Here is the next chapter! (Almost a week late...) But hey! I got it! Enjoy!

I zipped up my bag and set it next to the door. I slipped my pajamas off and put my Alliance Blues on. After slipping on my shoes, I headed out onto the deck of The Nightingale, The ship I had been serving on for almost a year. I said good bye to Captain Heinlein and made my way to the Airlock. The door opened to reveal The Normandy. Captain Anderson stood by the door.

"Commander, Welcome aboard."

"Thank you, Captain."

"Your locker is on the second deck. If you need anything I will be in the comm room. We are departing in 15 minutes."

I nodded. After putting my stuff in the locker, I headed back up to CIC. The place was like a busy bee hive. I dodged people left and right, trying to make it the Hull.

"Arcturus Prime Relay is in range. Initiating transmission sequence. We are connected. Calculating transit mass and destination. The relay is hot. Acquiring approach vector. All stations secure for transit. The board is green. Approach run has begun."

As I entered the Hull, He started his countdown.

"Hitting the relay in three… two… one…"

I held on to the back of his seat, expecting to feel something, but it was as smooth as ever. On The Nightingale, when used a relay, it was hold on for your life. But on The Normandy, You could do a handstand and still remain in place.

"Thrusters check navigation check internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift… just under fifteen hundred K."

"1500 is good. Your captain will be pleased."

I only just noticed Nihlus standing beside me. I watched his back as he walked away.

"I hate that guy."

"Nihlus have you a compliment, so you hate him?" A man sitting next to him stated. Kaiden was his name, I think.

"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom? That's "good". I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pin head. That's incredible. Besides, Specters are trouble. I don't like having him aboard. Call me paranoid."

"You're paranoid. 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."

I nodded my head in agreement.

"They don't send specters on shake down runs."

"So there's more going on here then the captain is letting on."

"Joker, Status report." Captain Anderson said over the Comm."

"Just cleared the Relay captain. Stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid."

"Good. Find a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime."

"Aye aye, captain. Better brace yourself, sir. I think Nihlus is headed your way."

"He's already here, Lieutenant. Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing."

"You get that, Commander?"

I scowled at him.

"Great. You piss the captain off and now I'm gonna pay for it."

He held up his hands in an innocent gesture.

"Pff. Don't blame me. The captain's always in a bad mood."

"Only when He's talking to you, Joker."

I smirked and headed towards the comm room. The Normandy was huge compared to The Nightingale. The Normandy had 3 decks while The Nightingale had only 2. The first floor was the CIC and the hull. The second was the kitchen, Med-Bay, Mess and Crews Courters all cramped together. As I started to walk past the galaxy map, I heard Navigator Pressly.

"I'm telling you! I just saw him! He marched by like he was on a mission!"

"He's a specter. They're always on a mission."

"And we're getting dragged right along with him!"

"Relax, Pressly. You're gonna give yourself an ulcer."

He jumped as he looked up at me.

"Congratulations, Commander. Looks like we had a smooth run. You heading down to see the captain?"

"Sounds like you don't trust our turian guest."

"Sorry Commander. Just having a chat with Adams down in engineering. Didn't mean to cause any trouble. But you have to admit, something's odd about this mission. The whole crew feels it."

"You think the alliance brass is holding out on us?"

"If all we're supposed to do is test out the stealth system, why is Captain Anderson in charge? And then there's Nihlus. Spectres are elite operatives. Top covert agents. Why send a spectre—a turian spectre—on a shakedown run? It just doesn't add up."

My thoughts exactly.

"I'll see if I can get some answers when I see him."

"Good luck commander."

I walked by and Doctor Chakwas waved at me. I nodded. She turned back to her conversation with Jenkins

"I grew up on Eden Prime Doc. It's not the kind of place spectres visit. There's something Nihlus isn't telling us about the mission."

"That's crazy. The captain is in charge here. He wouldn't take orders from a spectre."

Jenkins held up his hand and shook his head.

"Not his choice, Doc. 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."

Jenkins saluted.

"What do you think commander? 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."

"You need to calm down, corporal. A good soldier stays cool, even under fire."

"Sorry commander. But this waiting is killing me. I've never been on a mission like this before. Not one with a spectre on board!"

"Just treat this like every other assignment you've had and everything will work out."

"Easy for you to say. 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."

"Don't worry, Ma'am. I'm not gonna screw this up."

I nodded.

"You're from Eden Prime, Aren't you Jenkins? What's it like?"

