Hey everyone. So we are finally moving over into mass effect 1. I will warn you all that it won't be 100% canon, but it will follow the lines of ME1 somewhat. I'm really glad for the 500 views! I never thought I would get any more than 10 views.
Before I go any further. I have to admit I will probably steal certain elements from different stories. These stories are, but not limited to:
Calinstel: To survive series.
TheLastReckoning: Unbreakable promises.
Jack Trader: Shining bright.
Andrio: Adamo.
Bill Atoll: Black dog.
If you haven't, I would definitely recommend reading them!
I have a discord server as well! Come check it out. I would love to interact more with you guys!
discord .gg / F578759
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Normandy.
Mads was suiting up, which could take some time. Rumors had been circling around, mostly that they were on route for a pick up mission. Mads wouldn't normally put on his N7 armor for a mission like this (if the rumors were even true, that is). But Captain Anderson had been quite secretive about the whole ordeal since they took off from earth, and if there was one thing Mads hated, it was being under informed.
As he finished up, and pulled up the jackboots, he began to make his way through the CIC to the cockpit. The hobnails echoed throughout the hallway, a detail he had always liked about them. As he entered the cockpit, he saw Joker once again typing away as the Normandy prepared to pass through the relay. A Turian was there, Mads had noticed him when he first stepped on board, but he kept himself in the shadows. Nihlus was his name, a Spectre by trade.
Joker fired off an update of the ship's readings under his piloting, and to everyone listening, it was clearly impressive. Mads had heard the story of Joker stealing the Normandy to show off his skills, and while that would have gotten anyone else a trial, his skills certainly impressed the captain enough to assign him as the main helmsman. Anderson even remarked that no one else is qualified to fly the Normandy.
"Good, inform your captain." Nihlus said, before quickly turning on his heels and walking the other way. Joker looked back at Nihlus as he was walking away.
"Jackass." He mumbled, but it was audible enough for the people in the cockpit to hear it. Kaiden was standing there as well, minding his own business.
"You do realize he just complimented your work, right?" Kaiden asked.
"It's one thing to wipe your ass after shitting, but hitting a target the size of a pin with our speed is an achievement." Joker replied. "Besides, I don't like him. There is something suspicious about his presence." He added. Mads had to agree, when FSB officers showed up in your barracks, it wasn't to check if everything was okay.
"The council helped fund the Normandy, the have a right to send one of their own on board." Kaiden answered.
"I would have to agree with Joker here, if the council wanted someone to check the performance level, they would have sent a Salarian with a data pad, not a Spectre." Mads remarked.
"See? The commander knows what's up." Joker said. Kaiden simply shook his head at the comment.
"Commander, please report to the comms room." Anderson's voice ordered. Mads quickly turned around to do as such. He walked down the hallway again, and into the meeting room, which was empty, expect for one Turian Spectre, who was looking over pictures of the colony of Eden Prime.
"Commander. Good to formally meet you." He greeted, though his eyes remained locked to the pictures going in a slideshow on the big screen.
"Yeah, same goes for you." Mads replied. "Though, forgive my curiosity, but what is a Spectre of your status doing on a human vessel?" Mads asked as he leaned against one of the chairs.
A small laugh was heard from the Turian, which confused Mads a bit. Nihlus finally turned around to face Mads, and he had a small smirk planted on his lips. "You are asking the right questions." He replied, which was quite cryptic. Before Mads could ask another question, Nihlus continued.
"Humans are fascinating creatures. But they are as green as grass in the galaxy. Eden Prime is supposed to show that humanity can uphold a stable colony. I heard it is quite nice."
"I have never been there, so I wouldn't be able to tell 'ya." Mads replied.
"But how safe is the colony really? Would it be able to withstand punishment?" Nihlus asked.
"What are you on about?" Mads asked. His guts screamed that something was being hidden from him.
"All I'm trying to say is that-" Nihlus was interrupted by Anderson entered the room. Mads quickly saluted the man he saw as a father figure. Nihlus remained stationary.
"Permission to speak, sir." Mads requested.
"Granted." Anderson replied.
"What the hell is going on? What is the deal with all these secrets? And what the fuck is this dude doing here?" The questions flew out of Mads' mouth, mostly because he was rather angry that he was kept out of the loop by the one man he really respected in this new world
Anderson looked over at Nihlus, and Nihlus simply nodded. "Romanov, calm down. Nihlus is here for two things. First off, let's talk about the mission here." Anderson started, the explanation was taken over by Nihlus.
