unit went down a few seconds later, its barriers collapsed until constant fire.
The soldier, free of enemies at last, scrambled to her feet, throwing Kaiden a quick salute. "Thanks for the assist, sir."
"Commander Shepard," Kara said, she she approached. "Can you tell me what happened here?"
The marine shook her head. "We were out on patrol when they hit us, sir. We didn't have any warning. Someone said they're Geth."
The Geth were intelligent robots designed by the Quarians. Somehow, they had moved from limited virtual intelligences to full AI and waged a successful war of liberation against their masters, who still lived in exile from their homeworld on one of the biggest fleets of spaceships ever assembled. The Geth hadn't been seen since well before humanity entered the galactic stage. She hadn't a clue why, or even if they'd be interested in the artifact.
"The rest of your squad?"
"Dead, sir. The Geth put them up on these weird spikes. I didn't know what to do, I just ran."
"What's your name?"
"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, sir." Angry brown eyes stared out from beneath her combat helmet.
"You stayed alive, Ash. That's important. You aren't much good to anyone dead," she smiled encouragingly, knowing it was small consolation. She'd seen friends die around her, and held her ground, and still felt like she hadn't done enough. "You'd better come with us."
Williams nodded. "Yes, sir." Another stranger willing to die at her command.
"We're here to recover a Prothean artifact," Kara said, "but we'll help the colony if we can. Kaiden, you'll take up the rear."
"The artifact was here, Commander," Ashley said, gesturing towards a corner of the dig site. The archeological team had uncovered a portion of some sort of structure, most of it still buried beneath fifty thousand years of dirt. "We were told they had plans to move it, but I don't know where."
"We need to find out," Kara said. If it was them, and not the Geth. "Is there a shelter, or somewhere else the team might have gone when the attack started?"
"They were expecting retrieval, weren't they? Then they would have moved the artifact closer to the spaceport," Alenko suggested.
"True," Kara said, looking around. The area was quite sheltered, and her map did not indicate any nearby landing site for a craft of the Normandy's size. The decision to move the beacon was sound, but she wondered why news of it had not reached the Alliance. A simple communications breakdown? "Any other suggestions, Ash?"
The marine shook her head. "I don't even know where the team was, when the attacks began. Sorry, sir."
"Very well," Kara decided. "We head for the spaceport. You know your way around, Ash, so you'll take point."
"Sir," Ashley saluted; Kara nodded in response. "This way."
They made their way up a dirt path, leading up one of the hills that surrounded the dig, passing several bodies as they wound upward, civilians and soldiers. She assumed that the Geth had dropped units as near to the dig site as possible, making their way towards the spaceport when they found the beacon missing.
Ash paused when they reached the top, gasping in horror. "Sir," she said, raising her arm.
Kara followed the gesture, her eyes landing on three of the spikes Ashley had described earlier, concealed from below in a small hollow. The figures which hung from them, pierced through the stomach, were not easily recognizable as human. One, at least, had bits of Alliance armor half-absorbed into its grey skin.
"Hey, what's that," Alenko shouted, distracting her from her contemplation. A dark mass lingered over the colony, beginning to accelerate rapidly upwards. A ship? She knew of nothing that size that could land on a planet, and she didn't recognize the configuration. It could only be Geth.
"Uh, Commander? Those bodies are moving," Williams said, her voice weak with fear and horror. Twitching, as the spikes slowly withdrew into their round bases.
How many cheap horror films were there, where, through experimental nanotech, disease, or just because, the protagonists had to fight their way through hordes of undead, sometimes wearing the familiar faces of former comrades. She hated horror films. They mimicked the senselessness and horror of real violence, and normalized it, and demeaned it. If that was not enough reason for her dislike, they were often lacking much of a story, had weak plots, and nothing at all worth saying. The corpses bellowed and charged.
Where did one shoot an animated corpse? She lowered her aim, firing several rounds into the lead creature's leg. It toppled forward, tried to stand, collapsed back into the dirt, and began to crawl towards her. She opened fire again, stopping only when it ceased twitching.
Alenko had trapped a second corpse in a biotic field, from which it struggled to escaped.
"Alenko," she said, just to get his attention. Controlling complex biotics was like performing a dance, learned over many hours of practice, but the abilities themselves were like having arms; they were either there, and one used them, or they were not. She generated a counter-force, and between them they tore the creature in half; it wailed angrily, waving its arms at them as though sheer effort might bridge the gap between them, and went limp. Thankfully, it lacked any real viscera to spill, no longer any more human than the Geth themselves.
Williams' weapon-Kara had been aware of its firing-hissed, and bleeped in rebellion. Kara turned to check on her-the rifle's status light was blinking red, and she could feel the heat radiating from its exposed coils. The last corpse-creature was shattered, nearly torn apart by the number of shards that had pierced it.
