Interloper Rewrite: Chapter 2

Integration


Incoming fire rose up to meet us as we gained the ridge separating the rough dirt and gravel path from the loose packed soil of the dig site. Superheated metal etched patterns in the air as Geth platforms hidden in the ruins below hosed the path down. Shepard's squad was already reacting to the fire. They moved like a well-oiled machine, the marines diving for the dirt at the first sign of the attack. Their concentrated return fire flickered out and caught an impetuous trooper in its narrow midsection, practically cutting the thing in half. I did my best to stay out of everyone's way, hugging the loose earth and trying to burrow my way into the scant cover. I held Shepard's handgun out in front of me as rounds whickered through the air over my head and threw splashes of mud over me. Near misses ploughed into the trail ahead, forcing me deeper into my mad attempt to dig to safety. And then, as suddenly as it had started, the guns fell silent.

"Everyone still breathing?" Shepard asked, rising to a half crouch and covering the ruins warily. A chorus of replies peppered the airways.

"I'm still here," I said, weakly. My heart was thundering as I stood to survey the most recent battlefield. Geth lay strewn about the foot of the concrete-like Prothean structure, some smoking, some seemingly intact but lying still none the less. I jumped as someone laid a hand on my shoulder.

"Alright, Militiaman. Here's the dig site. Which way to the spaceport?"

I cast my eyes about the steep sided pit until I caught the narrow trail that ran its way up the cliff face towards a small cluster of boxlike buildings atop the rim. If that was the research camp then the starport had to be just beyond the ridge past… something. There was another fight up there, wasn't there? "Up there, past the camp," I said, still distracted as I tried to dredge up my memories of Eden Prime. My attempt was shattered by a deep throated rumbling that thrummed through the ground before exploding against my eardrums.

"What the hell is that?" Ashley yelled. Her words barely reached me past the steadily increasing volume of the roar.

"Quick, up the ridge!" Shepard ordered, "I want eyes on whatever's happening out there. Nihlus, come in, Nihlus!" The group of marines, with me in tow, scrabbled up the sides of the dig site basin as small stones continued to roll down the hill under the ground shaking noise. Kaidan was first to crest the ridge.

"My God…" He was struck silent by the picture he was presented. Arriving rapidly at his elbow, I couldn't help but echo his sentiments. Now that our view was unhindered, we could see straight on to the spaceport. It was a low-lying compound of shining white and black metal amongst the green flatlands, its wide tarmac avenues and circular launch pads were tinted a cherry red under the baleful influence of the clouds that hung in the distance. The cloud's roiling epicenter burst to reveal the massive form of the colony's attacker. It was dark, black against the red sky and immeasurably vast to my eyes. It stood there, looming even at its great distance with brooding and oily malevolence. It looked like the gauntlet of an angry god thrust fingertips down into the crust of the planet. The Reaper, Sovereign. Overlaid with the rumbling boom that came from its metallic throat came that familiar buzzing sound that had ushered me into this world. Now that I was in sight of the Reaper, the buzzing built to a roar so fierce I had to blink back tears. With one last deafening boom that shook the trees on either side of us, the thing began to rise, lifting into the sky without sign of rockets or other propulsion.

"Nihlus," Shepard was still trying to connect with the elder Spectre, apparently to no avail. "Something's very wrong here."

The words stuck in my throat. I knew what was causing her difficulties. But saying it out loud would do nothing but arouse suspicion. Fortunately, though I was dubious about calling anything that had happened on this increasingly bizarre day 'fortunate,' I wouldn't have to. As we crested the small rise, the spaceport became clearer. The whole complex appeared deserted, not even Geth moved about amongst the gently smoking rubble. As we approached, the situation only looked more grim. Half remembered images guided my eyes. The plain that should have hosted a gaggle of husks, the small outbuilding that should have hidden a small group of local farmers destroyed in an explosion. The smuggler, Powell, was draped over the crates that had given him shelter from the initial attack. And sprawled out on the floor…

"Nihlus!" Jenkins ran up to the broken remains of the turian Spectre. The rest of Shepard's small squad spread out to secure the landing strip. They ducked into the cover of the scorched crates that dotted the damaged installation, their heads swiveling as they searched for further targets. I hung back, expected an ambush. This area should be flooded with enemies. Nothing jumped out at us, even as Jenkins reached the prone form of the black-armored turian. "He's dead!" came the anguished confirmation. The sound of hurt caught me by surprise. The one conversation Shepard had with him in the game really didn't show just how strong his adoration of the Spectres was.

