John Shepard laid awake in his bed, after another nightmare had filled his brain as he slept, the same as it always did.
Staring up at the ceiling of his small room on Blista Station, his legs crossed at the foot of his bed, his arms behind his head and crossed. He continued to stare blankly at the metal plate roofing above him, tracing the lines in between metal sheets that had been welded together when the station was built, counting how many bolts speckled the gray metal sheets.
He suppressed thoughts in his head, surfacing from his dream, pictures that he could never unsee.
A male quarian dressed in white cloths and silver shining metals studded with bronze bolts and lines. The purest and most innocent thing you'd ever see, he was a skinny quarian, with not much muscle mass to him; Relaxed in his stance, standing on a walkway with the blue sea of Elysium's sky behind him. If he had been a she, or had a sister counter-part, then she would have been two times as calm and innocent as he.
Then, in an instant, he was no longer so innocent and pure. A sniper rifle rested in his hands, pointed down as if he was resting it and searching for a target. Now, blood took to his blackened visor, leaking out of the cracks of the plate where a bullet had penetrated. Falling back from the walkway, his body limp, flopping freely in the air, and lifeless until it went out of view and into a stream of water.
Shepard's eyes tightened, trying to squeeze the sight from his brain, but it only seemed to imprint it further into his memory.
The images flashed again, revealing a petite human woman, kindly smiling to Shepard. She had short black hair, half of her bangs covering an eye as the rest was brushed behind an ear. She had a small rounded face; A small upward pointing nose, full red lips, and emerald green eyes.
Her smile began to fade, as blood began to appear. A thin slit of red drew a line across her throat, letting blood loose from her the opening, covering her Alliance armor. As the blood cascaded down her neck, drenching her in the sticky red fluid, she coughed up blood. An ear disappeared, a small bloody mound of skin left behind with a hole in the side of her head where the ear used to be, staining and matting her shining black hair with the red fluid. She fell to the ground. Ground that was already covered in bodies, only to add hers to the mess of dead flesh that already existed.
Shepard shot his hands up to his head, trying to pull his curly brown hair from the scalp. His efforts were fruitless, as another figure came into sight.
A blond man, handsome but looking afraid and alone. His yellow hair had patches of white in it, making him look like some cartoon character. He had a square jaw, straight nose, thin lips, and blue eyes.
The normal man lost his regular shape, turning just like the others into something gruesome. His ocean blue eyes let salty tear water fall from them, and several holes appeared on his stomach, leaking crimson blood through his Alliance armor.
Shepard knew what would be next, as he saw it first hand and was the worst of the ways his friends could have died.
The blond man smiled once at Shepard, and his face began to literally crumble. Flesh burned in an instant from a side of his face, to the point you could see charred and blackened bone underneath it. Fingers disappeared from his hands, leaving only shattered and clipped phalanges behind.
The next images to appear didn't make him sad, or bring tears to his eyes, instead they made him want to kill anyone who even closely resembled them.
He saw a human man, young looking, smug looking, naïve looking. He had spiked brown hair, jelled up with the front pointing in the air. He had a pointed chin, broken nose that bled slowly, and soulless gray eyes.
He gave a single wink to Shepard, and silently started to chuckle, others that resembled him in looks appeared behind him, helping in the laughing and mocking.
The last face to appear, a slimy looking batarian, his lips covered in red dripping blood, and some flesh in between his teeth. He wore a black armor, parts of it chipped and scrapped to look white. He had a black flat cap on, with an insignia on it; A batarian face, each of the four eyes a different color, from red, to blue, to yellow, to green. He snapped his teeth to Shepard, and gave a similar laugh that the other man gave him, red blood flying from his mouth as he laughed.
"Argh!" Shepard let out a quick scream, shoving off the bed and running into his bathroom.
Slapping his hands onto the metallic sink counter, he whipped a hand at the faucet, turning it on. Cupping the water in his hands he used it to wash away his bad memories, but they were made of too strong a material to be simply washed away.
He looked up with his dreary eyes, staring at his reflection in the mirror, he gave himself a blank stare.
