Well, here is the basic info that most people who are reading this and have played the games are wondering:
History: Colonist (born and raised on Mindoir, one of very few survivors after a slavers attacked)
Career: Sole Survivor (during a mission on Akuze, Thresher Maws attached and killed the entire squad)
Class: Vanguard (A mix of Biotic and Soldier abilities)
Looks: Shaved hair (it has that bit of regrowth to it), Shaved facial hair (has the little bit of regrowth as well), Dark brown hair and eye color, No scars.
Well, here it goes, enjoy! (i hope...)
"Well, what about Shepard? He grew up in the colonies."
"He knows how tough it can be out there. His parents died when slavers attacked Mindoir."
"His whole unit died on Akuze, he could have some serious emotional scars."
"Is that the kind of person we want protecting the galaxy?"
"That's the only kind of person who can protect the galaxy."
"… I'll make the call."
In the year 2148, explorers on Mars discovered the remains of an ancient spacefaring civilization. In the decades that followed, these mysterious artifacts revealed startling new technologies, enabling travel to the furthest stars. The basis for this incredible technology was a force that controlled the very fabric of space and time. They called it the greatest discovery in human history. The civilizations of the galaxy call it... Mass Effect.
In the black of space, with stars shinning from all angles, a lone starship makes its way to the outer edge of the Sol System. Were anyone to take notice, they would see, or more hear, that it was rather quiet compared to most other starships and cruisers. Also, if one were to look on its bulkhead, they would see the word 'Normandy' painted onto it.
"Arcturus Prime Relay is in range. Initiating transmission sequence."
Walking around the galaxy map on the CIC, avoiding running into people, Shepard made his way to the bridge, passing Navigator Pressly at his station, nodding in response to his greeting of, "Commander."
"We're connected, Calculating transit mass and destination."
Wearing his Systems Alliance basic N7 armor with standard weaponry, including sniper rifle, shot gun, assault rifle and pistol, Commander Shepard passed a few more crewmen and women doing their jobs to run the top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art, prototype vessel, preparing it for Faster Than Light speed. Excitement and nervousness could be felt around the room as the Normandy made her first jump.
"Relay is hot. Acquiring approach vector. All stations secure for transit."
Finally, Commander Shepard, XO of the SSV Normandy, stood at the helm, alongside a turian with a dark colored face with lighter color markings and black and dark red armor. The two of them stood behind the pilot of the ship, one Flight Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau, whose voice had been sounding over the ship-wide speakers keeping the crew updated.
"The board is green, approach has begun. Hitting the Mass Relay in three…"
Commander Shepard looks towards the windows in the helm and noticed the large Mass Relay that Joker referred to, with the rings moving and the seeming blue aura building in the middle. He always found himself looking at them with a bit of awe. Despite how common it was for them to exist in the galaxy, he always wondered how something like a Mass Relay existed.
"Two…"
The Commander turned back towards the front, feeling excited and nervous, as they approached the Relay. Despite how commonplace this had seemed to become for humanity and the other species in the galaxy, Shepard still couldn't help but appreciate that this was an incredible achievement to be able to do something like this. It was one of the few things the Commander felt he could take pride in, the fact that he was a part of something that included doing this.
"… one."
And with that, the Normandy made her jump through the Relay, traveling at amazing speeds. Inside of the Normandy, however, not much of anything was felt when the speed changed, and a slight ease of tension was felt and a nonexistent sigh of relief was let out after the Normandy's first Relay jump, and Shepard found himself settling down from a very slight adrenaline rush.
"Thrusters… check, navigation… check, internal emissions sink engaged, all systems online. Drift… just under fifteen hundred K," Joker finished reciting while leaning, confirming that the Normandy was meeting every expectation thus far.
The Turian behind him answered in an indifferent tone, "Fifteen hundred is good. Your Captain will be pleased." And with that, the turian turned away, leaving Joker, Commander Shepard and another, Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko, at the helm.
