SHORT CHANGE HEROES
CHAPTER 2:
MISSION TO THE UNKNOWN
Quartermaster Dayna Mellanby enjoyed her job. The young, dark-skinned woman with closely-cropped hair and sensuous features often surprised people when they learned that she was one of the best weapons experts within the Systems Alliance, or even within the galaxy in general. The fact that she learned much of it within a few months astonished the few who even knew that.
Long ago, her father, Hal Mellanby, had been a rebel against the Federation, but had fled to the planet Sarran with his infant daughter when his movement collapsed. Dayna never knew her mother. Her father was blind, relying on cybernetics to see. She had an adopted sister on Sarran, one of the natives, Lauren.
But things went to shit when the Intergalactic War was fought. Avon crashlanded on Sarran, as did none other than Servalan. On that fateful day, she lost both her father and her adoptive sister. She came with Avon because there was nothing for her left on Sarran.
Over time, she watched as things deteriorated, first on the Liberator, and then on Scorpio. She remembered the death of Cally, screaming out telepathically the name of Blake. Even Dayna could hear it, as far away as she had been from the bunker. She remembered Dorian and Soolin, and Avon's increasing dysfunction. And then, Gauda Prime, where she met, for the first and last time, the grizzled remains of Roj Blake, who was shot in the stomach by Avon, who believed Tarrant when the young man, understandably, proclaimed Blake a traitor.
That she now had a new life in a new universe was almost as unbelievable as many of her adventures with Avon's crew. After their parting of the ways on the Citadel, Dayna, who decided she didn't want to follow Tarrant and Soolin into mercenary work, was approached by one Captain David Anderson. He was willing to mentor her in weapons training, as he had heard through his contacts in the Citadel of her ability.
The weapons of this universe were strange. They used an exotic substance called Element Zero to send microscopic shard of metal at almost relativistic speeds. The upshot was, you could effectively have near-limitless ammunition. But the downside was, these weapons overheated too easily. It was a novel and intriguing idea, really. She had, while on Sarran, created and mastered a number of various weapons, ranging from a bow and arrow all the way up to a powerful blaster. She had wielded the unusual, hairdryer-like blasters of the Liberator's arsenal(1), and Dorian's special-ammo pistols. So she knew how to learn about new weapons, and quickly.
After finishing her training and evaluation, Anderson took her under his wing. With him were various others. Dayna realised that Anderson collected various people, people who, while somewhat damaged, had the best of skills. There was Kaidan Alenko, one of the last sane L2 biotics. Biotics, if she understood correctly, had Element Zero in their body, giving them abilities. Like being able to scatter enemies like skittles with what looked like a blast of energy, or being able to form a barrier around themselves to temper damage from combat.
And then, there was Jeff Moreau, otherwise known as 'Joker'. It was a nickname that had stuck to him at pilot school, as he never smiled. This was understandable, given that he had been born with brittle bones. But he did smile once he graduated with top honours, and his appellation became synonymous with a sardonic tongue that Avon would have viewed as competition. Unlike Avon, though, Joker was a nice guy, if a bit too fond of varying kinds of pornography. Avon, however, didn't seem to have a vice, unless you counted his bizarre, semi-romantic relationship with Servalan.
There were other people, more relatively normal. There was Karin Chakwas, whose cool and calm demeanour reminded her a little of an older version of Cally, and Jenkins, an overeager soldier who seemed set for getting killed stupidly on the battlefield.
And now, on their shakedown cruise for the SSV Normandy, Anderson had brought along another friend, a comrade and someone he had taken under his wing before. Commander Jane Shepard, the hero of the Skyllian Blitz.
Dayna had more than a bit of scepticism about what defined a hero, even without Avon's acid-tongued input. The only person on the Liberator to believe he was a hero was that swaggering idiot Tarrant. Okay, he was a good shot and a better pilot, but he often acted without thinking, and Avon, for all his snide remarks, did tend to do the opposite, though he also had a superiority complex the size of a small moon, at the very least.
But Jane Shepard was probably the closest you could get. The red-haired woman was attractive, albeit in an understated way, and certainly went without makeup while in her uniform or in her battle armour. Her bearing, while all-business while she was on duty, still was friendly enough. She certainly had the charisma to be a leader. She had even visited Dayna before take-off to discuss weapons. Jane certainly knew more about weapons than the average soldier, though not as much as Dayna. The older woman had also expressed surprise at Dayna's relative youth.
A less-welcome passenger was a Turian by the name of Nihlus Kryik. He wasn't actually nasty, though those white, death's head-like markings on his reptilian face was unnerving. In fact, he was quite polite. But Dayna remembered him as a Spectre, and what was more, one of the people involved in interrogating her and the others when they first arrived on the Citadel.
