Michael walked up to the cockpit. The Normandy still had the acrid smell of a ship fresh from the construction yard. Three days on board wasn't quite enough to grow accustomed. Mentally, he counted down the seconds. Approximately forty of them later, Nihlus joined them. Right on cue.

Joker ran down the checklist. "Drift..." He glanced at the readout. "Just under 1500 K."

"1500 is good. Your captain will be pleased." Nihlus gave the cockpit one more cursory look before heading back down the corridor.

"I hate that guy." Joker muttered.

"Nihlus gave you a compliment..." From the co-pilot chair, Alenko shook his head. "So you hate him?"

"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom? That's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So that's great." Joker shot him a glare. "Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having him on board. Call me paranoid."

Alenko promptly obliged. "You're paranoid." He touched a couple buttons on his display. "The Council helped fund this project. They have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

"Yeah, that is the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story."

He shook his head, and looked down at Joker. "You always expect the worst." And the universe rarely failed to disappoint. At first he'd thought Nihlus was just hitching a ride. Now, he wasn't so sure. He just wished he knew what he and Anderson were doing here. Especially since his last shakedown run on a frigate had technically ended in him stealing it. A little.

"Well, bad feelings are an occupational hazard." Joker shrugged. "We don't go anywhere unless there's a good reason, so what are we doing here?"

Michael was about to reply when the comm unit beeped. Captain Anderson's voice came over. "Joker. Status report."

"Just cleared the mass relay, Captain. Stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid."

"Good. Find a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime."

"Aye, aye, Captain." Joker started hitting the buttons. "Better brace yourself, sir. I think Nihlus is headed your way."

Irritation filled Anderson's voice. "He's already here, Lieutenant." Joker winced. "Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing."

"You get that, Commander?"

Well, this should be fun. "Great. You piss the captain off and now I'm going to pay for it."

"Pff. Don't blame me. The captain's always in a bad mood." Joker shot him a look over his shoulder.

"Only when he's talking to you, Joker," Alenko said.

#

Jenkins was practically bouncing when Michael walked past. He slowed briefly. The corporal was from Eden Prime, if he remembered correctly. "What do you think, Commander?" Jenkins saluted. "We won't be staying on Eden Prime too long, will we? I'm itching for some real action."

Dr. Chakwas gave him a disapproving look. "I sincerely hope you're kidding, Corporal. Your 'real action' usually ends with me patching up crew members in the infirmary."

"Only a fool goes looking for a fight, Corporal." Michael inclined his head towards the doctor. Looking wasn't necessary. Sooner or later, the fights always found him.

"Sorry, Commander. But this waiting's killing me. I've never been on a mission like this before. Not one with a Spectre on board."

"Do your job, follow orders, and there won't be any problems."

"Easy for you to say." Jenkins shook his head. "You proved yourself on Torfan. Everybody knows what you can do. This is my big chance. I need to show the brass what I can do."

Last thing he needed was people following the example he'd set at Torfan. "This mission isn't about personal glory, Corporal. We have a job to do. Don't do anything stupid to mess it up."

"Don't worry, sir. I'm not going to screw this up."

"I should go." Michael headed for the debriefing room. Nice to know if nothing else, he could always serve as a bad example.

#

Nihlus was already in the debriefing room. He still wasn't sure what to make of the guy. Maybe it was the species issue, but the guy didn't quite read as 'cop'. "Commander Shepard. I was hoping you'd get here first. It will give us a chance to talk."

"The captain said he'd meet me here."

"He's on his way." Nihlus's strange eyes looked him over before the turian started pacing. "I'm interested in this world we're going to - Eden Prime. I've heard it's quite beautiful."

"I've never been there." His missions didn't typically take him to the more peaceful worlds.

"But you know of it. It's become something of a symbol for your people, hasn't it?" Nihlus stopped pacing and faced him. "Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them. But how safe is it, really?" He walked down to the vid screen, and looked at the still that showed the colony spread out before them.

Michael felt the fight instinct starting to rise. "If you've got something to say, just say it."

"Your people are still newcomers, Shepard. The galaxy can be a very dangerous place." Nihlus turned back to him and folded his arms. "Is the Alliance truly ready for this?"

