MASS EFFECT: DARK SAGA

*Chapter Nine: Enemy Unknown*

The ground rushed at Shepard in a smear of grass and dirt.

Just a moment ago his feet had been firmly upon the Normandy's loading ramp but the seconds now seemed to drag on for an eternity as he jumped the last few feet.

Before him was a cliff, with loose dirt blowing in rust-tinted waves over the edge. Beyond the precipice, the bocage of Eden Prime stretched into the distance, a patchwork quilt of fields, trees and hedgerows.

It was all absorbed in a heartbeat - the only instant he could allow himself a distraction.

He hit the ground with a fierce thump, stumbling a little before regaining his balance. His pistol swept up and he turned, taking a knee as he scanned the landing zone.

He felt, rather than saw the others land beside him. He did not look back. The sun edged his armour with white as he started forward, down the a slope towards a thin, meandering river.

An outcropping of reddish dirt ran along its length, forming a natural wall and he mentally traced the flow of the river, recalling that the dig site lay near a wooded hill. There were no dense concentrations of trees that he could see beyond the craggy rises but that didn't mean they weren't there, lurking just beyond, along with whatever had attacked the colony.

'The river's flowing west to east,' he told Alenko as the lieutenant knelt beside him, his own pistol relaxed, 'We head west, to higher ground. Hopefully we'll be able to see the dig site from there.'

'We could wait until the Normandy sends through a scan of the area,' Alenko suggested.

Shepard shook his head. 'We don't have time. Besides, Captain Anderson knows better than to send any transmissions without knowing what we're facing. If the enemy can trace our signals we're good as dead.' His voice strained slightly as he rose to his feet. 'No, we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way.'

It was no exaggeration on Shepard's part. If the Normandy was to remain hidden, it could not risk any outbound communications. Whoever had attacked Eden Prime was after the prothean beacon, of that Shepard had no doubt and he wouldn't chance the mission on anything.

'Almost like being back in basic,' Alenko remarked lightly, 'Hard to remember the last time I had to navigate without my omni-tool.'

Shepard gave a quick glance back over his shoulder as the Normandy growled and swayed heavily before starting forward. The thrusters glowed white and with a speed that belied its size, the ship sped away with a thundering roar.

Jenkins settled beside Shepard and Alenko.

'This is bad, Commander. Those towers to the south are some of our biggest settlements. Now look,' he said, tilting his head in the direction of the cliff at their backs.

Shepard hesitated for a moment before looking at Alenko. 'Lieutenant, scout ahead further upstream, no more than a hundred metres. Radio contact only if necessary. Understood?'

'Aye, aye, Commander.'

Alenko set off into a light jog and Shepard turned back towards the cliff.

Jenkins fell in alongside him and pointed to a pair of tall grey structures in the distance, rising from the grass like metallic shoots. 'Over there, Commander, see? That's Halsen and Weisner, the two main towns in that area. They house the farmers and their families, as well as some pretty big commercial districts.'

Shepard squinted. The sun was a dull circle of copper hanging listlessly in the sky like an old coin but it flared brilliantly through his visor. Through the glare he could make out thin blue trails of weapons fire coming from both towers, dipping toward the ground and cutting through the columns of smoke that had engulfed the lower floors.

'This attack is bigger than we thought,' he said, 'Whoever it is, they're going after everybody in the sector, Marine and civilian alike.'

'Who would want to attack Eden Prime?' Jenkins murmured, caught between grief and awe, 'We're just a farming world. Why do they want to wipe us out?'

'They don't,' Shepard told him, 'They want to keep people away from the dig site. They probably think if they attack the settlements, any Marine reinforcements will be drawn away from the beacon.'

They, Shepard thought bitterly. He didn't even know who 'they' were.

Grudgingly, he took his eyes away from the scene. 'Come on, we need to get moving.'

It took a few moments longer for Jenkins to uproot himself from the spot and shoulder his rifle. His grip was over-tight and his hands shook, no matter how hard he tried to stop it. Shepard barely noticed him fall behind as they ran to catch up to Alenko.

~~ME-DS~~

The sky bellowed at Manuel and a dark shaped slipped overhead. He watched it through the undergrowth, prying apart branches until crimson cracks appeared in the leaves.

