Author's note
Mass Effect is the property of BioWare.
The second last chapter of this book, and it's a short un for a change. One of my favourites though, I must say, even though I cried whilst writing it. Yup, it's going to be like that.
…..
Chapter eleven: November: the Skyllian Blitz
"It's about bloody time you got here," Carlotta snapped as I stepped out of the shuttle in the hold of the Everest. "Have you gained weight?"
"I ate quite a bit, so it's likely," I said.
"Thank fuck, because I was beginning to worry you're pregnant again," she said.
"Yeah, that's right, tell the entire ship," I mumbled.
"Well, you look like a woman now, at any rate," she said. "So, how were things in the big bad capital?"
"Boring, and I learnt that all politicians are morons," I said. The Prime Minister had still not surrendered, and I figured that if she hadn't by now, she was unlikely to ever. "How's the ship?"
"Oh, she's fine," Carlotta said. "She's not the one who has to put up with the terrible wars of Agira versus Jupiter."
"Are they still at it?" I asked.
"I swear to God, Agira is the spawn of the devil and should be experimented on to see if she really has a soul," Carlotta said viscously. "And she's making my life fucking hell because, well…" she trailed off uncomfortably.
I opened the door and allowed her to walk through first. "You know Mikhailovich asked me what happened?" I asked.
"What did you say?" she asked, still sounding uncomfortable.
"Well, the truth," I said. "How it was an accident and all."
"Ugh, I can't believe I owe you one," she mumbled.
"Don't worry, we're even now," I said. "Where the hell is everyone anyway?"
"The artillery teams are all on the ground, and the rest of the crew is in the CIC," Carlotta said. "I was given leave to greet you so that I could punch you in the face." She looked at me. "I'll just tell her I wasn't in the zone."
"Right," I said. "Were y'all in the battle?"
"Yup," Carlotta said. "It only ended twelve hours ago. We're still up because the wicked witch of the east wasn't happy with our performance for some reason. Artillery units received new orders soon after and were deployed."
We arrived in the CIC, where everyone looked absolutely miserable. "You're back," Commander Jupiter said, coming over. "Thank god."
"Yeah," I said. "I wouldn't recommend Seattle as a holiday destination. Too much smog. Why are you still awake?"
Commander Jupiter scowled across at where Commander Agira stood at the CIC. "She officially relieved me of command under section twenty four," she said. Section twenty four was basically the mutiny clause where a commanding officer could be relieved of command under special circumstances.
"Citing?" I asked.
"Coddling the men," Commander Jupiter said. "It was a whitewash, the others are all too scared to oppose her."
"Yeah, I tried," Carlotta snapped. "One lone voice doesn't go that far around here."
"So, what rank are you now?" I asked. "Major again?"
She shrugged. "I suppose," she said.
At that moment, Commander Agira seemed to notice me, for she came over. "Ah, Lieutenant Shepard," she said.
"'Sup," I said.
She punched me hard in the arm.
"Ah, Jesus," I said. "What the hell?"
She punched me again. "Feel that, lieutenant?" she asked quietly. "Now imagine that, a thousand times worse. That's what it felt like when that little slut," she nodded at Carlotta, "shot me."
"I would hardly call me a slut," I said. "Three people does not a slut make."
The next punch hit me in the jaw. "Come on, seriously?" I asked from the floor. "Carlotta hits harder than you."
She kicked me before Luna pulled her off of me. "Stop it," she snapped. "I will not have you harm my people in any way."
"They're not your people anymore, Jupiter," Commander Agira said, laughing. "They're mine. And I can do whatever the fuck I want with them." By this stage a crowd had gathered.
"Not whilst there's still air in these lungs, you can't," Luna snapped.
I got back to my feet and stared hard at Commander Agira's face. "Huh," I said in wonder.
"What is it, Shepard?" she snapped.
"I was wondering how much of your face is plastic," I said. "I'd say about, what, ninety five per cent?"
"What are you talking about?" she snapped.
"Ninety eight?" I asked. "That much? That explosion must have really torn you apart. The one that killed your entire squad off."
She punched, but this time I blocked it. "I'd keep away from flames if I were you, Agira," I said quietly. "You don't want to melt now, do you?"
She scowled, and backed away. "Everyone, back to your stations," she shouted. "And Shepard, you're on stand-to."
…..
I was on stand-to for six days in total. Every day Commander Agira would stop by and find something wrong about how I was presenting myself.
"Stand up straight," she ordered the first day.
"Pardon me, ma'am?" I asked.
"I said stand up straight," she said. "You're slouching."
"That's because I got a world of weight on my shoulders," I said, smiling winningly.
"Stop trying to be funny," she snapped.
"I don't try," I said. "I just do."
She smiled unpleasantly. "Another day for you," she said.
The next evening she came by again.
"Your tie is skew," she said. "Straighten it."
"Yes ma'am, Commander Agira ma'am," I said sarcastically, straightening my tie.
"Were you being sarcastic there?" she asked coldly.
"Oh no, ma'am," I said sarcastically.
"I think you should stand guard another day, lieutenant," she said.
"Oh dear," I said sarcastically.
The third day when she walked by me I was whistling without a care in the world.
"Why are you whistling?" she snapped.
"I haven't a care in the world, ma'am," I said cheerily.
"Maybe you'll have slightly more of a care in the world if I put you on another day's stand-to," she said coldly.
"Oh come on," I said in frustration. "What for?"
"How is you whistling aiding the war effort?" she asked.
"I don't know," I said. "How is you trying to break the morale of every single person on this ship and being a total bitch in the process aiding the war effort?"
"Did you just call your CO a bitch?" Commander Agira asked quietly.
"Oh no," I said in mock horror. "Uh, yeah, I did."
"Two extra days of stand-to," she said. "And you'll keep getting days added on until you learn to keep your mouth shut."
"That's never going to happen," I said. "And if you want to do a battle of wills with me, you're welcome to try. Fair warning though. I will beat you."
"We'll see, Shepard," she said, smirking.
…..
In the end, I won, although by default. "You need to report the conference room," Com Officer Bharesh said, coming to where I was standing guard.
"On whose authority?" I asked.
"Commander Agira's," she answered, a bitter twist in her mouth.
"Yes, I won," I said tiredly.
"Don't celebrate too soon," she said.
All the marines serving on the ship were gathered in the conference room when we arrived. I went to stand between Carlotta and Luna. "What's going on?" I whispered.
Luna shrugged. "I'm rarely in the loop these days," she murmured.
"Ah, thank you lieutenant for finally joining us," Commander Agira said, looking up.
"Yeah, sorry I'm late," I said in a mock sycophantic tone. "I was on duty for the last one hundred and forty hours. An interesting aside, I did that math in my head like five seconds ago. Does anyone have a coffee for me?"
"Here," Joey said, handing me a can.
"Tipari?" I asked shuddering. I tended to avoid energy drinks if I could help it, as, for some reason, they did not seem to agree with me. I suspected I had the wrong temperament for high doses of caffeine.
"Trust me, you're going to need it," he said.
"Thank you," Commander Agira said. I opened the can and took a loud sip. "As all of you know, the enemy forces are stalking ever closer to Elysium, the one Alliance-controlled area on the planet of Skyllia."
I took another loud sip. "Holy mother, this shit tastes like fucking ass," I said loudly. "What the fuck do they put in here, foot of newt?"
"Shepard, unless you want to meet the same sticky end as your parents, I suggest you shut the hell up," Commander Agira said.
"Ok, a number of things," I said. "Firstly, the same sticky end? The Hugo Greyson was shot down over in the Krogan DMZ, so we'd have to rewrite our orders and mosey on down there. Secondly, what does my parents' death have to do with anything down here? Thirdly, you don't scare me any home slice. You're probably the worst commander this galaxy has ever experienced, and that is saying a lot since I served on Akuze, where every single shit soldier served. In fact I'm surprised Masaad wasn't posted there. Fourthly, and lastly, what the fuck kind of stupid threat is that to make?"