Spectres…although this universe was not anywhere near as bad as the one Dayna left far behind, Spectres did seem very much like something Servalan would have cooked up. Special Tactics and Reconnaissance, so the acronym was supposed to stand for. They were basically special agents with permission to use any tactics, including illegal ones, in order to obtain their goals. The only people they were answerable to were the Galactic Council, a triumvirate composed of leaders from the Turians, the Asari, and the Salarians.
Dayna remembered stories Avon, Cally, and Vila spoke of Space Commander Travis, tasked by Servalan to use any means necessary to kill Blake and capture the Liberator. The fanatical man used all means at his disposal, almost all of them brutal and foul. However, Travis' increasing failures meant that Servalan eventually abandoned him, and he set out on his own, not just to destroy Blake, but to bring down the civilisation that had abandoned him. One of his last acts was to help the Andromedans bring down part of the galactic minefield that prevented them from entering in force. However, Avon killed Travis, shooting him and sending him into a reactor outlet to his death(2).
The few Spectres that she had met, however, had less of the same vibe. Nihlus Kryik, and there was that Asari, Tela Vasir. They acted as professionals, not fanatics. Dayna was still wary, though. As much as any government needed a dirty tricks unit, she was still understandably wary of anyone given such power and licence to use it. And she had heard about one Spectre in particular: Saren Arterius. Nihlus' mentor, but a rabid xenophobe against humans.
Ah, speak of the devil, and he's at your shoulder. He was coming down to talk to her, after talking to her briefly at the crew assembly.
"Quartermaster Mellanby," the Turian said, politely, his voice having the distinctive flanging distortion all Turians had. "Would you mind checking my pistol over?"
As he handed the weapon over, she raised an eyebrow. "You're very trusting, giving your weapon to someone on an unfamiliar ship."
"True, but only a fool trusts his life to a single weapon, or any at all, save for the mind," Nihlus said. "And given what I know of your past and abilities, Quartermaster, I trust you enough. It is also a foolish decision to antagonise a Spectre."
"I don't want to," Dayna said, as she expertly stripped the weapon down, barely even glancing at it. "It's a good weapon. Precision gear, too. A good tool for an assassin."
"Says the former revolutionary," Nihlus chided gently.
"I'm surprised you didn't say terrorist."
"Sometimes, the line doesn't exist. Of course, the one we were closest to incarcerating was Kerr Avon. But crimes committed in another universe may be hard to prosecute."
"Avon…what happened to him? Do you know? I haven't seen him since Vila punched him and Tarrant. Haven't even heard from him."
"Well, he's been recruited by the Shadow Broker as one of the Broker's agents."
"Who?"
"An information broker who will sell information on anything, as long as the price is right. From petty criminals to even the Council, he has customers and agents everywhere. Avon was recruited for both his hacking skills and combat ability."
"I'm surprised he agreed," Dayna remarked. "He never liked being leashed to anyone."
"The financial incentive is what helped. I have had dealings with him on occasion." A silence fell as Dayna continued to disassemble the gun, and then check the pieces. "Speaking of former comrades, it may interest you to know that we are heading to Eden Prime for the shakedown cruise of the Normandy."
Dayna nodded. "I've heard rumours that we were heading that way for the shakedown voyage. I just didn't know why."
Nihlus looked around with understated furtiveness, before gesturing her closer. "A Prothean beacon was found on Eden Prime. It was decided to send the Normandy in to pick it up, just in case belligerent factions decided to make a play for it."
"And they decided to send a Spectre for additional insurance?" Dayna asked.
"Amongst other things," Nihlus said. "I can't say anything more."
Dayna nodded, and returned to examining the pistol. Eventually, finding nothing wrong as far as she could tell, she began to re-assemble it. As she did so, she said, "I sent a message to Vila about it. Nothing that would contravene regulations, obviously, I had Anderson vet it. I presume you brought this up because you think I may want to see Vila?"
"We will only be on Eden Prime for a few hours at most, if things go well. But there may be enough time for you to say hello to Mr Restal. I've discussed it with Captain Anderson. But we can't guarantee it."
"Hmm. I'm not sure we have much to talk about, anyway. It's not a time either of us would like to think about. Maybe that time he thwarted Bayban the Butcher and saved an entire race(3). That was probably his finest hour, and one of our few triumphs."
Nihlus chuckled. "Perhaps you can tell me one of these days. That sounds like an interesting story."
Dayna soon finished putting the pistol back together. Nihlus gave it a cursory, if careful, check, and then holstered it. "I'm going up to the bridge. It'll be time to see if this 'Joker' is good enough to be trusted with this ship."
"He is," Dayna said. As Nihlus left the cargo area, Dayna was left alone once more.
Did she want to see Vila again? Actually, to be honest, she wouldn't mind seeing how that reprobate was doing, if she had the chance. His messages suggested he was doing well enough, being a security consultant on Eden Prime: that is, being a locksmith of sorts. It surprised her that he had gone completely legit. She wondered whether he still drank as much as he used to.
