Mass Effect Abridged

Chapter Twenty Eight: Noveria

Standing in the cockpit next to Joker, Commander Shepard could see the icy planet Noveria getting closer out the window. It was nice to finally be back on track for her primary mission, even though she still had to figure out what Presley and the others were already up to on the planet, but the biggest thing about this mission was the need to be discrete. They had to land on the planet and handle their business without spooking Matriarch Benezia, and also while trying to avoid unnecessary incidents since this planet was controlled by a bunch of corporations.

"Approach control, this is the Normandy-SR1." Joker said as they got closer. "We're requesting a vector and a berth."

"Hello - Normandy-SR1 - and welcome to Noveria, home of the Noveria Development Corporation." A voice that sounded pre-recorded replied. "It is our highest priority and personal commitment to yours as well as countless other corporations to provide facilities and offices that are far away from the prying eyes of pesky local governments. Unfortunately - Normandy-SR1 - your arrival was unscheduled, and you will now be shot down by our defense grid. Thank you for visiting Noveria."

Shepard and Joker just looked at each other with widened eyes, and then the whole ship rocked violently to the side as an explosion could be heard. Joker was strapped in, so he was fine, but Shepard had to catch herself on the back of his seat to keep from falling down. This proved pointless a second later as another explosion sent her falling to the floor, and now control panels were starting to spark as the lights flickered from more explosions.

"Get us out of here!" She yelled as she pulled herself to her feet.

"I can't, the engines just went down!" Joker replied while fighting with the controls. "Approach control, cease fire! We've got a Council Spectre onboard!"

There was one more explosion, causing part of the CIC to start filling up with smoke, but then the attack appeared to stop. There was no more shaking or falling for several seconds, which allowed the damage crews to begin putting out fires, but now they were at the mercy of the Noveria defense grid. With engines down they were an easy target, not that they could take on a frickin planet on their own even at full power.

"Attention - Normandy-SR1." The same pre-recorded voice said a few seconds later. "Docking clearance has been granted, and our defense grid has been powered down. Please be aware that your identity as - a Council Spectre - will need to be verified on arrival. If confirmation cannot be established, then the - Normandy-SR1 - will be impounded. Thank you for visiting Noveria."

"You're not welcome." Shepard said as she rubbed a sore spot on her arm. "Joker, what's our status?"

"Well, we're still alive and the ship is mostly intact." He replied. "But Adams better get those engines back online, or else we're gonna crash once our orbit decays."

"Uh, Commander, this is Adams." The Engineer's voice said over the intercom. "I don't want to bore you with details, so let's just say that the engine is a little bit fucked up right now, and it's gonna take me at least twelve hours to fix. Adams out."

"Well, that's not good." Shepard replied while turning back to Joker. "But, hey, our orbit can't be that unstable, right? I mean, we've probably got a little time before it decays, right?"

Joker started to say something as he looked at his watch, but then shook his head as the whole ship started to rumble a bit. The slight rumble turned into a more aggressive trembling a few seconds later, and then Shepard looked out the window to see the planet tilting sideways as it slowly got closer. Loose tools started to fall off control panels as the shaking still increased, and now everything started to get brighter from light coming in through the windows as the Normandy entered Noveria's atmosphere.

"Do something, Joker!" Shepard yelled over the loud shaking.

"I can hold her steady, but that's about it!" He yelled back. "If I were you, I'd buckle up, Commander!"

The surface of the planet was a lot closer now, so she took his advice and got into the seat next to his. The ice and snow could be seen much more clearly by the time she was strapped in, and she had just used the intercom to tell everyone to brace for impact, when the impact came. She closed her eyes, expecting a sudden crash, but instead the ship bounced a couple times as it slid across the ice. The lights went out and crewmembers could be heard screaming as they were thrown around the inside of the ship, but then the bouncing stopped and the Normandy slowly came to a stop.

Even with the lights out, there was still enough coming in from the outside to see that things were in pretty bad shape. Damage control crews were already starting to work by the time Shepard got out of her chair, and then the uninjured crewmembers started helping the hurt ones to the med bay. It was a good thing that there was still power to the elevator, because there was no other way down to the lower decks, which was a pretty big design flaw, now that she thought of it. The important things were that they had survived, and there was still a mission to complete.

"Attention - Normandy-SR1." The pre-recorded voice said as it crackled through the radio. "Our scans show that due to what was most likely poor leadership or pilot error, you have landed - 1.5 kilometers - away from your intended landing bay. This is a violation of landing policies established by the Noveria Development Corporation, and your vessel will be impounded unless you pay a fine of - five thousand credits - to the administrator's office within twenty four hours. Thank you for visiting Noveria."

