Author's Note:
This probably gets pretty corny, but I have no idea how to write this sort of thing. The combat, though? That's fun to write.
Anyhoo, Cerberus is bad news. Srsly.
UPDATED 3/1/12
Yeah, what I said before was true. This chapter was damn corny before. It's been bugging me, and the roommate is keeping me up with snoring, so I decided to fix it. Found a few other things, too.
Examples: gratuitous F-bomb, redundancies, Crappy old setting/date format.
So now I can feel better, even though I can't sleep. Beats dodging spoilers on the forums at least.
UPDATED 3/1/13
Holy crap I updated exactly a year later. Time flies, huh? Well, now that ME3 has been out and we're looking at the end of it all (sob) I decided to take the story up again. Don't worry, I'm definitely finishing it. I edited this chapter to clear up inconsistencies in a few lore issues.
Chapter 6
Akuze
August 24, 2177
Shepard followed her platoon into the troop bay of the brand new M29 Grizzly the Alliance had dropped with them.
Damn, it even smells new
She dropped into the chair nearest the exit, right across the bay from James. A comm ping flashed in the corner of her helmet's HUD, on their old frequency. She tuned her suit's radio and nodded across the aisle at him.
"Sam, about earlier…"
"What about it?" she asked slyly, putting a hint of a purr into her question.
"I'm not sure we should have done it. I just… It's against regs." James said, looking slightly above her left shoulder.
"Getting cold feet? What happened to 'Fuck the regs, I do what I want'?"
"If I told you I didn't want to ruin our friendship, would you believe me?"
"That's my line, Cook." She smirked, then nodded at the pilot, who had begun launch prep.
"We're not done, Sam. We'll talk after the mission," James said with finality.
"Fine. We are marines after all. We have a job to do here."
The Grizzly ground over the sandy plains of Akuze at the head of the convoy, towards the previous marine detachment's last known location, a large plain one hundred clicks north.
February 3, 2185
Normandy SR-2
Deep Space, En Route to Sahrabarik System
"Doctor Chakwas? What are you doing here?!"
"Shepard, it is certainly good to see you too," the doctor offered, leaning back in her chair as she swiveled to face Shepard
"I can't believe you would leave the Alliance! Then again, I said the same about Joker…"
"There's your reason, Commander. I'd enjoy patching up your group of merry miscreants as much as the next Alliance doctor, but I'm the only one who's been taking care of Jeff for the last two years."
Shepard looked down at her feet, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
"You didn't need to…"
"I did, commander. I couldn't just sit at Jump Zero or Elysium and patch up raw recruits while you and Jeff are out here saving the galaxy. This is what I want."
"Did they at the least set you up all right here?"
"I supervised the installation of everything here. If I wanted it, it was here within a day. They spared no expense. I just wish I still had… Oh, don't mind me," Chakwas trailed off, smiling wistfully.
"Doctor, what is it?"
"I had several bottles of contraband liquor smuggled in under the desk back on the SR1. No harm in telling you now, after what happened."
"Really, doctor?" Shepard asked bemusedly. "I would have never guessed."
"A lady needs her brandy, Commander."
Shepard walked out of Chakwas' office to find Miranda standing directly outside the door.
"Need me, Lawson?"
Miranda glanced down at the datapad clutched in her hand, then abruptly said "I see you're settling in!" with a forced gusto, then marched stiffly back towards her office, leaving Shepard standing in the hallway bewildered. She shook off the odd encounter and made her way towards the elevator, where she punched the button labeled 'Captain's Quarters'. The elevator buzzed slightly, and the doors whizzed open to a small landing with a polished door at the other end. Shepard stepped within the door's sensor radius and it whizzed open as well, revealing a large room lit light blue from an enormous water-filled tank on one side.
Holy crap, I have a fish tank.
She stepped into her office area, which was, for the moment, empty save a computer terminal and a blinking datapad. She picked this up and read the message it held.
