A New Mission:

Mass Wars
Episode 1: The Dark Threat:

It is a period of tension in the galaxy; two galactic governments compete with each other to have more control of the galaxy. These galactic governments, the Citadel Council and the Republic of Allied Species have different beliefs on how the galaxy should be run and species of the two galactic governments have clashed which threaten galactic war.

In order to prevent a galactic war, scientists of both governments have agreed to work of a project which they hope will bring the governments together. This project named as project NORMANDY is a new prototype ship which with the combined technology may bring a new class of warship.

The NORMANDY'S maiden mission is right at the same time when the Republic colony of EDEN PRIME has unearthed some sort of ancient artefact which may help build bridges between the governments. The NORMANDY has been assigned to collect this piece of history.

...

The Solar System is the home system of the human race and many places have been settled. Small colonies on moons and mining on Asteroids, the Solar System was one of the larger systems in the galaxy and a beauty to look out. The largest planet in the system was the gas giant Jupiter which was known but its large red spot which was a permanent storm. Just passing the planet was a large ship. The spaceship was painted black and had wings coming out of the side near the rear with two large boasters on each wing giving the ship four engines in total. On the sides of the ship was the name of the Ship known as the Normandy.

RSV Normandy was a new prototype frigate which had only recently been complete and was now on its shakedown cruise. The ship would have a crew of about 300 but since it was just a shakedown cruise, the ship only had a crew of about 150. The ship was black in colour with the name in white letters. The ship was also built with three separate decks. The top deck was the Command Deck; this deck contained the frigate's bridge at the very front where the ships pilots would control the ship. The bridge was built with a separate kinetic shield that would protect the pilots if the ship were to exposed in space and air pressure lost, that way the pilot could still control the ship.

Near to the back of the ship was the Command Information centre or CIC. On the Normandy, this was unusual because it was at the rear instead of being in the middle like normal Republic ships were. Because this ship was a Turian design, Republic specialists wanted to see how their version of a CIC would do on a Republic vessel. The CIC had many crewmembers on stations that worked the guns or controlled the hatched to allow the shuttle to launch. The Galaxy Map was also at the CIC which would allow the Command and Navigator to plot a course to where they wanted to go. Just behind the CIC was a conference room, this would be where the officers of the ship would discuss their mission and it could also be linked with either the Citadel Council or the Republic Senate.

The second deck was the quarter's deck. This deck was where the crew would sleep during rotations as some crew would sleep while others would work although the officers had separate quarters. This deck was also home to a small medical office where crew would be helped if they were injured as well as a small kitchen where food for crew would be prepared. Located further on from the kitchen and medical office was the Droid dock. This was where the Astromech Droids and Protocol Droids where kept until they were needed. Astromech Droids were small droids that rolled around on wheels. They were used to fix damages to the ship and can be sent to the outside of the ship to fix damages on the outside. Protocol Droids where used to store data as well as translate the language of other species. They were important when speaking with other species that were unable to speak Galactic Standard as they could translate what was being said. These Droids were classed as AIs by the Citadel since many could think for themselves but to the Republic, that was limited as they were programmed to serve the needs of the Republic and they often form a bond with the crew of the ship that they serve on.

The final deck was the Engineer and Storage Deck. This deck was where the ship's drive core was kept which was well protected by shields as well as a cargo bay for cargo that the ship carried. It was also a hanger as the ship kept some vehicles here for ground crews. There was a UT-46 Kodiak drop shuttle that was used to send crews down to planets. Even though the Normandy is a small ship, it was not designed to land on the surface of planets but could dock with ports on planets. This shuttle would send crew down to the planet instead if there was no port. It was also home to a M35 Mako tank. The Mako was a fast moving 6 wheeled all terrain tank that was designed to be dropped from the hanger and then used to explore uncharted worlds. Republic army vehicles tented to be large walkers such as the All-Terrain Armoured Transport or ATAT which was heavily armoured and used to carry troops across dangerous battlefields but was also quite slow and unable to walk along mountainous terrain which many uncharted planets were so the Mako was a more useful vehicle.

Walking up the stairs was a woman in her mid-twenties. She had auburn red hair that went down to her shoulders and green eyes. She wore a suit of Republic Armour that was black in colour with a red N7 over her left breast. Over her right breast was a small plaque, grey in colour with six coloured squares, three red over three blue. Right next to the plaque on either side were two small cylinders with red and blue tips on the end. It was clear that she was well known as several soldiers saluted her as she walked past. Below the plaque was her name, which said Shepard.