There was dead silence in the conference room as everyone's eyes darted between me and Commander Agira as though they were watching a particularly violent and speedy tennis rally.
"You think I'm a crap commander?" she breathed.
For some reason I was not scared of her, and I couldn't decide why that was. "Mm, yeah, I do," I said. "I mean, come on. You got a squad that you were in command of killed. No, no, wait, you killed a squad you were in command of. It wasn't a bad decision that you made, or bad luck, superior fire power or bad timing that did it, it was you. Then, you come onto this ship, pretty much torture the crew, threaten their safety, and have the commander who is actually good at her job forced out."
I was expecting to be arrested right on the spot. Instead, Commander Agira smiled unpleasantly. "Right then, I'm going to bed," she said. "Shepard, you're in charge. I expect field reports from everyone within two hours of your return."
"Wait, what?" I asked.
"I believe you are merely stupid, not deaf, Shepard," she said.
"No, wait you can't put these people's lives in my hands," I said. "For one thing, I'm not a trained N7. For another, I'm a fucking lieutenant, for God's sake."
"I'm sure you'll manage, Shepard," she nearly whispered. "After all, I'm the worst commander in the history of the galaxy. You can't do worse than me."
"But I'm not a commander," I said, but she was already out the door.
Luna nudged me. "They need to be briefed," she whispered.
I took another sip of Tipari. "I need a mission brief," I said. Kasuumi chucked one my way. "Thanks Dranne," I said. "You look nice by the way. Green suits you."
"Bite me, Shep," she snapped.
"Whoa, what's with the chilly willy, Chief?" I asked. The caffeine was really starting to affect me. "You can't be sad to see the back of her."
"Dranne's lost the spot of most beautiful woman in the galaxy," Zaeed said, sounding highly amused.
"Bad luck, Dranne," I said unsympathetically. "But second isn't all that bad."
"She came fourth under that Danielle Schere and two asari maidens," Ismaeel said. "Congrats on your fiftieth place, by the way, Shep."
"Sweet," I said. "I've never come fiftieth in anything before. Right, to work." I scanned the mission brief. "Ok, well, ladies and gentlemen of the marine corps, it looks like we're to assist in the digging of trenches outside of the town of Elysium, right around here." I pressed a button on the terminal, hoping to bring up a map of Elysium. Instead what I got was a picture of a naked woman with Commander Agira's face superimposed over her own.
"Right, that's not the map of Elysium," I said in confusion. I saw Zaeed and Terrence giggling. "Masaad and Brown, would you care to help me out instead of sniggering like a group of twelve year olds?" I snapped.
They jumped to attention. "Yes ma'am," Zaeed said.
"Sorry ma'am," Terrence mumbled, scurrying to my side. A map of Elysium and its surrounding areas appeared on the screen.
"Thank you," I said. "Ok, so we will be digging our assault here at position X. Position X is also the rendezvous and the drop-off points, so there is really no need for us to be there except for the fact that the Alliance is short on men. Everyone will take basic deuce gear, so leave those sniper rifles and porn mags at home chaps. ETA is in two hours. Any questions? No, good. Now, we should all know who our partners are…"
"What about me?" Nina asked.
"What about you what?" I asked in return.
"Sorry," Nina said. "What about me, ma'am?"
"No, I meant what do you mean by saying what about me?" I asked.
"Right," she said. "Commander Agira was my partner."
"Oh," I said. "Well, um, we're not expecting trouble, but if we do get any, you partner up with Lieutenant Antonio, and I'll, you know, go it alone."
"Aye, aye Commander," Nina said. She blushed. "I mean, Lieutenant, ma'am."
"Does that count as a promotion?" I asked. Everyone stared at me. "Never mind," I sighed. "Let's get to the shrink. As the new CO, I get to forgo psychological sessions, right?" Luna shook her head. "No?" I asked. "Then what's the point of being commander? Dismissed."
…..
I went last, hoping that Dr Verusha wouldn't have the time to see me after the one hundred and fifty odd marines she had to see before me. Sadly, I was wrong.
"So, how are you doing, Lieutenant?" she asked.
"Oh, you know," I said.
"No I don't," she said.
"What kind of a mind-reader are you then?" I asked impatiently.
"You seem quite hostile," she said.
"And you seem quite nosy," I said.
"You know, I could easily say that you seem stressed and shouldn't go on this mission," she said, her tone even.
"You're kidding, you can't do that," I protested.
"Would you like to test that theory?" she asked.
"Alright fine," I said. "I haven't slept in six days or so, and I just drank an entire tin of Tipari, which seems to be reacting strangely to me."
"You're not exactly convincing me, Shepard," she said.
"I'm fine honestly," I said. "And so is Spock."
"Spock?" she asked. I pointed to where he was standing. "There's no one there," she said, looking concerned.
"There isn't?" I asked in surprise. She shook her head. "Haha, just messing with you," I laughed. Spock glared at me. "Sorry," I mouthed.
"So, any worries about this mission?" Dr Verusha asked, frowning slightly.
"Not really," I said. "I mean, it's just digging holes in the ground, it isn't like I haven't done before. And the only real danger there is that I become ripped like the Incredible Hulk, which wouldn't necessarily be such a bad thing, am I right?"
"Alright then, lieutenant," Dr Verusha said. "You may be off."
…..
The shuttle dropped us off at position X, where another group of marines were already busy digging. It was pouring with rain, and the trench they had already dug was almost entirely filled with water. "Marines of the SSV Everest reporting for duty, sir," I said, going to the man who looked like he was in charge.
"I was expecting Commander Amelia Agira," he said. "Where is she?"
"Her ego took a fall down the stairs, so she's busy nursing it back to health," I said. "I'm her stand-in, Lieutenant Jane Shepard."
"There's a major over there," he said, nodding at Luna. "Why isn't she in charge?"
I shrugged. "Beats me," I said. "But good question. Where to?"
"Collect shovels over there and start digging there," he said pointing.
"Aye aye sir," I said. "Men," I said, turning to my troops. "And women," I added. "Collect…shovels. Forward…march."
We collected our shovels from the pile. "Now, we all remember what we were taught about trenches," I said. "Ten feet deep and six feet wide. Now…dig."
It was hard work. The ground was already muddy, and stuck to the shovels as we pushed them into the ground.
"The last time I dug a trench, I was digging my grave," I said. "I wonder whose grave I'm busy digging now."
"That's a cheerful thought," Luna mumbled.
"Yeah," I said. "I don't think Tipari agrees with me much though."
"I don't think Tipari agrees with anyone really," Luna said. "I'm surprised you're still standing."
"So am I, believe me," I mumbled.
At close to midday sol, the man in charge, whose name I realised I didn't know, came over and said, "We need people to dig sand-bags."
I was busy crashing badly, and it took me a few seconds to fully understand what he had said. "Right," I mumbled. "Um, Antonio, Ruben, Carboletti and Khan, fill sandbags please."
"Aye aye," Nina said smartly.
This exercise turned out to be equally ridiculous, as the mud started squeezing through the burlap bags as soon as they were sealed. Eventually, at around sundown, when I was literally sleeping whilst digging whilst standing up, the shuttle came in to pick us up.
"See you tomorrow," the man in charge said.
"Right," I mumbled sleepily. "Wait, what?"
"We're going to be doing this for a while," he said.
Great. From defence committee member to trench digger. Back on the ship I wrote an operations report that said, "dug a hole," and dropped it off on Commander Agira, who appeared to be missing-in-action's desk. I knew I was going to be in trouble, but I didn't really care. Thereafter, I went straight to bed, and didn't get up until Nkosi blew reveille the next morning.
…..
The rest of the week was spent digging trenches outside of Elysium. Commander Agira, no doubt annoyed by the fact that no one had managed to die in the perilous task of digging trenches, allowed me to continue leading the command of more trench digging, whilst she stayed in the comfort of her bed.
"I hate her," Nkosi said one day, wringing her beret out. "I wish she was dead."