Before he could respond, the door opened to admit Captain Anderson. He walked down the ramp to them. "I think it's about time we told the commander what's really going on."

"This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run." Nihlus nodded.

The surface of the sun was hot. Water was wet. Opening up your helmet in vacuum was stupid. His self-control was improving; he didn't say any of those out loud. "I already figured that out."

Captain Anderson faced him. "We're making a cover pick-up on Eden Prime. That's why we needed the stealth systems operational."

He nodded. "There must be a reason you tell me about this, sir."

"This comes down from the top, Commander. Information strictly on a need-to-know basis." He gestured sharply. "A research team on Eden Prime unearthed some kind of beacon during an excavation. It was Prothean."

Well. Shit. "What else can you tell me?"

"This is big, Shepard. The last time humanity made a discover like this, it jumped our technology forward two hundred years." Anderson waved a hand. 'But Eden Prime doesn't have the facilities to handle something like this. We need to bring the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study."

Nihlus nodded to Anderson. "Obviously, this goes beyond mere human interests, Commander. This discovery could affect all species in Council space."

"But that's not why you're here." Michael narrowed his eyes.

"Well, the beacon isn't the only reason I'm here." Nihlus's mandibles moved in what he thought might have been the turian version of a smile.

"Nihlus wants to see you in action, Commander." Anderson's face was expressionless. "He's here to evaluate you."

That was slightly disconcerting. "What's going on, Captain?"

It was Anderson's turn to start pacing the small room. "The Alliance has been pushing for this for a long time. Humanity wants a larger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Citadel Council."

"I was impressed when I studied the results from Torfan. A grim business..." Nihlus was watching him. "But you got the job done. That's why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres."

Michael blinked. He glanced from Nihlus to Anderson, and saw Anderson nod. Spectre was... Something he could deal with later, without a turian watching. "Just tell me what I have to do."

"I need to see your skills for myself, Commander. Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together."

"You'll be in charge of the ground team. Secure the beacon and get it onto the ship ASAP. Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission."

Going in blind with a team of unknowns and someone standing over his shoulder to grade his homework. This should be fun. "Just give the word, Captain."

"We should be getting close to Eden -"

Joker's voice cut Captain Anderson off. "Captain, we've got a problem."

"What's wrong, Joker?"

"Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You better see this."

Anderson walked down to the viewscreen. "Bring it up on screen."

The transmission showed marines fighting for their lives. Fighting, and dying. He couldn't make out what they were going up against. A woman shoved the cameraman to the ground. Pirates? An officer's face appeared in the screen. "We are under attack. Taking heavy casualties. I repeat: heave casualties. We can't..." The officer's body jerked as he took a hit to the shoulder. "Argh." He adjusted to get himself better cover. "-eed evac. They came out of nowhere. We need -" The next shot went through the man's helmet, and he fell forward, dropping the camera. It spun as it hit the ground, and there was a strange noise. Someone else picked up the camera and turned it towards a strange shape in the sky. The ship looked almost like a grasping hand, reaching down towards the colony. The screen went to static.

"Everything cuts out after that." Joker's voice came over the comm. "No comm traffic at all. Just goes dead. There's nothing."

"Reverse and hold at 38.5." Anderson stared at the strange ship. Nihlus watched silently. Anderson frowned. "Status report."

"Seventeen minutes out, Captain. No other Alliance ships in the area."

"Take us in, Joker. Fast and quiet." Anderson took a deep breath. "This mission just got a lot more complicated.

"A small strike team can move quickly without drawing attention. It's our best chance to secure the beacon." Nihlus's mandibles made a slight clacking sound.

"Grab your gear and meet us in the cargo hold." Nihlus nodded to Anderson before moving off. Anderson turned towards Michael. "Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up, Commander. You're going in."

#

Michael passed the order, and grabbed his own helmet. Mentally he ran through what he knew of his new teammates. Alenko was a biotic and a trained medic, with some experience under heavy fire. He didn't have a lot of experience working with biotics, but knew enough to be glad to have one on the team. Jenkins was a rookie, with a lot of training missions under his belt and not much else. Alenko was calm. Michael was a little worried Jenkins was going to bounce out of his armor. He was about to say something when Alenko lightly punched Jenkins in the shoulder, putting an end to the bouncing.