"It's very peaceful, Commander. They've been real careful with development, so you don't have any city noise or pollution. My parents lived in the outskirts of the colony. At night, I used to climb this big hill and stare across the field back at the lights from the main settlement. It was gorgeous. But when I got older, I realized it was a little to calm and quiet for me. That's why I joined the Alliance. Even paradise gets boring after a while."

"Any idea why Eden Prime was chosen as our destination?"

"Not really sure, Commander. Eden Prime's one of our most stable colonies. Good place to take The Normandy for her shake down run, I guess. No real danger there. But there's gotta be something else going on. We've got a spectre onboard! That's why I'm so wound up. I can't wait for the real mission to start!"

"The Captain is waiting for me."

"Goodbye, Commander."

"Ma'am." He saluted again.

I was determined to get some answers. One way or the other. I didn't like being left in the dark. It made me feel uneasy.

"Commander Shepard. I was hoping you'd get here first. It will give us a chance to talk."

I looked around for the Captain.

"What about?"

"I'm interested in this world we're going to—Eden Prime. I've heard it's quite beautiful."

"They say it's a paradise."

"Yes… A paradise. Serene, Tranquil, Safe. Eden Prime has become something of a symbol for your people. Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them. But how safe is it really?"

I crossed my arms. I was really starting to get tired of playing games.

"Are you trying to scare me, Spectre?"

"Your people are still newcomers, Shepard. The galaxy can be a very dangerous place. Is the Alliance truly ready for this?"

Captain Anderson walked into the room.

"I think it's about time we told the commander what's really going on."

Nihlus looked back at me.

"This mission is far more then a simple shakedown run."

"I figured there was something you weren't telling us."

Anderson leaned up against the railing as he spoke.

"We're making a covert pickup on Eden Prime. That's why we needed the stealth systems operational."

Finally. Some damn answers.

"There must be a reason you didn't tell me about this, sir."

"This comes down from the top, commander. 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 quirked an eyebrow.

"I though the Protheans vanished fifty thousand years ago."

"Their legacy still remains. 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 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. This discovery could affect every species in Council space."

"Why didn't we keep the beacon for ourselves?"

"You humans don't have the best reputation. Some species see you as selfish. Too unpredictable. Too independent. Even dangerous."

"Sharing that beacon will improve relations with the Council. Plus, we need their scientific expertise. They know more about the Protheans then we do.

"The beacon's not the only reason I'm here, Shepard."

Great… More mysteries…

"Nihlus wants to see you in action, Commander. He's here to evaluate you.

I sighed.

"Guess that explains why I bump into him every time I turn around.

"You're smart enough to know how things work, Commander. 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, it shows how far the Alliance has come."

As Nihlus watched me, I felt like a dead frog he couldn't wait to dissect in science class.

"Not many could have survived what you went through on Akuze. You showed a remarkable will to live—a particularly useful talent. That's why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres."

I tilted my head.

"Why would a turian want a human in the Spectres?"

"Not all turians resent humanity. 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 only rare to find an individual with the skills we seek. I don't care that your human, Shepard. I only care that you can do the job."

I looked at the Captain who had been standing by silently.

"I assume this is good for the Alliance.

"Earth needs this, Shepard. We're counting on you."

"I need to see your skills for myself, Commander."

I turned my gaze back to him.

"Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together.

Anderson straightened.

"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."

"Just give the word Captain."

"We should be getting close to Eden—"

He was cut off by Joker.

"Captain! We've got a problem."

"What's wrong, Joker?

"Transmission from Eden Prime, Sir. You better see this!"

"Bring it up onscreen."

I watched as the video played. I female wearing white and red armor was shooting something off screen.

"Get down!"

The woman took the person with the camera and pulled him down.

"We are under attack! Taking heavy casualties! I repeat heavy casualties! We can't… Argh!... –eed evac! They came out of nowhere! We need-"

They man stopped talking and the person with the camera looked at his comrades who was staring at something. I only caught a glimpse of it.

"Everything cuts out after that. No comm traffic at all. Just goes dead. There's nothing."

"Reverse and hold at 38.5"

I saw a huge ship. It had to be 10 times the size of The Normandy and The Nightingale put together.

"Status report."

"Seventeen minutes out, Captain. No other Alliance ships in the area.

"Take us in, Joker. Fast and quite. This mission just got a lot more complicated."

I sighed and ran my hand threw my hair.

What do you think? Did you like it? I hope so! Leave a review please!