Title: EVA Team and the Mass Effect
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: Nothing Specific, though knowing both the Mass Effect universe and Neon Genesis Evangelion would not hurt.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect of NGE... I would buy them but I am broke.
Summary: Instead of Shepard, a team of three N7's who had tested biomechanical suits were selected as Humanities candidates for Spectre status. A fiery redhead, an ice cool albino and a brown haired man. Mass Effect/Neon Genesis Evangelion cross.
A/N: a note on ranks. The ME series seemed to be using Naval Ranking system, unless you saved Kaiden and then he was a Major in ME3, which is not a naval rank, it is an army/marine rank (air force too, because they emerged out of the Army Air Corps). Ash is a Marine so she should not be a Lieutenant Commander (naval rank) if they are including Marine ranks, she would be a Major. Here are the proper ranks Marine to Navy (modern US basis). 2nd Lieutenant/Ensign. 1st Lieutenant/Lieutenant JG. Captain/Lieutenant. Major/Lieutenant Commander. Lieutenant Colonel/Commander. Colonel/Captain. After that you get into Generals and Admirals. In the first Chapter, when discussing their back history, Rei was one rank above Asuka and Shinji (a Lieutenant Commander Navy to their Captain Marines) at the time they were selected for EVA Project, though I see it as Rei just got the promotion and Asuka and Shinji were just shy of their own. For this fic I am keeping Marine and Navy Ranks separate.
Captain David Anderson looked over the three standing in front of him at a relaxed stance as he pretended to review their files. He recognised the calm confidence of N7 operatives, he was one of the first graduates from the N7 program himself, but there was more to it than that. Captain Soyru was standing in the middle and slightly ahead of both Captain Ikari and Lieutenant Commander Ayanami, giving the impression she was the leader, but he knew that was a lie. Asuka was the aggressive one and the 'face' of the team; Rei was the cool, calm and methodical one and Shinji was the tactical genius and, in some ways, a more direct and brutal soldier than Asuka.
"Major Soyru, Major Ikari, Lieutenant Commander Ayanami, welcome aboard the Normandy." Captain Anderson said.
"Thank you, Skipper." Asuka said on behalf of the group.
"Also, you can drop that." Anderson continued. "I am aware of you N School training file and I have also been fully briefed on Project EVA and the results. I am both a former graduate of N School, one of the first actually, and trained some of their current instructors."
The EVA Team exchanged glances and dropped all pretences.
"Fair enough. What's the real deal? Why are we here?" Shinji asked.
"Officially, you are assigned to Normand for the shakedown cruise of the new stealth drive and, if all goes well, permanently thereafter." Anderson explained.
"And the real reason?" Rei calmly asked. "It is unlikely that the Alliance would assign their best ground combat team to even as advanced a ship as the Normandy on a permanent basis without something more behind it."
"I told Admiral Hackett you would figure it out." Anderson said with a shake of his head. "In a few days, once you are all settled, a shuttle will be docking with the Normandy to deliver a single passenger. That passenger is a Turian Spectre called Nhilus. He will be here to evaluate the three of you as a candidate for Spectre Status."
Both Shinji and Asuka pulled a coin out of a pouch at their belts and handed them to Rei without looking. Rei took the coins and put them into a similar pouch on her own belt.
"She called it." Asuka said with a shrug.
Shinji, Asuka and Rei were calmly checking over their gear as they were in the cargo hold waiting for the drop down to Eden Prime. Lieutenant Alenko, Corporal Jenkins and Private Smythe were standing behind the trio while Captain Anderson was standing in front of them.
"This is a recon and extraction mission. The beacon had priority." Anderson was saying. "Major Soyru had Command. Major Ikari is second."
Jenkins was one of the Soldiers specialists that was part of the fifteen Marines that were the permanent contingent of the Normandy, previously under the command of Lieutenant Alenko but now officially under Asuka. He was armed with an assault rifle and a shotgun.
Smythe was also a Marine, a short and stocky woman, but she was the only Marine Medic aboard and was armed with a Submachine gun and a Heavy Pistol, and had a backpack over her armour with her medical kit.
Alenko, Jenkins and Smythe were all armoured in variants of the standard Marine Armour. Alenko's variant was designed to help channel his Biotic Abilities. Jenkins' version was the standard front-line armour and Smythe's was the Medic variant, which was somewhere between the lighter armour of Alenko and the heavier armour of Jenkins.