Commander Jane Alice Shepard was one of the most famous heroes in the Republic today. Both her parents, Hannah and William had served in the Republic Navy and so she had grown up on spaceships. Her mother was now the Executive officer on the RSV Kilimanjaro, a Republic Dreadnought and the flagship of the Republic First Fleet. Sadly William Shepard died several years ago, he had been discharged from the navy after his ship, RSV Broadsword had been destroyed during the Verge War. He had been ejected into space and exposed to the vacuum of space after his suit was damaged. He had been recovered before he died but he was left with breathing problems afterwards due to toxic air from the planet's atmosphere leaking into his air tank. He had been forced to leave the navy. He had lived on Arcturus Station so his wife wasn't far off but his illness got worse and he collapsed while exploring the Station. He died a few days later at the hospital but he did get to see his family again before he died.

Jane Alice Shepard had chosen to join navy just like her parents. She had studied hard while training and she had even been accepted into the N7 program which trained the best soldiers in the army. Shepard also piloted ships as well since she had experience in ships. She was well known for her actions while in the fighting. During the Skyllian Blitz on Elysium, Shepard had been on shore leave when the attack came. She had been able to hold off an assault until reinforcements came and she became a war Hero for her actions as she prevented the Slavers and Pirates from gaining a strong foothold. Shepard's heroism allowed her to become known as the Saviour of Elysium and earn the Star of Arcturus, the highest medal you could get in the Republic military.

As she walked through the CIC, she heard the ship's pilot talk over the ship radio "We are preparing the Hyperdrive, all hand, prepare for lightspeed." Shepard made it into the ship's bridge where 3 people were sitting. Two were sitting on pilot seats at the front while the other sat further back. The front two wore pilot uniforms and their Rank plaques had a single row of 3 coloured squares, two blue next to one red which showed their ranks as naval lieutenants. The other person had a plaque with three red squares next to two blue showing his rank as an army major. One of the pilots had short brown hair underneath a cap and had a shaved beard while the other had no beard along with short blond hair. The final man had sleek black hair and a shaved face.

"Placing coordinates for Eden Prime into the Navy Computer" the man with the hat said

Soon the other man spoke "Coordinates places, prepare to jump." Both men pushed the lever in-between them down and they watched as the world in front of them changed and soon they were travelling faster than lightspeed.

Shepard looked at the man with the cap "Joker, how are we doing?" she asked

The man with the cap with Jeff Moreau or better known as Joker. he was the main pilot who had been assigned to pilot the ship "Thrusters, check, navigation check. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift, just under 1500 K"

It was then that an alien walked into the room. This alien stood over 6 feet with two fingers on each hand along with a thumb which were all equipped with sharp talons. His mouth was surrounded by a pair of mandibles and the skin looked like metallic carapace. This was a Turian from the planet Palaven and he was briefly on the Normandy to see how it was run.

"1500 is good" the Turian stated "Your captain will be pleased" and then he quickly left.

Joker snorted "I hate that guy."

The other pilot looked at him "Nihlus gave you a compliment so you hate him."

Joker looked at him "Luke, we just jumped halfway across the galaxy and hit the target the size of a pinhead. Using our hyperdrives is not as easy as it looks because we could hit another planet or run too close to a supernova if we're not careful."

"I don't like having him on board" the final man stated "He's a Citadel Spectre and they're trouble. We shouldn't allow them to be close to our technology because they could steal it."

The man known as Luke shoot his head "You paranoid Kaidan, the Citadel helped fund this project so they have a right to send someone to check on their investment."

Shepard then spoke up "Normally I would agree but it's seems a bit odd to send a Spectre on a shakedown run."

"So there's more to this that what the Captain is telling us" Joker stated

It was then that someone called over the radio "Joker, Status Report"

"Just jumped into Hyperspace Captain Anderson." Joker stated, "The Stealth systems are engaged. Everything looks solid."

