COMMANDER JOHN SHEPARD

"The relay is hot."

The Normandy approached the mass relay at speed, heading more and more towards the intended destination that had been chosen for the shakedown: Eden Prime. All focus had shifted to ensure a smooth and successful trip to the spot in question, every eye belonging to a member of the Alliance no doubt trained on how the Normandy would cope under the stress tests that a mass relay jump would put on its systems. The crew had doubled down on its efforts, all conversation having stopped moments before their arrival at the Arcturus relay to ensure every station worked at peak efficiency.

Joker had kept himself unusually quiet, the few words he spoke determined and focused on the task at-hand. Kaidan had taken a spot beside him, the lieutenant making sure that he was around to help fix any unforeseen problems that might have emerged in the cockpit. The rest of the crew, Pressly, Adams, Chakwas and even the marines like Jenkins had returned to their own positions, doing their best to keep their readings level and record their findings for the eventual report that would come from the shakedown. It wouldn't be long before they found themselves at Eden Prime, where the next phase of the shakedown would start.

Shepard had been left to his own duties aboard the ship, most of which involved overseeing the duties of the crew while Captain Anderson was indisposed with other duties. Despite his inexperience, that had been a prospect that Shepard had been looking forward to upon joining the crew. The chance to work alongside someone like Captain Anderson, a man he had looked up to as a father figure of sorts ever since he was a child, was a prospect that even the dumbest soul would have known to have accepted. Yet, it seemed as though Anderson had been nothing but indisposed since the minute they had stepped onto the ship and gotten the shakedown run started in the first place.

The Captain seemed distant from the others aboard the Normandy, disconnected in a way that Shepard had never expected him to be. He didn't understand it. Anderson had spoke highly of the Normandy and his chance to captain the vessel when they had first spoken about it back on Arcturus. There were few chances in a man's career where he found himself in a position such as the one Anderson found himself in at this moment. Yet, it seemed as though the Captain had found himself pre-occupied with other matters. He was usually found in his quarters, away from sight and with instruction to not be disturbed.

Ever since they had launched, that had been one of the only things Shepard had been able to think about. He had watched the mood aboard the entire ship change, felt the atmosphere around the crew shift and morph from something that had been filled with excitement and a desire to get things done to confusion and a feeling of concern. Things were different, strange in a way that he had not expected them to be. He'd served under stressful situations, in strange circumstances, but all of this was different. It wasn't a feeling of stress, but a feeling of unease. A feeling of fear, perhaps. Focused around one person:

Nihlus.

The turian was the only thing that he could think had caused such unrest, such confusion. He understood it. Hell, Shepard felt it just like the rest of them. Having a Spectre on-board made everyone feel like they were being watched, himself included. Shepard wondered if it was the aura around him, the presence that he seemed to radiate whenever you entered any space around him. Nihlus was an intimidating factor, someone who could both announce their presence in a situation to anyone and mask it if he needed to. He oozed control, exuded it in a way that Shepard simply did not understand. He was the definition of a Spectre that Shepard had always heard of, now realized in the flesh.

Shepard didn't know of a single soul who, deep down, didn't want to be a Spectre. When he was younger, he had hoped that he would someday be considered brave and valiant enough to join their ranks. The finest agents in the entire galaxy, charged with protecting the entire Milky Way against those who sought to bring harm and ruin upon it. None knew their official numbering, nor their identities, but the people of the galaxy rested soundly knowing that there were those out there like Nihlus who would protect them from harm.

Many had wondered why exactly Nihlus had come aboard, why he had joined them on the shakedown run when he was very much an unnecessary addition to the crew. Shepard himself had his own thoughts about it, namely why Captain Anderson had yet to tell him, the executive officer and second-in-command of the vessel, as to the true meaning behind Nihlus' arrival. Despite his place among the crew, it seemed that Nihlus did very little except walk around and make his presence known to anyone around him. Shepard had noticed that the turian seemed to have a significant interest in him, another thing that was nothing more than confusing to the Commander. There was not a corner that he could walk around with the turian standing there, a moment to himself that would not end with him making an appearance. He was always there, lurking, watching, making himself known.