Nhilus, the Turian Spectre, was standing off to the side, checking his Assault Rifle.
"You coming with us Nhilus?" Alenko asked.
"I move faster on my own." Nhilus said.
"That's not your mission." Rei said.
"Excuse me?" Nhilus said with a frown.
"You're not here to rescue the beacon." Asuka continued.
"You're here to evaluate us in combat." Shinji added. "You can't do that off on your own."
"So, stick to your damn mission." Asuka almost growled. "Let us do ours."
Nhilus growled softly until Anderson interjected.
"They have a point, Nhilus." Anderson observed.
"Fine." Nhilus huffed.
"Approaching drop site." Joker's voice came over the intercom.
"Good luck. Take them out, Major." Anderson ordered.
Asuka just gestured and then stepped off the lip of the cargo bay ramp, falling two feet to the ground and moved forward about a meter, to allow the others to join her on the ground, before kneeling and covering the others with her assault rifle. Shinji and Rei almost immediately joined her on each side, Shinji with his assault rifle in his hands while Rei was wielding one of her submachine guns in each hand. Nhilus and the rest of the Marines quickly followed, taking up positions at alternating ends of the line centred on Asuka.
Once they were all lined up the Normandy roared overhead, gaining altitude to get back into Space.
"Rei, scout a path. Minimal lead. Shinji, take point. Smythe, stay in the centre unless someone needs help. Watch your spacing. Move out." Asuka ordered.
Rei moved out first and despite her predominantly white armour, she quickly disappeared from view, much to the surprise of the non EVA members. Shinji and Asuka just shook their heads and grinned at the other's surprise.'
After a minute, Shinji lead the group out down the path he knew Rei had taken. Alenko was just to the right rear of Shinji with Nhilus the same to his left. Smythe was about two feet behind Shinji, flanked by Asuka and Jenkins.
The first part of the path was a winding path lined and dotted with boulders. The team moved from cover to cover.
"Contact." Rei said over the radio. "Some kind of gun drone. Two in, two down. Moving on."
It was less than a minute, at the base of a hill where the team found the remains of the destroyed drones.
"There's overlook leading to an open corridor ahead. No cover." Rei reported.
"Set up overwatch, we'll be there shortly." Asuka replied.
"Acknowledged."
They made good time to the overlook. Where they met up with Rei, who was set up behind a low boulder with her sniper rifle.
There was a long down slope covered with glass with some cover at the far end. There was only one big boulder between the top of the slope and the far end, a few meters down the slope.
"Rei, keep overwatch. Shinji, Jenkins, we'll push forward to the far end. Nhilus, overwatch as you can. Alenko, Smythe stay here. Once we make far cover, we'll cover you as you advance." Asuka ordered.
"Movement." Rei announced. "Marine, running fast, followed by four hostiles."
"Cover as you can. Shinji, let's go."
Sergeant Ashley Williams kept zig-zagging as she ran from the four damn Geth behind her. She fired back with one handed with her assault rifle as she ran. She did not expect to hit the flashlight heads but maybe it would slow them down. She was a third of the way along when she heard the loud retort of a sniper rifle and something collapse behind her but did not turn, focusing on running and that there may be some friendlies ahead. A few seconds later another shot passed her and something else fall.
She was just over halfway when she saw what appeared to be a streak of blue pass her on one side and a streak of red pass on the other. The pressure wave of the passage almost stopped her in her tracks. Almost despite herself, she turned to look behind her and saw the two Geth, who had not been shot by the sniper, fall having been split in half across the waist. Just beyond the destroyed Geth were two humans, a female with red hair dressed in red armour and a male with dark brown hair dressed in blue and white armour. Both were standing still with swords, of all things, outstretched in their hands. After a second, they moved to re-sheath their swords and turned to face her.
"Sergeant Ashley Williams, 212." She introduced.
"Major Asuka Langley Soyru, EVA Team assigned to the Normandy." The woman introduced.
"Major Shinji Ikari, the same." The man added. "We're here about the beacon."
Asuka waved to the top of the hill and five more figures emerged. Four were human and one Turian.
"It's a bit of a story." Ashely said.
TBC….