The captain of the Normandy was Captain David Anderson, just like Shepard, he too was a big hero in the Republic. He was one of the first people to past the N7 test and became a decorative soldier. He played a role during the Shanxi war when he was the XO of the RSV Hastings and was involved with foiling a conspiracy in the Republic when a Research facility of the planet Sidon was conducting illegal AI research. While this was legal in the Republic, it was closely monitored and this research was not. Anderson had looked into this and discovered that Dr Shu Qian was a traitor and was working for Batarian extremists who were studying an ancient artefact to create powerful weapons. When this was revealed, the Republic and Citadel teamed up to stop this and it resulted on an mission to the Batarian colony of Camala. The mission was successful but an explosion in an Element Zero refinery resulted in huge civilian casualties. The Citadel Spectre who had been assigned to the mission tried to blame Anderson but evidence found by Republic Intelligence discovered that the Spectre had been responsible for the explosion and it created more tensions between the Citadel and Republic. After the mission, Anderson had stayed in the navy and served on other vessels before being named Captain of the Normandy. Some of the other important crewmembers such as Dr Chakwas and Navigator Pressly spoke higher of him since they had served with him before on other ships.

Right now, Anderson was telling Joker what to do next "Good, find a comm. buoy and link us to the network, I want mission reports relayed back to the Republic brass before we reach Eden Prime."

"Aye Captain" Luke stated as he began pressing buttons "Better brace yourself, I think Nihlus is heading your way."

"He's already here" Anderson stated "Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm. room for a debriefing."

"Aye Captain" Luke stated and turned around to look at Shepard "You heard that didn't you?"

"I did" Shepard stated "He sounds pretty annoyed though, I wonder if something has gone wrong?"

"Maybe" Kaidan stated "Or maybe he knows something more and is annoyed that he had to hide it"

"Well I guess we'll find out" Shepard stated and then she left the Bridge. She walked through the CIC where she saw the Navigator Officer Pressly arguing with Engineer officer Adams using the communication hologram.

"I'm telling you I saw him" Pressly hissed "He was walking through here like he was on a mission."

"He's a Spectre" Adams said over the hologram "They're always on a mission."

"And we're getting dragged right into the middle of it" Pressly stated angrily

"Relax Pressly" Adams stated "You'll give yourself an ulcer." He then disconnected the hologram.

Charles Pressly was the Normandy's navigational officer. He would handle the navigation of the ship and give the coordinates to Joker when they were travelling. Pressly was one of those who was suspicious of the Citadel in particular the Turians because his grandfather had served in the Shanxi war. He knew Shepard well because he had been posted on RSV Agincourt which had been the first ship to arrive at Elysium during the Blitz. After the crisis he had been made an officer and be posted on the Normandy.

Gregory Adams was the Normandy's engineering Officer; it was his job to make sure that the ship's power does not overload and explode. He is much more friendly towards both the Citadel Races and other Republic races as he had worked with many of them before. Since the power core had Element Zero in it which Republic Ships didn't normally use, Adams had to work hard with several Asari and Salarians so that he would be able to control the core. He also knew Anderson personally because they had once served on the same ship which was the RSV Tokyo.

Pressly turned around and looked at Shepard "Congratulations Commander" he said as he saluted "Looks like we've had a smooth run. Are you heading to see the captain?"

Shepard looked at him "It sounds like you don't trust our guest."

Pressly sighed "Sorry commander" he stated "I didn't mean to cause any trouble. It's just that my grandfather fought against his kind back in the Shanxi war. It makes me a bit worried about him and I'm not the only one. Sure the Turians helped design this ship but having a Spectre on board is unusual. This was meant to be a shakedown run to test the Stealth systems but why place Anderson in charge. He's not the type of person who would be assigned to a small mission like this so I just suspect that he's hiding something."

"Well I guess that I'll find out" Shepard stated and then she walked away towards the Com room. Just outside were two more people, one was a woman with greying hair while the other was a younger male in his early twenties. The woman was Dr Karin Chakwas, she was the ship's medical officer and handled the treatment of the crew and also injuries taken by guests or soldiers when they fought on planets. The male was Corporal Rickard L Jenkins, a marine and also a colonist who was born on Eden Prime as he was now telling to the Doctor.

"I grew up on Eden Prime Doc" Jenkins stated "It's not the kind of place Spectres visit. There's something Nihlus isn't telling us about this mission"

"That's crazy" Chakwas defended "The captain's in charge here, he wouldn't take orders from a Spectre"

"Not his choice Doc" Jenkins stated "Spectres don't answer to anyone, they can do whatever they want, kill anyone who gets in their way"

Chakwas laughed "You watch too many spy films corporal"

Jenkins then looked at Shepard as she walked by "What do you think Commander?" he asked "We won't be staying on Eden Prime long, I'm itching for some real action"

"I hope you're kidding corporal" Chakwas hissed "Your real action usually ends up with me patching crew members in the infirmary"

Shepard looked at Jenkins "Action isn't about being a hero, it's about doing your job to save the lives of innocents or to take down the enemy."