It was enough to make any man nervous. Shepard had constantly found himself looking over his shoulder, waiting and wondering for the next time the turian would make an appearance by his side. He was used to watching his own back, pressing himself up against the wall and making sure nothing would be able to get the jump on him. It was a soldier's basic instinct, to keep his own back covered and never allow the enemy to gain the advantage in a combat scenario He never expected that he would have the feeling or want to do so aboard his own ship, however. That was the one place he should have believed he was safe.

"Acquiring approach vector. All stations secure for transit."

Looking out of the viewholes on the crew deck, Shepard felt himself get lost in the sights before him. He watched with a smile as the Normandy cut through the space around it, twisting and turning like a ship on the ocean. He wanted to watch forever, to stay and watch the planets and stars go past his eyesight in those moments. They were precious, amazing little scenes that he wanted to forever play in his mind. That was what he had come for, what he had joined the military to see. Those moments, those endless moments, watching the universe in a way that no human had ever expected to see.

"The board is green."

Joker's words snapped Shepard out of his self-inflicted trance. Pulling himself away from the viewholes, he smartened his fatigues as best he could and headed in the direction of the stairs, heading up to the main deck. That was where he needed to be, per the instruction that he had been given upon his training as executive officer. He was to be on the main deck, overseeing everything that was going on during their journey to and through the mass relay to Eden Prime. Without his direction, Shepard knew that there could have been something that otherwise could have been prevented with his presence. He needed to be there, leading the line as he had done so many times before.

"Approach run has begun."

Reaching the doors of the main deck, Shepard walked through and found himself brought into a world unto itself. The Normandy's crew were in full swing, the best of the best showcasing to those who could see them everything that a true expert crew could do under in a situation such as this. Men and women focused on their goals, eyes trained on their stations and determined to ensure that the run went smoothly. It brought a smile to Shepard's face, for he understood the gift that he had been given. To be one of the two men charged with leading these men and women was something that nobody else would receive in a moment like this, and he was thankful to everyone who had allowed him to be here in this moment. He felt like a leader once more, and he was proud to feel it.

Walking through the CIC, Shepard made sure to keep himself to himself and to not distract anyone from the duties that they were undertaking. He had had one goal in mind, one position where he wished to be in this moment: The cockpit. The first chance that the Normandy ever had of heading through a mass relay, a moment that would be remembered forever as the first time an experimental, joint-species craft would head from its system of origin to another entirely. Shepard wanted to be there, to see it first-hand.

"Hitting the relay. All stations brace for relay jump."

As he entered the cockpit, Shepard watched the world around him flash a hue of blue. The world seemed to slow for a moment, then accelerate faster than he had ever felt it before as the relay combined with the Normandy and sent them into jump, plotting a course from their current position in the Arcturus Stream to the Exodus Cluster. Stopping to admire everything around him, Shepard turned and once again found Nihlus stood beside him. The turian seemed to be doing the same thing, albeit with his eyes trained on both Joker and Kaidan, who sat in the chairs that corresponded to their current positions in the cockpit.

Joker pressed numerous buttons on his screen, before relaxing back into his chair. "Thrusters are check. Navigation is check."

Kaidan nodded his head. "The internal emissions sink is engaged."

"Okay." Joker smiled. "All systems are online. Drift is just under fifteen hundred. Well done, team, we actually did it."

"Fifteen hundred is acceptable. Captain Anderson will no doubt be pleased with your performance." Nihlus spoke, his voice monotone and direct. "You should be too, Flight Lieutenant. A good showing for your first run out of the academy. I will be sure to pass it on."

Nihlus turned, looking to Shepard. He nodded his head for a moment, then moved to leave the cockpit. Almost as soon as he had arrived, he was gone. Shepard could scarcely believe that the turian had even actually been there in the first place.