"The colonists at Eden Prime recently uncovered a piece of what we believe to be Prothean technology. I'm sure you are familiar with Council space laws? 'No Prothean technology can be hidden by a race from all other races' This means that this discovery involves the council." Nihlus explained.
"So we need a Spectre to oversee a simple pick up mission?" Mads asked in disbelief.
"No, that's not all. Romanov, Nihlus is also here to observe you. You have been picked for a possible candidate for the Spectres." Anderson added. Mads looked over at him with a very confused look.
"Hold the phone-, Are you saying that he is here to see if I'm Spectre material?" Mads asked.
"Yes, Commander. This is the first of many missions together. I will be the one to decide if you are ready or not." Nihlus answered.
"And you will see my skills on a simple pick up mission?" Mads asked, once again with disbelief in his voice.
"I like him, Captain Anderson. He can think for himself." Nihlus remarked, and Mads was getting sick of him dodging the questions.
"Prothean technology is worth it's weight in gold. It can hold many secrets, some can be used for good things, and some for bad things. We wish to ensure this is transported safely." Anderson said.
"Captain! There is something you have to see!" Joker voice broke out over the comms.
"What is it Joker?" Anderson asked concerned. Mads looked over at Anderson with a slight sense of worry as well.
"A transmission from Eden Prime! It seems serious!" Joker replied.
"Bring it up on the big screen!" Anderson ordered. Joker quickly did as requested. A desperate marine appeared on the screen, screaming at the camera. Heavy fighting could be seen and heard around him, explosives going off left and right, until finally the marine was killed in a hellfire of bullets. A single frame showed something remarkable, Anderson spotted it as well. He ordered Joker to hold it at the one frame.
Mads' eyes narrowed in, trying their hardest to see what it was. The image was blurry, and quite low quality. It looked like a ship of some kind. It was quiet for a little while as they all tried to figure out just what the fuck was going on.
"Joker! How long 'till we reach Eden Prime?" Anderson asked.
"17 minutes, sir." Joker replied.
"Romanov, I need you to get ready." Anderson turned around and ordered.
"I need a squad. We don't know what's happening down there." Mads replied.
"But Nihlus-"
"I don't care if I'm with James fucking Bond. If you want any chance of getting that beacon back, I need at least 15 men covering my ass." Mads fired back.
Anderson thought about it, but quickly agreed to the terms. With time limited, they went to work gathering and suiting. Kaiden was one of the few along, Corporal Jenkins as well. Most of the other were marines.
As the 17 minutes were nearing an end, they were somewhere that could be considered ready for the mission. They had suited up in their armor in record time, Nihlus was double checking his rifle as Anderson came down. While he looked calm to most, Mads could see the concern under his skin.
"Okay Commander. The main objective here is the recovery of the beacon. Do you understand?" Anderson asked, his voice clear and firm.
"Yes sir." Mads replied as he unholstered his rifle from his back.
"What about survivors?" Kaiden asked.
"That is a secondary objective. Focus on the matter at hand." Anderson ordered. The look in Kaiden's eyes said he disagreed with the Captain's orders, but that he wouldn't protest right now. Anderson nodded as the all seemed to understand and wished them all good luck. As he left, Nihlus got up as the cargo door began to open.
"Leaving so soon?" Mads joked.
"I move faster on my own. I will keep in contact." He said, and then he ran off the ramp and into a free fall.
"Okay fellas. When we drop, we need to create a perimeter and get a feel for the situation. Nihlus will be our scout, and we will move based on his information. Are there any questions?" Mads asked. No one said anything for a few seconds, and silence must mean they understood the matter at hand.
The light turned green, meaning that it was time to jump. They jumped out of the cargo hold one by one- The air breezed as they flew through the sky and landed down safely below. They took a moment to organize and set up a perimeter and get a foothold and a general view of the area they were in. They stayed silent for the most part, there was no telling where the enemy was hiding. 15 men had been deployed, 17 if you counted Mads and Nihlus.
"All clear, Commander." Kaiden said after a few seconds of it remaining calm.
"What the fuck are those?" Mads asked as he gestured to the almost floating creatures. Jenkins laughed at the question.