"Militiaman, the beacon."

I blinked. Shepard had been talking to me. For some time if the edge to her voice was anything to go by. I tore my eyes away from where Jenkins was placing Nihlus' arms across his chest. "Yes, right. The beacon was moved to the other side of the spaceport. There should be a tram around here." I kicked myself for losing track of time. Images floated in my head of the ticking timers on the bombs Saren must have just planted. If I'd stalled the party too long…

"Alenko, Williams, find and secure the tram," Shepard barked. "Liddle, Jenkins…" a burst of gunfire came from somewhere past the crates we sheltered behind. I hit the deck again as Shepard and her marines returned fire.

"You're in the open," Jenkins said, his voice little more than a hoarse whisper. I looked up to find him crouched over me. The eyes behind his visor were hard, not the affable, friendly face that had first greeted me when we had collided back in the clearing. "Come on, follow me. I'll keep you safe."

Gratefully I followed him as we scooted up to the shattered wall of the nearest prefab. Hazarding a peek around the corner, I saw the last of the smaller Geth platforms go down under the concentrated rifle fire of the alliance marines. But the Geth hadn't just brought troopers. A larger platform strode up a ramp at the far end of the complex. Its rattling warble sounded over the battlefield as it brought a wide bored weapon to bear. The thing must have been almost eleven feet tall, with thick dark grey armour and backpack antennae that made it appear even taller. It fired as it came, blasting at Shepard's cover with trios of bright blue hoops that sliced through the air and left deep craters in the sides of the crates. The marines' return fire spattered against kinetic barriers to seemingly little effect.

The platform let out a shriek as it drew near to the improvised barricade and charged. It hit the crates shoulder on, shattering the box it hit and tossing the others into the air. Ashley was spilled onto her back by the force of the charge, while Shepard turned her fall into a roll that brought her up into a firing crouch.

"They're gonna get mashed out there!" Jenkins cried. "Come on."

He stepped out of cover and showered the Geth destroyer with white hot splinters. I joined him, firing the pistol in a two handed grip that at least put most of my shots in the right direction. With a sense of satisfaction, more than half of my shots landed. I was finally getting my eye in. The feeling of satisfaction was quickly replaced by horror as the Geth platform whipped its head around to stare at the two of us. Its bulbous shotgun followed. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the hammer blow on my shields. Fortunately it never came.

The Geth gave another digital shriek. I opened one eye to see it wreathed in the black-purple lights of Kaidan Alenko's biotics. The dark haired marine had both arms extended, palms up. As I watched, he closed his fists and lifted. The Geth rose into the air, thrashing against the now distant ground that would not give it traction any longer. With a grunt of effort, Kaidan pushed outwards. The destroyer sailed away in an arc, dropping below the lip of the ramp to the tram with a final flash as Kaidan ended the lift and let it drop to the floor of the tram line below. We heard the sound of it shattering against the concrete far below the tram-line.

"I'd say that about secures it," Kaidan quipped, doffing his helmet. "Thanks for the distraction."

"Don't mention it," I replied, feeling slightly shell-shocked. My mouth was suddenly very dry. Jenkins clapped me on the back. He was smiling again, but his eyes were still intense. "We should go, that felt more like a rearguard than a counterattack."

"I got that feeling too," Shepard responded. She had taken off her own helmet and had run a gloved hand through a mob of coppery hair darkened by sweat. "Everyone, pile onto the tram. On the double, I don't want to give these Geth a chance to set up another rearguard."

Luckily, Kaidan's Geth tossing had not damaged the flatcar tram that perched atop its narrow rail in the station below the grade of the landing pad. The party hopped aboard at a run. The tram had been left empty and it wasn't long before we were off. The tram was pretty speedy for such a squat, ugly thing. My heart hammered as we were whisked down the path to the far side of the port. Ticking time bombs were waiting for us. And the prothean beacon. Once I'd gotten Shepard to the black obelisk, she'd be on her way off to the Citadel, ready to begin the path that would save the galaxy several times over. And I… what would I do? My thoughts were interrupted as the tram bumped against its mooring.

The far station was a mess. The Geth had torn the place up pretty badly on their way out. More bodies dotted the split platforms. Across the way, a squat, square nosed cart had been tipped on its side and burned with noxious black smoke. And scattered about the Geth had left us a number of presents.

"Is that a bomb?" Ashley asked. She pointed to a cylindrical object covered in rubbery Geth tubules. The object beeped loudly, a display obviously ticking down. "I'm going to have to go with yes. Guess they didn't want to leave anything behind. Dead men tell no tales."