As soon as he was sure that he was gone, Shepard moved closer to the seats. Joker shook his head, glancing over his shoulder, before scoffing.

"Good god." He said. "I hate that guy. I hate him."

Kaidan chuckled. "Nihlus gave you a compliment."

"I still hate him." Joker grimaced.

"I don't see why." Kaidan sat back, folding his arms.

Joker adjusted his position in a slow and careful manner, before looking in Kaidan's direction. "It's a good showing when you're able to remember to zip up your jumpsuit when you're heading out of the bathroom. It's a good showing when you're able to cook a steak without burning it beyond recognition. That's what a good showing is."

"And?" Kaidan's confusion was shared by Shepard.

"I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. A pinhead! Half of the people who were in my academy class couldn't do that!" Joker seemed adamant, his eyes wide and his hands trembling. "That's incredible! Yet, he just thinks it's acceptable. He underappreciates my ability to be awesome. So, I hate him."

"I see." Kaidan nodded. "Is it also because he's a Spectre? And that he's even here?"

"That too." Joker returned to his original position. "Spectres are trouble. They live trouble, they breath trouble. Everything about them is trouble. Pardon me if I don't like having one aboard my ship. Hell, you can call me paranoid for it. I don't care."

"You're paranoid."

Joker shot a glare at Kaidan, his brow furrowed.

"I don't see why everyone is so worked up about Nihlus." Kaidan responded with a chuckle and a shrug. "This is a joint human and turian operation, funded by the Citadel Council. If they want to send one of their own agents, a Spectre, to keep an eye on the investment they've made to ensure it doesn't go wrong, then I don't blame them. I would have done the same if it were my reputation and funding on the line."

"See, now that's the official story." Joker smiled. "Only idiots believe the official story. There's always something going on behind-the-scenes. Always some super fishy stuff going down that grunts like us don't get to know about."

"Now that's paranoid." Kaidan shook his head.

"I have to admit, I'm in agreement with Joker on this one, Lieutenant." Shepard added. He had seen far too much backroom politicking and behind-the-scenes cover-ups in his time to ever believe the truth was surface-level. Torfan had shown him that. "They don't send Spectres on shakedown runs. It wouldn't be cost-effective."

"Thank you, Commander!" Joker threw his hands in the air. "There's more going on here than the Captain's letting on. I'm sure of it."

Kaidan didn't respond. He just shook his head.

Before anyone could move, the comm crackled with static. The voice of Captain Anderson boomed through, no doubt from his quarters. Shepard hadn't seen him leave the room since the two of them had boarded the Normandy.

"Joker!" Anderson's voice was as stern as usual. "Status report."

Returning to his role as the ship's pilot, Joker cleared his throat. "We've just cleared the mass relay, Captain. Stealth systems are engaged with no problems arising thus far. Everything is looking solid to me."

"Good." Anderson responded. "I want you to find a comm buoy. Link us into the network. I want the mission reports on the jump being relayed back to Alliance command before we reach Eden Prime. Is that understood?"

"Aye, aye." Joker nodded to himself. "Better brace yourself, Captain. Nihlus just left the cockpit. I think he might be heading your way."

"He's already here, Flight Lieutenant." Anderson growled.

Shepard watched with a smile as the colour seemed to drain from Joker's face. He muttered a curse under his breath, before shaking his head.

"Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing." Anderson added. "We need to go over certain elements of the next phase before we touch down on Eden Prime."

Before Joker could even respond, the comm fizzled out with static and went dead. Silence filled the room for a moment before Joker cleared his throat a second time.

"You, uh," Joker sighed, scratching his temple. "You get all that Commander?"

"I got it. Tell him I'm on my way." Shepard nodded. "He sounds angry. Something must have gone wrong with the mission."

"Pfft." Joker scoffed. "Captain always sounds like that when he's talking to me."

"Gee, can't possibly imagine why." Kaidan spoke up. Throwing his hand up as a wave goodbye, he hid his smirk from Joker. "See you later, Commander."