"Somebody was doing some serious digging here, Captain." Joker's voice came over the comm.

Anderson came into the cargo hold. Michael frowned, and tapped Jenkin's harness. The rookie immediately adjusted it to sit properly. He checked Alenko's rig and noted nothing out of place.

"Your team's the muscle in this operation, Commander. Go in heavy and head straight for the dig site." Anderson gave them each his own once over.

"What about survivors, Captain?" Alenko asked.

"Helping survivors is a secondary objective. The beacon's your top priority."

"Approaching drop point one." The ship moved smoothly into position.

"Nihlus?" He could hear excitement in Jenkins' voice. "You're coming with us?"

Nihlus checked over his weapon. "I move faster on my own." He exited the ship, leaping off the ramp to the planet below.

"Nihlus will scout out ahead." Anderson continued giving orders. "He'll feed you status reports throughout the mission. Otherwise, I want radio silence."

"Ready and able, sir." He wasn't sure how he felt about putting his hands in the life of a turian. Though it was likely Nihlus wasn't going to do anything that might jeopardize the beacon.

"The mission's yours now, Shepard. Good luck."

#

"Stay low." Michael glanced at Jenkins.

They hadn't gone far when they saw the first bodies. They were almost too charred to be recognizable as human. The stench of burned meat wafted up on the breeze. He saw Jenkins turn a little green. He bent to examine one of the bodies. No sign of weapon or armor. Civilian then, not one of the marines he'd seen on the vid. A serious case of overkill.

"Oh god, what happened here?"

Michael continued moving, scanning the horizon. If it was pirates, there would be mines or other traps, but he wasn't detecting anything. He held up a fist to signal the others to be on guard. This situation wasn't reading right. He signaled them to move forward carefully.

Jenkins was up too high again. The kid was... Something started firing. Jenkins cried out and was falling almost before Michael could get the target in his sights. A drone. He blasted it out of the sky and was moving to the next target. He and Alenko hit it simultaneously. It exploded in a shower of sparks and debris.

He signaled Alenko, moving in to provide cover as the other man moved towards the downed Jenkins. A moment later, Alenko was shaking his head and reaching up to close Jenkins' eyes. "Ripped right through his shields. Never had a chance."

The two men had been friends. "We'll see that he receives a proper service once the mission is complete. But I need you to stay focused." The temptation to run off an avenge a friend was a strong one. And they didn't have enough information to risk that kind of thing.

"Aye, aye, sir."

#

They hadn't gone much further when they saw a marine running for her life. And two synthetic creatures had hold of a man in civilian clothes. The man was moving, abet weakly. The synthetic laid the man over some sort of... A spike shot up from the device, lifting the civilian into the air to twitch obscenely.

The first shot from his sniper rifle blew the head of one of the synthetics apart. The marine immediately took advantage of the distraction to stop running and dive for cover. She came up shooting. A blue glow surrounded Alenko as he used his biotics to throw a nearby creature into an outcropping of rocks before drawing his sidearm.

Michael scoped his next target, trusting the biotic to watch his back. The marine kept firing, drawing the synthetics to her position. He took out several more before they stopped coming over the hill, then checked his display. Other than himself and the other two soldiers, there was nothing moving nearby. He made his way to the marine.

She stood, and her eyes went briefly to his rank insignia. "Thanks for your help, Commander. I didn't think I was going to make it." She saluted. "Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212. You the one in charge here, sir?"

He gestured for Alenko to check out her injuries. "Give me a status report, Williams."

"Oh man..." Williams let Alenko check out the graze on her arm. "We were patrolling the perimeter when the attack hit." She pointed. "We tried to get off a distress call, but they cut off our communications. I've been fighting for my life ever since."

"Any idea what kind of enemy we're facing?" Clearly synthetic, but...

"I think they're geth." Williams looked a bit wide-eyed. He couldn't blame her. Geth. Prothean beacons. Turian spectres. How had he pissed Anderson off this time?

Alenko put his medical kit away. "The geth haven't been seen outside the Veil in nearly 200 years. Why are they here now?"

