Thirteen years ago: Akuze
Jack glanced at the orange glow on his omni tool clock display trying to determine how long it had taken the SSV Everest to reach Akuze. The first generation of omni tools weren't the most reliable if you were looking for something more accurate than a general assessment. Still, the Alliance was adamant adopting these devices would pay off in time. Especially since the rest of the galaxy had been using them for a few centuries even if they weren't willing to share the patents to them. If the clock was correct, they had gotten here eighteen hours after the fact. It was understandable that it had taken them time to get here since as far as Jack knew, Akuze was currently the furthest colony away from Earth to date. However, that was changing everyday as Humans saw new opportunities to get rich quick by mining minerals from the frontier. Everyone wanted to be the next Henry Wood and Martin Lucas, since finding the Prothean data on Mars made them household names. While it was unlikely there was anything else out there that the galactic community hadn't found already in terms of Prothean technology, Humans were stupid enough to keep trying.
Nearly twenty-four hours ago on January 19th, 2168, the Everest picked up a distress call from the colony on Akuze claiming it was under attack. Unfortunately, the message itself was garbled so it was unclear what was happening but, at several moments gunfire could be heard over screaming. Normally in situations like this, agents from the AIA or the Alliance Intelligence Agency, would send probes first to verify that the call was credible. After a few hours of silence from the AIA, Admiral Kahoku decided there was no time to waste launching the Everest to investigate the situation himself. The ship was a carrier so they would be in trouble if they met heavily armed resistance, yet the Admiral was confident this was a local dispute they could handle. So, he sent a ground team to the planet immediately in case there were still people alive in the colony that needed help. Which was why now Jack Shepard was sitting in the navigators' chair of a Mako directing his commander, Major Kyle, towards the colony from their current position.
The N7 cadet had butterflies in his stomach, anxious regarding the fact that this was his first mission on the ground instead of the safety onboard the Everest. No amount of training could truly prepare someone for their first combat with an enemy. Even so, a lot was riding on how well he could perform out here no matter how he felt about it. First, he was only eighteen years old and was the youngest N7 serving in the Alliance military throughout its history. Despite his almost perfect scores in the training program, many crew members onboard the Alliance carrier thought his promotion to the N7 program was only because his mother was the Captain on another more famous ship. Jack loved his mother deeply but sometimes he wished she didn't have the powerful position that she did. It made him look like he was just a fancy rich kid taking advantage of her success. Secondly, Jack was born a biotic so there was an assumption that at any point he would explode with emotion and deadly consequences. In the 2150's, when he was born, a ship accident in the stratosphere on Earth caused the release of eezo, or engine fluid, across the globe causing the children born then to have biotic powers. These powers gave certain individuals the abilities of telekinesis but, since Humans weren't supposed to have biotics biologically, some had uncontrollable moments of rage and go mentally insane as side effects. Most Humans didn't know that the Alliance trained youth to control it and gave the children implants to help them.
"Shepard, how much farther do we have to go to reach the colony?" Jack's meandering thoughts were tugged back to the present by Major Kyle's loud voice.
Jack looked down at his omni tool slowly pulling up satellite images of the surrounding area with some fumbling fingers, "From the images it looks like the colony is just over that mountain range, two minutes." Jack pointed out the window towards a set of tall, jagged mountains just ahead of them.
Actually looking out the passengers' side viewport made Jack wonder why anyone would really want to live on a planet like Akuze in the first place. The area where they landed was completely barren, flat, and had no color to it besides the dusty grayish brown of the desert. Jack found it very strange that there was only one collection of mountains in the span of a thousand miles and in the shape of a very large oval. Most geologists theorized that an asteroid hit the planet a few million years ago leaving it in its current state. However, that didn't explain why earthquakes were extremely common millions of years later. It wasn't like there were many tectonic plates like on Earth, so to this day the Alliance's scientific community was divided on whether or not Akuze was a safe place to live. Jack thought it would probably be smart to ask other races if they knew anything about the issue. Due to the fact that the Alliance continues to refuse asking the wider galactic scientific community for help, humanity was still learning its place in the Milky Way. He disliked the idea that human pride was holding them back.
As if reading his mind, a voice from the gunners' seat in the back of the vehicle spoke up, "What an absolute hell hole, why would anyone want to be here sir?"
Major Kyle responded in a firm, stern tone, "Cut the chatter Vega, we need to be able to hear everything in case there's an ambush waiting for us."
Vega laughed saying, "Do you honestly think an ambush could really surprise us? Look around Major, I think I can see a tumble weed fifty miles away."
Kyle sounded irritated, "I know we can't see anything, but a good ambush isn't successful if the enemy can see you coming. So just shut up back there and stay alert."
Jack wanted to side with Arnold Vega on the issue but, he felt like he had a personal bias to defend him, so he said nothing. The two had met guarding the halls in the Everest. Since they had the night shift together, they had plenty of time to get to know each other well and eventually became intimate. When all you had to do was stand in front of a door that nobody would go through at that time of night, you tended to have plenty of free time to do what you wanted. On one particularly boring night, the more muscular and bolder Arnold, had suggested they go to the showers and, "share the water together."
In the blissful aftermath, they both mutually agreed to not treat each other any differently on the field that way it wouldn't be considered fraternization. The Major definitely wouldn't see it their way but, as long as they were careful, he wouldn't have to know. As the two of them had both made it clear they wanted a long military career keeping the relationship a secret was the compromise they made to keep meeting. If Raymond Kahoku was curious, he probably could've caught them on security cams, Jack doubted that was likely though. During peacetime Admirals only cared that the ship was running. Not who was sleeping with who. Having said that, Jack was finding it difficult to keep quiet about the relationship as he got closer to the man physically and emotionally. It was foolish to think they were falling in love and becoming soulmates but, Jack was starting to see this as more than a simple fling. In truth that was probably just his youthful mind playing tricks on him. Jack wasn't the type of person to believe in true love on the first try. Mom hadn't found love again since he was born, why would Jack be any different?
