The two men were sitting by the large window, one watching the idle traffic of the late afternoon with little interest, lost in his thoughts, while the other mulled over a datapad with excruciating thoroughness, a third one standing behind them. They had spent most of the day searching for one perfect candidate, one ultimate representative of his race that would prove the Council humanity's value.
"William Shepard..." The first man put the datapad on the desk, cautiously tasting the sound of the name. "Earthborn, though I can't find any mention of his parents," he turned toward the other one.
"Doesn't have any," came the reply as the second man looked away from the window. "He grew up on the streets, survived as a gang member until he joined the military when he was old enough."
"A former gang member doesn't sound like a very promising option to me, Captain."
"He joined the Alliance to escape that life, Ambassador. And you can't deny he's proven himself on Akuze," the third man spoke.
"He lost his entire team in that freak accident. You would expect a man like him to suffer from severe psychological trauma." the man addressed as Ambassador replied.
"He's a survivor, the sheer fact that he made it out alive and was able to go on proves his worth," the Captain said with new determination.
"Are we sure that's the kind of person we want protecting the galaxy?"
"That's the only kind of person that can."
"I'll make the call," the Ambassador got up, the other two giving a tired sigh, relieved that they'd finally reached an agreement.
"Arcturus Prime Relay is in range," the voice of the pilot resounded through the speakers, "Initiating transmission sequence."
"Commander," a soldier nodded at the man hurrying down the hallway in acknowledgement. Walking with purposeful steps, the man made his way toward the spaceship's bow.
"We are connected. Calculating transit mass and destination," the announcement continued. "The relay is hot, acquiring approach vector. All stations secure for transit."
The Commander could see the bridge, and beyond it the shining blue core of the mass relay they were swiftly approaching. It was a sight worth climbing up to the bridge for; the still barely understood ancient, alien technology that allowed near instant travel across hundreds of lightyears, discovered by accident on Mars, then at the edge of the solar system.
"The board is green, approach run has begun," the pilot said as the spaceship was already close enough to the superstructure that it didn't fit in the viewport.
William Shepard stopped just behind the pilot's chair, taking in the sight. "Hitting relay in 3... 2... 1..."
The Commander grabbed the chair's edge instinctively as he braced for the jump. A lightning-like tendril of energy extended from the relay's core, reaching towards and enveloping the ship before launching it toward its destination much like a gun would shoot a bullet.
Not a second passed before the space around them changed, the planets and stars replaced by different ones signaling their safe arrival. Shepard exhaled briefly, chuckling at himself beratingly as he noticed his firm, tense grip on the chair's edge. He was feeling anxious.
"Thrusters... check, navigation... check," the pilot reported the ship's status. "Internal emissions sink engaged, all systems online. Drift.. just under 1500 K."
"1500 is good," an unfamiliar voice beside the Commander nearly frightened him into jumping away. It was a turian, a member of the very first alien race humanity had encountered. A Spectre working for the Citadel Council no less, his name was Nihlus and he had been assigned to watch over the operation. Shepard had to give it to him, the alien moved as silently as a cat. "Your captain will be pleased," he added, disregarding the Commander's attempt at hiding his fright as he turned around, leaving the bridge.
"I hate that guy," the pilot, Joker, grumbled.
"Nihlus gave you a compliment... so you hate him?" Kaidan, the man sitting in the co-pilot's seat raised his eyebrow questioningly.
"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom? That's good," Joker replied spitefully. "I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So that's incredible! Besides, Spectres are trouble," he continuued, making a face. "I don't like having him onboard. Call me paranoid."
"You're paranoid," Kaidan said reproachfully. "The Council helped fund this project. They have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."
"Yeah, that is the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story," Joker retorted.
"Always expecting the worst, aren't you?" Shepard asked jokingly, trying to ease the man's suspcicions even though he couldn't help giving the his words some degree of truth. They didn't send Spectres on shakedown runs, after all.
"Bad feelings are an occupational hazard, Commader. Spectres don't go anywhere without a good reason, so why is he here?"
Shepard had no time to give a reply as their superior's voice came in on the comm. "Joker! Status report!"