Joker turned his head from looking at the turian's retreating back, muttering, "I hate that guy…"
Lieutenant Alenko turned his head towards Joker from his own monitoring station next to him. "Nihlus gave you a compliment, so… you hate him."
"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit after you go to the bathroom, that's good. I just jumped us half way across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead, that's incredible! Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having him onboard, call me paranoid," Joker finished, mumbling.
"Your paranoid. The Council helped fund this project, they have every right to keep an eye on their investment," the lieutenant responded.
"Yeah that is the official story, but only an idiot believes the official story," Joker replied.
Commander Shepard couldn't help but agree with the sarcastic helmsman, knowing the little bit he did about Spectres. "They don't send Spectres on shakedown runs."
Joker, encouraged, continued, "So there's obviously something else going on-"
The radio came to life, cutting Joker off, "Joker. Status report," came the voice of Captain Anderson, of the Normandy.
"Just cleared the Mass Relay, Captain," said Joker, now sounding serious, "Stealth Systems engaged, everything looks solid."
"Good. Find a comm. buoy and link us into the network. I want missions reports relayed back to the Alliance brass every hour."
"Aye Aye, Captain," Joker replied, getting to work, "Better brace yourself, sir, I think Nihlus is heading your way."
Captain Anderson replied sharply, "He's already here, Lieutenant." Joker winced from his own comment. "Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the Communications room," and with that, the line was cut.
"Did you get that, Commander?" Joker said over his shoulder.
"I'm on my way," Shepard replied. As he was walking away, he could hear Joker ask, "Is it just me, or is the Captain always sound a little pissed off?" Shepard couldn't help but smirk at hearing Alenko reply, "Only when he's talking with you, Joker."
As Commander Shepard walked along, he passed Pressly and heard him having a conversation with someone over the network comms. "Just relax, Pressly, your gonna give yourself an ulcer." Curious, Shepard approached him.
As Pressly closed the comm. channel, he noticed Commander Shepard standing there and saluted him. "Congratulations, Commander, seems like the Normandy had a good first run."
Nodding to Pressly's terminal, Shepard guessed, "Having a chat about our turian guest?"
"Just talking with Adams in Engineering, sir, didn't mean to cause any trouble."
"Its alright, Pressly, I was just curious about what you had to say."
"Yes, sir. Its just, don't like having him onboard. I know the Council wants someone to watch over this joint project, but he's a Spectre. They don't send Spectre's on shakedowns."
Shepard nodded for Pressly to continue, saying, "I understand, I had the same thought not too long ago."
"If all we are supposed to be doing is testing the stealth systems, then why is Captain Anderson in charge? Captain Anderson and a Spectre? It just doesn't add up, they aren't telling us something," Pressly finished; glad to be able to talk it out for a bit.
"I'm going to talk to the Captain now, maybe I can find something out when I do," Shepard replied, nodding to Pressly and continuing his way. Right at the dividing wall between the CIC and the Communications room, Commander Shepard noticed a young marine, Richard Jenkins, if he remembered right, talking with the Normandy's doctor, Dr. Chakwas. He was going to just go past them, but then he remembered that Jenkins was from Eden Prime, their intended destination. Figuring it wouldn't hurt to get more intel on where they were going, and maybe finding out why a Spectre was sent to come along, the Commander stopped to talk to them.
Saluting, Jenkins eagerly asked, "What do you think, Commander? We're not going to be staying on Eden Prime long, are we? I'm looking forward to seeing some real action."
Chuckling, Dr. Chakwas said, "I sincerely hope your kidding, Corporal. Usually your 'real action' means me patching up your wounds in the Med-bay."
"Relax Corporal, don't get ahead of yourself," Commander Shepard said, agreeing with the doctor and trying not to squash the young marine's excitement. While being a marine required a clear mind in battle, that doesn't mean you couldn't take pride in it, and thats what Shepard saw the Corporal doing.
Lightly fidgeting, Jenkins said, "Yeah, your right, its just I've never been on a real mission like this before."