Turning and leaving the cockpit, much akin to how Nihlus had done minutes earlier, Shepard felt a new sense of direction. Before, he had been tasked with watching the main deck. He had been given leave to be wherever he wished, to wander around with freedom in his step as he kept an eye on those around him and ensuring that nobody was doing anything that could potentially jeopardize the mission ahead of them. It had been a great responsibility to have, one that Shepard had held in high regard, but also one that he believed had never truly been suited for him. He liked to have a goal, to be driven in pursuit of a single thing at one time. He didn't like to have a wide span, a goal that wasn't specific in his mind.

Now, thanks to Captain Anderson, he had what he wanted. Something direct, something he needed to do more than anything else. Judging from the mood that Captain Anderson seemed to be in, Shepard could tell that he was needed more than usual. It was strange to hear Anderson's voice anything more than unimpressed, his natural tone being stern and authoritative. The voice he had heard over the comm had been different, one far more annoyed in tone than he had heard before. It evoked a different feeling, one of curiosity than discipline. Shepard wanted to know what was going, what had happened. That existed more over his desire to follow orders. He wanted to find the centre of the web that seemed to be growing with every second that passed surrounding this mission.

Making his way through the CIC, Shepard glanced in the direction of Navigator Pressly at his station. Offering him a nod of acknowledgement as he walked, something that was returned by the navigator himself moments later, Shepard continued to move, not slowing down or stopping for a single moment. He weaved his way through the various moving crewmen and women around him, doing his best to keep his stride while making sure not to interrupt anything that was going on around him. Continuing, Shepard watched as Corporal Jenkins and Doctor Chakwas made their own way onto the main deck, seemingly in deep conversation with one another as he moved past.

He broke through the mass of crew members near him and moved past the partition that separated the CIC from the comm room door, throwing his hand up to salute the two marines on guard duty near said door. Entering inside, he felt the rush of cold air against his face before walking in, the doors closing behind him almost instantly. It was something that he, compared to many others that he had noticed, was used to across the board. Growing up on ships made sure that Shepard knew the ins and outs of what ship living was like, and he couldn't say that he hadn't missed the hiss that came with the opening and closing of doors aboard the various vessels that he found himself on.

The comm room was, unlike the rest of the Normandy, quite regular for an Alliance vessel. Chairs ran the length of the room on either side, used by the crew's officers during ship meetings at various times, with the holographic communicator in the centre of the room. A large screen ran the entirety of the back wall, enough to show anyone watching a large scope of whatever it was they wanted to see. Currently, a large-scale view of Eden Prime was showcased on the screen, watched by the man currently standing inside.

Upon the sound of the door closing behind Shepard, Nihlus had turned his attention from the view of Eden Prime to the Commander as he walked inside. With his hands clasped behind his back, Nihlus nodded his head respectfully in Shepard's direction.

"Commander Shepard." His greeting showed respect, a tone that he didn't seem to carry with many of the members of the Normandy's crew. "I'm glad that you were the one to arrive first. It will give us a chance to talk, something that I am disappointed has not been given to us on a more frequent basis."

"Talk? About what?" Shepard raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think we would have much in common to speak about, in all honesty."

"Perhaps not, but that doesn't mean we can't at least be civil." Motioning with his hand to the screen, Nihlus turned to the side to regard both. "I'm interested in the world we are going to, this Eden Prime of yours. I have never been, but I have heard that it is quite beautiful. By human standards, at least."

"Beyond beautiful." Shepard stepped further into the room. "One of our marines, Corporal Jenkins, is from Eden Prime. He's told me that it's a paradise."

"A paradise. Perhaps." Nihlus said. "A paradise is calm, it's safe. Tranquil, even. A perfect place to live. Wouldn't you agree, Commander?"

"I'd say so." Shepard folded his arms.

"Then would you also say that Eden Prime has become something of a symbol for your species?" Nihlus seemed to skirt around the question he wished to ask, more comfortable with dragging out the conversation between them. "That those adjectives describe what your people wish to have out of a life in the galaxy? A calm, safe and tranquil existence?"