The sky spilled red over his face. His eyes moved as quickly as he breathed.

It was not the ship they came in, yet it was not one that brought him here either. He'd seen human ships, seen them as ugly blocks of metal against the stars. This one was all smooth curves, its new paint glowing as it soared up through the clouds, disappearing from sight.

At his side, Doctor Warren urged him on gently. Her hair was only a fraction darker than the sky; a shining head of burgundy curls that swayed as she spoke, 'Come, Manuel, they're gone. Now's our chance!'

Manuel's voice was high and thin. He kept it down, whispering harshly, 'The destroyer is here. He is here, finally!'

Doctor Warren bit her lip and shuffled on the spot. Her black trousers were ripped at the knees and mud was caked around her ankles, and her cheeks were red and moist with exhaustion.

Still, she took Manuel firmly under the arm and eased him back, the dry grass crunching beneath their heels.

'The clouds are gathering,' he muttered under his breath, unable to take it eyes from the sky, 'They are the harbingers of our doom. We will all burn!'

Warren winced at his words and after a cautious look around her hissed, 'Please Manuel, we don't have time for this, not now! Those...things...are bad enough, but if someone finds out what you've done, then...' She was unable to finish. Biting her lip, she took a deep breath before reaching into her coat. 'I'm sorry, but I need you to stay focused if we're going to escape this mess.'

'There is no escape!' Manuel replied without looking at her, 'We're only the first to see! Soon, all of this, all of us, will be...'

His expression softened as a needle entered his skin, slipping under the cloth of his shirt and into the skin beneath with ease.

The calming drug entered Manuel's senses, making the world seem less frightening, the sky less forbidding. He moved his thin lips to moisten his tongue and under the gentle guidance of Warren, made his way out of the thicket and up the hill, back to where they had found it - found the signal of their destruction.

They are terrible, he thought of the messengers he had seen. They had taken the others already, placed them upon the altars from which they would soon be reborn.

They are beautiful.

~~ME-DS~~

The Normandy's CIC was awash with chatter. News of an attack on the colony had given the entire crew focus, sweeping aside even the most persistent rumours of why the Normandy had come to Eden Prime to begin with.

No doubt if Captain Anderson had not been present in the CIC, the gossip-mongers would have been hard at work. As such, he maintained a dominating presence on the dais that overlooked the area.

His focus shifted between the crew and the flickering map of the local area projected before him, and he observed it intently, constantly picking out things he would do were he the one on the ground.

Lieutenant Pressley walked up to the dais ramp and saluted. 'Sir, Adams reports all clear on the emissions sinks. Looks like she can leave atmosphere just fine with the IES engaged.'

Anderson gave a single, satisfied nod. It had been a constant worry since their departure and the stresses of entering and escaping a planet's atmosphere were colossal. He looked down at Pressley, his relief clear.

'Let's hope she holds out. We'll have to do it all over again soon enough.'

'Yes, Sir, about that...'

Raising an eyebrow, Anderson waited for Pressley to continue before realising it might not be an opinion he wished to hear. 'Go ahead.'

Pressley expelled an uncertain breath. 'Is this really a good idea, Sir? Nihlus isn't just a Spectre, he's a turian and we're facing a hostile force down on the surface. How do we know he doesn't consider the Commander and the others expendable?'

Anderson's lips moved as he mulled the question over and he placed his hands upon the dais railing.

Privately, he had wondered the same thing at times but he was not in a position to allow those doubts to take root now. Politics was always a risky game, and with a prothean beacon involved the stakes were now greater than ever.

'Nihlus is on the level, Lieutenant,' he answered honestly, 'He's here because he believes humans have a lot to offer the galaxy and besides, I doubt the Council would send him all the way out here just to stab us in the back.'

'I know, Sir but something about him still rubs me the wrong way. Did he know this attack was going to happen? Is this all just a coincidence?'

'That I can tell you; the answer is no, Pressley. No one anticipated this, least of all Nihlus. Now come on, this isn't the time for chatter. We have men on the ground and they need our full attention.'

'Yes, Sir,' Pressley replied with another salute. He turned back to his work, quickly becoming lost in the steady feed of reports and instrument readings.