"Just treat this like every other mission, and you'll do fine," Shepard replied.
"Easy for you to say, you proved yourself on Akuze. Everyone knows what you can do."
Frowning, Shepard looked down a bit and said, "I try not to remember that too much."
Realizing what he said, Jenkins immediately tried to apologize, "I-I-I'm sorry, Commander, I-I didn't mean to-"
"Its alright, Jenkins, I've put it behind me," Shepard said honestly, giving a slight, reassuring smile.
"Oh, well, again, I didn't mean to offend you. I guess I really am just excited," and again, Jenkins was fidgeting.
"Your young corporal, and you got a long career ahead of you. Just be careful not to do something to screw that up," the Commander patted him on the shoulder in a friendly way as he said that. Jenkins looked at him in appreciation. "Yes sir, I'll be careful."
Dr. Chakwas then decided to ask, "Was there something you needed, Commander?"
"Actually, yes," Shepard nodded in her direction and then turned back to Jenkins, "You're from Eden Prime, aren't you, Jenkins? What can you tell me about it?"
"Well, it's a beautiful place, sir. Real peaceful. I don't know why we would choose it as our first mission. There's nothing out there, it's just a small farming colony."
"I see," Commander Shepard nodded, not really getting the answer he was hoping for. But figuring he had already waited too long, he bid both Dr. Chakwas and Corporal Jenkins good-bye and made his way to the communications room behind them.
He was surprised to see not Captain Anderson, but the turian Spectre known as Nihlus, looking at what seemed to be rather peaceful pictures of what Shepard could only guess was Eden Prime. Turning to see who had entered, Nihlus nodded to Commander Shepard and turned to face towards him.
"Ah, Commander Shepard. I'm glad you're here."
Keeping a clear face, Commander Shepard responded, "The Captain told me to meet him here."
"He's on his way, but I'm glad you got here first. It'll give us a moment to talk."
Nihlus turned and walked back over to the screen showing the pictures he was staring at.
"This world we are going to, Eden Prime. I hear its quite beautiful."
"I've never been there," Shepard answered, feeling as though Nihlus was expecting him to respond.
"But you've heard of it. It's become something of a symbol for your people. Proof that not only can humanity establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them." Nihlus was pacing a bit, every now and then looking at Shepard. "But how safe is it really?"
Sensing some kind of meaning behind those words, Commander Shepard raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you know something?"
Nihlus made his way to stop in front of Commander Shepard. "Your people are still newcomers, Shepard. The galaxy is a dangerous place. Is humanity truly ready for this?"
Hearing the door open, they both turned to see a dark skinned man with slightly graying hair walk in. "I think its time we tell the Commander what's really going on."
Nihlus nodded and said to Shepard, "This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run."
Nodding to his Captain, Commander Shepard began, "I had a feeling there was something you weren't telling us."
"This comes straight from the top. Information strictly on a need to know basis. A research team on Eden Prime unearthed some kind of beacon during an excavation. It was Prothean," Captain Anderson finished.
A bit intrigued at hearing this, Commander Shepard said, "I thought the Protheans vanished fifty thousand years ago."
Nihlus responded saying, "Their legacy remains. The Mass Relays, the Citadel, all of our modern technology comes from their influence. The galaxy owes the Protheans a great debt."
"This is big Shepard," Anderson said, "The last time humanity made a discovery like this, it jumped our technology forward two hundred years. But Eden Prime doesn't have the facilities to handle something like this. We need to bring it back to the Citadel for proper study."
"Obviously, this goes beyond just human interests, Commander. This discovery could affect every species in Council space," Nihlus added. Something about the way he said that and what he had asked earlier made Shepard feel a bit uneasy. "Are you expecting trouble?"
"I'm always expecting trouble," the turian said.
"There's more, Shepard," Anderson continued, "Nihlus isn't just here for the beacon. He's also here to evaluate you."
Evaluate me? For what? Commander Shepard wondered to himself. Instead he asked, "What's going on, Captain?"