"That's a little harsh, isn't it, Sobana?" Joey asked. "Can't you just wish she has a huge tax return or something?"
"What the hell would the point of that be?" Maya asked. "She'd still be our commander. Can't we get Commander Jupiter back?"
Luna forced a smile. "It doesn't work like that, van Richte," she said. "And it's Major Jupiter now."
"Fuck that," Zaeed roared. We all jumped. "You're the only commander that I'd even consider taking orders from. And stop being so fucking fatalistic." He chucked aside his spade, which was still nice and clean, four hours after we'd landed. "I say we stage an uprising."
"Are you kidding?" Ismaeel asked. "We're still recovering from the uprising the Alliance has just experienced."
"I agree with Zaeed," Kasuumi said. "From now on, I'm not following any orders from that squint-eyed bitch."
"Ouch," I mumbled.
"I wasn't talking about you, Shep," Kasuumi snapped. "Who's with us?"
"Hell yeah," Carlotta said. "She tried to kill my daughter."
"For the record, I probably wouldn't have hit Rochelle," I said.
"Whatever," Carlotta said.
"No, wait guys," Luna said. "You can't do this. She'll destroy you."
"Some things are worth fighting for, ma'am," Joey said.
"I don't trust Agira to look after me in the field, especially since it appears we're building the set for a remake of Watership Down," Terrence said.
"All for one, and one for all," Zaeed said with enthusiasm. "That's another saying my mother invented."
"That's a load of bullshit right there, Masaad," Nina said.
"Don't ruin it for me, chief," Zaeed said. He turned to me. "What are the orders, ma'am?"
"Er, what?" I asked.
"Orders," Nina said impatiently. "If we're going to mutiny against Agira, we need someone else to tell us what to do. We can't do this ourselves."
"Why not?" I asked. "You're all free, thinking, mostly intelligent apart from Masaad, individuals."
"This is the army," Maya said, waving her hands about with feeling. "We need someone to set us on the right path, or we're in trouble."
"'Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold'," Terrence quoted.
"I'm almost certain that that's not what the poet meant when he wrote that," I said. "Why me? Why not Jupiter? She's led us for how long without losing any of us?"
"No," Luna said. "You'd be better than me. Agira's made this personal for me. I'd just end up doing something stupid."
Everyone continued looking avidly at me. "Right," I said. "Um, back to work for now?"
They all saluted and got back to digging. Apart from Zaeed who sat down and lit up a cigarette. "Masaad?" I said. "That includes you."
"It's my tea break," he said.
"It's your tea break when I say it is," I said sternly.
He scowled. "Oh fine," he snapped, chucking the cigarette down.
Well, that was easy enough.
…..
The trenches were finished that evening, and the next morning it was business as usual on the Everest. I contented myself with writing payslips for everyone on the ship, and writing funding reports for the Joint Military Council. I also received an email from Ash saying that her fiancé was in Elysium for a week, and asking if I could possibly meet them for breakfast to discuss wedding preparations.
I went to Commander Agira's station, already suspecting what the answer to the question would be.
"Pardon me, Commander," I said politely.
"One moment," she said, not looking up from her terminal. I waited. Eventually she looked up. "Dranne," she bellowed.
Kasuumi came listlessly over. "Commander," she said with barely concealed venom in her voice.
"Where's the mission brief I requested?" Commander Agira snapped. "I asked for it by midday. It is now quarter past three."
"I haven't written it yet," Kasuumi said coldly. Oh God no, not now.
"Why not?" Commander Agira snapped. "Didn't I say it was important? Are you fucking dense, girl? All that invisibility causing your brain to leak? Or is it a frog thing to not understand orders?" Frog was the derogatory term for drell.
"I didn't write the report because I hate your guts, I think you're a shite commander, I wish you'd die, and no one in Company 6 is going to listen to you anymore," Kasuumi hissed. "Commander."
"Oh really," Commander Agira said coldly. She punched Kasuumi in the face, breaking her nose. "Not so beautiful anymore, are you? Whose fucking orders are you following then if not mine?"
Kasuumi looked at me. I smiled uncomfortably as Commander Agira turned to glare at me. "Dranne, back to your station," I said. "Start writing that brief. How long will it take you?"
"Two hours at least," Kasuumi said.
"Right, well have it on Commander Agira's desk by 1630 hours," I said. "Dismissed."
She saluted me. "Aye aye, ma'am," she said sweetly and went back to her station.
"Antonio hasn't worked on the guns all day, I'm waiting on inventory lists from Ruben, duty rosters from Carboletti, and operations reports from Masaad, van Richte, Sobana, Brown and Khan," Commander Agira snapped, turning to me. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
"Yes," I said. "You treat a person like crap, it only takes so long before he snaps. I'm not sure why they've chosen me as their leader, but they have."
"Shepard, get them back to work, before I have them all charged with mutiny," Commander Agira said coldly.
"Right," I said. "Can I get some time off on Friday?"
"No," she snapped. "Get back to work."
I went over to the intercom and told everyone in Company 6 to start working. I wasn't certain how I felt about the fact that I was now in charge of the squad. Scared, I decided. I had not the rank, the training or the experience to command anything for more than a few hours a day. I was annoyed at how easily Luna had given up her command of the ship. I thought that she would want to work harder to keep the rest of us out of harm's way.
…..
Later in the week, the ship was involved in two more space battles. Fortunately, we were able to make it out physically unscathed. However, the fleet lost a number of other ships. Still no surrender came from the Alliance, and I came to accept the fact that this war was to be fought until the very last human soldier was left standing.
The riots on Noveria, Earth and Shanxi had pretty much abated. I received an email from Jason at some point saying that he had returned to work, with an additional security force at the corporation. All in all, I couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was brewing.
On Friday, I went to Commander Agira's station. "Pardon me, Commander," I said.
She sighed and looked up. "What is it, Lieutenant?" she asked coldly.
"Ma'am, the food supplies have arrived in Elysium, but there's trouble with the shuttles," I said, smiling sweetly. "They won't be able to make it through to us."
"How urgent is this?" Commander Agira asked.
"Ship's catering corps say that we're on our last supplies," I said. "We have enough to last the weekend maybe. I have a solution though."
"Let's hear it," she said.
"If I took our shuttle to Elysium, I could pick the supplies and bring them back," I said.
She frowned, clearly trying to find some flaw in my plan. "What if we need the shuttle for a mission?" she asked at last.
"Well, then there are the other five shuttles to choose from," I said.
She sighed. "Fine," she snapped. "Take Carboletti, and be back by midday."
"Thank you ma'am," I said.
…..
"So, what are we going to Elysium for?" Joey asked as I flew the shuttle towards Skyllia.
"Food run," I said.
"Right," Joey asked. "And what's the other reason?"
"My friend Ash is getting married and her fiancé's in Elysium," I said, smiling at the fact that after so long, Joey still knew me so well. "She wants me to meet him."
"Wow, married huh?" Joey asked in amazement. "I guess we're reaching that age, aren't we?"
"Yeah," I said. "It's weird to think of actually. I've known Ash since we were kids. It'd be like if I found out you were getting married."
Joey laughed. "There's no chance of that happening," he said. "So how was it on Earth? I haven't gotten the chance to ask you yet."
"Earth was, you know, Earth," I said, frowning slightly. "The defence committee was incredibly frustrating, but unfortunately I can't tell you about it because it's classified and big brother is watching."
"Right," Joey said. "Fuck you big brother," he called.
"Joey," I laughed.
"How's Jason?" Joey asked. "He's working on Noveria now, right?"
"Yeah, for Dranne Incorporated," I said. "He's good. Loving the work. And you? How's your family?"
"They're good," Joey said. "Talia's working eezo mines on Illias." Illias was a region in the asteroid belt around Terra Nova. "My mom is trying to get me to get you to come visit us on Ciro the next time you take leave."
"Huh, that'd be weird," I said uncomfortably. "I haven't been back to Ciro since we moved when I was a kid."
