Date: Unknown

Location: Turian Prison Ship en-route to Gothis, current system unknown

I've been told it's been about two weeks since David and I were captured. I'm not sure about that. These separatists have some… interesting… ways to pass the time.
Water and food deprivation
Torture
Sleep deprivation
"Interrogation"
These are just a few of the things they've done to me so far. It's… hard to focus, I'll admit. I was trained to deal with food deprivation and minor torture, but these separatists…
They're sadists.
"Hey, sympathizer, you still alive?"

I grit my teeth. "Alive enough to bite your-"

I'm rewarded with a slap to the face and a punch in the gut. "Still clinging to that defiant spirit, huh? We'll break you soon enough, sympathizer"

I grin, bloodied and bruised. "You couldn't break me if you tried every trick in your book"

The turian grins. "Oh, that may be true… but wait until Commander Vyrrnus gets his hands on you. If I haven't broken you by then, then he'll break you… and you'll enjoy every bit of it"
Commander Vyrrnus, huh? Must be some big wig. Let's see what I get by insulting him
"Oh really? If he's as much as a limp noodle as you, then he won't have any luck either"

My torturer pulls out a syringe. In it is a bright blue liquid. Apparently, that is my reward. "Oh, I'm not sure about that. You'll be too distracted"
I grit my teeth and try my best not to scream as the turian sticks the syringe in my neck, inserting… whatever is in the syringe into my system
Twelve needles… now thirteen. My bpm increases. My entire body stings as if on a bed of nails. I have trouble breathing… and everything turns black

[-]

"Hey. Hey, wake up"

I wince. "Another turian? I swear to – "

"This one's a friendly"

It's David. I open my eyes. "Hey David… wow, you look like hammered shit"

David chuckles. "I could say the same about you, Melissa"

"Family reunion done? I'm working on a timetable here"

"Who's the turian?"

"My name, Commander, is Nihlus Kryik. I'm with Special Tactics and Recon"

"A Spectre… like Saren?"

Nihlus nods. "Indeed. He told me about Sydon. You impressed him, Commander. That's not easy"

I smirk and start to stand up. "Glad to hear it. Now…" Everything goes black, and the last words I hear are "catch her!"

[-]

I wake up in a cell. Shaking my head, I ask the obvious question. "What… happened?"

"You blacked out. That was three days ago. You've been asleep since then"

I try to sit up. "Slowly now. You're still recuperating"

I cough. I wipe my mouth, and my hand comes away red. "Melissa, what did they do to you?"

I smirk. "More like… what haven't they done"

"Everything I've seen so far… " I nod. "I got the whole gamut, even the needles"

David blinks. "Needles? How many?"

"Thirteen"

"Time's up, sympathizer. You can play some more later"

I grit my teeth and stare my captor in the face. "What, didn't get enough last time?"

The turian grins – if anyone can call that a grin – and grabs my arm. "Oh, you better believe it, sympathizer. But unfortunately for me, I won't be dealing with you. We're on Gothis now, and Commander Vyrrnus wants to deal with you himself"
Sweat starts beading on my forehead. The turian sees this, and grins again. "Nervous? You should be"

[-]

Date: Unknown.

Location: Separatist black site, Gothis

I was dragged off the ship by my captors. Immediately after leaving the ship, I feel a metallic hand grab a handful of my hair and yank my head upwards. "This is the sympathizer?" One of the turians holding me nods. "We administered the solution you designed. All fifteen syringes, just as you said"
Fifteen? I only remember thirteen – had they injected two more while I was blacked out?

The turian – Commander Vyrrnus, I presume – nods. "Good. Take her to my personal holding room. I'll finish breaking her myself"
The two turians frog-march me through the main holding cells. Out of the corners of my eyes, I can see captives from multiple species – some Loyalist Turians, Quarians, Batarians, some of my fellows, even a few Krogan, all of different ages. Some adults, some children, some elderly. Several are sick, coughing up blood, puking, you name it. More are dying or are already dead. The stench is nauseating. I feel bile rising up in my throat. I try my best, but the time I spent, enduring dehydration, food deprivation, and torture, have left me weak.
I puke.
"Clean that up, sympathizer" one of the Turians say as the two of them drop me on the floor.

"No"

I'm 'rewarded' with a kick in the side. "You will clean it up"

I grit my teeth again. "No"

Another kick in my side. "Clean it up!"

"No!"

A massive foot presses my head against the pool of puke. "You will stay here until you clean it up"
The stench is horrible. I can see flecks of blood in the pool. I struggle against the turian, but I'm too weak in my current condition.
Eventually, I start… consuming… the pool of puke.
After it's 'clean', the two turians grab me by my arms and haul me the rest of the way to Commander Vyrrnus' private holding cell. I'm unceremoniously thrown in, and the gate shut behind me.