"You okay, Chief?" Kara asked, placing her hand on the woman's armored shoulder.
The soldier straightened, letting the rifle fall to her side. "Yes, sir."
Kara knew it was a lie. The creature had been Williams' friends and colleagues, or at least might have been, transformed as they were beyond recognition. They were not just dead, but desecrated.
"Let's go, sir," Williams said, her voice, like her expression, carefully controlled. Professional. She pulled the overheated thermal clip from her rifle, replacing it with a fresh one. Kara noted that it was her last.
"Lead on, Chief," Kara told her.
Smoke rose in plumes from the colony below, thick and dark, until it found the wind and dispersed.
The journey down to the colony passed without further resistance from the Geth, though they fended off two more groups of animated corpses. Kaiden called them husks, a name which she found fitting. They covered ground quickly, and attacked with clumsy swings of their arms, their fingers transformed into sharp-edged claws, but ultimately posed little threat to an alert squad, at least in limited numbers. Had the Geth transformed more of the numerous dead soldiers they passed on their way, they might have needed an army to clear the colony.
They approached the colony center through a tram station, the area stacked with crates of what Ashley identified as agricultural supplies. She claimed that they tram would take them to the spaceport. Kara allowed her to continue to lead them, until, rounding a crate, she paused in shock. "What's a dead Turian doing here?"
"A Turian?" Kaiden asked. "Nihlus?"
That was not a pleasant thought. She already feared that the Geth had departed with the beacon, marking the mission as a failure. A dead Spectre would turn it into a disaster. Kara motioned for the Lieutenant to follow as she approached the corpse.
Unfortunately, he was right. Nilhus lay face-down in a pool of dark blood. She checked him over briefly. "He was shot in the back of the head. I think the weapon was a pistol," she sighed.
Kaiden muttered a curse under his breath. "That doesn't sound like a combat wound, and the Geth don't use pistols, that I've seen."
"Who is this, anyway?" Ashley asked, her attention focused on the lower platform of the station, where a freight tram waited.
"Nihlus," Kaiden said. "A Council Spectre."
From behind one of the nearby crates, Kara heard a sharp intake of breath. "Whoever you are," she said, "you can come out. We're not going to hurt you."
A balding head poked itself over the top of the crate, followed by wide, frightened eyes. "You sure?"
Kara holstered her pistol, and held up her hands. "Did you see who did this?"
A heavyset man in coveralls walked out from behind the crate, rubbing his head. "Yeah. It was the other Turian. They seemed to know each other. This one called him Saren."
"And?"
"He let down his guard. Saren shot him. Saren left, back to the spaceport, I think."
The name Saren seemed vaguely familiar, but Kara couldn't place it. She knelt by Nihlus corpse, checking his omnitool.
"Just what were you doing back there, anyway?" Ashley demanded, scowling at their informant.
"I was, ah, taking a break when those robots attacked. Didn't fancy my chances against them."
"Sleeping, you mean," Ash grunted. "Lazy bastard."
"Ash, calm down. It's not his fault he survived." She stood, sighing. "Nihlus' suit recordings were erased. Not by you, I trust?" she added, staring at the laborer.
"No!" he quickly replied. "Saren did something to his armor. I didn't know what."
Without actual evidence, they had nothing on Saren but the testimony of one scared dockworker, even if he had no reason to lie. That would count towards nothing more than reasonable suspicion. "We'll send a team to retrieve the body, once we've secured the colony. Don't touch it."
"No, ma'am," the dockworker replied.
"Let's go, Ash," Kara sighed. There was nothing left but the faint hope that they could still retrieve the beacon.
Kara regarded the Prothean artifact curiously. She couldn't imagine any human technology enduring for fifty thousand years in any sort of working order, but here they had an active relic. Nihlus and Jenkins had died trying to recover it, alongside an unknown number of colonists killed by the Geth. Whatever they wanted with it, she could only assume that they'd gotten it, or they would not have left it behind, to be destroyed by their bombs, which Kaiden had disabled. She hoped the Council's scientists could find out what it did, and quickly.
"The Normandy is coming in for pickup, sir," Alenko told her.
"Good," she muttered. Once it was aboard the Normandy, she would probably never see the device again. A pity. Puzzling out its functions seemed like a fun challenge, and a good way to pass a tedious spaceflight. It was, she guessed, well beyond her technical skills, but it tempted her regardless. She stepped forward, intent of having a closer look while she still could.
As soon as she touched the device, it flared to life. She froze, unable to move, not even to breathe. Pain flooded her mind, carrying flashes of images; an alien face, fires, death, and some sort of machine. With the images came a jumble of emotions, as confused and fragmented as the image.
Then more pain. Her vision, her real vision, had faded to black. She had the impression of falling, and then nothing.
End of chapter one. I hope you'll keep reading, and leave a review if you're so moved.