Shepard
Welcome to your new ship. I trust the deal we reached satisfies you. You will hunt down and exterminate the Collectors while we determine together what their ties to the Reapers are. We cannot allow another Freedom's Progress to occur. I have enclosed six dossiers for building your team. We cannot afford any mistakes, so this will be a multilateral mission. The dossiers are as follows:
She read through the enclosed dossiers, noting that they included a Krogan warlord, a dangerous incarcerated biotic, and a vigilante on one of the most dangerous stations in the galaxy.
Does the Illusive Man think I'm insane? Probably.
She tossed the datapad back on the desk and went to lie down on the enormous bed a short distance away.
"Commander?" The comm system pinged overhead.
She sighed, then stopped.
"Yes?"
"My name is Kelly Chambers, I'm your new executive assistant, and I'm supposed to take you on a tour. I'd prefer not talking through the comm system"
"Fine. Come on in."
Shepard altered her course and sat down on a couch. It was oddly comfortable for a military vessel. As she sat down, a perky redheaded woman practically bounced in through the doorway and sat down at the other end of the couch, obviously overflowing with excitement.
"As I said, I'm Kelly Chambers, your new assistant. It's an honor to work with you, Commander," She offered her hand, which Shepard shook lightly.
"Likewise, Ms. Chambers."
"Please, call me Kelly," she bubbled.
"Okay, Kelly"
Kelly smiled from ear to ear and may have even giggled a little at her progress in befriending the Commander. She stood up, motioning toward the elevator.
"I am here to show you the ship. We can start at the bottom and work our way up!"
Shepard pushed herself to her feet and followed the woman into the elevator, turning to look longingly at the bed as she left.
Soon, Sam. Soon.
Akuze
August 24, 2177
The convoy entered the area the last patrol dropped off the map in to find a long expanse of flat ground, undisturbed except by small mounds here and there. The lead Grizzly, containing Shepard and her immediate squad, plowed through the sand and came to a rest near the approximate center of the field. Shepard hit the release on her chair, then on the rear door. The marines filed out, with two in the back carrying their short-range scanner, which they set up ten meters from the M29.
"Fan out. We need to find whatever they might have left behind."
Shepard waved her men in all directions, and they split into three-man squads to better search. Shepard stood at the center, scanning the horizon with a pair of weathered binoculars until her view was blocked. She put the binoculars down.
"Lieutenant, we're trying to set up the comm relay, but we're getting some serious interference from the area," said the radioman.
"There could be a deposit of lead or magnetite here. You can compensate."
"That's just it. Every time we try to compensate, the interference shifts to block our transmission again. I think someone is actively jamming us."
Shepard felt a rising sense of wrong creep up her spine as she surveyed the squads around her.
Someone is JAMMING us?
Suddenly, one of the Grizzlies moving on the perimeter of the field disappeared in a cloud of dust. Shepard spun toward the noise and caught a glimpse of neon blue and green moving in the cloud.
"All squads, retreat to the Grizzlies. We're not alone here!"
All she got in response was a faint hum as the channel was squelched by whatever was jamming them. In desperation, Shepard ran inside her Grizzly and smacked the siren on its dashboard. The air was immediately filled with the piercing noise, but the ground began to tremble as well. Outside, the marines around the field turned around to see what was going on, only to be knocked flat as the tremor shook the whole field. Shepard turned the siren off and walked to the back of the vehicle just as the ground under the nearest squad exploded.
"What the hell is…? AUGHGHHGHHHH…"
"It's everywhere!"
"Shoot it! Shoot..!"
Shepard could only watch in terror as at least seven monstrosities rose above the surface of the planet, like flowers from hell. As she watched, the closest one speared two marines on its forelegs and vomited a noxious acid on the rest of the squad. All across the field, marines began firing at the beasts, which only hastened their demise. Shepard sprinted out of her Grizzly as it was smashed by one of the creatures, and turned to launch a ball of biotic energy at it, only to find another troop carrier spiraling through the air towards her. She leaped to the side as it landed in a heap of melted metal.
"Retreat! Everyone, off the flat ground!" she yelled into her helmet, broadcasting on all bands.
She received only static.
"Fuck!"