"They must have come for the beacon." Williams shrugged. "The dig site is close. Just over that rise. It might still be there." She pointed.

How had they even known the beacon was here? "You're coming with us, Williams. We need that beacon."

Her smile was fierce. "Aye, aye, sir. It's time for payback."

They started moving. He questioned her a bit as they headed for the dig site. She hadn't seen Nihlus, and didn't know much more than he did about the beacon. And it was clear none of the rest of her team had survived. He signaled to let Nihlus know about the geth, only to discover the turian had just had his own encounter.

#

There were geth at the dig site. He managed to drop a few with the rifle before the geth got close enough for his companions to join the fray. Williams seemed to find it amusing to shoot the geth Alenko tossed into the air. It didn't take the three of them long to find a rhythm.

Once the geth were done, they headed in to find... nothing. Williams looked around. "This is the dig site. The beacon was right here. It must have been moved."

"By who?" Alenko asked. "Our side? Or the geth?"

"Hard to say. Maybe we'll know more after we check out the research camp." Williams shrugged.

Michael was looking for tracks when his comm unit beeped. Nihlus's voice came over. "Change of plans, Shepard. There's a small spaceport up ahead. I want to check it out."

"The beacon's been moved. We're on our way there." Michael replied.

"I'll meet you there." The comm unit clicked off.

#

They found two civilians in the lab who were able to tell them about the beacon being moved. Though one appeared to have been hit in the head. Either that, or he'd been drinking on the job. Michael told them to stay put until the area had been secured, then relocked the door.

Halfway to the spaceport, one of the strange spikes suddenly released, sliding back down. The corpse that had been atop it was riddled with strange blue wiring. As soon as the spike finished retracting, the corpse started moving.

"Oh god, they're still alive." Alenko stared. "What did the geth do to them?"

Michael put a shot between the thing's eyes at it started attacking. He just hoped there wasn't anything human left in it. The alternative was unthinkable.

#

A shot rang out somewhere in the distance. Michael listened, but heard no more. Nihlus taking out a sentry? He frowned, and kept moving. As they passed a shed, he heard a small creaking noise, and signaled his companions. They took up positions as he started opening the lock.

As soon as the door creaked open, a voice spoke up from the back of the shed. "Everybody stay calm out there. We're coming out. We're not armed." Michael stepped back as three civilians came to the doorway.

The woman among them looked around, her eyes wide. "Is it safe? Are they gone?"

"Nobody moves a muscle until we know who you are." Michael looked them over.

"Nice going, Cole. I told you we should've stayed hidden." The second man shook his head.

The first man, Cole apparently, held up his hands. "It's okay. We're all on the same side here. We're just farmers. We've been hiding ever since that ship first showed up."

Michael shot a look at Williams, who gave him the barest of nods. He returned the nod, then questioned them on what they'd seen. They added unfortunately all too little to the researchers report other than the ship had broadcast some sort of strange signal. He was about to take his leave when the second man spoke up again. "Hey, Cole. We're just a bunch of farmers. These guys are soldiers. Maybe we should give them the stuff."

"Geez, Blake. You gotta learn when to shut up." Cole glared.

"If there's something you're not telling me..." Michael narrowed his eyes.

Cole swallowed nervously. "Some guys at the spaceport were running a small smuggling ring. Nothing major. In exchange for a cut of the profits, we let them store packages in our sheds."

Smugglers. No wonder word of the beacon had reached the geth. Information was always worth more than goods. "You greedy bastard. You weren't running for your life. You were running to check on your merchandise.

"No. It's not like that. I just..." Cole held up his hands. "I just knew there were some packages here. Something we could use. I found a pistol. Figured it would come in handy if those things came back. But you'll probably get more use out of it than we will." He handed Michael the pistol.

Michael glanced at it, then passed it to Alenko. It was a slight improvement to the one the biotic was currently using. Cole was doing the thing where he tried to looked someone in the eye just a little too hard to prove his sincerity. Rookie mistake. "I'm only going to ask this once. Think long and hard before you lie to me again. Are you sure all you've got is one lousy pistol?"

"Uh..." Cole rubbed his forehead. "Oh, wait. I just remembered. I just had it in my pocket. Might as well take that, too. That's everything. Really."