"What are you asking me?" Shepard stepped closer.

"Eden Prime is one of your most successful colonies, Shepard. It is living proof that your people have been able to not only establish colonies, but also protect and sustain them in a manner that many species would envy." Nihlus turned his back to Shepard, returning his gaze to the view of the colony entirely. "But how safe is it really?"

"I don't like your tone." Shepard growled, furrowing his brow. He had dealt with the secrets aboard this ship for long enough. He wanted the truth. "Do you know something that you're not telling us? About the colony? About why we're here?"

"Your people are still newcomers, Shepard. You might think of yourselves as experienced galaxy-dwellers, but you are still minnows in the eyes of the other species." Nihlus began to explain. "This galaxy, whether you wish it to be or not, can be a very dangerous place. My question is whether or not you believe the Alliance is ready to keep expanding, whether or not you will be able to protect your colonies when they span the whole galaxy."

Before Shepard could respond, the door to the comm room opened once more. Glancing over his shoulder, he watched as Anderson finally joined them in the place that he had requested Shepard to be. His face ever-focused, ever-sternful, he took his place in a spot in between them and folded his arms.

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

Nihlus nodded. "This is more than just a simple shakedown run, Shepard. There is an entirely different mission running in the background. One we need you for."

Shepard bit his bottom lip out of instinct. Joker had been right, they had all been right. Never trust the official story, the one they told the media and the outsiders. There was always something below the surface, something different, that the higher-ups were focused on compared to everyone else. It was his time to become one of those higher-ups, to learn the secrets that had yet to be revealed to him.

"I figured there was something that you weren't telling us, Captain." Shepard said. "The entire crew seems to have figured out there's more going on than meets the eye."

Anderson didn't respond. Instead, he glanced at the screen to his side. "We're making a covert pick-up on Eden Prime. Hence the need for a ship like the Normandy, one equipped with the stealth systems that this vessel has. One of a kind, constructed entirely to conduct missions like this that other Alliance ships are unable to."

"You should have told me about this, sir." Shepard's tone was stern, a tone that he didn't often use with people like Anderson. However, he found himself using it without thought, but out of instinct. Inside, he was furious. At both Anderson and the situation. The entire mission parameter had changed, and they had known alone for too long. "You should have told us all. This isn't something that should be kept under wraps."

"I beg to differ, Commander." Anderson stared bullets into Shepard. "This comes down from the top. Alliance brass information passed down on a strictly need-to-know basis. It wasn't my position to tell the crew, only those who have been authorized."

Nihlus seemed to step away from the situation, pull himself away from the budding confrontation that seemed to be breeding between Shepard and Anderson. Deep down, Shepard couldn't blame him. This was between him and the commanding officer, a man he respected to the point of no return. He would give his life for Captain Anderson should the need have arisen for him to do so, and Shepard was sure that the same was for the Captain. However, that didn't mean that secrets could be kept between them without consequence.

"Protocol doesn't mean that you can tell the crew something entirely different than what the official mission parameters are, Captain." Shepard shook his head. "The crew knows something is wrong, that there is more than you are letting on. They deserve to know the truth, not have the wool be pulled over their faces like this."

"They will know, Commander. In time." Anderson said. "For now, this information is restricted between the three of us here in this room. It's need-to-know for a particular reason."

"What reason?" Shepard asked.

Glancing again at the screen, Anderson stepped closer towards it. "There is a research team on Eden Prime, investigating ruins that were found on the outskirts of the colony a few months back. They unearthed something. A beacon of some kind. We don't know for sure, but we believe that it may be Prothean in origin."

"Prothean?" Shepard said. "That can't be right. I thought we had found the majority of what they had left behind. They disappeared fifty thousand years ago."