"Just cleared the mass relay, Captain. Stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid," he said.
"Good. Find a comm buoy and link us into the network," the Captain sounded slightly anious. "I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime."
"Aye aye, Captain," kaidan started typing away on his keyboard as Joker gave him a small sign. "Better brace yourself, sir. I think Nihlus is headed your way."
"He's already here, Lieutenant," came the reply. Shepard couldn't help smiling at the pilot's awkward pause. "Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing."
"You get that, Commander?" Joker looked at Shepard briefly. The man was already hurrying down the corridor leading away from the bridge. "Is it me or does the Captain always sound a little pissed off?" he then asked, looking at Kaidan.
"Only when he's talking to you, Joker," the man replied.
The Combat Information Center seemed to have calmed down a bit since the jump, but Shepard could feel the anxiety in the atmosphere. He couldn't blame the crew for having doubts about the official mission parameters; he himself was feeling something big was left out from their briefing. As a soldier, he could appreciate the on-need-to-know-basis system of information distribution, but that did not help his growing restlessness.
"I'm telling you, I just saw him!" he heard the navigator's frustrated voice. "He marched by like he was on a mission." the Commander immediately deduced the man was talking about Nihlus.
"He's a Spectre. They're always on a mission," Chief Engineer Adams' jovial voice rang through the comm.
"And we're getting dragged right along with him!" came the reply, the frustration in its tone growing.
"Relax, Pressly. You're gonna give yourself an ulcer," Adams couldn't help but laugh at his friend's desperation. Pressly shut off the communicator, sighing
pitiably, regaining his composure as he noticed Shepard approach him. "Congratulations, Commander. Looks like we had a smooth run. You heading down to see the Captain?"
"I'm on my way to give him a status update right now," he said, ready to continue walking toward the comm room, his pace slowing down instead as Pressly continued.
"With all due respect, sir, maybe he'll finally tell you what we're really doing out here."
"Do you have a problem with him?" the Commander asked half jokingly.
"No, sir!" the navigator immediately protested. "But I can't figure out what he's doing here. Captain Anderson is one of the most decorated Special Forces officers in the service. If he melted down all his medals, he could make a life size statue of himself. You don't send a soldier like that on a do-nothing mission. He's treating this shakedown run too seriously. And then there's Nihlus," his expression darkened. "Spectres are elite operatives. Top covert agents. Why send a Spectre, a turian Spectre, on a shakedown run? It doesn't add up. Something big is going on."
"You don't trust Nihlus, I take it?" Shepard said cautiously. Some people didn't take well to their xenophobia being questioned however mild it may be.
"I don't like turians in general," the man shrugged, not giving the Commander's question a lot of significance. "Runs in my family. My grandfather fought in the First Contact War; lost a lot of friends when the turians hit us."
Shepard recalled what he knew about the war; the stories were not flattering about either side, depending on who you asked, but everyone agreed on the fact that it left deep scars on the human-turian alliance that would later form. Still, this very ship, a state-of-the-art masterpiece of technology, proved the two races' ability to cooperate, giving way to hope that the old scars would mend someday.
"That was thirty years ago," he said. "You can't blame Nihlus for that."
"No, I guess not," Pressly sighed. "But it still makes me nervous to have a Spectre onboard, especially a turian. We're an Alliance vessel, human military. But Nihlus doesn't answer to the Captain like the rest of us. Spectres operate outside the normal chain of command. And they don't come along just to observe shakedown runs. Nihlus looks like he's expecting some heavy action. I don't like it."
"I'll see if I can get some answers when I see him," Shepard patted the man on the shoulder comfortingly before turning away.
"Good luck, Commander," he heard the reply as he resumed his trek towards the communications room. He'd barely passed the holographic display of the galaxy map when another conversation drew his attention; Chakwas, the ship's doctor and Corporal Jenkins, the soldier who had greeted him only minutes before were having a chat in front of the elevator leading to the ship's other sections.
"I grew up on Eden Prime, Doc," Jenkins said exuberantly, obviously trying to prove something to the woman. "It's not the kind of place Spectres visit. There's
something Nihlus isn't telling us about this mission."
