DIsclaimer: I don't own any of the content; all content made by bioware and owned by them.
Gary Owen was just a civilian that was of no one of any particular feats or mert. He enjoyed a few beers with his friends and the bar. It was 2170 and the alliance military was viewed as somewhat of a positive light. It had been 23 years since first contact and shanxi and the liberation of it. A buddy of his was a pilot testing the new mantis gunships. Gary did not know that all went behind the curtain. His friend Rickey Bobby was a pretty good pilot from what he heard. He had been a pilot for the S3-X Interceptor and had scored several air-to-air kills on pirate fighters that had tried to fight smaller SA starships. The pirates mainly used the Armax Tusk Fighter commissioned in 2148 By the turians. That they were able to bribe or steal from turian sailors that were pissed at their government. His friend was meeting him today to have a drink and catch up. It had been a couple of months since they had last seen each other. He was meeting him at a bar in jacksonville florida. The both of them had grown up together not from where they were meeting.
Ricky Bobby was on leave from the Navy after his ship had came back from picket duty along the fringes of alliance space, At Least that is what he said when he called Owen last night.
The bar did not look like much from the outside, just a poor shade of blue and grey on the outside with paint chipping in places. Why Mally, the owner of the bar did not update the bar to modern standards was a mystery to Owen but it was home for the southern man. At least now it was after the past couple of years. Walking in the bar the smell of tobacco assaulted Owen's nose right away. Taking stock of the room the second he entered he saw the usual people milling around.
Along the walls of the old place were photos of sailors and marines long past dead hanging up. Some as old as WW2 at least. This bar had served drinks to countless generations of service members and would continue to do so was Owen's bet. Shifting his gaze from the pictures and looking at the bartender the both of them just simply nodded and he started to make owen a drink. He had been more than enough that the bartender had remembered Owen's choice a long time ago. Whiskey on the rocks is what he liked. Saddlinging up to the bar Owen again just nodded and grabbed the drink and handed over twenty credits.
Turning around and again scanning the room he finally caught sight of bobby and walked over to the table he was seated at.
Slumping into a chair across from Bobby Owen looked up to see surprise on his long time friend's face.
"What old friend, cat got your tongue?
No just …. Man do you look like shit, When was the last time that you got a good night's sleep or a decent meal?
Don't start with that shit man I'm fine.
Of course you are Owen, look at yourself for god's sake. God knows how old the blood on your shirt is and your face has not been shaved I can guess in at least a month. And you usually keep a very clean appearance but your hair on that thing you call a head is all over the place. From the look of your knuckles you have been in more than one fight over the past couple of days. What the hell is going on man?
What the fuck man. The only reason that you called me here was to have a drink then to make fun of how I look. Is that it?
Owen You know that is not true and you for as shit know that. I told myself that I would not go here but I have to now. Is this about jess?"
Owen quickly tensed up and tightened his grip in the glass in his hand that he had not even drank from yet. Lowering is voice to just below a whisper so that Bobby was the only one that heard him, and putting plenty of malice and venom behind his words he spoke slowly.
"How dare you speak about her you bastard. I ought to kill you right now. Since you are the one that took her from me after all.
Owen are you being for real right now. You really blame me for her death?
Yes I do you fuck, since you were the n the convinched that glory waited for her in the stars. YOU told me that you would watch her back and make sure that she made it back to me in once peace.
But low and behold the great Ace pilot and to get all the glory and chase after a target and left her exposed to fire from her rear.
Now Owen hold on a sec….
SHUT THE FUCK UP. You don't get to talk about her, do you understand."
Slamming his drink into the table shattering the glass in his hands. Owen started to bleed from his hand a bright red blood. But to much of Bobbys surprise Owen did not even flinch and countuned to speak to him like nothing happened at all.
Speaking again in a soft but firm tone Bobby was afraid Owen might try to kill him here in full view of everyone in the bar.
"She left with you to go fight bad people doing bad things to good people and she came back in a box. Then you had the gaul to come and start to talk to me about how I look and what I do to cope with the grief of her death. She was my wife and you took our future from us. The kids that we had talked about for years gone in an instant.
Now you will not be bringing her up again do you understand. And don't say it just nod."
Bobby, understanding that Jess's Death was an extremely sore subject for Owen, he stayed the hell away from it and just nodded. Upon Owen seeing that Bobby was not dumb he sat back down and pulled a rag from his back pocket and wrapped his hand up to stop it from bleeding. Giving Owen a few minutes to settle down before he started to talk again Bobby thought about how best to talk about what he wanted to talk to Owen about.
Finally thinking that Owen was settled down enough that he was somewhat calm he placed his hands on the table and took deep breath in and breathed out slowly.
"I am sorry for what I have put you through. It was not my intent. And for that I am so sorry."
Owen snickered to himself "Does not matter what your intent was Bobby. What matters is what the cause and effect had on me and my life.
I know Owen but I felt that I owed you that. After all that you did for me when we were kids growing up. You put your life on the line more than once for me. Risking arrest or getting kell to make sure me and my sister were taken care of and I will forever be thankful for that. Hell you were the one that pushed me to join the navy in the first place.
Hw is your sister doing anyways? I lost contact with her a while back.
You lost contact with her? How? We were all close to each other. What happened?
Lets just say that we got in a fight that concerned her and she may have lost my number.
Really and what did you guys fight over if you don't mind me asking?
Not for me to say Bobby. If you want to know you have to ask her. And If you do ask her make sure that no one else is in the room when you do."
Bobby raised his eyebrow at the last part of owen statement. But he left well enough alone and decided to get back to what he was going to talk about to Owen before they got side tracked.
"I actually came here to talk to you about something?
And what would that be?
First are you still with the Miami Swat Team?
No, I left the force a couple of weeks ago due to a disagreement of sorts on how to handle some terrorist motherfuckrs, why?
Well You know how the alliance has some shit that they need people that are willing to get the job done no matter the cost right?
No I don't because I am not in the alliance military man. So enlighten me."
Bobby looked slightly annoyed and sighed before he countened to talk.
"Well every army as far back in history as we can go has had units that have been a cut above the normal soldiers and what not. Like the Spartans of ancient greece. And special forces in the old United states. Well the Alliance has several units like that, but there is one unit that is above the rest. They aren't really a unit more like an organization then anything else but you kind of get the idea right?
Yeah I guess so. But why are you telling me this?
Well I heard a rumor of sorts. A number of the special forces types have been given the mission to hunt the bad guys that go bump in the night and they are looking for people that are hungry to collect souls. When I heard that I thought of you.
And why would you think of me for this type of work? I'm not exactly the sneak and peake guy. I was a assulater on a swat team for god's sake.
Because the mission is to go after the type of groups that killed your wife."
At the mention of his wife the second time Owen again tensed up. But unlike before he thought about his response before he acted. Taking several deep breaths before speaking he finally spoke.
"Who are the people that are going after the bastards?
Not who but what Owen. They call themselves N7's and they are the best of the best."
Author's Not: Hi y'all I wanted to introduce myself that way you had some info. Firstly I am not a writer by trade so please bear with me as I go along this ride trying to get a lot better at this. Thanks in advance. Second I am in the army in an airborne unit for the United states so I won't be able to write all the time but I love mass effect and want to contribute to the community as much as I can. Again thank you for your time. And if you guys have any opinions for how I can try to make this story better please feel free to leave a review or Pm me if you want to. Have a good one y'all.