The retrieval of Prothean relics had been something that had the Alliance, along with many different species across the galaxy, had being concerned with for many years. Many had called them the precursor race, the ones who had come before. Everything that humanity had used to launch themselves into space, the technology that they had found to take that next step in their evolution, it had been Prothean in design. To have found something else of their creation, something new, meant that humanity could have found something else that would advance them in unforeseen ways once more.

"Their legacy still remains. All over the galaxy." Nihlus added, stepping back into the conversation. "Everything we have is based on them. The mass relays, our ship drives, even the Citadel itself. All of it is based on Prothean technology."

Anderson nodded in agreement. "This is big, John. Bigger than we ever could have believed. The last time humanity found Prothean technology, it launched our technology forward by two hundred years. Gave us the chance to create the technology we use today, the technology that we used to create ships like the Normandy."

"Obviously, the discovery of the beacon goes beyond mere human interests, Commander." Nihlus spoke next. "You aren't the only species to have been affected by the Protheans. My species, the asari, the salarians. All of us could benefit from the discovery of the beacon. If we are correct in our assumptions, the beacon could affect every species in Council space."

Glancing at the colony on-screen, Anderson continued from where he had last left off. "Eden Prime doesn't have the facilities to effectively study the beacon in the way that we will need it to be. The Citadel Council has agreed to house the beacon for us while we conduct our research. For us to properly study it and reap the benefits of this discovery, then the Normandy will be the ones transporting the beacon to the Citadel. Our discovery, our responsibility. So, to speak."

Shepard scratched at the stubble on his chin. "Why didn't we keep the beacon to ourselves? Inform the Council of our findings?"

"Sharing that beacon will help our relations with the Council. It will help us to take that next step that many of humanity have been asking us to take for years." Anderson replied. "We will also need the help of their scientists, their expertise. As much as we have been able to garner with our own research, there are species in Council space that have been studying the Protheans for far longer than we have. They more than we do."

"Besides, there are those out there that don't trust humanity." Nihlus flexed his mandibles as he spoke, making his presence known every time he spoke. "Your reputation among the Council races is not the greatest. Some see you as selfish, some see you as too unpredictable, too independent. Some even see you as dangerous, too expansive. There is a bitterness towards humanity that we haven't see towards a species in quite some time."

"Very well." Shepard nodded. "We'll make sure the beacon is secure, sir."

A silence followed Shepard's words. Anderson and Nihlus looked to one another, seemingly having a conversation between themselves that didn't involve the use of words. After a few moments, they turned his attention to Shepard once more.

"The beacon isn't the only reason I'm here, Shepard." Nihlus spoke first.

"Nihlus wants to see you in action, Commander." Anderson smiled, glancing between the pair of them for a moment. "He's here to evaluate you."

"Evaluate me?" Shepard raised an eyebrow. "What's going on, Captain?"

"The Alliance has been pushing for this for a long time, John." Anderson's head seemed to rise to the clouds as he spoke. A feeling of pride that Shepard hadn't seen from him in some time. "Humanity has wanted to have a role in shaping intergalactic policy since we first arrived into the galactic community. Simply put, we want more say with the Citadel Council than we currently have. There is only one way that we know where we will currently be able to do that."

"You have been recommended to become humanity's first Spectre, Commander." Nihlus cut through Anderson's words. For the first time, he seemed to want to reach the point.

"A Spectre?" Shepard was stunned. If there was one thing he hadn't been expecting when he had stepped through the comm room door, it had been this. "Me?"

"The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority across the galaxy." Anderson continued. "If they accept a human into their ranks, it will show just how far humanity has come in such a short space of time. We want that first human to be you, John."

"Not many could have survived the situation you found yourself in during the Blitz. In fact, not many did." Nihlus folded his arms. "You did something that not even many Spectres could have done, holding off an enemy assault almost single-handed. You showed not only the courage and determination succeed, but also incredible skill. I have watched you for some time, Commander, and I have been impressed. That's why Captain Anderson and I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres. That's why the Alliance chosen you from our recommendations. You're the right choice, Shepard."

