Prologue
The red giant star seemed to be glowing inside the large room, its rays bursting through the tall glass-walls that filtered its ultraviolet light to protect the individuals inside.
At the center of the room, a man sat on a metallic armchair, his eyes focused on the projected screens. Their images seemed to be hovering in the air and the man looked over the incredible volume of information that poured on them.
He lit up a cigarette and took a long, drawn-out sip. The tip gleamed in imitation of the red giant outside, its light bright among the dark hues of the room.
By the window in front of him, a voluptuous figure stood, admiring the dying star. "Bartlett did everything right. More than could be asked out of one individual." The woman uncrossed her arms and started taking deliberate slow steps towards him. She was young, her striking physique would have caught anyone by surprise.
"He saved our colony on Elysium on his own. He was given the best ship in the Alliance to fight off the geth from Council space and he did it – again. His actions gained Humanity the trust of the entire galaxy... and yet they all but forgot him." She stopped a few feet away from him and turned around, as if the reason for her indignation could be found past the thick glass, orbiting around the star.
The man tapped his cigarette against an ashtray, the troubling artificial hue that emanated from his eyes focused on the screen ahead of him. "Our sacrifices have earned the Council's gratitude, but Bartlett was our best hope." His voice was calm, wise, experienced.
"But they sent him to fight geth, geth!" She raised her arms in frustration. "We both know they're not the ones behind the attacks on our colonies. He died out there and whoever attacked his ship wasn't geth. The real threat's still out there."
"And it's up to us to stop them." He replied, unmovable.
She shook her head. "The Council will never trust Cerberus. They'll never accept our help. Even after everything humanity has accomplished."
He took the time to inhale more smoke. "Which is why we need Shepard."
"Bartlett was a hero, a bloody icon... but Shepard? I'm not so certain people will follow her."
A faint grin appeared on his face. "She proved on Torfan she was willing to do what needs to be done. We need more people like her on our side."
"But would people trust her? What she did was admirable to us but the rest of the galaxy sees her as some kind of monster."
This time, he waved a hand out, as if batting his irritation away. "She earned respect on the battlefield through fear and determination. She's the opposite of Bartlett: ruthless, unforgiving, but she's just as charismatic... and brilliant. If we give her the people she needs, I believe she can do what he couldn't."
"Are you sure she would agree to work with us? She's been locked away for a long time."
He looked up to stare at her. "She has a grudge to settle with the Alliance. Cerberus can give her what she wants. She'll come to us. Just make sure to keep an eye on her."
"Of course." She nodded and started to walk away, knowing when she was dismissed.
The man rose to his feet and moved towards the window, his eyes set on the red giant. He took a long sip of his cigarette and blew it out slowly, the smoke creating an opaque fog on the glass.
Outside, the star continued to glow, undisturbed.
In the year 2148, explorers on Mars discovered the remains of an ancient spacefaring civilization. In the decades that followed, these mysterious artifacts revealed startling new technologies, enabling travel to the furthest stars. The basis for this incredible technology was a force that controlled the very fabric of space and time.
They called it the greatest discovery in human history.
The civilizations of the galaxy called it…
The Mass Effect.
Decades later, Humanity had established multiple colonies all over the Milky Way and had become part of the galaxy-wide civilization composed of dozens different alien species. Leading this new world, the political organization called the Council had taken a liking to Humanity, preferring it over a very similar species named Batarians.
After Humanity clashed with the Batarians over the expansion of their colonies, the Council took the side of the Earth-born species, prompting the Batarians to cut off all diplomatic ties on the Citadel – the core of galactic civilization – and begin a campaign of violence on the human colonies and their allies.
The conflict was revealed to the eyes of the public when the young human colony of Mindoir, in the Attican Traverse, was annihilated by Batarian-backed slavers. In the middle of the chaos, a sixteen year old girl survived the attack after watching her entire family, friends and acquaintances being slaughtered. She boarded the Alliance ship responsible for her rescue and vowed to join the military branch of the organization.
However, the war was far from over. Over the next couple of years, the Batarians reserved a fate similar to Mindoir's to seven more colonies. Under the tactics of guerrilla adopted by their foe and considering the Batarian homeworld was a remote island of military might outside Citadel Space, the Alliance failed to stop their progression.
This asymmetric war soon peaked when the Batarians themselves dropped all pretense of innocence and landed on Elysium – the richest, most populated human colony. On the planet, one man fought against all-odds to prevent this world from becoming another Mindoir. He rallied the Alliance's soldiers on Elysium under his command and together, they pushed the Batarians off the planet at the cost of heavy losses on both sides.
This event would later be known as the Skyllian Blitz, and it was the turning point of the war. Alan Bartlett had saved Elysium and weakened the Batarians. He was hailed a hero and made an icon for the Alliance.
Two years later, the roles had been switched. The Alliance was pushing hard to force the Batarians back into their home system. It was on the small moon of Torfan – at the edge of Citadel Space – that the young survivor from Mindoir, now a full-fledged soldier, led her squad to the deepest fortified bunkers in which the Batarians were hiding and massacred them without mercy.
Lieutenant Magna Shepard went against direct orders and was responsible for the death of most of her squad in the process. The Alliance court-martialed her. She was sentenced to five years imprisonment in the organization's military prison. Still, her actions ended the war.
The Batarians had retreated, Humanity was stronger than ever, and peace seemed to be back... until a race of sentient machines called the geth started to travel outside of their home system – the Perseus Veil, to attack any inhabited planet they could reach.
The geth were quick and precise, their attacks made little casualties but they represented a threat to the species under the protection of the Council. One they didn't know how to deal with. It was at this moment that the Council decided to bring Alan Bartlett into their dedicated task force – the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance of the Citadel Council: The Spectres.
Bartlett lived up to the honors of becoming the first human Spectre and once again fought the geth out of Citadel Space, cementing Humanity's position in the eyes of the Council.
The celebrations, however, were short-lived. Bartlett's fight against the geth led him and his ship – the Normandy – into the Terminus Systems where the influence of the Council and the Alliance had little reach. It was a collection of lawless systems where everyone had to ensure their own protection if they wanted to be free.
Nobody could have imagined someone would attack humanity's hero aboard the most powerful ship they had. And yet, it still happened. The Normandy was disintegrated and Bartlett spaced, his body lost to the void.
In the blink of an eye, the Alliance lost its most valuable vessel and humanity, its poster child.
The year was 2183 and a new threat was looming over the human colonies of the Terminus Systems.
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