The six wheeled Mako started traveling up the narrow, zigzagging, bumpy, path that would lead to the colony at record speeds. Major Kyle was going as fast as he could up the road to the point that Jack was starting to become concerned. One turn at the wrong speed could send them tumbling to their deaths far below. Most visitors to Akuze would normally land at the spaceport to avoid the dangers of the mountain pass. Unfortunately for them, Admiral Kahoku had opted for a further approach thinking it was more risky landing a shuttle in potentially occupied territory than getting shot at on the way there. It was an understandable decision to make yet Major Kyle clearly didn't agree with those tactics rushing to the colony as fast as possible.
The inertia he felt from the turns made him glad he wasn't afraid of heights; Vega revealed he was when the man shouted, "Jesus, Kyle what are you doing?! We won't be able to save anyone if we're dead!"
The Major yelled back at him, "For fucks sake do you know how to shut up?! If we waste time going the speed limit more people could get hurt!"
In this case Jack thought, it was too dangerous to sit on the sidelines and so he said calmly, "Sir, with all due respect, I think Vega has a point. It's been twenty-four hours, I think our best hope is to find survivors, not an active situation."
Kyle seemed to process what Shepard said better because he started to slow down some, "I... I'm sorry, you're both right, I'm just worried about the people living in the colony is all."
Jack was worried about his new commander a lot these days because of the sudden outbursts he had with increasing frequency more than the colonists at the moment. He knew the Major had fought in the Relay 314 Incident, but he knew other people, like his mom, that had been there too and were fine now. When he happened to patrol past Kyle's room last night, he found bottles of alcohol outside the door that were empty. Admiral Kahoku had brushed the issue aside, when Jack reported the drinking, and told him to get back to work. However, if Kyle was going to keep snapping at them like that maybe he would have to press Kahoku further for an internal review. Alcoholics could be just as dangerous as crew members who fraternized to operational success. And from his perspective Kyle was acting far more erratically than he and Arnold were. Hopefully no one was going to have to die for Jack to prove that point.
They came to an abrupt stop upon reaching the top of the mountain pass and were able to look down on the colony below them. It was hard to stay professional and not gasp seeing the utter destruction below. What once must have been a thriving city, was now torn apart by a crisscrossing line of terror. The taller buildings seemed to be split in half by something and industrial cargo trucks were laying haphazardly on their sides. If Jack had only seen photos of the colony, he would have assumed it was a toddler's sandbox full of construction toys. Since they were on top of the mountain, they couldn't see the full extent of the damage but, it was clear even from here that no one was down there walking around.
Vega spoke first almost under his breath, "Please tell me earthquakes are the only thing that could have caused that."
Jack shook his head giving time for Kyle to come up with a plan by saying, "No, an earthquake would have caused only one line of damage. My guess is some sort of energy weapon from orbit caused this."
Vega looked down from his gun perch giving Jack a sad smile, "You know, you don't have to say what's logical every time. In the future, let me indulge in my delusions at least for a minute."
Kyle cleared his throat regaining his composure, "Shepard I want you to contact the Everest and request further orders."
Jack nodded and then frowned looking at the error message on his omni tool, "Sir I can't, our transmissions are being jammed. It's probably just atmospheric interference, or our damned omni tools not used to this environment. If we wait a few minutes, it'll most likely come back online."
Kyle drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and bit his lower lip, "The people down there might not have a few minutes. I want both of you to start gathering up the medi-gel and get ready for anything. Shepard, keep an eye on your omni tool, I want to speak with the Admiral as soon as possible."
Jack silently agreed, finding a few emergency packs of medi-gel before making sure his M-1 Predator pistol was loaded. As they got closer to the colony, Jack was getting more concerned that their transmissions were still being jammed despite it being a very clear day. He assumed now that maybe the Everest had something wrong on their end, it was certainly easier than thinking of the alternative. The possibility of another species declaring war on them for resources was very real given their strained relationship with the Citadel. If Kyle was right and this was a trap for them, they would be screwed, three soldiers would not be prepared for the army that caused this level of destruction.
When they reached the entrance to the colony though, Jack's stomach twisted with fear, the anti-air guns were pointed down towards the ground. Either the attackers had time to move the guns to point at them, or whatever caused this hadn't come from above them. As if that wasn't bad enough, it was clear that there were no survivors on the streets. The roadways were empty except for the 30-meter-wide line of torn apart soil in the center of them. He was pretty sure they were dealing with something completely new here. Jack had slept in class before, but this level of destruction seemed like it was caused by a creature he would've found, "cool" at seven years old.
Kyle held his free hand to his mouth horrified by what he saw, "Any luck getting through that interference Jack?"
The younger man blinked, Kyle had to be more upset than he thought if he was calling him by his first name, "No sir, I'm starting to think the problem is on the Evere-"
Jack was interrupted by a loud roar from just underneath them and felt the back end of the Mako start to lift up. The vehicle was sent into the air at a forward angle, were they hit with an IED? He didn't have much time to think because the vehicle was flipping over and over again with tremendous speed. It was sickening to look out the viewport and see the ground and sky trading places at least a dozen times. Jack didn't have the time to throw up because his side of the Mako was the first to hit a building with the impact of a Elcor charge. While his armor absorbed any fatal pressure the impact did send his head to the ceiling of the car, knocking him out cold.