Strands of his hair reddish-brown and curly hair drooping in his face, he batted them away with his hands and brushed them back into place.
John had curly brown hair with few red highlights, twirly hair that he kept short and well conditioned. He had light skin, not tanned or blemished in any way. He had a straight but small nose, a scar lining the bridge of it. He had brown eyebrows, under which laid his honest and innocent looking eyes. His eyes were a light shade of blue, specks of white scarcely covering the blue diamond rings. He had straight and white shining teeth; when smiling he looked like the nicest man you'd ever meet, but when baring his teeth or gritting them he seemed as though he would kill you for looking at him wrong. He had a beard, short and fuzzy hair that matched his other hair, covering his cheeks, chin, and lip.
I love you like a father Anderson, but that whole chat about how it'll get easier was a complete lie. He thought of his friend, a long time friend he had acquired after Elysium.
Shepard lazily looked to the digital clock in his bedroom, looking through the bathroom door.
Ah shit... I'm late. Shepard grumbled inside his head, proceeding to his bedroom to get changed.
He slipped on the standard Alliance crew uniform. It's dark-gray trousers clasped to him and secured with a belt, tucking in his white and gray shirt, and rolling up the sleeves to his bicep.
He locked his fingers together and pushed his arms forward, popping nearly every joint in the upper part of his body. Letting out a gratifying sigh at the stretch, he looked down to the lock-box at the foot of his bed.
He bent down and raised it to the bed, turning a latch and opening it with one quick motion.
He looked inside, seeing all of his personal effects kept neat and tidy inside. One in particular he placed great care into.
He reached his hands inside, lifting a gold shining necklace from the box.
He smiled at the thing, and stuffed it into his pocket. It was a rosary passed down from his godfather, to his girlfriend, to him, to his brother... and then back to him. It carried a special place to Shepard, and even made him feel safe when it was in his possession.
His brother claimed that as long as he had it, he would never be killed. Shepard believed this, for the most part. He still understood that he'd have to train to be a proper soldier, fight when attacked, because he couldn't just sit idly by and let God do all the work for him.
All this thinking of his brother started to flood memories into his head, recollecting the earliest memories of his little brother.
He may not have been Shepard's brother by blood, or even by name, but Shepard and his parents welcomed him as a member none-the-less.
Richard Zachary. A name given to him by Shepard's parents–an acronym for the two letters on his little enviro-suit's chest-piece. As a kid Richard wore a pink and white enviro-suit, one that a gang of brothers was quick to mock him for. And Shepard was quick to defend his adoptive brother, and give the bullies what they deserved.
Richard was always giddy and bubbly as a kid, bouncing around constantly and always pestering his older brother for attention. Shepard didn't mind, in fact he liked it. Richard was with Shepard since they were both kids–though Richard was two years Shepard's junior–they got along as if they were with each other since birth.
Shepard was never one hundred percent sure how Richard came to be in his parents possession. His earliest memories told him that Richard was given away by a pair of quarians who no longer wanted him, though Shepard couldn't tell why, because Richard was one of the greatest things that ever happened to him. The quarian parents came in the night, speaking of another child they had. Shepard didn't know it then, but he did now, quarians can't have more than one child unless otherwise permitted by the Migrant Fleet.
The thing that made Richard stand out most was his theistic beliefs. He didn't believe in 'ancestors' as regular quarians did, instead he was Christian, a result of growing up with Shepard's parents. While early Shepard was a bit ... careless in that department. He blamed God for his parents' deaths, while Richard found solace in God after their death. This contrast in beliefs separated them for a while, though they still cared for each other, Shepard decided to spend more time with other friends and being popular.
Slowly closing his eyes Shepard stopped the flood of memories at a happy point, and thought of the task at hand, getting to the Normandy.
His next assignment given by his friend and superior, Anderson. He was to meet with him at the Normandy, and lead a team to Eden Prime.
Shepard was forced to do paperwork for the upcoming event, regardless he forgot most of what he wrote down. And he did write it down... on paper... a punishment delivered by a superior who Shepard had tried to attack. Thankfully he was held back by several other Admirals, but Shepard still wouldn't forget what Admiral Diesburg said. He mocked Shepard's past, and about his 'great victory' at Elysium, even going as far as insulting Shepard's deceased brother.