"You've seen a lot of action in your time Commander" Jenkins stated "Your name is known all over the Republic and I want to be a Hero as well"

"You must be careful in a battle Jenkins" Shepard stated "In a battle, you could get attacked at any time. I've seen a few get shot by a sniper before they even had a chance to fight back."

Jenkins sighed "I'm sorry Commander; it's just that I've never been on a mission like this. I've hardly ever seen action like you have. Most of my postings have been on patrols with hardly any action at all."

"Just treat this mission like any other and you'll do fine" Shepard stated

"Easy for you to say" Jenkins sighed "You've been on ships nearly all your life and you were on Elysium during the Blitz. Everyone knows what you can do. This could be my chance; I have to show the Republic what I can do."

"You have a long life ahead of you corporal" Sheppard stated "Don't do something to mess it up. One mistake is all that it takes to get you killed."

"Don't worry Commander" Jenkins stated "I won't mess it up."

"Well it's been a nice chat but the Captain is waiting for me" Shepard stated

"Good luck with him Commander" Chakwas stated "Maybe he will be able to tell you what is going on."

Shepard soon made it to the com room but Captain Anderson wasn't there. Instead the Turian Spectre Nihlus was there instead. The Turian turned around and looked at him "Commander Shepard, I was hoping that you would get here first. It will give us time to talk."

"Talk about what?" Shepard asked

"I'm curious about this world we're going to" he stated "Eden Prime, I've heard it's quite beautiful"

"People say that it's a paradise" Shepard stated "Eden Prime was one of the Republic's first colonies and now it is an example for the unity between the Republic races."

"Yes a Paradise" Nihlus stated "They say that Eden Prime is an example for the Republic that they can establish colonies and protect them but how safe is it."

Shepard looked confused "What's that suppose to mean?" she questioned

"The Republic is a new Galactic government that has only been around for about 20 years" Nihlus stated "The Citadel council has been around for thousands of years and we had to fight through some extreme Galactic wars such as the Rachni Wars and the Krogan Rebellions. Your Republic has never been through anything like that."

"The Chiss may have at some point" Shepard stated "But Eden Prime has the Republic Sixth Fleet nearby. Because Eden Prime along with Terra Nova are very important colonies, they have a Fleet nearby to protect them if they were needed."

"Some people that I knew fought in the Shanxi conflict" Nihlus stated "They told me that your Republic knew how to fights wars and that may be important but we should all hope that never happens, war are terrible and leave so many victims."

It was then that Captain David Anderson walked into the Com room "A War which might start if the wrong people know about this." He stated

Shepard looked at him "Know about what?" he asked "This isn't just some shakedown run"

Anderson shook his head "It wasn't told because of how important this mission is and we couldn't allow it to go wrong. We should tell you what's going on. We are making a pick up on Eden Prime. We are picking up some packages that are very important to the galaxy. This mission is top secret which is why the Stealth systems are activated."

"What's this package and why is it so secret?" Shepard asked

"This information was on a need to know basis." Nihlus stated

"About a week ago, some researchers on Eden Prime unearthed some kind of beacon during an excavation" Anderson stated "This beacon was Prothean"

"I thought the Protheans vanished 50,000 years ago?" Shepard questioned

"They did" Nihlus stated "They're Empire once spread across the galaxy and their technology is still used today. The Citadel, the Mass Relays, they were all built by the Protheans. Of course the Republic went down a different technology path but this ship is based on Prothean design."

"This discovery wouldn't have suited the Republic since we don't use Prothean technology" Anderson stated "But Chancellor Mon Mothma said that this could be a major discovery so she wanted to share it to help build bridges with the Citadel. Eden Prime doesn't have the materials for this kind of research so we're taking the Beacon to the Citadel so their scientists can study it further. The Stealth systems are needed so the beacon isn't stolen."

Shepard looked at him "Who would steal a Prothean Beacon?" she asked

"Many people commander" Nihlus stated "This Beacon could be anything, it could be a history of the Protheans or a weapons cache and we don't want it falling into the wrong hands."