A combat scanner, a fair sight nicer than the one he was currently using. Not bad. Next to him, Williams was still furious. "Who's your contact at the spaceport, Cole? What's his name?"

"He's not a bad guy. I don't want to get him in trouble. Besides, I'm not a snitch."

Amateur. The smart thing to do would have been to give a false name. Michael put a hand on his pistol. "Would you rather be a snitch or a corpse?"

The answer came almost before he'd finished asking the question. "Powell. His name's Powell."

Williams smirked. "No honor among thieves." He kind of resented that remark.

Cole was backing up. "That's all I know. Really. So let's try to keep things friendly from here on in, okay?"

Michael shrugged. "I have to go."

As soon as they were out of earshot, Alenko shook his head. "Was scaring the civilians necessary?"

"Smugglers gossip worse than cadets." Michael glanced back at the shed. "There is a chance we can trace the leak. If nothing else, we need to shut down the operation." He glanced down at the scanner before affixing it to his gear. "This is military grade."

"Assholes." Williams glared.

#

He could see geth moving around at the spaceport. "As soon as I start taking out the geth, those..." Michael glanced at the spikes. "Husks are going to start moving. Take up position and cover me." He unslung his sniper rifle.

Alenko and Williams moved into position. Michael took cover, then peered out through the scope. He did a quick headcount to chose his targets, and caught sight of the containment unit. The edge of his mouth lifted slightly as he touched the trigger. The explosion took out the nearby geth. The remaining two were looking around when he took the head off one. The second dove for cover. As soon as it peered out, he sniped it, then shifted the barrel to take out one of the husks.

The rifle dropped, and he grabbed his pistol as he turned to back up his companions. It proved unnecessary. Williams had just taken out the last of the husk things, aided by Alenko's barrier. One of the husks was still floating lazily through the ravine. "Nice."

Williams grinned.

#

"Sir, it's Nihlus." Alenko moved to check the fallen turian, reaching for his medical kit as he did so.

Williams snapped her rifle into position. "Something's moving. Over behind those crates."

Michael moved in to guard Alenko, aiming his pistol as he did.

"Wait. Don't -" The human held up his hands. "Don't shoot. I'm one of you. I'm human."

He lowered his weapon, but didn't holster it. Alenko glanced up at him and shook his head before rising from Nihlus's corpse. Michael sighed, then looked back up at the dockworker. "I like the way you hid behind those crates during the fight. Really helped us out. Thanks a lot." From here, he could see where Nihlus had been shot in the back of the head. Even a small warning would have helped.

"Me? But..." The man swallowed. "But I'm just a dockworker. I don't even have a weapon." He touched his chest. "My name's Powell. I saw what happened to that turian. The other one shot him."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Michael flicked his eyes to the dead spectre before looking back at the dockworker. What other one?

"There were two turians here. Your friend and another one he called Saren. I think they knew each other." He gestured. "Your friend seemed to relax. He let his guard down..." Powell lifted his hands. "And Saren killed him. Shot him right in the back. I'm just lucky he didn't see me behind the crates."

Well. Shit. "Where'd Saren go after he killed Nihlus?"

Powell pointed. "He jumped on the cargo train and headed over to the other platform. Probably going after the beacon." He leaned on the crate. "I knew that beacon was trouble. Everything's gone to hell since we found it. First that damn mother ship showed up. Then the attack. They killed everyone. Everyone. If I hadn't been behind the crates I'd be dead, too."

"You're Cole's contact here on the docks. For the smuggling ring."

"What? No. I mean..." Powell sighed. "What does it matter now? So I'm a smuggler? Who cares? My supervisor's dead. The entire crew's dead. It doesn't matter now, does it?"

Except for the part where it was three of them against a lot of geth. "Anything hidden nearby that we could use against the geth?"

Immediately, Powell nodded. "A shipment of grenades came through last week. Nobody notices if a few small pieces go missing from the military orders."

Williams took a half step forward. "You greedy son of a bitch. We're out here trying to protect your sorry ass and all you can think about is how you can rip us off?"

