Chapter 1 - The Nightmare
"Follow me, Chase," a woman's voice called out from ahead, trying to sound calm. The fear was evident in her voice, but she was doing her best to disguise it. "We're almost free, my son. The shuttle is just ahead. We can make it out of here." Her voice was pleading, a desperate cry almost unheard due to the loud bangs of explosions going off around them.
Chase looked around, his once peaceful colony home now a field of flames, smoke, and explosions. Families everywhere were scrambling to the escape shuttles just a bit further ahead. "Mom, what's going on?" Chase heard himself ask, confusion and panic taking over. A family next to him was crying, kneeling over a body of one of their loved ones, life extinguished from the attack. Smoke was thick and heavy, and Chase could barely see five feet in front of him.
He couldn't see his mother ahead in the distance, but he knew, instinctively, that she was there. A large explosion went off next to him, catching him off guard. Chase was flung to the ground in a violent movement. He didn't brace himself in time, and his head hit the harsh gravel of the street, almost knocking the wind out of him. The taste of blood filled his senses, and his whole body ached. His left arm felt numb, and he struggled to clench his fist. Sharp pains flared through his body each time he did so, and he gave up, realizing it must be broken. He got up slowly, steadying himself, and winced from his arm's pain. His vision was blurry, and he could feel his heartbeat, each hurried thump pronounced and tense.
"Mom! I.. I'm hurt!" Chase screamed, tears in his eyes as he proceeded ahead. "I can't move my arm!"
The calming voice of his mother returned, soft and coaxing. "We'll have the nurse look at it once we're on the ship. I promise you'll be okay. Just-" Her voice cut off suddenly.
The smoke cleared a bit, and Chase saw his mother, arms thrust up in surrender. Tears were streaming down her face, and she looked both terrified and hopeless. "Please, let us go! We don't have anything." She fell to her knees as she pleaded. Chase stopped in his tracks, the feeling of dread only growing further within him. He heard a few grunts ahead, but he couldn't make out who they were from due to the smog. Another explosion detonated in the distance, bathing the entire area in a bright aura of red light. Ahead, everything was illuminated for just a second. Chase could see a dark figure, towering above his mother, with many, spider-like eyes, all fixated on her. The figure grinned deviously as he raised his rifle and took aim. He pulled the trigger, and after a bright flash, his mother fell to the ground, her body crumpled and lifeless.
"NO!" Chase screamed with all his might, trying to run ahead, but he couldn't move, no matter how hard he tried. His whole body was numb, and his vision became black, pulling him slowly, yet relentlessly, into its embrace.
The sudden incessant buzzing of an alarm echoed out, cutting through the previous silence and interrupting the calm it brought. Chase's eyes sprung open, and he spent a moment to take in his surroundings. "Another nightmare," he mumbled, as he realized he was in his quarters on his ship, the Reliant. His bedsheets were strewn about like a fight had taken place just moments before his waking. Chase rubbed his eyes, trying to clear away the sleepy haze.
"Oh eight hundred," he said as looked at the clock and disabled the alarm. He ran a hand through his short dark brown hair, drenched in sweat. His face scrunched up as he got out of bed and turned on the lights.
Chase's quarters were quiet again. A feeling of peace was given off by the metallic walls, decorated with various souvenirs from his past. Here, he was safe, yet even so, he still had to deal with the horrors of his past.
Chase walked over to the large display stand and leaned against the wall, folding his arms as he tried to collect his thoughts. He picked up his old L3 biotic amp, remembering when he was drafted into the Alliance Military at the fresh age of 18. He was so eager to prove himself back then, hoping to advance through the ranks in a rush of achievements and heroics. But military life wasn't as glorious as he read in his childhood books. For everything he achieved, there seemed to be far more he lost.
After setting the amp back on this display, Chase walked to his bathroom, the door effortlessly gliding open with a soft hiss. He leaned down and started the water to the shower, before arching his body back in a long stretch. After clearing his throat, Chase looked in the mirror.
A tall, unshaven man looked back at him, his body rugged and muscular from years of harsh military life. His tired blue eyes were still adjusting to the artificial light of the ship, and he looked like he hadn't slept in days. Chase took a moment, studying himself, reflecting on how different he looked now, compared to when he joined the military. He was only 32, but he looked a few years older.