"Trust me, it hasn't changed," Joey said. He laughed self-consciously. "My mom got seriously over-excited when I wrote her that you were serving on my ship," he said. "She told me that if I didn't ask you to marry me, she'd disown me. I think she was joking," he added thoughtfully.
"Joe," I began.
"Listen Jane, it doesn't matter," he said.
"I know, but still," I said. I hesitated, trying to frame what I wanted to say into coherent words. "You're important to me, and well, I'm sorry for hurting you."
"We were kids," Joey said, no doubt for the benefit of big brother. He shrugged. "Neither of us knew what we were doing. But for the record, getting over you was one of the toughest things I've had to do."
"I know, it's just," I began. "God, I was a mess. You know, looking back, I'm surprised I let myself get into that kind of situation."
Joey, to his everlasting credit, didn't ask what had happened. Instead, he said, "Well, whatever it was, you managed to get through it well enough. No permanent damage."
"Shrinks when talking about PTSD say things like 'no visible damage,'," I said. "I think that's more applicable here."
…..
Ash was already waiting for me at a small corner restaurant on the older side of Elysium. Sitting next to her was a muscular man with mousey brown hair. They were talking quietly to each other when I walked into the restaurant, and I paused for a moment. Ash looked up and saw me.
"Jane," she said, getting up and hugging me.
"Hey," I said. "You been waiting long?"
"No, we only just got here," Ash said. She turned and touched the mousey-haired man's shoulder. "Jane, this is my fiancé, Adam van Rensburg. Adam, this is my best friend and maid of honour, Jane Shepard."
He stood up. "Nice to meet you, Jane," he said in an alarmingly deep voice that sounded a bit like the motor of a bike. "I have heard so much about you."
"Uh, yeah, nice to meet you too," I said. "And I've heard a bunch about you too."
"Really?" he asked.
"Uh, not actually," I said. "Ash and I've not really managed to have much one on one time together."
The waitress came and I ordered a hot chocolate and a chicken pilaf. "So, how did you manage to get leave on such short notice?" Ash asked. "I didn't think you'd be able to."
"I didn't," I said. "I'm allegedly here to pick up food supplies."
"Oh Jane," Ash said, covering her mouth. "You're going to get into trouble."
I shrugged. "Maybe," I said. "I can't exactly skip on the opportunity to meet the man who's stealing you away from me." I nodded at Adam. "How's it going?"
He frowned at me, clearly not understanding my insanity. "I did warn you about this, liefling," Ash said. "She's a bit crazy."
"You said you wanted her to do a speech at the reception, right?" he asked.
"Oh boy, Ash, are you sure?" I asked.
"I love you like no one else, Jane," Ash said. "You were a sister when I had none. Of course I want you to make the speech."
"But think of all the history," I said sardonically. "I mean, there are eleven years' worth of stories to tell here."
"One day you'll be getting married Jane, and I'll be able to return the favour," Ash said, smiling sweetly.
"Not likely, little lady," I said.
"You won't get married, Jane?" Adam asked, sounding confused.
"She doesn't believe in marriage," Ash explained. "She says it's a fuck up."
"I thought you were religious though," Adam said, turning to me.
"So, the two aren't mutually inclusive," I said. "I mean, they mostly are, but not in my case. It also seems that I'm at a disadvantage, as Ash has clearly told you a lot about me, but I know nothing about you. What do you do?"
"I'm a criminal lawyer," he said.
"No shit," I said. "Successful?"
"I make quite a bit of money, yes," he said.
"I meant, do you get a lot of people off?" I asked.
"A fair amount, yes," he said.
"Adam was Finnegan O'Cahn's lawyer," Ash said.
"Huh," I said. I thought for a moment. "So, basically, if I am accused of killing a lot of people, you're the one to call."
"I suppose," Adam said uncomfortably.
"How old are you?" I asked.
"Twenty eight," he said.
"So, you were seventeen when Ash left Freedom's Progress," I said. "You were kind of the cute rocker, or in your case, rugby player, that she had a crush on, but never dared speak about."
"Ja, no, maybe," Adam said.
"I warned you that she'll spend a fair portion of the time insulting you," Ash said. "She's really hard to please."
"Got that right," I said. "So, how are wedding preparation's going?"
"Well," Ash said, jumping on the change of topic. "Everything's going according to plan. We've even found a baker who can make a special egg-free cake for you."
"Cool," I said. "How did you two meet up again?"
"I went to Nuwe Begin for a holiday, just before I was posted here," Ash said. She was clearly getting a bit frustrated with my behaviour. "We bumped into each other there." She took his hand. "I guess you could say it was love at first sight."
Oh gag. "Clearly, since you didn't give yourselves a chance to catch your breath before deciding to get married," I said dryly. "I take it you're blowing your inheritance on this, Ash."
"You only get married once, Jane," Ash said.
"That's the Catholic ideal, Ash, but life doesn't always work like that," I said. I turned to Adam. "What's your opinion on the anti-alien riots we've had recently?" I asked abruptly, like an interrogator in a crappy television series.
"Um," Adam said.
"I think it's about bloody time," Ash said.
"You would, Ash, and I wanted his opinion, not yours," I said.
"Well, um," Adam said, clearly caught between wanting to impress me and wanting to impress Ash. He threw her a panicked look.
"Jane, a word," Ash said, coldly.
I followed her into the bathroom. "I know I'm being aggressive, but come on, a man who stands for nothing politically will not stand up in the sack," I said.
She glared at me. "Jane, I love him," she said.
"After only six months?" I asked in amazement.
"Why, how long do you think a person should wait before declaring love?" she asked.
"Well, depends on the person," I said. "Someone like me, ooh, forever, maybe longer. For you, well, three to four years."
"I know you take pride in being an unfeeling harpy-," she began.
"Ouch," I mumbled.
"But I don't want to live my life without emotion," Ash said. She sighed. "I only wanted you to meet him because you are the single most important person in my life, and your opinion is the one that matters most."
I felt guilty then. "Sorry, Ash," I said.
"It's alright," she said. "I know you're trying to look out for me. You can make it up by organising my hen party."
"I thought I had to do that in any case," I said.
"Yeah, but now it has to be good," she said. She sighed. "Come on, our food's probably arrived by now."
I touched her arm. "Just because I don't say the-the L-word, doesn't mean I don't feel it," I said quietly. "I just think that saying it leads to too much complication. Too much of it is open to interpretation."
"I know that about you, Jane," Ash said. "And I love you too. We're sisters. Forever."
…..
November: Zaeed
I can always tell when something bad is going to happen. My mother used to call it my sixth sense. I grew up on Shanxi, which was in turian territory until I was a teenager. On the day of the Liberation of Shanxi, I knew that that day would be the worst in my life, and I was right, for that was the day I lost my entire family to an air-raid. On the day I lost my eye, I woke up knowing that my life was going to change completely.
I am feeling that feeling today. I speak to my partner, Kasuumi, about this.
"What do you mean something bad is going to happen?" she asks.
I like Dranne. She's gorgeous, smart and no nonsense. Sort of like my mother actually, if my mother was the most beautiful woman in the galaxy.
"It's a feeling I get," I say. "You know the saying sixth sense? My mother invented that saying to describe this flash of intuition I get."
"Your mother didn't invent the word 'sixth sense', Masaad, it was invented by a twenty first century television series," Brown says, going past.
"Ok, you having a flash of intuition is a cause for concern, but can you be a bit more specific?" Dranne asks. "What kind of bad things are going to happen?"
"How the fuck should I know?" I snap, getting impatient. "I'm not a bleeding psychic. I just know bad things are going to happen."
"Yes, but when?" Dranne asks.
"I don't know," I say.
"To whom?" she asks.
"I don't know," I repeat.
"Where?" she asks.
"I don't know, I don't know, I don't fucking know," I shout.
"Arashu, stop fucking shouting," Dranne snaps losing her temper, something that tends to happen to the people around me. "Unless you have something concrete to tell me, I can't help you, so please go away and let me write this mission brief in peace."
"Who's the brief for?" I ask.