I can't even remember who else was supposed to be there. Shepard thought, trying deeply to grasp a name he had written down several times on his paperwork. Negan, Niktor, Nevan... No, none of those are it. Oh well. He gave up trying and thought back to the Admiral of the station he was on.
This German Admiral had been chewing at everything Shepard did since after Elysium, though Shepard never knew exactly why, he expected it was because of his quick rise in rank and to fame.
Now, closing the lock-box, he set it down and moved to leave his room.
This would be the last time for a while he'd be on this dreaded station; The station administrated by his arch-enemy, Admiral Diesburg.
Shepard took quick and sharp glances around the corridors of the station, making sure not to find Diesburg nearby, lest he get into another confrontation with him. Once he thought he was safe, he locked his room's door and proceeded to find wherever this Normandy was docked.
Blista Station was a marvelous thing, so grand in fact that Shepard didn't think it deserved to be governed by a man like Diesburg. It had large hallways, with metal walls so white, smooth, and shiny it rivaled a pearl's surface. Small rectangular ports lined parts of the halls, out of which could be seen several ships docking and leaving the large station, neon colors of reds, pinks, and oranges flashing around the station.
Shepard smiled as he admired the cluttered space of ships, and looked forward to a corner, readying to cross it.
His past may have been a haunted one, but that didn't give him any cause to detest his life and be a hermit. He could still find pleasure in the smaller things, though he was testy about his past.
He turned and literally bumped into an older man, nearly knocking him over with the collision.
Shepard lunged his arms out to grab the man, and steady him in an upright position.
The man in question quickly stuffed an earpiece from his ear into his pants pocket. "Ah ... Shepard." Started Admiral Diesburg, at first sounding distressed though it quickly faded once he saw the person who he had collided with. "Keep your head up and eyes forward when you're puttering about my station. I won't have you making a bad example of my station. Understood?" He more demanded than asked.
Diesburg had gray hair, only few streaks and highlights of blond lacing it. He had an old sagging face, wrinkles cluttering his old features. He had blue eyes, though they were baggy, twitched often, and seemed to get bluer every time Shepard saw them. Diesburg was a frail looking man, though that was all an act, in reality he was strong, cold, and calculating. He always stood confident and high in pride.
"Understood." Shepard just smiled at his superior, hiding any hate or contempt he harbored for the man. Putting on the best smile Shepard could, he froze his face with his white teeth shining at Diesburg. You dumb piece of shit, if you say a single thing against me or my friends I'll throw you out your own station's airlock. Understood? Shepard thought through his shiny grin, giving a quick salute to the man who immediately waved it off rather than return one.
Diesburg sneered at Shepard, and grunted. "Get to your ship, it would be a shame if you missed it, and I had to keep your worthless hide around here. Though I think you'd fit in somewhere ... maybe a janitor?" Diesburg suggested, tilting his head in question to Shepard.
Shepard just smiled at his joke, knowing it was more of an insult, though he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of getting mad at it. Say whatever you want about me you bastard, just don't push it, and I won't push you down a 10,000 meter shaft that leads directly to a dreadnaught's drive core.
He grunted at Shepard, made an about face, and began walking away. He's a damn Nazi. Shepard thought, watching the rude German Alliance officer walk away. Oops, I actually wanted to ask him something.
Before he was too far away Shepard called out to him. "Excuse me sir! I was wondering if you knew where the Normandy was docked at?" Shepard called to him, in a voice that echoed around the empty halls.
Diesburg kept walking, either his senility was catching up with his ears, or he simply ignored Shepard.
"Oh... Alright... I'll just go fuck myself then," Shepard mumbled and nodded at the ignorant man who left. Shepard decided to start walking in a different direction to find the Normandy.
Shepard eventually found his way to the Normandy, after asking a few passerby's for directions.