Chase undressed and stepped in the shower; the hot water was soothing, and the steam, almost euphoric. He rested himself and placed a hand on the tile wall. His head bowed down as the water dripped from him effortlessly. The shower seemed to wash away the last moments of his nightmare. It was always the same, but it never got any easier the more he experienced it. As the shower concluded, Chase felt renewed in confidence as he stepped out and dried himself.
"Messages," he said out loud before brushing his teeth.
"One new message," a synthetic voice replied immediately, wasting no time. "From First Lieutenant Sophie Ariero, yesterday, at 2133."
"Hey Commander," a woman's cheery voice spoke, almost seeming to set Chase's mind at ease. "I got your message about the Relay we're approaching, and I checked the coordinates. Everything seems to be in order, so I still think we'll get there by the afternoon tomorrow." She took a breath.
Chase pulled a neatly pressed uniform from his drawer, and dressed himself. The Cerberus insignia was pinned to the uniform's collar, along with the marker denoting his rank of Commander. He wore the uniform with pride, taking comfort in the rank he had worked so hard to achieve.
"I hope you've been feeling better," Sophie's voice continued, yet it was quieter this time. "I know you've been having the nightmares again, and I just wanted to see if you were okay. Maybe you can meet me for breakfast and we can talk about it? I'll see you."
The message ended, filling the room with silence once again. Chase grabbed his datapad from the foot of his bed, realizing he must have fallen asleep reading it, and left his quarters.
Making his way towards the mess hall, Chase looked about the ship. Various members of his crew went past him, going about their duties. Some gave him a polite nod or salute, which he returned. They all seemed so at ease, comforted by their tasks and duties to keep the ship operating in its efficiency.
The ship was spacious enough not to feel cramped or claustrophobic, and was well lighted, a comfortable atmosphere fit for most Cerberus vessels. The metallic walls, silvery in hue, helped add to the comfortable mood. As he arrived at the elevator, the door swung open, and he stepped forth.
"Commander!" a voice said hastily, almost startled. "You're usually in the mess hall by now."
Chase saw Sophie standing in front of him, her shoulder-length brown hair fell sideways as she cocked her head in his direction. Her uniform was completely free of wear and tear, and she held her signature clipboard close, pen at the ready to take notes.
"Sophie," Chase replied with a nod, pressing the button to go to the second floor. The door slid shut and the elevator started to hum in motion.
"You're late to breakfast!" Sophie said, tapping the pen to her chin. She then took the datapad from Chase and set it against her clipboard, skimming over it quickly.
"I was doing some thinking," Chase replied. "More than I usually do." He laughed, trying to lighten the mood. He really didn't want to talk about the nightmare, as much as he knew she wanted to ask him about it. "How are things going with that trip to Thessia you've been planning?" He asked, changing the subject, as the small room glided to a halt. After the doors opened, they proceeded towards the mess hall.
"I do still want to go," Sophie beamed, a hopeful glimmer in her eyes. "I did tell you how much I wanted to see the Asari architecture, right? I want to go to as many museums as I have time for!"
Chase smiled as he listened to her. He hadn't been on leave in quite some time, and it would be nice to get away from the hectic schedule and all the missions.
Sophie stopped, suddenly raising a defiant brow. "Why do you care, though? You told me you weren't interested in any of that, anyways."
Chase shrugged. "I know you care."
Moments later, they arrived at the mess hall, and it seemed to be emptier than usual. There were still quite a few people in line to get their food, even so.
"Commander Reilly! Lieutenant Ariero!" A tall, thin man at the back of the line yelled, waving them over.
Chase tugged on Sophie's arm, and she followed him. The man was Elliott Yaeger, the Reliant's chief engineer. He was still young, yet his eyes harbored years of experience, which Chase was well aware of.
"Good to see you both." Elliot spoke. "I wanted to tell you that we should get to the Asgard system around thirteen hundred. That is, if everything continues to operate the way it's going right now."
Chase clapped the man on the shoulder. "Thanks Elliott. Finally, some good news. We can get in, obtain the data, and get out, with none the wiser." Chase hoped that would be the case, but realistically, he knew otherwise.
"I can't wait to see Terra Nova!" Sophie said excitedly. Travelling to the different systems and planets was the highlight for her. "But the data is in a relatively remote location, so I don't know how safe things will be. The coordinates are set, the landing location is locked in, so all we need to do is get there in one piece."