"Mr None of your business," Dranne says.
"What's the mission?" I ask.
"Classified," she says.
"When's it happening?" I ask.
"When the commander says it is," she says. "Now, please go away Masaad."
I leave. She is mostly useless to me anyway.
…..
I go into the rec room to see if I can catch some of Rosa's amazing adventure (what? It's a great programme. Don't judge me). The rec room is empty, and I settle myself on the couch. Now, the only thing missing was a beer and a sexy, half-naked woman.
"Hey," a voice says behind me. It's Khan.
Well, he's Muslim, so there won't be any beer involved, and he's not a woman, but he is topless. I guess you could say that one out of three isn't that bad a score.
"Hey," I say. "Do you want to watch? It's just started."
"Sure," Khan says and sits down next to me.
I like Khan. He's super religious, but he's also a lot of fun. Sort of like the kids from back home. Better yet, he speaks Farsi, although his dialect is slightly different to what we spoke in Asalamabad. We tend to get on very well.
"How are you doing?" he asks. "Agira was pretty hard on you the other day."
I shrug. "After all this time I'm kind of used to people beating the shit out of me," I say. "My first day of active duty, my CO beat me unconscious."
"Oh," Khan says uncomfortably.
I sigh impatiently. People always tend to get uncomfortable in my presence, when all I'm trying to do is be honest.
"I have this horrible feeling that things are going to get a lot worse for us," Khan says.
"You too?" I ask excitedly. "I've been feeling like that for the entire week. I got that feeling before the accident that lost me my eye, and the day before my parents died."
"Prayer usually helps me when I feel like this," Khan says. "But not this time."
"Prayer shouldn't help ever when you feel like this," I say.
He clicks his tongue. "Your father was a mullah," he says. "You would have been raised with an understanding of the Koran. Why don't you believe in God?"
"Yeah, my dad was a mullah," I say. "Unfortunately, it didn't help him when the Alliance landed in Asalamabad."
"I heard stories about what happened," Khan says quietly. "Your parents died?"
"My father had a paper version of the Koran," I explain. I've never told anyone this story before, but for some reason it feels right to tell it to Khan. "It was his most treasured possession. When the raid started, we got to the shelter in time, but he realised he had forgotten the book at home. He went to fetch it, and when he didn't come back, my mother went after him."
"And that's why you decided Allah doesn't exist?" he asks.
"Well, them going back to get that holy book didn't help either of them any," I say.
He smiles. "It doesn't work like that," he says. "I think you know that."
I shrug. "Whatever," I mumble. "Hey look. Rosa's been kidnapped."
…..
That evening I dig out my fez and prayer rug and go into the tiny room behind the rec room. Evening is apparently when all prayer times coincide, for Shep is kneeling in the corner thumbing a rosary, and Ruben is kneeling in the other corner, chanting under her breath.
Khan is standing at the foot of a worn prayer rug, his eyes shut. He is chanting the 'Allah-u-Akbar', but he looks up when I lay my rug out next to his.
Sometimes, extenuating circumstances call for special action.
…..
And back to November: the Skyllian blitz
"Where the hell have you been?" Maya asked impatiently the moment Joey and I stepped out of the shuttle.
"Fetching food so we don't starve," I answered. "Why are you down here?"
"We're in trouble," Maya said. "We need you upstairs."
"What's going on?" I asked, not liking the expression on her face.
"You'll see," she said. "Just get upstairs. They need you too, Carboletti."
…..
The whole of Company 6 was gathered in the conference room. "What's happening?" I asked, walking in.
"What the fuck took you so long?" Commander Agira snapped.
"Fresh air, good food and close friends," I said impatiently. "Van Richte said we're in trouble, what's the matter?"
"This vid was pulled off of a camera in Montenegro," Luna said. "We're still trying to figure out what it means."
A grainy image appeared on the screen, showing a shuttle on a street in Montenegro. A group of batarian soldiers stepped out of the shuttle and led a large group of humans out and onto the street. The soldiers got back into the shuttle, which flew off.
"But, why?" I asked. "I don't understand."
"Apparently this is happening in all the settlements in batarian space," Commander Agira said, her expression stoic. "All the people in the vid have been positively identified as residents of Montenegro. It seems that they were taken prisoner by the enemy, but are being released for some reason."
"Intel also says that the Alliance is being given one last chance to surrender," Luna said.
I rubbed a hand over my face. "The batarians aren't just releasing these people out of the goodness of their hearts," I said. "They're up to something. Is there anything about these people that the batarians could be using against us?"
"Nothing so far," Kasuumi said. "All genders, all ages, a mix of nationalities, religious and agnostics. They seem to be ordinary people from Skyllia."
"Did the batarians say anything else to the Alliance?" I asked.
"Unknown," Commander Agira said.
"So, what does the Alliance want us to do about it?" I asked.
"Nothing yet," Kasuumi said. "We've been told to 'stand by' for orders."
"That sounds like fun," I mumbled. "Alright, then I guess we're standing by for orders until further notice. Is there anything else?"
"Nothing for now," Commander Agira said. "Dismissed."
Everyone looked at me. "Y'all don't need to wait for me to say the same thing," I sighed. "Dismissed."
…..
After that, everyone was on edge. We received absolutely no intelligence after that as to what the situation was, but there was a definite electricity in the air. And I wasn't sleeping well. Old nightmares that hadn't bothered me since I was a teenager were suddenly back again.
Then, suddenly, two weeks later our orders went crazy. Maintenance of all gear was ordered. Terminal programmes were updated. The shuttles were completely revamped by our shuttle pilots, and the engineers were ordered to do a complete scrub of the ship's engines. Something was definitely up.
I was ordered to hold an observation post behind batarian lines until I was relieved, and I therefore spent four lonely nights sitting at the top of a hill, staring out over the batarian army. I didn't sleep a wink, and made sure that I had my rifle in my hand at all times. The rain didn't abate, and at night, the sheer number of batarian soldiers that I could see was terrifying.
I was relieved by two young recon scouts from the SSV Wellington. When I got back to the Everest I wrote my report, then went to bed.
…..
There is a little girl. She is two and she is dying from a hole in the chest. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time, that is all, and now she is going to pay for our mistake. I'm carrying her in my arms, Carlotta has her hands on the child's chest. We are trying desperately to get her out of the firing range of the batarians, but this is proving difficult because they seem to have us surrounded. And the girl keeps screaming these gut-wrenching screams that make me want to vomit.
…..
"Shepard," a voice said urgently.
I sat up. "What's going on?" I asked sleepily, rubbing my eyes. It was Carlotta. The ship's siren was going off, and Com Officer Bharesh's voice was on the intercom, telling everyone to report to battle stations.
"We need to report to the shuttle now," Carlotta said. "Come on."
We rushed down to the shuttle bay. Nina chucked a BOL and a rifle at me. "Grab your armour and head to shuttle two," she shouted.
I pulled my armour out of my locker and lugged it over to the shuttle. The rest of Company 6 was already in the shuttle.
"We're all in," Luna yelled at the pilot. "Let's get going."
"What's going on?" I asked as I changed into my armour.
"The batarians have started bombing all the major towns on Skyllia," Commander Agira said tonelessly. "That's why they were releasing those prisoners, so that they could kill them."
"Wouldn't they have been shot down by the GARDIAN guns?" Carlotta asked. She looked anxious, and I remembered that her family was in Paz Nuevo.
"They've got some sort of tech that disrupts the motion sensors on the guns so that they don't pick the batarian ships up," Kasuumi said. "Loads them with garbage data."
"Where are we headed?" I asked.
"The Alliance still has control of Elysium, and by God, we will hold onto that town," Luna said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "We're headed for the trenches. Do they still train you in trench warfare at Del Sol?"
"Some," I said. "Not much."
"Batarian ships are also targeting the fleet with those laser thingies," Commander Agira said. "I think it's safe to say that this is the end of the Alliance."
We looked at each other. I tried to think of something inspirational and positive to say, but I was too tired.