"Welcome to hell, sympathizer. Enjoy your stay"

[-]

Day one: Date unknown

Location: Commander Vyrrnus' private holding cell, Separatist black site, Gothis

I'm hanging in the cell, held up by chains, when I see the door open. It's Vyrrnus, along with another turian. "This is the sympathizer?"

Vyrrnus nods. "She's been prepared for the biotic implants. We merely need to break her, then implant her. All goes well, we'll be able to roll out the procedure in a matter of weeks. If she dies… Well, I can always find another sympathizer"

The turian nods. "Good. Don't let me down Vyrrnus"

Vyrrnus nods. "Of course not, General"

The other turian leaves, and Vyrrnus faces me. I smirk. "Who's your boyfriend?"

Vyrrnus snarls and biotically backhands me across the face. "None of your damn business, sympathizer"

I grin. "Oooh, did I strike a nerve? Does the mighty Vyrrnus like to ta – "

Another backhand. "You will address me as Commander"
Vyrrnus takes out a hexagonally shaped chip. "This is your fate, sympathizer. See it?"

I grin. "All I see is a weak turian claw"

Vyrrnus grins. He opens up the cell, and steps inside. "Oh, I'm going to have so much fun breaking you, little sympathizer" he says, grabbing me by the throat. He squeezes until I black out, staring at the sadistic smile he wears

[-]

Day five: Date unknown

Location: Preparation room, Separatist black site, Gothis

I'm on a platform, restrained by manacles built into the slab of black metal. I struggle against it, but the metal is too strong. Four days have passed since I was given to Commander Vyrrnus. In that time, I've been beaten, tortured, nearly drowned in saltwater, and forced to consume my own puke.
And now this. Vyrrnus, along with two turian surgeons, stand over me, my body open to them. At least they had the decency to cover my chest. The first surgeon is handed a scalpel. "This will hurt a lot, little sympathizer"

He opens up my abdomen, exposing the muscles beneath the skin. "A fine job you've done, Vyrrnus. The nodules are forming as you've said they would"
I black out, and my mind races back to day two…

[-]

Day two: Date unknown

Location: Holding cells, Separatist black site, Gothis

I'm being frog-marched through the corridors. The stench is horrible. Vyrrnus walks in front of me, forcing me to look at the other prisoners. "Pitiful, aren't they, sympathizer? Doesn't it make you want to retch?"

I snarl. "You can't break me. You won't"

Vyrrnus turns to face me. "Oh really? Are you sure about that?"
He grabs a fistful of my hair and makes me look at one of the cells. A young woman, a little younger than me, if I had to guess, lies in the cell. She's heavily malnourished, her ribs poking through her pale, almost ghost-white skin. "She made it nine days before she broke. Now she's about to be implanted, as you will be soon enough"
I look at her eyes. They're full of fear. Bile rises up in my throat, and I puke
Vyrrnus frowns. "That won't do at all. Clean it up"

"No"

"What did you say, sympathizer?"

I look at the bastard. "I said no"

Vyrrnus grins. "Fine then" he says, a hand glowing. The puke, encased in blue energy, floats in front of me. "Open her mouth"
One of the turians holding me squeezes my mouth open, and Vyrrnus forces me to consume the pool of reddish-brown puke, shoving down my throat via biotics

I can't stop him…

[-]

My eyes snap open as the surgeon finishes stitching up my abdomen. The other one has opened up my right arm, and I look in horror as another implant is attached, this time to my elbow. "The procedure is going as planned, Commander…. " I black out again, and recall the events of yesterday…

[-]

Day four: Date unknown

Location: Observation room, Separatist black site, Gothis

The woman from two days ago lies on a table of black metal, her torso, arms, and legs lie open as the surgeons attach several implants to key locations in her body. "That is your fate, sympathizer. To be implanted, just as she is right now"
Vyrrnus looses my bonds, and I reactively try to punch him as hard as I can. He doesn't flinch. "That tickled, sympathizer" he says, chuckling. Two turians step in. "Take her to the pool" Vyrrnus says, turning back to the screen.
I back away from the two, but I trip and fall. The two turians grab me by my arms and legs and carry me to a cold room with a human-sized saltwater pool in the middle. They drop me in, and seal the pool at water-level, preventing me from breathing. I pound weakly on the panel, hoping to break it before I drown.
A minute passes… two minutes… my lungs are starting to burn… three minutes… my lungs are on fire.
The panel is opened, and I gasp for air before being drug out and dropped on the floor. The last words I hear before I black out are "Commander, she's ready"