Watching him, Anderson afforded a small grin at the thought of what his navigator would say if he knew Shepard himself could soon be among the Spectres' number. His amusement was quickly tempered by the dark images shifting across his command display.

First, Shepard had to survive. The Council did not recruit dead Spectres.

He looked to one of the crewman standing ready at the dais terminals. 'Zoom fifty. Enhance the image as best you can.'

The swirling galaxy map disappeared, replaced by a grainy, distorted feed from the powerful observation cameras mounted on the Normandy's hull.

It was yet another vital role the stealth frigate could fill. Silent, undetectable orbital reconnaissance was all but unheard of but Anderson still lamented their inability to send transmissions of any kind to the planet's surface. They could look, but not touch.

He watched as the image shifted in hue and three tiny figures were separated from the background by green borders.

Shepard had put Alenko on point, he saw, and they moved cautiously alongside a small river. They were still some way from the dig site but something else caught Anderson's eye.

'Move west, twenty-two degrees. Enhance,' he ordered.

The camera blurred as it shifted across, then sharpened to reveal several distinctive white shapes: standard colonial prefabricated housing, the kind set up on most alien worlds as temporary settlements, usually until more permanent dwellings were available. A large spot at the settlement's edge glowed orange and smoke flowed across the scene in a long, grey smudge.

'Scan for hostiles. I want to know if they're heading into an ambush,' the captain barked immediately, 'Put two squads on standby.'

Anderson narrowed his eyes at the burning prefabs. If the enemy - whoever they were - threatened to overwhelm Shepard and his team, he would not hesitate to bring the Normandy in for support, operational silence be damned.

There seemed to be no movement down there, however. It should not have surprised him but as the picture gradually got clearer, his eyes widened in realisation.

Knowing he could not reach the ground team, Anderson took a moment to collect his thoughts.

'Joker,' he began uneasily, 'Prepare a priority signal for Arcturus command. Tell them we'll need everything they've got.'

~~ME-DS~~

The smell hit Shepard first - charred meat, tinged with the sharp, offensive stench of burning plastic.

It reminded him of Torfan, and of the many worlds ravaged by the pirates the moon had sheltered. It was the smell of destruction and death.

The smoke came next, rising like a veil over the horizon. The team crested the hill to find a boxy collection of prefabs arranged in a rough square, their sides scarred with gunfire and tainted black with soot. In the central clearing, the ground was a mass of white, brown and red debris.

'What is this place?' Kaidan asked out loud as they paced carefully down the hill.

Jenkins shook his head gently, ensuring his eyes did not stray too far from his rifle sights. 'I'm not sure. This wasn't around when I lived here.'

'I'm guessing it's a waypoint for the dig site, a supply station of some kind,' Shepard ventured. He lowered his pistol slightly as the debris in the clearing came into focus. His next words were grim, 'Heavily populated.'

It was not debris at all, but bodies. Dozens of them, carpeting the ground in tangles of coloured cloth stained dark with blood. The sight made Kaidan wince and Jenkins' mouth dropped open.

'Oh God,' he exclaimed quietly, 'What happened here?'

No one answered. There were no words for what they were seeing.

As they neared, Shepard's eyes moved across the scene emotionlessly, making a detached assessment. 'A lot of plasma scorching on the outside of these prefabs,' he said, 'The enemy advanced from the north, firing as they moved in. Still doesn't account for the numbers of civilians we're seeing, though.'

Kaidan glanced at him. 'It looks like they were already out in the open when they were attacked. Some kind of meeting?'

Shepard broke into a trot, moving to the corner of the nearest prefab. Jenkins and Alenko stacked up behind him and he motioned to the lieutenant.

'Take point, Alenko, we'll cover you.'

The three men moved with the fluidity that only hundreds of hours of training could grant. Jenkins took a knee next to Shepard, his rifle taking in the entire clearing while Kaidan crept forward slowly.

He was the natural choice for the task. As a biotic, he had the ability to project a strong natural barrier around himself and coupled with his armour's shields, it was a powerful defence. At the very least, it would easily buy him enough time to reach cover, even under heavy fire.