"Well, it hasn't been the worst life," I said instead. "At least if I'm dead, I can rest."
"No," Luna said firmly. "This is not the end. We'll live through this and have another badass story to tell our families."
"Oorah," Zaeed said with feeling.
Luna turns to me. "Shepard, do you mind finishing that joke off now?"
I smiled tiredly. "Tell you what, ma'am," I said. "If we make it out of this alive, I'll make sure to sit down and tell you the rest."
She grinned. "I'll hold you to that, Lieutenant," she said.
…..
We were in the very front line of trenches and we could literally see the batarians' line a few hundred metres away from our own barbed wire fence. No-Mans-Land was basically a mud bath with a few shell-holes for variety's sake. The noise was such that it was impossible to think, almost impossible to hear each other. In training we were taught to tell the difference between all the kinds of guns and rockets. I decided that whoever decided that that should go into the curriculum was clearly optimistic to the extreme. Firstly, to be able to discern individual sounds in the barrage would need super-sonic hearing. Secondly, it didn't really make a difference. A bullet in the head was a bullet in the head, whichever gun it came from. Thirdly, who cares?
The shuttle dropped us off directly in the trench. The trench itself was calf-high (knee-high in my case) in mud that felt like it was threatening to suck you down with each step, and the duckboards were almost completely under water.
"Fan out," Commander Agira ordered. "Stick to your partners, and keep a watch on the enemy lines."
…..
The first twenty four hours went well for us. We were aware of the other squads next to us losing people, but we didn't lose anyone. We exchanged fire with the batarian front lines, and whenever the batarians attempted a crossing, we were able to take them down. Shells were launched over us at an almost continuous rate, but they landed among the heavy artillery units behind us. Sleep, or rest of any kind was impossible, and a medic brought us stimulants which we were to take every six hours to keep us alert. I soon learnt that, whilst the stimulants kept me awake, they also kept me incredibly wired, so that I was pretty much bouncing on the spot.
Luna was revelling in the whole situation. "This sort of reminds me of the gang wars against the Reds, when I was a kid," she shouted in my ear.
"Gangs had skills in trench warfare?" I shouted back. I popped up and fired a few rounds in the general direction of the batarian line. "You were very sophisticated."
"Fuck no, Shepard," she shouted, pulling the pin out of the grenade she held in her hand and tossing it over the edge of the trench. "I'm talking about the atmosphere, the ambiance. The explosions, the dead people."
"Sounds like a dream childhood," I shouted. "As a matter of interest, what was the purpose of that grenade? There weren't any batarians anywhere near it."
"It was to remind them that we do indeed have grenades," she shouted.
Carlotta, who was on my other side, laughed. "This just in, batarian number fifty three just shat himself because of that grenade, ma'am," she shouted.
"And so he had better, because there is more where that came from," Luna shouted. She laughed loudly.
Something exploded a few feet from where we were, and a couple of sandbags came loose and slid into the trench.
"Jesus," Luna shouted. "We need to get these back. Brown, with me."
"Aye aye," Terrence shouted, and they climbed up to the lip of the trench.
"Shepard, hand me the bags," Luna ordered loudly. "The rest of you, cover our asses."
"I'm in command here," Commander Agira began.
"Then start fucking commanding," Luna shouted. "Shepard, the bags."
I started handing the sandbags up to her and Terrence, and they placed the bags against the wall of the trench. A bullet zipped past Terrence's ear and hit the sandbag next to his head. He started laughing.
"Jesus fucking Christ," he laughed. "If I'd been an inch to the left, I'd be dead. I have to be the luckiest man on this planet."
There was a loud explosion and I was flung backwards off of the duckboard, landing hard in the mud. The sandbags dislodged themselves again, and landed on top of me, pushing me into the mud.
I lay there, deafened and stunned, trying to orientate myself, until a pair of hands pulled me out from the mud.
"Lieutenant," Nina shouted. "Are you alright?"
I gulped air into my lungs. "Yeah," I croaked.
She pushed her water bottle into my hands, and I drank it down. The rest of the squad was picking themselves up off of the floor of the trench. "Where are the others?" I asked. "Are they ok?"
"Getting this fucking bastard off of me," a voice screamed. "Get him off me now."
It was Nkosi, who was trapped under the body of another of the squad. Maya and Ismaeel rushed to pull him off her. It was Terrence.
The mercy perhaps was that he wouldn't have felt a thing. The shell had ripped him apart completely. His death was instantaneous.
"Where's Jupiter?" I shouted. "Where is she?"
It was Carlotta who found her, half-buried under a pile of sandbags. "She's still breathing," Carlotta called as Joey and Ismaeel pulled the sandbags off of her.
Carlotta and I turned her around. My stomach lurched. "God," Carlotta whispered.
Luna's helmet had been blown away, along with the left side of her head, from her left eye socket to the top of her head. White matter poked from the hole, which quickly turned pink, then red, and foam dripped down her face, to her chin.
How was she still breathing? Her remaining eye was open, and rolling around in her socket, but somehow I knew she wasn't seeing us.
I choked down the bile rising up my throat. "This is Company 6 Marine Corps Scout Snipers," I screamed into my radio. "Major Jupiter is down and Private Brown has been killed. We need a medic. Repeat, we need a medic, ASAP."
It took a very long time for Com Officer Bharesh to come on the radio. "Copy," she said in a very small voice. "Medic is en route."
"Copy that, Company 6 out," I said. I turned to the others. "The medics are on their way. Orders, Commander."
Commander Agira's face was white as she raised her rifle. For some strange reason I thought she was going to shoot me, but instead she pointed it down at her left foot.
"No," I started to say, but the rifle had already gone off. She collapsed, her entire left foot blown away.
"Fuck you, fuck you, you fucking selfish bitch," I screamed, losing my head completely for a second. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. The stimulants and my general exhaustion weren't helping with my mood. "Commander Agira's down," I said into my radio.
"Lieutenant," Carlotta said quietly. "We need orders."
Of course, I was the next highest rank. I was now in command.
"Keep your eyes to the front," I said wiping a tired hand over my face. "Proceed with orders given by Commander Agira. Sobana, van Richte, stabilize Commander Agira, and try to keep Major Jupiter alive until the medics arrive."
"Aye aye ma'am," Carlotta said. "You heard her, everyone. Eyes to the front."
"Ruben, partner up with Antonio," I added. "I'll go it alone."
"Yes ma'am," Nina said, and went to stand next to Carlotta.
The rest of the day brought little change to the state of the warfare, except the fact that I was aware of the squads around us dying out. Half an hour after the explosion had hit us, the meds arrived to take Luna, Commander Agira and Terrence away. Night fell, and with it came a fresh thunder storm. The weather didn't deter the batarians any however. In fact, they seemed to bomb us with renewed vigour. My ears were getting tired from all the noise.
At around five AM sol, when there appeared to be a lightening around the edges of the sky, Com Officer Bharesh said into my radio, "Lieutenant Shepard, come in."
"Go ahead," I said.
"I have Admiral Mikhailovich on the line," she said. "He wishes to speak to you."
"Patch him through," I said.
There was a crackle and Admiral Mikhailovich's voice said, "Lieutenant?"
"Yes sir," I said.
"How are you holding up?" he asked.
I couldn't believe the question. It could only be asked by someone who was sitting comfortably on his ass whilst soldiers died in droves for him.
"How am I holding up?" I repeated slightly hysterically. "Well, the weather has been raining rain and shells. I'm pretty much up to my neck in fucking mud. I'm down three men including the two officers that are higher up than me. So yeah, I'm dandy."
"You know Shepard, in times like this, the answer is usually fine," Admiral Mikhailovich said. "It's quicker."
"What do you want sir?" I asked.
"We've managed to create a break in the enemy lines," Admiral Mikhailovich said. "We need someone to cross No-Man's Land and hold it. The break is in your area, and you have the biggest squad left."
"You need us to cross No-Man's Land," I said.
"Yes, and then hold the position, no matter the cost," he said, his voice void of emotion. "We are sending a courier with explosives you can set up on your perimeter. We recommend that you get it done before dawn."