The words that Nihlus spoke hit Shepard like a truck. It staggered him, took the wind from his stomach and left him speechless. He knew that the Alliance had been watching him since Elysium, wanting to propel the hero of the Blitz as their poster boy for their expansion into the cosmos. He hadn't expected the Council to wish to do the same, to have taken such an interest in him to have agreed to make him one of their own. This was his chance to take the next step, to achieve a dream that he had thought about since he was a child. He remembered the times he had spent with his mother before bed, where he had made up stories about himself as a Spectre when he was older, as a soldier with his own ship and crew. Becoming a Spectre was his first step in those dreams becoming real.

"You?" Shepard's words came out staggered, almost winded. "Why would a turian want a human in the Spectres? We don't have the best relationship with your kind."

Nihlus seemed to chuckle. "Not all turians resent humanity, Commander, just as I'm sure not all humans represent my kind. Some of us see the potential of your species. We want to see what your people can offer the rest of the galaxy. I want to see what you can offer the Spectres, what differences you can bring to the table that will make us better."

Shepard nodded. "But why me? Why not anyone else?"

"There were numerous candidates, all of whom were vetted and scrutinized specially." Nihlus replied. "We are an elite group. They call us the best of the best. Therefore, it is rare to find an individual with the skills we seek to join our ranks. You were the shining example, the one out of the few we reviewed who had those skills."

Nihlus stopped for a moment. He seemed to look into Shepard's eyes, before flexing his mandibles and taking a step back. With folded arms, he furrowed his brow. "Let me put it this way. I don't care that you're human, Shepard. I only care that you can do the job that the Spectres require of you. I believe you can, and so does Captain Anderson."

Shepard turned to Anderson. "I assume this is good for the Alliance, too."

"Earth needs this, John." Anderson's words hit him deep. "We're counting on you. I'm counting on you. You wouldn't have been recommended if we didn't think you were ready."

Swallowing his fear, Shepard nodded his head. He knew that he could do this, take the next step that so many others seemed to want to him to take. He had always been told he was too humble, too safe. There had been chances in the past that he had not taken when he knew he should have, where he had been held back by his own doubts and being forced to stay back where he should have moved forwards. Before he could say anything else, Nihlus moved into the space besides them and attracted their attention once more.

"I need to see your skills myself, Shepard." Nihlus said. "The Council want a final, official report from myself to finally assess whether or not you are the right candidate for the next Spectre position. Eden Prime will be the first of many missions together for us both."

Holding out his hand, Nihlus seemed to smile as well as he could. "I hope that just because I am evaluating you, there will not a distance in our relations. Make no mistake, I will be tough and strict in my evaluation, but that does not mean I am not pleased to be working alongside you."

Shepard couldn't help but smile, shaking the turian's hand as he spoke. "It'll be a pleasure to work alongside you as well."

With a nod of his head, Nihlus took a step back and looked to Anderson. The Captain clasped his hands behind his back. "Shepard, you will oversee the ground team. Your task will secure the beacon and load it onto the ship ASAP. Nihlus will be there to observe and provide additional support where needed. Pardon any interruptions, we will be away from the colony and proceeding with the transport of the beacon to the Citadel by the end of the day."

Shepard nodded his head. "Just give the word, Captain."

"Good." Anderson smiled. "We should be getting close to Eden Prime. Head up to…"

Joker's voice cut interrupted Anderson's next order. "Captain! We've got a problem here."

"What's wrong, Joker?"

"Transmission received from Eden Prime, sir." Joker's voice seemed frantic. "You're going to want to see this."

"Very well." Turning to look at the comm screen, Anderson nodded. "Bring it up on screen."

Moving to stand alongside Anderson and Nihlus, Shepard folded his arms as the screen changed. The serene skyline that had been shown on-screen before was replaced with an all but familiar one, the serenity that had once been there now replaced by something that was very much not serene. Smoke rose into the air, the sky wrought with the remains of explosions and gunfire. The transmission seemed to have been transmitted from a distress beacon of some kind, the movement telling Shepard that it was being carried by someone who seemed to be running at an accelerated pace. All around, explosions and gunfire rained around them, dirt being kicked up by the impact of blasts and bullets.