"Well we're going to survive to tell this one," Shepard said through gritted teeth. "Spread out, this can't be the only one. Disable them, fast!" Her team leapt to action and hopped off the tram. They split up as they hit the deck, scattering to cover as much ground as possible. Since my explosive disposal experience stopped at pulling the fuses out of fireworks, messing about with a colony destroying bomb seemed unwise. Instead, I tagged along with Jenkins as he swept the lower platform for additional ordinance. My breath caught in my chest as the beacon finally came into view. It was taller than I had imagined, a flat monolith clasped between curved tines of the sloping base. Its purple-black surface looked dark and cold. The slightly oily looking metal glistened under the pale green light that shone from splits in its sides. It looked utterly alien, and especially out of place on the scrubbed steel deck of the worn and hard-used deck of the spaceport.

At least it's still in one piece. My breathing slowed, the panic that had threatened to overtake me on the tram ride subsiding.

"No bombs here," Jenkins confirmed. He had his hands on the small of his back and arched in an exaggerated stretch. He looked up at the beacon. "Hey, is it supposed to do that?"

The beacon had begun to pulse slowly as he stepped closer to get a better look.

"It wasn't doing that when they brought it in." I said, filling in the appropriate dialogue. I could get used to being an NPC I suppose. I was about to warn him not to get any closer when the beacon flared. Green light leapt out, seeming almost solid as it wrapped around Jenkins, coalescing in bands around his wrists and ankles. He cried out as the beacon drew him towards it. In a panic, I looked back to where Shepard was still disarming one of the bombs. This was the part where she was supposed to rescue one of the crewmen. I waved and yelled, trying to gain her attention, but she was focused on the task of disarming the warhead. I looked back to Jenkins. He had almost reached the beacon. She wasn't coming. Without thinking, I began to run. Not towards Shepard and safety, but straight at the beacon.

Here goes nothing. I thought as I threw myself into the struggling corporal for the second time that day. We collided in midair. The beacon's light began to swirl, gripping and tugging at the two of us as I struggled to free Jenkins. I just managed to throw him aside, but it was too late to tear myself free. I was lifted into the air and suddenly I was beset again with the angry sound, so loud now that it near deafened me. The buzzing drowned out everything, as if angry hornets had been released inside my head. Then the visions started. All at once, the dull red sky and battered spaceport disappeared. I found myself wrapped in a confusing sea of images, each stranger than the next. The buzzing was replaced with a torrent of alien screams and the images became more nightmarish. As my eyes darkened and the buzzing sound retreated, I heard the dull sound of yelling below me. I didn't feel the beacon explode.


The world returned slowly. It started out as a hazy set of colors, but eventually everything sharpened until I was staring blankly at a metallic ceiling.

"Dr. Chakwas, I think he's waking up." A voice said from somewhere off to the side. Weakly, I tried to turn my head. A shadow fell on me from the other side. A grey-haired, older woman stood over me. She ran a pulsing orange light over my eyes.

"Michael? Michael, can you hear my voice?" Her tone was gentle yet professional. I tried to respond, but my voice caught in my throat. I simply nodded instead. My neck was pretty stiff too. "Well Mr. Liddle, you seem remarkably healthy for someone who's just been through what you've experienced. Whatever that beacon did to you wasn't meant to happen to a human brain."

"How long?" I managed to croak.

"A whole week, I'm afraid. Someone with the standard augmentations I might have been able to bring around in a day, but medical scans revealed you didn't even have your standard colonial immunizations. I don't know how the doctors do things down on Eden Prime do things, but I have half a mind to head back there and give them a good talking to about gaps in their standards of care," she tutted. She put the orange light away. "I also recorded some immense peaks in beta wave activity, usually seen in those experiencing intense dreams. They've settled down somewhat now, at least. You're a lucky man, there doesn't appear to be any permanent damage."

A whole week? Shepard was only out for 26 hours. I'm lucky to be alive.

"I saw, I don't know what I saw," I said honestly. While in theory I had just seen the Prothean extinction at the hand of the Reapers, in actuality the entire vision was a jumble of images, emotions, and sounds. The game had utterly failed to communicate the sheer weight of so many overlapping feelings. Anger, terror, hopelessness, all washing together over the smells of fire and the tang of blood. Just thinking about it made me slightly queasy and I made an effort to put it out of my mind for now.

Another figure walked up on the other side of me. "So you're really gonna make it?" Jenkins asked. From what I could see, the young corporal's face was etched in concern.