Shepard tore off her helmet and unholstered her standard-issue M7 Lancer assault rifle. She turned to the nearest monstrosity and squeezed the trigger until the rifle overheated, which drove it back underground momentarily. She sprinted over to what was left of the squad it had been occupied with.
"Soldier, report!"
The least injured soldier, a sergeant she recalled as Robinson, answered.
"We took two casualties and merged with delta and hotel squads. There are ten men here. Three immobile."
"Sergeant, we are bugging out."
"You don't have to tell me twice."
They began the run towards the edge of the field, but found it blocked by two more of the things. Shepard noted curiously a small reflection from the top of the nearest hill, but quickly ignored it.
"Focus fire on the left one!" Shepard yelled.
The uninjured marines began emptying their weapons into it, but it turned towards them and roared, launching a steaming blob of acid towards the survivors. Those who could dived aside, but the injured bringing up the rear were covered and simply dissolved. Shepard shook off the horrifying sight and tossed a grenade into the beast's open maw, then detonated it. Several of its tentacles were blown off and it screamed in pain, falling to the side.
"Run!"
The marines, now down to six, sprinted past the thrashing creature. Its partner, however, had just finished off another squad and turned towards its next meal. It grabbed one of the marines and ripped her in half with its tentacles, then swiped at the rest of them, sending them tumbling. Shepard righted herself and screamed to her squad.
"Go! I'll hold this thing off!"
She sprinted towards it, batting aside its acid with a biotic blast. She flipped her pistol from its holster and continued running, firing as she went. The creature roared and whirled its sharp tentacles at her, forcing her to leap over, losing her smoking pistol. Shepard activated her last four grenades and prepared to throw when she noticed out of the corner of her eye a single working Grizzly bearing down on her. She tossed all four grenades at the monster, which stunned it just long enough for her to glance at the vehicle barreling her way. Through the half-melted windscreen she saw James Cook, fire in his eyes, face bloody, hands on the controls.
"James…"
The vehicle slammed into the side of the creature, severing its head with the twisted remains of the cockpit and opening a clear path out of the carnage. Ignoring her exit, Shepard ran towards the vehicle and clambered inside through a gaping hole in the rear. She slid over the wreckage inside and found her best friend sitting in the driver's seat.
"Thought you'd never make it, Sam," James wheezed.
"That was insane, Jim."
"I can't let the LT get killed now. Looks bad on my after-action report."
Shepard grimaced, shaking her head.
"Come on, let's get out of here."
"Sorry, Sam. No can do."
Shepard looked down and saw what James was pointing to. His left leg was gone from the mid-thigh down, eaten away by the creatures' acid.
"I saved you. That was my job. I can die happy."
Shepard blinked back tears and grabbed his hand.
"James…"
"You went through medical too. It's fatal. Don't waste the medigel."
Shepard reached into her hip pocket and grabbed a syringe. She stabbed it into his leg before he could comment.
"You're not dying here." She said dejectedly.
"Shepard?"
He lifted her chin gently with his hand, and stared at her, his ice-blue eyes full of emotion.
"I love you."
"James, I… Shepard forced a smile, and a tear slipped out of the corner of her eye.
Shepard leaned over him and hugged him as hard as she could. He squeezed her hand weakly, letting out a soft sigh as life left his battered form.
Shepard pulled away, taking his dog tags with her, and stumbled from the wreck.
On top of a nearby ridge, a sniper raised his scope three degrees, lining the projected reticule up with the torso of the battered marine climbing out of the Grizzly. He moved his finger, meaning to squeeze the trigger, but his spotter tapped his shoulder.
"Don't waste the shot. Maws will handle her,"
He hesitated, but nodded, and the two black-armored soldiers packed up their rifles and spotting equipment. They silently hauled everything back to a small unarmed buggy and drove off, but not before sending a simple message on a heavily-encrypted channel.
"Test Complete"
This message was routed across the galaxy, bouncing from one system to another before finally popping into view on an orange screen in a dark room. The man sitting in front of the screen put down his whiskey and tapped the button marked 'open'.