Powell recoiled. "I never thought you'd actually need those grenades. Who'd want to attack Eden Prime? We're just a bunch of farmers. How was I supposed to know?"

It was tempting to just let Williams shoot the guy. "Hand over those grenades, now."

"They're yours." Powell scrambled to retrieve them. He glanced from Williams to Michael before handing them to Alenko. "Take them. My smuggling days are over. I swear."

Why did they always think they needed to stare intently into your eyes when they lied? These 'criminal masterminds' would last about fifteen seconds on Earth. "Too many people died here for you to start jerking me around."

"Okay." Powell's hands went back up. "There was something else. Could be worth a fortune. Experimental technology. Top of the line. Take it. I don't need it. I didn't want anyone to get hurt. Really. I'm sorry."

This time, he thought the guy was actually telling the truth. He gestured. "We need to find that beacon before it's too late."

#

Geth were swarming the passenger tram. He signaled Alenko and Williams into position before reaching for his sniper rifle. A geth was taking aim with a missile launcher. He put his slug into the launcher before it could fire, and it obliged him by exploding in the geth's hands, taking out it and the geth next to it. He scoped the next one, taking it out before it could get to the tram's controls.

He felt a strange hum that he was starting to realize was Alenko using biotics nearby. Out of the corner of his eye he saw geth go flying, giving Williams room to close and go to work with a shotgun and her new grenade collection. It was possible the gunny was working out some issues.

More geth coming their way. He put a slug into the head of the one in back and was scoping the next one before it even realized it had lost its backup.

#

"Explosive charges."

"Cover me." Michael slid in and began disabling the device. There were enough explosives in this thing to level the spaceport, and from the signal on his viewport, this wasn't the only one. Nothing like disarming a bomb while being shot at by geth to get the blood flowing.

Alenko held a barrier while Williams returned fire. He finished quickly, then snapped the sniper rifle up to his shoulder. With Alenko's barrier backing him up, he put two slugs into the geth moving in on Williams. "Move."

#

The countdown on the fourth bomb came to a stop. He held his breath just for a moment, but nothing reactivated. The bombs were a rush job, they clearly hadn't expected anyone to be in a position to mess with them. Michael glanced at his combat scanner, but something was still jamming the signal.

He gestured for his teammates to move forward carefully. Williams took point, freeing Michael up to move into a sniper's position. There were geth moving around the beacon, and more of the husk things. He signaled Williams to focus on the husks before scoping the first of the geth. Alenko took up a cover position where he could watch both of their backs. A few fights in, and they were moving like they'd been working together a year.

Michael fired, and the geth's head exploded into a shower of sparks. The others immediately started reaching for weapons.

#

The scanner showed no more signs of trouble. Michael reached for his communicator. "Normandy, the beacon is secure. Request immediate evac."

As he listened to the response, Williams and Alenko began looking around. "This is amazing. Actual working Prothean technology. Unbelievable." Alenko stared at the beacon. It was glowing faintly with a green light.

Williams tilted her head as she looked it over. "It wasn't doing anything like that when they dug it up." She picked up the rifle one of the geth had dropped, and started back toward Michael's location.

Alenko was still staring at the beacon. "Something must have activated it."

"Roger, Normandy. Standing by." Michael turned towards Williams, looking at the rifle she was holding. He accepted it, looking it over with a critical eye. Behind Williams, Alenko was moving closer to the beacon. He frowned. Something was off. Alenko was moving strangely, as if the beacon was pulling him. The green glow increased.

He lunged forward just as Alenko began rising into the air, tackling the other man to the ground. There was a surge, like electricity in his armor. He threw Alenko clear just before his own body went rigid. Something pulled at him, drawing him towards the beacon. He heard Alenko's voice just as some strange force lifted him into the air. "Shepard."

"No. Don't touch him. It's too dangerous." William's voice echoed strangely right before his senses were overwhelmed.

Images and sensations flooded, too fast for him to make sense of them. Blood and oil. Scattered circuits and bones. A firefight, and burned corpses as far as the eye could see. Lush planets reduced to wastelands, people burned down as they fled. Synthetics opening fire. Faster and faster, until he couldn't make sense of the images at all. And some strange noise, the scream of metal on metal.

Then nothing.