"That's crazy," the doctor laughed at the young soldier's enthusiastic arguments. "The Captain's in charge here. He wouldn't take orders from a Spectre."
"Not his choice, Doc," he crossed his arms, a triumphant smile plastered across his face. "Spectres don't answer to anyone. They can do whatever they want. Kill anyone who gets in their way."
"Ha! You watch too many spy vids, Jenkins," Chakwas said with a dismissing tone.
"What do you think, Commander?" he addressed the approaching Shepard, unsatisfied with the doctor's skepticism. "We won't be staying on Eden Prime too long, will we? I'm itching for some real action!"
"I sincerely hope you're kidding, Corporal. Your "real action" usually ends with me patching up crew members in the infirmary," the woman rolled her eyes.
"Easy, Corporal. A good soldier stays calm even under fire," Shepard managed, trying to pacify the two.
"Sorry, Commander," Jenkins looked away slightly embarrassed, scratching the back of his head. "But this waiting's killing me. I've never been on a mission like this before. Not one with a Spectre onboard!"
"Just treat this like every other assignment you've had and everything will work out," the Commander said reassuringly only to be cut off.
"Easy for you to say!" the young man exclaimed with renewed enthusiasm and a hint of jealousy in his voice. "You proved yourself on Akuze. Everybody knows what you can do. This is my big chance. I need to show the brass what I can do!"
"You're young, Corporal. You have a long career ahead of you. Don't do something stupid to mess it up," Shepard replied, wincing at the painful memory of his final mission as an N7 trainee.
"Don't worry, sir. I'm not gonna screw this up," Jenkins saluted. "Hey, Commander! You'd make a good Spectre!" he then changed the subject. "They're always getting dropped into impossible situations. Forced to survive unbeatable odds. Just like you on Akuze!"
"I... I try not to think of Akuze," Shepard looked away. "A lot of promising men had their careers cut short there. Permanently," he put special emphasis on that last word.
"Sorry, Commander," the young soldier looked ashamed. "I didn't mean to offend you. I respect what you did there. We all do." the Commander just nodded, mentally shaking away the unpleasant past.
"The Captain's waiting for me," he simply said as he walked away.
The comm room was just on the other end of the hallway; a circular room with chairs lining the larger part of the wall, three holographic projectors occupying the side of the room opposit from the entryway. The infamous turian Spectre was standing in front of one of these, just having ended a conversation with what Shepard assumed to be one of the Council members. He'd always thought turians looked like a mix of lizard and insect, he contemplated thinking of their scaly skin and mandibles. Maybe a bit bird-like too, as if they'd be a humanoid link between dinosaurs evolving into birds.
Turning around just as the man entered, as if knowing he had arrived, the turian addressed him without delay.
"Commander Shepard. I was hoping you'd get here first. It will give us a chance to talk," Nihlus said, straight to the point.
"What about?" Shepard blurted out before thinking of asking where the Captain was. The conversations on the way to the comm room built his anxiety up enough not to think very clearly now that the turian was talking to him.
"I'm interested in this world we're going to, Eden Prime. I've heard it's quite beautiful," Nihlus continued, seemingly unaware of the Commander's nervous expression.
"They say it's a paradise," he replied carefully, trying to figure out where the elite operative was going with his line of inquiry.
"Yes... a paradise." the alien seemed deep in thought, starting to pace around the room. "Serene. Tranquil. Safe. Eden Prime has become something of a symbol for your people, hasn't it? Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them. But how safe is it really?" he suddenly turned to face Shepard, finding him listening to him with a rigid posture, his eyes narrowing with a suspicious glimmer as he observed the Commander silently for a while.
"Are you trying to scare me, Spectre?" Shepard broke the silence, trying to sound just hostile enough to draw the turian's attention away from his tense demeanor.
"Your people are still newcomers, Shepard," Nihlus looked away snorting disapprovingly. "The galaxy can be a very dangerous place. Is the Alliance truly ready for this?"
"Ready for what?" Shepard wanted to ask just as Captain Anderson entered the room, drawing his attention away from the turian.
