"So, this your first tour of duty Serviceman?" Natalie questioned whilst putting on the light armour the she had been able to afford, a modestly priced Onyx range. Her budget couldn't afford anything fancy.
"yes Ma'am. I'm really worried though, I hear stories about what the commander has been through, or that pilot or the spectre we have on board, or even you and I just think will that be me during our mission? Will I be forced to watch you guys get torn apart by something and then survive and feel the guilt eat away at me? Will I end up unarmed and against overwhelming odds? I don't know, you ever feel like this?" The young man asked, frowning. Natalie smiled and gave him a light pat on the arm.
"You will be fine solider, trust me when I say that everyone feels like that on their first time, just keep behind me and Sheperd and you will be fine" She said, reaching for her helmet. "I promise that nothing bad is going to happen. All were doing is a shakedown run. It won't be anything major; if we are luck we won't even be needed." The lieutenant said, looking around the somewhat hollow armoury. The Mako stood proud and un-used in a corner. She hated the things. They were uncomfortable to ride in and hard to drive.
"Hey aren't you a biotic? I mean I heard rumours, but then lots of the people also say that you don't know how to smile and that you once broke someone's back after they commented on your…" He asked, not finding the words for the deep trench in the side of her face. She had to laugh at this, playground gossip on a military ship. The kid couldn't have been older then nineteen. Asking someone with as much infamy as her might have been intimidating.
"Yeah, I'm a biotic. Let's just stick with the idea that it sounds cooler than it actually is." She said, smiling distantly.
"So you're nothing like a Jedi?" The recruit asked, with an astonished look on his face.
"A what?" Natalia snapped back, confused at the word.
"Nothing, just something from an old earth Sci-fi vid, that's all." The guy said, chuckling to himself. Natalia was glad; feeling the tension between them lessen. "So you got any family around the galaxy? No one around the colonies or back on earth?" He said, sitting up a little bit straighter then before.
"Yeah, I got a brother who lives out on Horizon. Nobody else I really keep in contact with, you?" She asked, trying to steer the conversation away from her own family.
"Oh, I got a huge family. I got both my parents on earth and a sister and Nephew on Feros and a fiancée waiting for me on the citadel." He said, smiling which Natalia presumed was at fond memories he had spent with them.
"Marriage at your age? You sure the military is your thing?" She asked, more surprised at the fact that he was ready to join the military whilst he had people waiting for him at home.
"Yeah, always wanted to be a soldier, my granddad served in the first contact war and died in combat. I always saw myself as entering the family business. Righting wrongs in the galaxy. Always thought it was pretty cool" He explained, his smile growing.
"Trust me when I say it isn't always as glamorous as that. Just remember what I said, kay? Me, the Commander and most of the crew were picked for specific reasons that we have had more experience than most."
"I know that, I'm afraid of anything major happening. I just want to make a difference that's all. Sorry for being ignorant ma'am. Lots of people are afraid of you" He managed to look at the floor after that.
"Don't worry about it, next time you want someone to be afraid of go speak to sunny. He will love the company" She said shaking her head at the stubborn pilot's attitude. "I think we got about half an hour to kill, feel like testing out some of that weaponry?" She asked, and to her surprise the serviceman's face light up.
"You're applying me for what?" Sheperd said, aggression raking his body. Demanding to know why this had all happened behind his back.
"We are going to be on a variety of mission's together commander. This is just the first of many. It was me who recommended you for our ranks. Your action to Akuze was a rare talent, which not many people have the strength to do, or the courage. You were an idle spectre; I was surprised someone else hadn't already recommended you." Sallazan said, having a secret smile to himself.
"The spectres are a great opportunity, and the alliances have been pushing for this. We want a bigger role in shaping galactic society. This could be our chance." Captain Harley said, strong to emphasize the point that he believed the commander was missing. His hair was grey, too early then it should have been. His form was large and muscular and his eyes were tinged red, from operation and cloning. He had seen more than Sheperd could ever know about, or dreamed to know about.
"Why was this all kept secret, Captain, I understand the need to keep it secret from the rest of the crew but I am the candidate!" Sheperd said, angry at the situation. The salarian watched with something similar to amusement.
"I am sure you will make an inte-"His voice was cut off by a loud sound coming from the comm.
"Captain, I think you might want to see this. Emergency transmission from Eden Prime." Sunny's voice said, and a video started to play on a large screen at the back of the room.
Immediately the room was overpowered by the sound of gunfire and screaming. A picture showed up of three marines, firing against something, whilst the entire planet burned. A man wearing phoenix armour approached the camera, forcing it to the ground, before more bullets were fired from his pistol. Behind him, one of the men took a blast to the chest from some sort of energy weapon. A gruesome sight was left of the man's torso as he fell backwards.
"Fall back, we need to find a defnsibile position." The phoenix marine said, more bullets fired from his pistol and the second marine took a mass of energy shots to the chest before slumping to the ground. "Damn it" A voice grunted and then….silence
Then the transmission cut out, and like that it was over. Sallazan had the same face as before, he hadn't exactly been surprised. As if he had been expecting this to happen. Harley was curious, like he had seen something that Sheperd had missed.
"Sunny, take this back about forty clicks" Harley said, and the video went backwards and froze, it was the scene right before the phoenix solider had forced the camera down. A huge battleship unlike any design Sheperd has seen before was there, surrounded with clouds and lightning. "Take us in, fast and quiet" Harley said, turning around and heading towards the pilot cockpit. Sallazan shook his head and followed after Harley leaving Sheperd a few minutes to himself.
"Commander what's going on?" Natalie started, quickly noticing the distress between the three figures that had appeared from the elevator. Serviceman Ferrwin stood in the distance, messing around with an avenger, adding on a scope of some sort.
"Lieutenant Diamonds, you better be ready to get into action. Something has attacked Eden Prime. Something big. Were going in guns blazing" Sheperd said glumly, making a line straight for his armour and katana. This day just got a lot harder.