With a frown of concentration, Alenko brought up a shimmering blue mass effect field, wrapping his body in it like a second skin.

Even with the barrier in place, he could not afford to be careless and Shepard was pleased to see him advance with precision, each pace measured and controlled. Captain Anderson had done well in picking his crew.

Shepard had to remind himself to keep breathing as he watched the lieutenant. His muscles were bunched with tension and he was vaguely aware the sounds of distant battle had all but stopped, leaving only the empty wind to fill the silence.

It didn't take long for Alenko to wave the others forward. 'Clear, Commander.'

Shepard joined him in looking over the layer of corpses. Most were workers and farmers in dirty overalls, though a few wore the white suits and muck-smeared slacks of scientists and archaeologists.

Shepard turned the body of a dark-skinned man over with his foot and frowned at what he saw. There were no burns here, only the clean entry wounds of standard slugs.

'Shot in the chest at close range, but not with the same weapons that fired on the settlement from the hill.' He knelt to trace a finger over the holes in the man's sternum. They were grouped closely, making the weapon used easy to read. 'Shotgun with custom anti-personnel rounds. Not usually the kind issued to survey teams, right?'

Kaidan shook his head. 'So these people were killed before the attack?'

Shepard rose to his feet and squinted at the gaps between the prefabs. Even from a distance he could see the blackened and charred flesh of those who had tried to flee the massacre, only to be cut down as they ran.

'Not all of them.' Pursing his lips in quiet frustration, he gave Alenko a sharp look. 'I don't like this, but we don't have time to investigate. The beacon is our priority here.'

Nodding, Kaidan began to turn away but halted, narrowing his eyes at something behind Shepard. The commander saw the movement and reacted instantly, turning on the spot and bringing his weapon to bear on the door of a dented prefab. It had been assembled on a slight rise in the ground and stairs had been erected to reach the door, but that was not what had Shepard's attention.

The prefab's windows were shuttered closed, but through the gaps, Shepard clearly saw movement. They were being watched.

His decision was instantaneous.

Alenko and Jenkins fell in behind him as he approached the locked door and gave a clear warning, 'Whoever you are, drop any weapons you have, put your hands on your head and come out now.'

The soldiers exchanged glances as murmured voices came from within, and in just a few seconds a reply sounded nervously from beyond the door, 'H-hold on, we're just farmers!,' a man called out, 'Don't shoot, we're coming out!'

The door hissed open to reveal three civilians dressed in drab, grimy shirts and pants. A man and woman, their faces haggard and dark with soot and blood, allowed a second man to step forward. Shepard guessed he was the one who'd spoken and did not lower his weapon. There were still too many questions to ask before he could let down his guard.

'Thank God you showed up!' the man said, half-laughing with desperate relief. He was clutching his other arm, gripping it tightly. 'I thought we were going to die in there for sure!'

He stepped forward again and Shepard's voice snapped out like a fist, stopping him in his tracks, 'Don't move! I want to know who you are and what happened here.'

'Wha...what?' the man stammered, shaking his head, 'Why are you threatening us? We've done nothing wrong!'

Kaidan shifted uncomfortably, his eyes flickering to Shepard.

'I'll be the judge of that,' the commander answered coldly, 'Now answer my question.'

It took several moments for the farmer to realise he was not being rescued. He looked back at his companions, who could only offered their own frightened stares.

Turning back to Shepard, he relented, sagging with exhaustion. 'My name's Cole, Ernest Cole and this is Blake and Jennifer. We're from Halsen, one of the towers to the south.'

Cole paused, as if expecting the answer to be enough but a look at Shepard's unflinching expression told him otherwise.

He continued haltingly, his eyes searching the ground, 'We're farmers, as I said. We set this place up as a drop-off point for the excavation site the Alliance set up a little ways to the north. We were preparing to move a food shipment when everything just...'

He trailed off and again, looked to the others for help. None was to be found in their vacant stares and with a grimace, Cole turned back to Shepard. 'One minute we were talking with the scientists, negotiating a price for some digging equipment we were loaning out. The next thing I know, the sky just...changed. The clouds turned red and this noise screamed at us. It was unlike anything I'd ever heard before in my life.'