"I think it's about time we told the Commander what's really going on," the man said briefly. Nihlus sighed then nodded.
"This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run," he started.
"You don't say," Shepard interrupted him, doing all he could not to let out a laugh. "Most of the crew has figured that much out." Anderson allowed himself a chuckle.
"I chose the best of the best to serve under me for a reason," he said before resuming their explanation. "We're making a covert pickup on Eden Prime. That's why we used the excuse of testing out the experimental stealth system, we needed it operational."
"What's the payload, Captain?"
"This comes down from the top, Commander," Anderson's tone grew more serious. "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."
"I thought the Protheans vanished fifty thousand years ago," Shepard raised an eyebrow. They didn't teach much history at the Villa, all he knew was that humanity owed its place in the galaxy to these long gone aliens. Fity thousand years gone, and their influence was still heavily felt in the modern world...
"Their legacy still remains," Nihlus voiced his very thoughts. "The mass relays, the Citadel, our ship drives, it's all based on Prothean technology."
"What else can you tell me?"
"This is big, Shepard," the Captain 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 the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study."
"Obviously, this goes beyond mere human interests, Commander," the Spectre added. Shepard was starting to realize what this was all about. "This discovery could affect every species in Council space."
"I guess keeping the beacon for ourselves is out of the question," the Commander said, albeit not with much interest in whose hands the object ended up.
"You humans don't have the best reputation," Nihlus replied with mild disapproval. "Some species see you as selfish. Too unpredictable. Too independent. Even
dangerous," the turian's eyes narrowed, though his expression lightened up a bit after seeing Shepard wasn't serious about his remark.
"Sharing that beacon will improve relations with the Council," Anderson interjected. "Plus, we need their scientific expertise. They know more about the Protheans than we do."
"Well, it never hurts to have a few extra hands onboard," Shepard nodded at the Spectre with appreciation. His presence on the ship made far more sense now. The crew's fears seemed to be unfounded now, though the Commander doubted he'd be allowed to ease their minds about the entire mission being a pickup operation. "We're not expecting any trouble, are we?" he asked just to make sure.
"I'm always expecting trouble," came the brief reply. remembering his earlier conversation with Joker, Shepard joked to himself about there still being a chance of a friendship blooming between the pilot and the turian. "The beacon's not the only reason I'm here, Shepard," Nihlus then said, surprising him.
"Nihlus wants to see you in action, Commander. He's here to evaluate you," Captain Anderson added, a hint of pride oddly mixed with envy in his expression.
"What do you mean, Captain?" Shepard looked at the man with a confused look.
"You're smart enough to know how things work, Commander," Anderson replied. "The Alliance has been pushing for this for a long time. Humanity wants a larger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Citadel Council. The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks," he eyed the Commander triumphantly, "it shows how far the Alliance has come."
"I... I'm hardly worthy of such a prestigious position, sir," Shepard said with hesitation after a brief moment of silence.
"Don't be modest, Commander," the Captain put his hand on the man's shoulder encouragingly. "We chose you out of a list of candidates put forward by various other Spectres who appreciate what humanity can give to the Council. Nihlus here was the one who suggested your name."
"You put my name forward?" Shepard asked, his mind still processing the news impeding him from doing anything more but repeat the information in form of questions. "Why would a turian want a human in the Spectres?" he managed lamely.
"Not all turians resent humanity," Nihlus looked at him, his expression slightly amused. "Some of us see the potential of your species. We see what you have to offer to the rest of the galaxy... and to the Spectres. We are an elite group. It's rare to find an individual with the skills we seek. I don't care that you're human, Shepard. I only care that you can do the job. And you... Not many could have survived what you went through on Akuze. You showed a remarkable will to live; a particularly useful talent."
"I assume this is good for the Alliance," the Commander said defeatedly, looking at Anderson.
"Earth needs this, Shepard," the man replied. "We're counting on you."
"I need to see your skills for myself, Commander," Nihlus started pacing around the room again. "Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together." Great, Shepard thought to himself, it wasn't enough that he fell ass backwards into the ranks of the N7, now they wanted to make a galactic special operative out of him. His train of thought was interrupted by the Captain starting to brief him about the mission.