Walking up to the large thick glass plated window, he marveled at the Normandy–this being the first time he'd actually seen it. That's one big-ass ship to be a Stealth ship. But, of course SR-1 means Stealth Reconnaissance, and that it's meant to stay of radars and cloak when needed. He let out a drawn out sigh. Time to go meet the crew.
Boarding the ship through the docking doors, and stepping into the decontamination-like chamber. He waited on the blue scanning light that rolled over his body several times before opening the doors and allowing him to enter.
Shepard heard voices to his left, two males by the sound of it.
He turned the corner and found himself in the cockpit of the Normandy. A man wearing an Alliance cap sat in the pilot's chair, with another man to his right, talking among each other.
"I spy something ... white!" the pilot exclaimed, looking to his friend for an answer to the game.
"Blista Station," the man replied, sounding bored of the game.
"Right again ... you're good at this, Kaidan. Your turn."
"I spy something ..." the tired man replied, looking out the front window and into part of the station that the Normandy faced.
"I spy some people who should be on task and following protocol," Shepard responded, walking over to the pilot and Alliance marine. His tall form towering over the sitting pilot, and casting a large shadow over him.
Shepard was a very tall man, towering above the shorter soldiers and people he worked with, standing at 6'2". He was also considerably muscular, results of the training he went through as an N7.
"Cuh-Cuh-Commander," The man chuckled, though the fear broke through his words. "I didn't know you were aboard yet." He turned in his chair to look up at Shepard. "Sorry."
The man next to the pilot just smiled at him, thinking he'd be reprimanded or yelled at for being off-task. Though he himself was off-task as well.
"Hmm," Shepard hummed, looking down at the man and scratching at his thin-brown-haired chin. "I'll let you off with a warning this time ... just don't let it happen again." Shepard let a smile creep onto his face after he spoke, revealing his joking nature to the stressed pilot.
"Oh ... You're kidding, right?" Shepard smiled wider and nodded, shutting his eyes as he'd failed at messing with the man, and admitted the truth. "Good! I thought for a second I'd get kicked out or something. Don't do stuff like that. It scares my poor little heart."
"Did you just give me a command?" Shepard asked him, referring to his response.
"Um ... No! I didn't mean it like ..."
Shepard smiled again.
"You're joking?" Joker asked again.
"Yes." Shepard decided to let the man have a break now, the sweat on the pilot's forehead finally stopped running, and he seemed a thousand times more relaxed. "I am of course, Commander Shepard. Your names are?" Shepard asked, looking back and forth between the two men.
"I'm Joker ... or, at least that's what people here call me, my real name's Jeff. That sulking sack of potatoes over there is Kaidan." Joker lifted a hand to shield his words from Kaidan's view. "He's not a very lively guy," He tried a whisper, but failed miserably, but maybe that was his intention.
"I heard that, Joker. But, I'm sure you knew that already," Kaidan added, a half smile on his face.
"See what I mean?" Joker said, nodding slowly and pursing his lips.
"Yeah, I think I see what you mean," Shepard replied to Joker and looked to Kaidan, shaking his head to show him that he didn't agree with Joker.
"Humph! Hey, by-the-way, Anderson said to tell you he wants to see you. He's in the briefing room."
"Alright. Thank you. I'll meet him there." Shepard nodded to the two men and started his walk to Anderson.
"I guess I'll send us to Eden Prime then," Joker stated, clicking the appropriate buttons to send the ship from Blista Station to a mass relay and then to Eden Prime.
Shepard left them to their business, getting ready to jump to Eden Prime soon. He walked through a walkway on the Normandy's bridge, looking down and to his sides where people sat in seats and did their work on consoles to keep the ship 'afloat'.
This is going to be a long mission. I can feel it ... somehow.
Note: So that's it for now. I've never been much for writing big chapters, so hopefully this 4000+ word chapter should be good enough.
This story will contain a fair amount of OC, character from ME2, and be a little dark, as well as interesting in plot, ever-changing and intriguing... hopefully you'll like reading it.
If you have any questions for some reason, feel free to PM me. And of course you're encouraged to review, it's always good to hear what people think about either my writing in general, the plot, or the characters.