"Yes, yes," Dr. Chakwas replied, "Mr. Jenkins here has barely left my sickbay since they dragged you on board."

"I wasn't left on the colony?" I asked. Of course Shepard was brought on board in the game, but she was Alliance military, as far as this crew was concerned, I was just some colonist.

"The Normandy was bar-none the best care facility on that planet," The doctor said with a touch of pride, "and besides, the Commander decided, ah, there you are Shepard, I was just about to call you down."

"I take it our patient is awake?" Shepard asked. I looked up at her and caught a glint of concern. It was a stark difference with the stern, commanding presence she had held on the ground.

"Present," I croaked again. My voice was a less strained this time, but my throat remained parched. Dr. Chakwas placed a small cup of something on the tray by the bed. I downed the whole thing in one gulp. The liquid cooled my parched mouth and throat, and the ache in my head subsided. "Thank you, Doctor."

I sipped again, letting the water loosen up my vocal chords. At the far end of the bay, a set of double doors swished open, admitting a familiar face.

"Liddle, this is Captain Anderson, my CO," Shepard said, introducing a man who needed no introduction to me. Anderson was taller than Shepard, though not by much. He had a set of kind eyes set in his dark face that none the less swept me with an appraising look that made me feel like he was looking right through me. He nodded affably enough though.

"That's a hell of a thing you did, soldier. There are marines who wouldn't have pulled such a stunt."

"Thank you?" I said hesitantly. The captain nodded again, which I took as a sign that he had just paid me a compliment. "Eden Prime?" I asked, trying to sound as concerned as possible. It was, after all, supposed to be my home.

"I'm afraid it's a bit of a mess right now. The colony got hit pretty hard. The city center is just gone. They lost everything. Power, communication, hell, they even took out the records office. We can't even begin to account for the missing yet."

How convenient I thought.

"Listen, we need to know what you saw in that beacon," The captain's voice was firm, resolute. He fixed me with a strong stare.

"Captain, the boy needs rest after what his body's just gone through," Dr. Chakwas began to object.

"No, it's all right," I said, "I saw, at least I think I saw the Protheans. They had some kind of war. There were machines." I tried to remember what the visions had shown me. The images were so blurry, I wasn't even sure if they matched up with what I remembered from the game.

"These machines, did they have a name?" Anderson asked. A hush fell about the room. A strange, tense energy that almost crackled like electricity between the gathered officers as I picked my next words carefully.

"I think the Protheans called them… Reapers." The atmosphere grew cold.

"That proves it then, that's why Saren wants this Conduit, to bring back the Reapers," Anderson said.

This caught me off guard. If they already knew about the Conduit.

"Who's Saren? What Conduit?" I asked.

Commander Shepard looked to her CO, who gave her the go ahead. "While you've been out, we've been docked at the Citadel. There's been an investigation going on about the Eden Prime attack. A quarian came forward with evidence that a Spectre named Saren lead the Geth in their attack, and that he was searching for something he called the Conduit. What you saw confirms that the Reapers are involved somehow. And worse, that they're every bit as scary as they sound."

"Shepard's been assigned by the Council to go after Saren," Anderson said, "I need you to brief the team, any information you gained from the beacon could be critical."

I nodded slowly, sitting up. I had apparently been fitted for an alliance uniform since being brought aboard.

"I think I can manage." That caught me a stern look from the doctor, but the captain's presence seemed to stay her hand. I got shakily to my feet. A week in bed hadn't done wonders, but everything seemed to work. "Lead on."


The team filed into the ship's small communications room. I recognized Tali and Garrus, who must have been the C-sec officer the quarian had approached, as well as Wrex, which meant that the altercation at Chora's Den must have happened. Alenko and Williams both took seats across from me, which meant they must be along for the ride too. I didn't see Jenkins anywhere, but he was just a grunt after all. Finally, Shepard and Anderson entered the room. Shepard called the room to attention and introduced me.

"This is Michael Liddle, of the Eden Prime Militia. He was the one who interacted with the Prothean beacon." All eyes fell on me. Wrex gave a derisive grunt. I stood slowly. "Michael, this is Tali'Zorah, who brought the evidence against Saren, and Detective Vakarian, her C-Sec contact."

"Former C-Sec contact," Garrus corrected, raising a clawed finger.

"Right, you've meet Lieutenant Alenko and Gunnery Chief Williams of course." The two Alliance soldiers nodded respectfully. "And this is Urdnot Wrex, a mercenary; we've acquired his services for the duration." Wrex didn't seem overly interested in the proceedings.