"Eden Prime is a peaceful farming world, but it represents something much bigger. Eden Prime is one of our oldest and most successful colonies. It proved we were ready to face the challenges of settling new worlds, to forge a place for humanity beyond Earth. It symbolizes humanity's growth and evolution as a spacefaring species. And after this, it will be known as the world where humans made a discovery of galactic importance. You'll be in charge of the ground team. Secure the beacon and get it into the ship asap. Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission."
"Why is this beacon so important?" Shepard asked. He was starting to imagine something huge and, possibly, even dangerous.
"All advanced galactic civilization is based on Prothean technology. Even yours," Nihlus repeated his earlier statement.
"If we hadn't discovered those Prothean ruins buried on Mars, we'd still be stuck on Earth," Captain Anderson nodded. "That was just a small data cache. Who knows what we can learn from this beacon? What if it's a weapons archive? We can't let it fall into the wrong hands."
"Like who" the Commader continued his inquiries, wanting to build a more or less complete mental image o the possible threats.
"The Attican Traverse isn't the most stable sector of Citadel space," Anderson replied hesitantly. "There are plenty of raiders and criminal groups active in the region. They might figure a Prothean beacon is worth the risk of attacking an Alliance ship. Plus, Eden Prime is right on the border of the Terminus Systems."
"The Attican Traverse is under Citadel protection. If the Terminus Systems attack, it's an act of war," Shepard then said, crossing his arms. Maybe this mission would turn out as dangerous as everyone eared, after all. He didn't like what he was hearing.
"Technically, yes," Nihlus said carefully. "But some of the species in the Terminus might be willing to start a war over this."
"The last thing the Council wants is to get dragged into a major conflict with the Terminus Systems. We have to keep this low-key," Anderson stressed the last point.
"Just give the word, Captain," the Commander sighed.
"Good. We should be getting close to Eden..." the Captain started, only to be interrupted by Joker's voice.
"Captain! We've got a problem." he seemed agitated.
"What's wrong, Joker?" Anderson's reply was brief.
"Transmission from Eden Prime, sir," the pilot said, hesitating for a moment. "Sir... you better see this."
"Bring it up onscreen," the Captain ordered, one of the holo-projectors activating not a moment later. It seemed to be a first person perspective recording from a soldier's combat suit; assault rifle jerking left and right firing in concentrated bursts at enemies too out of focus to discern their appearance, just before hitting the ground. The helmet of another soldier came into view, briefly confirming the death of the soldier before turning toward her remaining companions.
"Get down!" she shouted, firing another burst as she ducked into cover off screen. In that moment, something appeared on the sky. Shepard watched with eyes open wide with disbelief. What was for all intents and purposes an impossibly enormous spaceship making touchdown looked to him like a gigantic metal hand reaching down from the sky before the camera was knocked out.
"We are under attack! Taking heavy casualties, I repeat, heavy casualties!" another officer practically screamed into his comm, the desperation in his voice clearly audible. "We can't... argh!..."
"-eed evac! They came out of nowhere! We need-"
"Everything cuts out after that," Joker then said. "No comm traffic at all. Just goes dead. There's nothing."
"Reverse and hold at thirty-eight point five," Captain Anderson ordered, watching the screen intently. The three men stared at the image of the large vessel descending in silence for a few moments. None of them had any idea what they were dealing with, Shepard judged from the Captain and Spectre's troubled looks. "Status report," Anderson then said, breaking the heavy silence.
"Seventeen minutes out, Captain. No other Alliance ships in the area," the pilot responded.
"Take us in, Joker. Fast and quiet," Anderson ordered, marching out of the room, the other two on his heels. "This mission just got a lot more complicated."
"A small strike team can move quickly without drawing attention," Nihlus suggested. "It's our best chance to secure the beacon." The Captain nodded as he turned to Shepard.
"Grab your gear and meet us in the cargo hold. Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up, Commander. You're going in," he said grimly before hurrying away.
Shepard had a bad feeling about the mission. He felt he wasn't ready for what was about to come.