A voice called from off-screen, telling the one holding the beacon to get down. Moments later, a woman appeared and rushed towards the beacon holder, before pushing them down to the ground below them with what seemed to be considerable force. Smoke and fire seemed to consume them before the view turned to show the marine holding the beacon.

"This is Corporal Rodgers of the Second Frontier Division! We are under attack! I repeat, Eden Prime is under attack!" The marine spoke quickly, trying to keep his head down as he relayed his message to anyone who would listen. "We have taken heavy casualties! I repeat, we have taken heavy casualties! They came out of nowhere; we believe it is the…"

Mid-sentence, a plasma bolt ripped through the back of the marine's helmet and dropping him to the floor below, sending the beacon tumbling through the air. Upon landing, the direction it faced showed the sky above, the smoke and fire having ravaged the once-serene sky. Shepard had seen battlefields before, he had seen chaos, but nothing seemed to compare to the level of devastation that was being wrought upon the colony. He had seen attacks upon human colonies before. His mind immediately shot to the same culprits that it always seemed to be: Batarians. The ones who had attacked Elysium and Mindoir, the ones who had perpetrated every anti-human attack in recent times.

Yet, as the transmission continued, Shepard felt a sorrow rise in his belly. Breaking through the clouds, as if parting them using an unnatural power, a giant vessel of some kind loomed over the battle. It was alien, far more alien than anything Shepard had seen before in his lifetime. Almost as soon as it appeared, an unearthly noise seemed to boom through the speakers of the comm room, nearly deafening Shepard where he stood. Moments later, the transmission fizzled out into nothing more than static.

Glancing at both Anderson and Nihlus, Shepard remained speechless. The two seemed deep in thought, gazing at the static before them with the same shocked expression that the Commander seemed to share with them.

"The line goes dead after that. No transmission followed. No comm traffic at all." Joker explained, his voice heavy. "It's just static. Noise and static. It's dead. There's nothing."

Anderson stepped forwards towards the screen. "Reverse it. Hold it at thirty-eight point five."

The sound of reversing tape followed suit. Shepard watched the transmission play back in reverse, the chaos he had seen. Everything stopped on the sight of the ship breaking through the clouds, the unnatural-looking tendrils that Shepard believed must have acted like landing gear for the vessel in question jutting out from the grey clouds around them. Nihlus seemed in shock still, watching the sight before him in awe. His mandibles flared for a moment, much akin to how a human's jaw would drop. Shepard felt the same awe as he looked between the turian and the screen, unable to comprehend anything he had seen.

Silence filled the room. Cutting through it after a moment, Anderson growled. "Give me a status report, Joker. What's going on?"

"Seventeen minutes out from Eden Prime, sir." Joker responded. "No other Alliance ships in the area. We'd be going in on our own."

Anderson seemed to stop for a moment, debating their next move, before raising his head up high with a nod of agreement, presumably to himself. "Take us in, Joker. Fast and quiet."

With a sigh, he then turned to the two men beside him. "This mission just got a lot more complicated."

Nihlus stopped, his arms folded. He pondered something for a moment, before releasing his arms back to his sides. "A small strike team could move quick enough to not attract attention from the colony's aggressors. It seems like the best chance to secure the beacon."

"I agree." Shepard added, stepping closer to the two. "If we can get a team in, perhaps three or four trained marines, we could cover enough ground quick enough to locate the beacon and extract it before the invaders even know we're there."

Anderson seemed to smile. He turned to Nihlus with a nod. "Grab your gear. Meet us in the cargo hold in twenty."

With a nod, Nihlus turned to leave. Before he was out of the room, Anderson turned his attention towards Shepard. Landing a few soft pats on the Commander's shoulder, he looked down at their feet before he spoke.

"Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up, Commander. You're going in."