There was maybe half an hour to go before the sun rose. "Understood," I said quietly. "Anything else?"
"Notify us when you're getting ready to go across, and we'll tell the other squads to limit fire as much as possible," he said. There was a pause. "Good luck, Lieutenant."
"Acknowledged," I said.
I went back to my position next to Carlotta. "What's happening?" she asked.
"They want us to cross," I said, nodding at the wasteland that was now pretty much made up of shell holes.
"They-they what?" Carlotta spluttered. "We'll be ripped to pieces before we've crossed our own wire."
"I know," I said.
"They're fucking crazy," she continued. "You do realise this right?"
"I know, ok?" I shouted, frustrated. "Everyone gather around."
The others ducked down next to me. "What's going on, Shep?" Zaeed asked quietly. "Are we going home?"
I smiled. "No, not yet," I said. "The admirals have a special task for us. They've created a break in the batarian frontline and they want us to go across and hold it."
"They want us to cross that?" Maya asked, a horrified look on her face.
"Yep," I said. I looked at all the faces of my squad. I was losing them, I could see it. I decided to lie. "Admiral Mikhailovich said that they've disabled enough of the enemy forces for us to make it safely across. They've asked us to go because we're the best and the largest Alliance force left. They need us if we have any hope of defending Skyllia."
There was a long pause. "When do we go?" Nina asked.
"A courier is coming with explosives," I said. "Khan, Carboletti, I need you two to carry them across. We'll leave as soon as they arrive."
The courier must have been on the slow train or something, because the sun had risen by the time he'd arrived.
"What the fuck kept you?" I snapped.
"I'm sorry ma'am, I got lost," he said apologetically.
"You know that I now have to cross that in broad daylight?" I asked.
"I'll sing at your funeral, ma'am," he said.
"I'll sing at your funeral way before you sing at mine," I said. "Now get going. You have another squad to go and kill off."
"Yes ma'am," the courier said and scampered off.
"Everest, come in," I said.
"Everest here," Com Officer Bharesh said.
"Notify Admiral Mikhailovich that we're waiting his go to proceed with the plan," I said.
"Aye aye," Com Officer Bharesh said. "Everest out."
I waited. "Lieutenant Shepard, come in," Com Officer Bharesh said.
"Go ahead," I said.
"Mission is a-go," she said. "Repeat, mission is a-go. Good luck."
"Acknowledged," I said. "Company 6 out." I turned to my squad. They were watching me expectantly. "Let's go," I shouted.
We climbed over the lip of the trench and walked the five hundred yards to our barbed wire. Nkosi and Maya held the strands apart for us to crawl under, then Carlotta and I turned to hold the wire open for them. I pulled Maya through, and turned to help Nkosi through, only to see her fall. She didn't get up.
I took a deep breath. "Company 6," I shouted. "Forward."
It soon became abundantly clear that I had been lying, when the bullets started raining around us. I continued to bellow instructions regarding our formation which were pretty useless in the grander scheme of things, as the ground was so full of craters the formation wouldn't have held up even if it tried. And I continued to try and sound hopeful for my squad, even though it took everything I had in me not to break into a run, even as they began to fall around me.
Nina was the first to fall. A bullet to the mouth as far as I could tell. It was instantaneous, I was later told, but I long since gave up believing everything the Alliance has told me. Next, Ismaeel stepped on a mine. He was blown away, and the mine threw the rest of us down. I was the first on my feet, and I was relieved to see Kasuumi, Zaeed, Maya and Carlotta get to their feet. Zaeed helped Joey to his feet and we started off again.
We reached the enemy wire, and I was still walking. Why was I still walking? Part of me was grateful, but there was another, smaller part that felt (and still feels) that it would have been easier, less painful to have been shot, to die on the battlefield that morning.
Maya and Kasuumi parted the wire, and I motioned for Zaeed and Joey to go through first. Carlotta went next, then I did. Carlotta and I helped Kasuumi through, but as Maya ducked under, the back of her armour got caught on the wire. Carlotta and I struggled with the barbs, but it seemed that the more we pulled at them, the deeper they worked their way into Maya's armour, until they'd cut through the ML and the UL and were cutting into her back. Maya reacted as any cornered animal would. She panicked.
"Van Richte, stay still," Carlotta shouted as Maya wriggled and flayed, making a weird keening sound.
"Shepard," Kasuumi screamed. "We need to move."
I hesitated. "Nuh, nuh," Maya stuttered.
"Get to the trenches," I ordered. "You too, Antonio."
"But," Carlotta began.
"Move it," I snapped.
I bent and started tugging vainly at the wire again. The barbs had by now cut through my own armour and into my fingers, but I didn't feel any pain. Maya was silent again, but her eyes were wide with terror.
"You're going to be ok," I whispered.
The first bullet hit her in the soft part of her armour where her arm met her shoulder, and she gave a loud scream. Still more bullets hit her, on her chest, her arms, her legs. Some rebounded and hit me, others penetrated her armour. None of the bullets that hit me got through my armour, and I didn't feel the pain from the broken ribs and collar bone until later. Finally she was still, upright only because of the wire holding her up.
I ran to the trench and jumped in with the others. I noted that the trench, which was thankfully empty, was in as poor a condition as our own trench, but I had very little chance to take everything in as I noticed that everyone was gathered around a prone figure.
"What's happening?" I asked.
"It's Carboletti," Kasuumi said. "He got hurt in the explosion."
Hurt was the incorrect term to describe Joey's condition. Hurt implied there was a chance of recovery. Both Joey's legs had been blown away at the knees, and the water that he was lying in was red from his blood. Zaeed had already tied a tourniquet around the left thigh, and was busy on the right. Joey's eyes were open, his breath was ragged.
"Joey," I whispered, falling to my knees next to him. "Joey, it's me. Can you hear me?"
"Janey?" he breathed. I took his hand. He clung to it, his fingers entwined with mine. "Janey, please, I can't die yet. Please. I'm not ready."
Tears pushed at the back of my eyes, but they wouldn't fall. "Joey," I began.
"Please Janey, I don't want to die," he repeated. "Don't let me die."
Zaeed's hands slipped on the tourniquet, and he started tying it again. "You're not going to," I said, telling yet another lie in the long list I'd told that day. I cleared my throat. "You'll be ok. You're going to wake up somewhere warm and safe, and everything will be fine. I promise. You're not going to die, do you hear me Joe?"
"I want…want to live," he whispered. His eyes were fluttering now. It wouldn't be long.
"You will," I promised, but he didn't hear me. Zaeed swore as the tourniquet became undone again and started trying to tie it again.
"Leave it, Zaeed," Kasuumi said. "It's over."
"No," Zaeed bellowed.
"Zaeed," Kasuumi began.
"No," Zaeed said more quietly. "We can do chest compressions, restart his heart."
"It won't work, Zaeed," Kasuumi said. "He's lost too much blood."
I stared at Zaeed, seeing a different side to him. I could almost see the man who was a father, who loved his children, who had a wife that he, in his own way, adored.
"We're not dead yet," Kasuumi continued.
That woke me up. "Use the duckboards to form barricades on either end of the trench," I said. "I need to call this in." I had an idea. "Freddie," I said.
The VI popped out of my omnitool. "Ooh, it's all wet," it said disdainfully. "So, not dead yet, huh?"
"Hopefully for a long time yet," I said. "I need you to monitor our position and notify me of any batarian forces approaching. We're pretty much surrounded on three sides, so you might have to fly pretty high."
"Can't you do it yourself?" Freddie asked.
"Do you see wings on my back?" I snapped. "Now go." He floated upwards, disappearing into the rain. "Come in Everest," I said.
"Everest here," Com Officer Bharesh said. She sounded exhausted.
"This is Company 6," I said. "We have successfully crossed the No-Man's Land and have occupied a trench in the enemy's territory. Gunnery Chief Nina Ruben, Service Chief Giuseppe Carboletti, Corporal Ismaeel Khan, Corporal Maya van Richte and Private Nkosi Sobana have…have all been killed." There was a long pause. "Everest?" I asked. "Do you copy?"