"The Reliant is more than ready for FTL travel," Elliott said with confidence. "Ships larger and smaller than us have made the relay jump easily, so this will be no effort for us. Commander, I assure-"
"I know, Elliott. We have nothing to worry about," Chase replied, affirmatively. He knew Elliott was skilled in his field. If he thought the ship could make the jump, that was all Chase needed to hear. This would be the Reliant's first time using its FTL drive, but he was confident in Elliott's assessment.
"We are still going to get some time off after this mission, right, Commander?" Elliott asked as the group advanced in line and got their breakfast.
Chase smirked. "That's still the plan. I'm gonna ask for it again when I report in. The boss said we could have it, but things have changed before..."
Elliott winced. He certainly didn't want to hear that, even though it was true. "Well, shit. I've already planned what I'm going to do."
"Relax, Elliott. If this data lives up to what the suits think it is, we'll have it made." Chase replied.
"This facility is supposed to be abandoned. I wonder how old this data will be."
"Yep. You got it. You're our most knowledgeable engineer, Elliott. I want you to at least give it a look through before we pass it onto the boss."
Elliott beamed. "Y-Yes sir!"
Chase was given explicit orders not to tamper with the data in any way, but he had other plans.
After breakfast, Chase decided to head down to the ship's armoury to practice for a while. The large armoury door opened slowly, emitting a loud grating noise as it did so. The armoury was well lit, and there were a few crewmembers present, arming and firing their weapons. Others were engaged in conversation. Chase looked around in an attempt to find someone he knew.
"Amir!" he yelled across the room towards a dark-complected man that was adjusting the scope on his assault rifle.
"Chase," the man said with a nod. "It's good to see you. What's going on?"
"I just want to practice my aim a bit before the mission. Didn't get much sleep last night, Amir," Chase yawned. He took a monomolecular blade from its shelf, balancing it carefully in the palm of his hand. The polished blade of the sword gave off an almost blinding reflection as Chase held it aloft in front of him.
"What are you worried about, man?" Amir asked before toggling the laser sight on his rifle, then looked up at the Commander. He gave Chase a worried look that showed the friendship he still felt with his old military buddy.
"Just some shit from my past that keeps coming back to me. I ran out of Hallex a few days ago, so the nightmares are back."
"Chase-" Amir replied, shaking his head.
"I know!" The commander cut him off. "It's the only way I can get some fucking sleep around here."
"I still say you need some time off."
"No! What am I going to do? These missions keep me going. Keep my mind busy. Keeps my attention where it needs to be." Chase approached one of the holographic dummies and pointed the blade directly at its chest. "I don't know what this data is going to be about, but I'm gonna have Elliott look at it. Maybe we can do something if it's as important as the suits say."
Amir folded his arms, a worried expression coming across his features. "You know we're not supposed to mess with any data we find!"
Chase shot him a look that said more than enough.
"All right," Amir replied, shaking his head and held his rifle up. He knew the commander was stubborn, and didn't feel like arguing with him. He took aim at one of the targets in the distance, and the laser sight flickered along the bullseye.
Chase gripped the hilt of the blade with both hands, taking a breath as he dug his fingers into the sturdy leather. He slashed at the dummy, a quick vertical cut across its left shoulder. Then, he slashed again, but to its right. "Amir, you ever think back to your Alliance military days?" He said between a short breath, slashing yet oncemore.
"Not really. I'm thankful for them, but I have no regrets for defecting to Cerberus."
"That's not what I meant," Chase replied as he sheathed the blade, walking over to the rifle stands and picking up one of the assault rifles. "I signed up for the military as a chance to prove myself. Because I really didn't have any direction, so I felt the military would force me to become strict, and ... oriented. "
Amir was quiet as he listened, his rifle leaned against his shoulder now.
"But all it did was just reinforce my need for freedom. For not being tied down. I think I should have just been a freelance mercenary, or even a pirate. Cerberus is kind of the same. They keep you in the dark about whatever the suits want you to do. The pay is nice, and there's some good leave... when they give it to you. That's all it is, though. Even as a Commander, I still feel my strings being pulled more often than I'd like."
"I get you, Chase. We can't go back in time, though. I've always respected what Cerberus stood for, and I aim to make humanity's place in the galaxy one to be respected, no matter what I have to do. I made that decision when I defected and I've never regretted it. You'll figure what you want out, though. I'm not sure if I'll agree with what you decide, but I know you'll make a decision about this sooner than later. Having Elliott look at the data certainly seems like sooner, anyways." He laughed.
After an hour or so of practice, Chase returned to the bridge until it was time to land.