"The Alliance has been pushing for this for a long time now. Humanity wants a larger say in shaping interstellar policy. The Spectres represent the power and authority of the Council. If they accept a human into their ranks, it will show just how far the Alliance has come," the Captain said.
"Not many could have survived what you went through on Akuze. You showed not only incredible skill, but also a remarkable will to live, a singularly useful talent. That's why I've put your name forward for the Spectres," Nihlus continued from where Captain Anderson left off.
Confused, Shepard couldn't help but ask, "Why would a turian want a human in the Spectres?" After all, from what Shepard had heard, most turians and humans didn't seem to get along too well. But Nihlus gave him a rather pleasant response with his answer.
"Not all aliens resent humanity. Some of us see the potential of your species. I don't care that your human, Shepard, only that you can get the job done."
Turning to Captain Anderson, Shepard asked him, "I assume this is good for the Alliance?"
"Earth needs this Shepard," the Captain said simply.
Nihlus continued, "I need to see your skills for myself. This will be the first of many missions together."
Thinking it all over for a bit, Commander Shepard couldn't help but feel both flattered and nervous. It would be an honor to be the first human Spectre, but was he, a colony kid and a massacre survivor, really the right choice for something like that? Mentally shaking his head of those thoughts, knowing that now probably wouldn't be the best time to question what was going on, Shepard decided to do the best he could with what he was given. "I'm ready when you are, Captain."
"Good. Now we will need to-"
"Captain, we got a problem," interrupted the normally sarcastic voice of Joker over the ships comm. system, only now obviously worried about something.
"What is it, Joker?"
"Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You had better see this."
The screen Nihlus was looking at before now showed a video transmission that sounded very much like a battlefield and looked the part as well. A female marine in Phoenix armor ran towards the camera and forced it down to the ground, then turning back to fire at an unknown enemy. The camera turned this way and that until it focused on another soldier who began to give a sit-rep.
"We are under attack, they came out of no where and-" an explosion interrupted him as chaos continued to ensue. As the camera continued to turn around viewing the firefight, a noise began to be heard. The camera seemed to turn to find the noise, but moved so fast that it was hard to tell what was going on before suddenly there was nothing but static.
"That's all there is, sir," came Joker's voice again, "Everything cuts out after that, no comm. traffic at all, nothing."
Anderson, who had noticed something on the recording, ordered it rewound and held at one point. What they saw left them all temporary stunned.
It appeared to be some kind of vessel or ship, but one neither soldier in the room had seen before. It didn't help that the freeze-frame wasn't the best quality or angle to see it in. Anderson was the first to pull himself together. "Status Report!"
Joker responded quick and ready, "Seventeen minutes out, Captain, no other ships in the area."
"Take us in, Joker fast and quiet. This mission just got complicated."
"A small strike team should be able to move unnoticed, without drawing too much attention," Nihlus advised after thinking the situation over a bit.
"Grab you gear and meet us in the cargo hold," Anderson told Nihlus, and then turned to the Commander, "Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up, Commander. You're going in."
Shepard gave the freeze-frame one last look before going to do what he was told.
Yeah, its true, 'halfbreed' has returned with a possible new story. I've been reading tons of other fanfictions on here over the years and I have only ever posted 3 actual fanfictions myself. I have tried to pick back up on some of them, as at least one was going to be multiple chapters, but right now I have to leave them all on hiatus.
I decided to finally join the rest of the Mass Effect community here and write out my own characters journey through the game(s). I am not entirely sure how I will handle it though, seeing as how many options i have to work with. That being said, I plan to stick as close to how the game itself goes while sticking with what I chose to do in the game. There will be some changes here and there, but it will be subtle and will make this a more unique story to the main plot, but like I said, it will be a more subtle thing, but I think it will work.
I will take any and all comments here. Flames, Likes, Suggestions, whatever, I don't care what you say, I would just appreciate you saying it openly.
Well, i do hope you enjoy! Thanks ahead of time if you have already read this far!
-'halfbreed'