"It's a gas bag! They are quite harmless but killing them could be quite nasty considering the gas they hold inside." Jenkins clarified.
"Alright." Mads replied, before he turned his attention to his squad. "re confirm connection to the Normandy." He ordered. They all took a moment to check their omni-tools.
"Connection is gone sir." Someone said. They all nodded.
"Damn, okay. Top priority is getting the connection back. We'll be no good without the Normandy and Nihlus. How strong is the interference?" Mads asked, the tech geek went to work on giving a rough estimate.
"It is very strong. Whatever is blocking it is nearby." Sergeant Riesman replied. Mads wasn't all that familiar with Modern technology anymore, so having someone who was studying for a PhD in communications and computer science was quite treat.
"Okay, let's get there. Stay in formation and don't run off. Keep our flanks secure, and we move silently." Mads ordered. They nodded in agreement.
They went as quiet as they could. Every corner could hold a potential threat. The whole scene was quite intense. Most of the marines under his belt had never seen active combat. They put a lot of trust into him, but there was only so much we can do. They could see the very top of the satellite disk as the came to a hill. When Mads looked up, he could see the Normandy circling around.
A few dead marines were placed around the satellite disk. They were all fresh kills, so someone must have just been there. Mads gestured with his hand for them to keep their eyes open. He sent Riesman to work on the device that was hooked up to the control panel. It seemed to short circuit the whole thing. They once again found as much cover as possible, and set up a perimeter around the tower.
They used all the senses they had. They had no intel on these enemies that were attacking. For all they knew, they could've been cloaked. Riesman was still hard at work, and they all waited anxiously for something to happen.
A small sound was heard around the bushes, which most likely branches being stepped on. Mads gestured for them to sit still and allow whatever was in there to come out. But, as bad luck would have it, that didn't happen. Jenkins had potential for something greater, but he was too excited about seeing active combat, so the idiot went out towards the bush. Probably to claim the first kill.
As Jenkins poked the bush, he turned around to smile as he didn't see anything. Mads was still sending him angry gestures to get back, just as Jenkins was about to go back, something came out of the bush. It was some sort of large metal creature, and in the short time Mads had to act, it ripped it's arm through Jenkins' stomach. He screamed in agony as the arm twisted and retracted.
They opened fire on the creature, which fell after enduring quite a few bullets. The other marines quickly rushed to Jenkins' aid, including the team medic who was already getting medi-gel ready. Though it was a lost cause. Jenkins was only seconds away from death, the wound was too big. But, them trying to save him would be a small comfort to Jenkins in his last moments.
"Fuck… He's dead. No pulse…" The medic replied after attempting CPR and applying the Medi-Gel. His name was Kaminski, a good medic with a nice service record. But this must have been his first in-battle experience. Mads came over to the body of the kid known as Jenkins. Mads closed his eyes, and said a small prayer. Once he assured the others that he would get a good funeral, they focused on the thing that killed him.
It looked like a giant flashlight. It was an AI, but the others were struggling to determine what it could be. Mads looked over the features, and quickly got an idea what it might be. Geth, he had read about them in his quest to get up to date on the galaxy.
"Looks like the Quarian's problem is now our problem." Mads remarked as he studied the Geth further.
"You don't mean to say-" Kaiden started.
"It's a Geth, it's a unique design. No doubt about it." Mads interrupted. "Riesman, what's the status?" Mads asked as he arose from his squatting position.
"Nearly there…. Done!" He cheered. A beep was heard as the omni-tools found a connection again. Mads quickly tried to get in contact.
"Normandy, come in. This is Commander Romanov." Mads tried to raise them.
"This is the Normandy, go ahead Commander." It was Joker that replied.
"Joker, please put me through to the Captain." Mads requested, and he could hear his call being put through.
"Commander, what's the issue?" Anderson asked once he got through.
"Jenkins is dead. By the looks of it, we are dealing with Geth here." Mads said.
"God damn it. Look, continue with the mission. You have to hurry up, we can't lose that beacon!" Anderson ordered.
"Understood sir, and Jenkins?" Mads asked.
"Leave him. We will see to it he is given a proper funeral." Anderson replied.
"Got it." Mads quickly said as he ended the call. He gave the orders to all the others that
Next thing, was contacting Nihlus. He had to be quite a ways up ahead, and they needed to catch up fast if they would have any chance.