"Copy," Com Officer Bharesh said quietly. "Hold position."
"Copy that," I said. "Shepard out."
…..
The batarians occasionally sent soldiers out to try to disable us. Thanks largely to Freddie, but also some excellent recon skills displayed by Kasuumi, we were able to keep them back and maintain our position. At some point, Freddie was shot down. I would be able to reboot him, but it would take time, and I needed to have my omnitool plugged into a terminal to do this. In order to compensate for this, I started sending Kasuumi, in invisibility mode, to monitor the lines, and she was able to give us some pretty accurate data.
At midday all the guns stopped firing. "What's going on?" Carlotta whispered. We'd withdrawn from the barricades we'd created and were pressed against the wall of the trench.
"Don't know," I whispered back. "Maybe it's a ceasefire."
The silence continued. It appeared almost to be echoing, so silent was it in comparison to the guns and explosions. At some point, I tried to contact the ship, but was given a terse order to 'hold position and cease all radio contact' from Com Officer Bharesh.
With nightfall the silence got even more terrifying. It was raining so hard we couldn't hear anything beyond our own trench, and I was too scared to send Kasuumi out on her own to check on the batarian line. At some point close to midnight, I heard Kasuumi, who was pushing herself against the trench wall next to me whisper something.
"What was that, Dranne?" I whispered. She shook her head, but continued to murmur. Among the words, I heard her say 'Kalahira'. Kalahira was the drell goddess of death and oceans.
I'd tried praying myself, but for some strange reason, all the prayers that used to come so easily, didn't spring to my tongue. Instead I had passed the time counting my breaths.
I nudged Carlotta. "What would you be doing right now if you hadn't joined up?" I asked quietly.
"Oh, I'd probably be having a night of jolly good fun with my father," she said sarcastically. "I'd bring the beer, he'd bring the condoms."
"Sounds like fun," I said.
"It nearly was," she said. "How about you, Masaad?"
"I'd probably be in bed, watching Shopping with the Stars or something equally banal with the missus," Zaeed answered.
"I'd be working as a super model somewhere," Kasuumi said. "Either that, or in jail."
"I thought you already were a super model, Dranne," I said.
"I was," Kasuumi said seriously. "Actually that's why I joined up. At least I didn't have to weigh a certain amount to be able to work. And also my father found out I was using my spare time to steal things, so he kind of forced me to join up, saying he'd lock me up if I didn't. How about you, Shep? What would you be doing?"
"Wait, what?" Carlotta asked. "You stole things?"
"Yes yes, I'm a bloody kleptomaniac," Kasuumi said impatiently. "That kind of thing doesn't go well with a man that has a reputation to maintain."
"So, if you're a kleptomaniac, it means you steal things compulsively, right?" Zaeed asked.
"Exactly," Kasuumi said, grimly. "I'm pretty good actually. Safes, vaults, picking pockets, you name it, I do it."
"So, all that shit that's been going missing over the years…" Carlotta trailed off.
"Fuck," Kasuumi mumbled.
"You little shit," Carlotta said in anger. "You stole my ring."
"Well, I couldn't help it," Kasuumi said. "It's a compulsion."
"Compulsion, smalshin," Carlotta said, her voice getting louder.
"Antonio, shut the fuck up," I hissed.
"That ring belonged to my mother," Carlotta said softly. "It's the only thing of hers that I have. You'd better hand it over."
"Kalahira, I don't have it with me," Kasuumi snapped. "Do you honestly think I'd bring something as valuable as that with on a mission?"
"I don't know what the inner workings of a kleptomaniac are," Carlotta hissed.
"Look, I'll give it back if we survive this, ok?" Kasuumi said. "I promise."
"Whatever," Carlotta snapped. "At least now I know not to leave valuables lying around when you're nearby."
"That's smart advice for anyone," Kasuumi said impatiently. "Shep, if you weren't a marine, where would you be?"
"Working as a street sweeper on some backwater colony probably," I said, yawning. "I never finished first grade, so there was no real chance of me getting into any kind of academy or university."
"Which would have been better?" Carlotta asked.
"Well, right now the street sweeper, but on any other day, I'd tell you that despite all its bullshit, there's nowhere else I'd rather be than in the army," I said.
"Trust me, this is better than a night alone with my father," Carlotta said. "Fuck, this is better than a minute alone with my father."
Kasuumi shrugged. "For me it's a tie," she said. "Although, given this season's fashions, I reckon this is a damn side better."
"Was that a joke, Dranne?" Zaeed asked excitedly.
"Merely an observation, Zaeed, don't get happy," Kasuumi said tiredly. "Tell you one thing, if I get out of this alive, I'm going to buy myself the largest box of chocolates I can find and eat it. Fuck the consequences."
"Damn right, Chief," I said. "Take a stand."
We were silent for a bit. "Christ, I'm tired," Carlotta murmured almost to herself. "I hope they're looking after Rochelle on the ship. She must be giving them hell, I haven't put her to bed three nights in a row."
"I'm sure she's fine," I said soothingly. "They wouldn't risk your wrath should something happen to her."
…..
At about half past two sol in the morning, the much-awaited call came. "Company 6 prepare for extraction," Com Officer Bharesh said.
"Copy," I said, but no further instructions regarding a rendez vous point were relayed.
About ten minutes later Com Officer Bharesh said, "You need to fire a flare so that the shuttle can find you."
"Won't that alert the enemy to our location?" I asked apprehensively.
"No," she said shortly.
Very well then. I pulled my flare gun from my BOL and shot it upwards at the dark clouds that were still above us. Five minutes later the shuttle appeared above us and dropped a ladder for us to climb. I had Zaeed, Kasuumi and Carlotta climb ahead of me, Zaeed with Joey's body hoisted over his shoulder. Despite the fact that they made it up safely, I half expected to be shot off of the ladder as I climbed.
"Everyone's aboard," I said once I was inside.
"Roger, lieutenant," Lieutenant Epple said. "Strap in."
"Are you taking us back to the ship?" I asked suspiciously.
"Yup," he said. "The war's over. We won."
I found this hysterically funny, and proved this by bursting into hysterical laughter.
"What's so funny?" he snapped.
"We won?" I gasped. "We fucking won? How the fuck did we do that? They were beating the pants off of us. They had laser fucking guns and ninety four per cent of Skyllia. How the fuck did we win that back in three days?"
"Well, technically they surrendered," Lieutenant Epple said.
This made me laugh even louder. "Why, our incredible show of military strength had them scared?" I gulped. Tears were running down my cheeks, so great was my mirth. "They were terrified witless and shitless by the tenacity and stupidity of the Alliance Military?"
"No, apparently the Council stepped in," Lieutenant Epple said. "The batarians' laser gun thingy violated a clause in the Treaty of Farinx, and the Council said that their strategy of releasing human civilians onto the planet only to shoot them down was inhumane. They said that if they didn't surrender to us, they would step into the conflict. They surrendered about fifteen sol hours ago. We didn't pick you up sooner because it took this long for the Hegemony to withdraw all their forces from the planet."
I suddenly felt bone tired. "Looks like you have an appointment with a giant box of chocolates, Dranne," Carlotta said tiredly.
"Yup," Kasuumi said. She took her helmet off, lowered her hood and ran her fingers through her dark hair. "Looks like I do. And by Arashu, Amonkira and Kalahira, I'm going to keep it."
…..
Author's note
Minor disclaimer after the fact: a few avid readers of good books might have noticed that Luna's injury was borrowed from Pat Barker's First World War book, The Ghost Road. I am no expert on trench warfare, and have gained as much information from this book (and the two other books in the Regeneration trilogy), as well as other First World War books that I have read over the years as I can. Apologies if I made a few mistakes.
Only one more chapter left in this monstrosity. There are no major twists, so I will publish it next week.
Peace, love and oranges,
Charlie