"Let's lay out everything we know," Anderson said as he took center floor. "Saren Arterius has gone rogue, and has attacked the colony of Eden Prime. He has somehow gained the support of the Geth, and a major Asari Matriarch. He is searching for something called the 'Conduit.' What else do we know?"

"Well, we have at least a partial copy of whatever he gained from the Eden Prime beacon," Kaidan said, looking at me.

"I don't know if he got any more than I did," I began, "all I know is that I saw a war, a bad one. The images are… confusing, there's a lot I don't understand. What I do know is that these Reapers, the enemies of the Protheans, came out of nowhere and wiped them out at their peak. If Saren wants to bring them back from wherever they got too, we have to stop them."

"Okay people, give me options," Commander Shepard said, steepling her fingers. She seemed a lot more out of her depth than she had in the game.

"We know he's working with the Geth," Kaidan noted, "We should be monitoring Alliance intel on any Geth incursions."

Anderson nodded. "We've been monitoring a lot of Geth interest in the Horse Head Nebula and the Attican Beta, especially our colonies of Feros and Noveria."

"Didn't the quarian's data implicate a Matriarch Benezia? I believe she has a daughter involved with Prothean archaeology. Could be a possible lead," Garrus said.

"'The Quarian' has a name," Tali haughtily interjected.

"He's right though, this daughter might be able to tell us what an Asari Matriarch is doing signing on with a rogue Spectre. I want to make this our first priority," Shepard said.

"It's your mission, Shepard. You're outside the usual chain of command now. Admiral Hackett will be keeping you informed of anything that comes up on our end." Anderson said. The captain seemed to sit up a little straighter in his chair as he said it. Shepard on the other hand, was still leaning over, head following the ideas around the room. A weight of responsibility passed from one CO to the next. Shepard didn't stay stooped for long though. She nodded and stood up, prompting us all to follow her in rising.

"Thank you, Captain." Shepard saluted the older man smartly. Anderson returned the salute and left through the double doors. "Now, we have to deal with you, Liddle."

Well that wasn't ominous at all.

"I'm not going to lie; I think you can be an asset. The images in your head are our best lead right now as to what Saren knows, and what he is trying to do. The problem is, Alliance regs don't allow for the impression of civilians."

"Commander, what about the Green to Blue Program?" Ashley asked, "With his militia background and some extra on-site training, there's a good chance we can transfer him straight into the crew."

"Will that work?" I asked. Everyone looked at me again and I quailed under the attention of the Commander's crew. "I mean, Captain Anderson said my records were destroyed in the attack. I don't know if they'll let me in that program without some kind of proof, right?" My brain worked frantically and I stopped just short of crossing my fingers under my chair. Shepard reaching out to my supposed militia commander at this point could end very, very badly. Luckily, Kaidan was to be my savior today.

"You know, he's probably right," he interjected. "With the total data blackout from Eden Prime, the paperwork wouldn't even get off the ground."

Ashley nodded along. "I guess there's that. Normally I'd just say to let his CO give us the go ahead, but I guess with you being the first human Spectre and all, the top brass is going to be very eyes on." With that, the conversation seemed to flow around me, with options ranging from simply taking me and not telling anybody, to leaving me on the Citadel with a cheap apartment and an FTL radio. Finally, Garrus spoke up again.

"Commander, why not simply deputize him?" the room looked at the turian. "Surely someone briefed you on your new powers as a Council Spectre. You have the authority to deputize assets in the pursuit of your mission, forcefully, if necessary."

Commander Shepard seemed to consider this for a second. A smile crept onto her face. "Michael Liddle, I officially name you my deputy, you will follow my commands and the commands of Alliance officers on this ship. Is that clear?"

Here it was; the chance to join the famous Commander Shepard in her quest to save the galaxy. Excitement bubbled up inside me, enough to overwhelm the churning feeling in my stomach that I had just gotten myself way out of my depth.

"Clear, Commander." I said. The words were a release. All the pent up emotions that had been pushed back from the time that I'd awoken on Eden Prime swirled around my head. It was dizzying.

"Good, now report back to the Medbay, it looks like you're about to collapse."

I nodded dully. The rest of Shepard's team quickly returned to their discussions as I shuffled out of the door and back to the infirmary. Before I knew it, I was climbing into one of the stiff beds. I was asleep almost before my head hit the pillow.


Author's Note:

Just a short note this week. This rewrite is dedicated to by very own little baby brother. My beta reader, sounding board, and source of continuous enthusiasm. Thank you, without you, this project would never have gotten off the ground.

-Liddle Out