The woman, Jennifer, nodded vigorously. She was plain, her hair a tangled brown mess and what little makeup she wore was now streaked with tears and sweat.

'It was horrible,' she said bleakly, 'Like a thousand whispers fighting for space inside my head, along with a whining, scratching sound. It made it hurt just to think.'

Shepard kept his gaze steady, though his thoughts whirled as they turned back to the distress call the Normandy had received before landing. Jenkins and Alenko had not seen it but Shepard remembered the strange ship reaching through the sky, warbling its chilling cry as it moved down to the surface.

His brow twitched as Kaidan spoke at his back, 'What about who did this, did you see them? Were they slavers?'

'I don't know who or what they were,' Cole sighed, his head drooping, 'They sure as hell didn't take any slaves. We heard gunfire and so me and my friends here, we ran inside this shed and locked the door. We didn't get a good look but we saw them moving through the settlement when the shooting finally stopped, but they...didn't make a sound.'

'What do you mean?' Shepard asked.

'They just walked through like ghosts. No voices, not even footsteps. They were like shadows.'

Finally lowering his pistol, Shepard murmured to his men, 'Could be Special Forces of some kind. They sound too disciplined to be pirates.'

'Either that or they're a real professional crew,' Jenkins ventured, 'I've heard stories of turians joining pirate gangs and training them to fight like soldiers, until they're easily the standard of regular Marines.'

The thought sent a spike of dread through Shepard. The Alliance's main weapon against slavers had been organisation and training but without that advantage, they would stand to lose ground in the ongoing war against piracy and terrorism. The idea that they were witnessing a second Elysium made his stomach tighten with anger.

His voice was hard when he spoke to Cole again, his eyes fierce, 'I'm not buying it. These people weren't running for their lives when the firing started. Some of those scientists were shot while up close, facing their killers. The first moments of the attack were sudden and unexpected, coming from people they trusted.' He gestured back at the lifeless bodies. 'Then the invaders came, breaking up whatever was going on here.'

It was then Shepard noticed Cole was still clutching his own arm.

'Remove your hand,' Shepard ordered, 'Move it, now.'

Cole scowled. 'What? No! You can't just order me around like-'

His voice pitched and then broke into a pained cry as Shepard gripped his shirt and forced him back roughly against the doorway. His pistol neared Cole's chin and the farmer eyed it in terror.

Both Alenko and Jenkins started forward hesitantly but they did not protest. Jenkins in particular seemed shocked at what he was seeing but Kaidan's eyes were steady, showing a complete lack of surprise.

'I'm not negotiating, Cole,' Shepard growled, slamming him back against the frame, 'I want to know what really happened here and you can start by removing your hand!'

Even with the Kessler mere inches from his face, it took Cole several seconds to comply.

His colleagues said nothing to help as his hand fell away, the palm stained dark red. A hole had been rent in his left arm, shredding the bicep. Sloppily-applied medigel glistened in the wound and his breath hissed from his nostrils as he looked at Shepard once more.

'Happy now?' he hissed under his breath.

It took only a brief glance for Shepard to see the wound was caused by the same weapon that had killed the colonists in the clearing. He twisted his grip on Cole's shirt, moving his armoured forearm up to press against the man's throat.

'Let's try this this again. Tell me what happened!'

Spit and dirt speckled Shepard's armour as Cole spluttered against the pressure on his neck.

'It was the scientist, the twitchy one they brought down from the dig site! One second we were haggling over prices, the next this guy started shouting and screaming, grabbing his head and pulling his hair out. The others came out of their cabins to see what was going on. He was screaming, saying "they're coming" over and over.' Despite his pain, Cole smiled bitterly. 'It was like he knew. Next thing we know, that awful noise started and the guy went berserk. Took a gun from one of our guys and started firing into the crowd, killing everyone he could. A few of us tried to restrain him, but then more gunfire started pouring in from off to the east. I just ran.' His free hand lifted towards Jennifer and Blake. 'We all did. We were just..scared. We ran inside here and locked the door.'

'With everyone else trapped outside,' Shepard spat. He pushed on Cole's neck harder, bringing out a squawk of pain. 'Leaving no witnesses and you free to tell any story you like.'