As the Normandy prepared to leave Arcturus Station, she heard Joker say over the PA, "This is your pilot speaking. You are now flying Joker Airways. Please ensure that your seatbelts remain fastened until the sign goes dark."
Anderson was sure to reprimand him for a remark like that, but Dayna giggled anyway. The ship moved like a dream, with barely any movement. Even the Liberator wasn't quite so smooth, not all the time.
Strange, how so much of the technology in the universe seemed to be based on the advances of the Protheans. Even this ship, and the Mass Effect technology that formed the basis of these weapons, had been made from the scraps the Protheans left behind. But given all that technology, what had happened to their empire? Some sort of war, perhaps? In-fighting? Or maybe a great plague? Something had destroyed their civilisation ridiculously thoroughly.
Some time later, the unexpected happened. General stations was called, and Dayna instantly began prepping weapons, as was her duty. Anderson eventually called her over her omnitool, and told her that Eden Prime was under attack. Some unknown force was assaulting the planet, and given the presence of the Beacon, it was likely that their target was the beacon.
She was told that they saw Vila during the brief distress call video. And they were the only ships in the vicinity. Soon, Shepard, Jenkins, and Alenko were down, having donned their armour. Dayna wished she could go with them, but Anderson and Nihlus made it clear that they were going to put down as few as possible: Nihlus as a recon scout, and Shepard, Jenkins, and Alenko as a squad to secure the Beacon.
As they arrived at Eden Prime, and first Nihlus, then Shepard's team left the ship, Anderson turned to Dayna. "Looks like this got more complicated."
"Just like old times," Dayna sighed, thinking of that time so long ago…
CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:
This fic isn't dead by any means. In fact, it has the dubious honour of being the next to be updated after I finished (with a gargantuan effort) Harry Potter and the Cetra Heritage. Hopefully, there'll be some people who enjoy it. One person certainly did, and I am answering their review.
paladin3030: Thanks for your kind words, especially for my spot-on (as you put it) characterisation of Vila. I think it's a shame Vila was so put-upon. I would have thought that, away from Blake and the Federation, he would thrive. And while he did say in The City at the Edge of the World that thieving was his life (or something along those lines), I would think that, if he got the chance for a peaceful life, he'd take it. He hasn't gone completely straight, so to speak, but his indulgence in a bit of smuggling is enough to keep his desire for illegal activity in check. He relishes the challenge of keeping people like him out, having been so frequently able to break into so many places.
I could see Blake as a vigilante, a bit like Garrus on Omega, but I think by the time of the last episode of Blake's 7, he was changing significantly away from the man he once was. No, Shepard is not his reincarnation. If anything, she probably will be closer to a reincarnation of Cally, albeit without the damsel in distress bits that Cally seemed to unfortunately fall into.
I think I had already decided to have the next chapter from Dayna's point of view before I saw your review. The next chapter will be back to Vila as he struggles to survive against the Geth. And he may have a big impact on the story, albeit unwittingly.
Ooh, Servalan in the Mass Effect-verse? It was something I had considered when I thought up the disintegrator idea, and it seems that great minds think alike. The problem is, finding the right place for her to come in. Who will she align herself with? I'm leaning towards either the Shadow Broker, or ending up in Omega. Or even…holy crap, I just thought of her being in Cerberus! Oh, shit that is perfect! The question is, when will she make an appearance in this fic? Assuming I get far enough for her to appear.
Oh, and I have the perfect story idea for Avon's opening chapter. He saves Tali. Yes. I am not making this up…well, yes, I am making it up, but that's the story idea I have. I mean, he is an agent for the Shadow Broker after all, and given that Tali has information the Broker wants, well…it'll be interesting to see how Avon and Tali get along. It'll be a bit like the dynamic between him and Cally, as Tali has some of Cally's relative naïveté, and he will sneer at her for it. But he also will respect her technical skills, and he also doesn't share the prejudice most have towards the Quarians. If anything, he found the history of the Quarians and Geth most amusing, something that will piss Tali off.
Anyway, enough gabbing about plot points to come.
1. The cast members of Blake's 7 called the Liberator blasters 'hair-dryers'. Goes to show.
2. Travis being betrayed by Servalan happens during Trial, after the events of Pressure Point. It is in Star One that he betrays humanity to the Andromedans. The vicious and driven Space Commander first appeared in Seek-Locate-Destroy.
3. Events which occurred in The City at the Edge of the World, Vila's finest hour. Bayban the Butcher, a ruthless mercenary and criminal, was played by Colin Baker, then yet to play the Sixth Doctor from Doctor Who. You can find a clip on YouTube easily. A good clip is called 'Colin Baker in Blake's 7', and runs for about a minute and forty seconds. For fans of Mass Effect more than Blake's 7, who are curious about the latter, it's also a good clip showing Vila.