Shepard gritted her teeth before punching the wall, and then had to take a few deep breaths in order to calm down. So, the Noveria Development Corporation wanted someone to pay for this, huh? Well, she was going to make sure that someone did as soon as she was inside the city.

"Liara, meet me at the CIC airlock." She said angrily into the intercom. "Looks like we're going for a walk."

Joker was more than capable of managing the ship, since he pretty much took care of everything anyhow, so Shepard got the snow gear out of a nearby locker, and they suited up once Liara arrived. There was a blast of cold wind and snow when Shepard opened the airlock, but she was willing to deal with that since they could see the walls of the enclosed city off in the distance. Still, she was glad to be making this trip in the daytime, because the cold felt like it was going right through their suits. She didn't even want to imagine what the temperature would've felt like at night, but thankfully they didn't have to put up with it for long before they reached one of the city's hatches.

"Now when we get in there, let me do the talking." Shepard said as she pushed the button.

"Okay, Shepard." The Asari replied. "Sorry, I mean right on, sister."

Shepard started to say something to her about the strange slang she thought she needed to use to talk to humans, but she didn't want to lose focus, so she would just have to remember to speak to her about it later. The hatch soon opened, allowing them to step through into the much warmer landing bay as the hatch closed behind them, and as expected there was a group of three armed people coming to greet them.

"That's close enough." Their leader said. "I'm Captain Maeko Matsuo, Noveria Security Force. In addition to your five thousand credit charge for failure to follow landing procedures, you are also being charged an additional two thousand credits for landing your ship in a no parking zone, and also weapons are not allowed within the city, which will cost you another thousand. Damn, I would not want to be you when the interest hits. Sergeant Stirling, secure their weapons."

The other two came forward, and Shepard smiled as the first one reached for her pistol, only to head-butt her an instant later. Grabbing Sergeant Stirling's own pistol as he stumbled back, Shepard struck him in the head with it, making him collapse as she kicked the other guard between the legs. Matsuo drew her own pistol as the second guard fell over, but Shepard turned toward her while pulling the trigger, shooting the gun out of her hand.

"Don't fucking move!" Shepard yelled as she walked toward her. "Put your God damn hands up!"

Matsuo put up her hands as Shepard reached her, but then Shepard hit her in the stomach with the pistol, knocking the wind out of her as she fell to her hands and knees.

"Eight thousand credits?" Shepard asked as she aimed the gun at Matsuo's head. "You want me to pay eight thousand credits because your stupid fucking defense grid shot my ship down? How much do you think they'll add to my fines for shooting a Security Captain, huh? Do I have to pay extra for beating you black and blue, as well?"

Matsuo started to say something, but Shepard stopped her words by punching her in the mouth, and then kicking her after she fell over sideways.

"Captain Matsuo, stand down." A voice on the loudspeaker ordered. "We've confirmed their identity; Spectres can carry weapons, and well, pretty much do anything else they want. So let them through, and I'd be nice if I were you, Captain."

"Gosh, Captain." Shepard continued angrily. "Does this mean we're free to go?"

Matsuo started to reply, but was stopped as Shepard kicked her again before motioning for Liara to follow her. The two of them walked the rest of the way across the landing bay, and up a short flight of stairs to where a woman with short hair was waiting in front of a security checkpoint. She held up her hand for them to stop while she pushed a button to disarm the weapon detector, and then waved for them to come through.

"Welcome to Noveria." She said politely. "I'm Gianna Parasini, Administrative Assistant to Administrator Anoleis. I'm terribly sorry about the incident with the defense grid, and rest assured that you will not have to pay any of the before mentioned fines. Now, how can I be of assistance, Spectre?"

"We're looking for someone." Shepard replied with a much calmer demeanor. "Actually, a bunch of someones. An Asari Matriarch, as well as a group consisting of two Humans, a Krogan, and a Turian."

"Well, I don't know anything about the group, but a Matriarch named Benezia came through a few days ago. She was headed up to Peak 15, though, and you'll need the Administrator's permission to go there. Take the elevator up to the main courtyard, and his office will be on the lower left."

Shepard nodded, and Liara followed her as they got into the elevator. It was nice to finally get some results, but it was strange how people only ever wanted to cooperate with her when she was willing to hurt them. It would've been so much easier for everyone to just be helpful and to treat her the way they wanted to be treated, but no, everyone wanted to be a jackass as if their lives meant anything at all. Hopefully she would find a better way to deal with these kinds of situations in the future.