"Eden Prime isn't far from the area controlled by the Batarian Hegemony and they might see a Beacon as something they could try and steal." Anderson stated "Attacking Eden Prime would start a war but that would be worth it for a Prothean beacon." He then looked around carefully to make sure that no one was listening "There is something else that I was only just told. Just this morning the researchers discovered something else that has never been discovered by anyone. They found the remains of a whole Prothean city and as well as finding some old data disks, they found a stasis pod with a living Prothean."

This shocked Nihlus "The council were never informed of this" he stated

Anderson sighed "This was only just discovered and the Council and Senate themselves were only just informed. This could be the biggest discover ever made, no one has ever discovered a Living Prothean so this discovery has created interest everywhere. But this pod must be handled with care, we don't want to accidently kill what could be the last Living Prothean so taking this Pod must be done carefully. Opening the Pod will be dangerous and difficult which is why several Prothean experts are being brought to help remove the Pod safely without damaging it."

"So we're just getting the Beacon and Pod and getting out" Shepard stated

Nihlus spoke up "The Council wants this mission done fast Shepard before the wrong people learn about it" he stated "With the living Prothean this mission just got more dangerous. Someone could take that Living Prothean and use it for the wrong reasons."

"People like Cerberus" Anderson stated "Republic Intelligence has learnt of them doing horrible experiments on people and this things they could do if they get their hands on the Prothean could be catastrophic for the Galaxy. There are already some Senators in the Senate who are suspected of funding Cerberus activities but if they ended up taking over the Senate then they could wage war with the Citadel and the things they learn from this Prothean could aid in that"

"Well I better get down to the Shuttle with Jenkins and Kaidan" Shepard stated

Anderson then went to the radio "Joker, tell Luke to head over to the Shuttle to take our passengers down to Eden Prime." He ordered

"Aye Captain" Joker's voice called over the radio "But you need to hear this, we've just got a message from the Sixth Fleet at Eden Prime."

"Put it through" Anderson ordered and then he heard the message.

"This is Admiral Garrick Versio of the 63rd task force" the voice called "Eden Prime is under attack I repeat Eden Prime is under attack. A fleet of warships appeared and have engaged our fleet. We are currently holding the fleet but a massive unknown warship blasted through our fleet and is now on Eden Prime. We are currently holding off the remaining ships but there are reports of attacks on the ground and those people need assistance. I'm sending a live feed towards you."

Then footage appeared on one of the computers which showed heavy fighting taking place with the soldiers currently stationed on Eden Prime fighting some unknown force. One soldier ran over to the person with the Camera "Get down" she ordered and the camera kept moving around so it was difficult to see what was going on and then an officer looked at the camera.

"We are under attack" he shouted "Taking heavy casualties, I repeat taking heavy casualties. They came out of nowhere, we need..." the officer was then shot in the chest. There was then a strange sound and the camera caught the shocked faces of the soldiers and then turned to large metal machine appearing in the sky. The camera then fell to the floor and then there was only static.

"The footage ends there" Joker stated "There's nothing, communication goes dead after that."

Anderson wanted to look at something again "Reverse and hold at 38.5" he ordered and then the footage went to when the strange ship appeared and Anderson looked at Nihlus who looked confused "Do you know anything about that?"

Nihlus shook his head "I've never seen anything like that" he stated

Nihlus contacted Joker "How far away are we?"

"17 minutes out" Joker responded "The Sixth fleet can hold out but the people on Eden Prime are vulnerable"

Anderson looked at Shepard "Get you team down to the Shuttle quickly." Then he contacted Joker again "Joker, send Luke to the Shuttle then as soon as we are out of Hyperspace, send the Shuttle quickly and get us there fast. This situation just got a lot more complicated."

Chapter End:
Notes:
Well this is the first proper chapter of my story and I've introduced my Shepard in this story which I chose a female Spaceborn who is a war hero. I also brought Luke Skywalker to be the co-pilot in the Normandy and the man who pilots the Shuttle. His back-story will be explained later on. Over time several Star Wars characters will play roles throughout the story but I am currently decided on how the Republic Fleets will work since by Mass Effect standards, Star Wars Star Destroyers are Dreadnought size and I don't want the Republic to be too overpowered. I'm also not too sure on the Crew size of the Normandy but this Normandy is a bit larger than the Mass Effect version but not as large as the SR2 which is why we have the shuttle which the SR1 didn't have.