Cole's eyes were closed and he choked, his arms flailing in panic. 'Come on, it's the truth! Please, you have to believe me!'

Kaidan stepped closer. 'Commander, are you sure about this? We can't blame them for panicking, they're just farmers!'

Shepard paid no attention. His lips were close to Cole's ear, making his voice a menacing snarl, 'I don't have time for your games, Cole. This planet is under attack and for all I know, you have something to do with it. I grew up in the colonies. I know farmers don't carry military-grade shotguns with shredder rounds pre-loaded in the chamber. You're going to tell me how you got them.'

Jennifer's voice cut in, drawing Shepard's gaze, 'Please!' she cried, 'Please, don't hurt him! We're smugglers, all right?'

Cole rasped something unintelligible, his bloodshot eyes turning to her.

Jennifer ignored him, addressing Shepard alone, 'We've been running weapons shipments for years, waylaying guns and ammunition meant for the Marine garrison. We have a scam running with a few guys in the shipping company down at the spaceport. They fix the manifests and make it all look legit and in return they get a cut of the profits.'

She turned slightly to face the prefab and Shepard looked beyond her, into the dark interior. His lips parted at the sight of three large shipping crates. They were plastered with labels for agricultural equipment but Shepard knew if he were to open them, he would see weapons and equipment the value of which he could scarcely calculate.

He snapped back to Cole and eased his arm just enough to let him breathe.

Shepard controlled his anger with clinical precision. The smugglers had stolen weapons meant for the defence of a colony just when they needed them the most. He ached to continue his search for the beacon but he couldn't allow the crime to go unpunished.

'I want the name of your contacts in the spaceport,' he demanded.

Cole spluttered, swallowing each breath hungrily. 'His name's Powell. He's the one who...who...'

'He's the one we deal with,' Jennifer finished for him, 'He sets up the collections, takes care of the paperwork, pretty much everything.'

'He's probably dead,' Cole choked, 'Everyone is.'

Shepard gave him a long, fierce look before finally releasing him. Cole coughed and rolled on the ground, using his good hand to clutch his throat.

'You're staying here,' Shepard told the others, 'It's dangerous and I can't have you drawing any attention. You'll wait here for the next Alliance patrol.'

And then they would be arrested, he did not need to add. Blake and Jennifer swapped a defeated look before the door closed, sealing them all inside.

Shepard nodded to Alenko. 'Seal the door, Lieutenant.'

Kaidan approached, his eyes making the apology long before the words came. 'Sorry if I stepped out of line, Commander, what you were doing, it...it just seemed a little harsh. They were civilians.'

'They may have been civilians,' Shepard answered grimly, 'but they weren't innocents. Without those weapons, the Marines here would have been at a disadvantage when the planet was invaded. What those people did might have cost more lives than we know.'

Kaidan nodded slowly and opened his omni-tool, turning to the door. 'So what now?' he asked as the lock panel beeped and turned red, 'The area around the excavation site is bound to be crawling with hostiles.'

'We move quickly and quietly. Hopefully they'll have swept out to the other outlying towns by now but there'll probably be patrols between us and the beacon.'

Pausing, Shepard looked at Jenkins. The young corporal was still speechless, and though he tried to smile, nervous trembling made the corner of his his mouth twitch, giving away his anxiety.

Shepard released a breath. He moved closed and spoke quietly, 'Are you okay, Corporal?'

'Fine, Sir,' Jenkins lied. He kept watching the windows of the smugglers' prefab, perhaps expecting rifle barrels to emerge at any moment to gun them down.

Unconvinced, Shepard moved in front of his vision, forcing Jenkins' eyes to meet his. 'I won't blame you for not liking how I dealt with those smugglers,' he said, 'But right now I need you sharp. Our lives depend on it. Can I rely on you, Jenkins?'

Blinking, Jenkins came back to his senses. He replied confidently and Shepard was proud of his courage, 'Aye, aye, Commander. I'm ready to go on your mark.'

'We still need to find out who or what is behind all of this,' Shepard said as he eased into a patrol stance. He brought his pistol to his front, ready to swing up at the nearest threat. 'Jenkins, lead the way.'