[-]

My heart is racing as I wake up again. I'm still on the table, but the surgeons are gone, as is Vyrrnus. I'm still restrained though, unable to break my bonds. The far door slides open, and I see Nihlus. He's terrified as he approaches the table.
"Spirits… I'm too late"

I look up at Nihlus. There's a blue tinge at the edge of my vision. I can't quite make out what it is. "Too late for what?" I ask, weakly

Nihlus shakes his head. "I'd hoped to free you and kill Vyrrnus before his surgeons completed the procedure. Vyrrnus must've suspected something, so he moved the operation up. He's gone"

I grit my teeth. "Gone…? Just like… like that?"
Nihlus nods. I grind my teeth together, and the tinge at the edge of my vision intensifies. I feel… something… and black out

[-]

Day three: Date unknown

Location: Vyrrnus' private holding cell, Separatist black site, Gothis

I'm hanging in the cell just behind Vyrrnus' office. My wrists are raw, almost bloody. I can see myself in the mirror in front of me. My hair, normally a dark brown, is black with grease, while my skin is pale, almost ghost-white like the woman I saw yesterday. There are bags under my eyes, dark grey, like charcoal. My hands shake, the tips of my fingers almost blue from the cold. The cell door opens up, and Vyrrnus walks in, key in hand. "Time for a walk, sympathizer"

[-]

I'm frog-marched down the corridor of cells. The stench is still present, a constant in this wretched facility. A cell door is opened, and I'm tossed into it – a bestial Krogan inside. The Krogan sniffs the air, and grunts "Food"
He lumbers towards me, eyes filled with intent. I scuttle towards the back of the cell, but the Krogan is too fast. He's almost upon me, and I -
A blue tinge appears at the edge of my vision, and I try to punch the Krogan. My hand is encased in a blue energy, and the Krogan flies backwards, his head snapped backward in a way that shouldn't be possible. The cell door opens. "Take her back to my holding cell. This one has potential"

[-]

I wake up again. I'm still in the operating room, bound to the table. This accursed table!
I can see Nihlus in the corner. He's talking to someone. The blue tinge is intense. I clench my fists, energy rushing through me, and…
Snap! The manacles binding me to the table break. Nihlus turns around, surprised at the sound. I sit up, slowly. I snap the manacles binding my feet off.
"Damn, that bastard did it"

I'm breathing hard. "Did… what?"

"He manufactured a biotic. He turned you into a biotic"
I stand up, slowly. My knees buckle, and Nihlus catches me. The door slides open again, and the two turian guards step in. My anger flares, and I swipe my free hand left, and then right. The two turians' necks break, and I slump, exhausted.

"We need to get you out of here"

[-]

Frontier Alliance Codex

Element Zero ( "Eezo" )

When subjected to an electrical current, the rare material dubbed element zero, or "eezo," emits a dark energy field that raises or lowers the mass of all objects within it. This "mass effect" is used in countless ways, from generating artificial gravity to manufacturing high-strength construction materials. It is most prominently used to enable faster-than-light space travel.

Eezo is generated when solid matter, such as a planet, is affected by the energy of a star going supernova. The material is common in the asteroid debris that orbits neutron stars and pulsars. These are dangerous places to mine, requiring extensive use of robotics, telepresence, and shielding to survive the incredible radiation from the dead star. Only a few major corporations can afford the set-up costs required to work these primary sources. A few sources are known to occur planetside, on some of the planets on the edge of the Frontier, mainly the Exoplanet, and a few others.

Humanity discovered refined element zero at the Mass Relay outpost on the frontier world of Shanxi, in the process of activating the Mass Relay present in the system

Biotics

Biotics is the ability of rare individuals to manipulate dark energy and create mass effect fields through the use of electrical impulses from the brain. Intense training and surgically implanted amplifiers are necessary for a biotic to produce mass effect fields powerful enough for practical use. The relative strength of biotic abilities varies greatly among species and with each individual.

There are three branches of biotics. Telekinesis uses mass-lowering fields to levitate or impel objects. Mass-raising Kinetic Fields are used to block or pin objects. Distortion uses rapidly shifting mass fields to shred objects.

Most organic species are capable of developing biotic abilities, though there are risks involved. Biotics are usually the result of in-utero exposure to element zero. This usually causes fatal cancers in the victim, but in rare cases it coalesces into nodules within the fetus's developing nervous system.

[-]

Well, that's chapter 12 for you guys. Where did Vyrrnus go? I don't know, but I don't think whatever he has planned is good. Hopefully our young heroine will recover quick enough to hunt him down!

Chapter 13 will focus on David, and what he's been up to in the past five days. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter!