A/N: I guess I should have mentioned that there are going to be spoilers for a few games in this fic. But knowing many of you guys who read my work you know how I operate. And to further clear the air this is my attempt at a Self-Insert. I've worked at so many OC stories that I finally decided to put myself into one. And I know that there are thousands of these out there, but hay, sometimes the best stories out there involve the author themselves am I right?
I own nothing
The building we were in was crumbling all around us. We all could hear the Covenant Phantoms outside searching for us. Carter had been talking with the others about what our next move was, but I wasn't listening. Knowing exactly what he was already saying.
"Six, focus." said Kat elbowing me in the side. "Sorry, just focusing on shit around us." The bionic armed Spartan turned to me, "You should be focused on the mission. What would happen if-" Movement in my peripheral. "Get down!" I tackled Kat to the ground just as a focused needle round passed through my shields and pierced my shoulder.
The others in Noble looked up and opened fire on the Phantom that was above us. Lifting my assault rifle with my only good arm, I let loose a barrage of rounds, taking out the Jackel with the needle rifle that was pirched on the outer platform.
Kat helped me to my feet and led me to the elevator with the others. "Thanks." she mumbled applying biofoam to my wound. "No problem." I said reloading my rifle.
X
The scene changed. Now I was fighting on the street that was once broadway. Me, Kat and Emile were firing every round we had into a squad of Ceph who were trying to keep us away from a squad of marines that were pinned down a click away.
"We gotta heavy!" Shouted Emile as the large Ceph came at us firing it's chaingun. "Cover me!" I shouted to them. "Cloak Engaged." I slipped past the Ceph ranks and got behind the heavy alien before emptying my whole weapon into a weak spot on it's back.
The large Ceph spun around and grabbed me in it's large clawed hand. "Fuck!" I shouted as it flung me into a wall. "Energy Depleated." said Prophet. I looked up just as the Heavy Ceph slammed it's foot down on me and aimed it's weapon at my head.
Out of nowhere. Emile lept onto the thing's back, ramming his Kukri into it's neck spilling gel fluid everywhere. "Come on Motherfucker! Is that all you got!" he shouted as the large alien tried to dislodge him.
When my suit's energy returned I pulled my shotgun from off my back and rammed it into an open spot in the Ceph's armor. The following blast blew chunks of the creature's insides and armor out of it's back.
The glowing red eyes went dead, and the Ceph collapsed in a heap on the ground.
Emile pulled his knife out of the thing's neck and wiped the blade off on his forearm. "You owe me one Six. Just so you know." he said with a chuckle. I chuckled back as Kat joined us, "Come on guys. We got a city to save."
X
The scene changed again. I was now standing in a bright white room. A woman wearing a white and gold robe stood before me, a smile on her beautiful heartshaped face. "Your destiny awaits you." she said nearly in a whisper.
Everything exploded in a flash of light and a loud scream echoed out.
X
I bolted awake, heart pounding as reality sunk back in. "You alright?" I looked across the room at Kat who was sitting at a desk. "Yeah...yeah. Just weird dreams." I said running a hand over my scalp.
I had fallen asleep in the medbay roughly an hour after we saved Tali from the Geth. I opted to stay with her just incase she woke up. "Who's flying the ship?" I asked stretching out my arms. "Autopilot. Should take us right to the Citadel. Should be there in another six hours." said Kat as she resumed going through the terminal before her.
To be honest, I had never seen Kat in anything but her armor. To see her in a grey wife-beater and jeans was an odd sight. Especially since her cybernetic left arm was in clear view.
Looking away from my fellow Spartan, I watched the still sleeping form of Tali. After we had given her antibiotics to fight off the infection, we let her rest in order to fully recover from her injuries.
"Kinda makes you wonder why she was out there all alone." said Kat not even looking up from the terminal. "Pilgramige." I said honestly. Kat looked at me, "That whole right of passage thing all young Quarians do?" "Exactly. She's the one that finds the data that exposes Saren." Kat looked from me to Tali, "Then it's a good thing we found her."
We were both silent for a bit before Kat went back to work. "What are you doing anyway?" I asked standing up. "Searching the extranet for anything useful." she said going through links quickly. "Find anything?" I asked leaning over her chair. "Mostly garbage. A few pieces of data on the Citadel's lay out. Where we can pick up tech, weaponry and armor components. We'll have to upgrade our suits to better handle enemy firepower."
I couldn't really argue with the logic. Kat was a master at weapons, armor and tech. If she could make our gear better then that was good news.
She stood up and cracked her neck, "I'm heading to the mess. You coming?" I shook my head, "Nah, I'll stay." Kat looked from me, to Tali, then back again before leaving the room silently. I pulled my chair a little closer to the bed and sat back down. When she woke up and found that she was on a strange ship, she would need someone to explain what happened.
X Tali's POV X
Something felt...wrong. I was expecting death, instead I feel...comfotable. Opening my eyes I saw a ceiling above me. "It's good to see you awake." I sat up quickly and turned to the voice and saw someone sitting in a chair next to the bed I was on.
The sight of his red eyes made me nervious. But the gentle smile he wore calmed my nerves a little. "Where...am I?" "On a ship inbound for the Citadel. Me and my team found you and brought you back after dealing with the Geth." he replied standing up.
"Names Xero, by the way." he said extending his hand. "Tali'Zorah nar Rayya." I replied shaking my hand with his. I tried to stand, but the moment my feet hit the floor I almost fell over. Xero snapped out and caught me with such quickness that I was startled.
He was huge! His form towered over me by a foot or more. And even with my envirosuit I could feel nothing but rock solid muscle under his shirt. I couldn't help the sudden heat that flushed my face. "Easy there. You haven't fully recovered yet. So try to take it easy for a little while."
He picked me up and laid me back onto the bed and pulled the covers over me. "Thank you, I don't know how I could possibly repay you." Xero waved his hand, "No problem. I like saving pretty girls in distress." I felt my face heat up again under my visor. "I've...never encountered someone so selfless outside the Flotilla." I said fighting my blush.
"People are idiots. Just because your people are doing what they can for survival doesn't give them the right to treat you all like they do." I noticed the hint of aggression in his voice, and I couldn't help but smile. Someone actually trusts my people. The look of anger disappeared and he smiled again, "If it's okay with you, would you mind telling me a little about your people?"
I was surprised nearly beyond words, "You...You want to know more about my people?" "Yeah. I like learning about different cultures and lifestyles. And besides, it'll help pass the time." he said sitting back down. I wrang my hands together, a habit I had whenever I was nervious. "Okay."
We talked for hours. Xero hung onto my everyword, asking a few questions here and there. In exchange, I asked a few questions of my own. He explained a little about himself, his likes and dislikes, even his tastes in music. Granted, I've never indulged in anything relating to Human culture. But it sounded interesting nontheless.
I started to feel comfortable around him. Dispite his red eyes, Xero was kind and gentle. Yet at the same time I could tell that he could easily crush anything that stood in his way. But dispite everything, the look in his red orbs spoke of something far more.
What I saw was someone who had seen far too much in his life. He hid it very well, but we Quarians knew how to tell everything about a person through their eyes and body language. What could have happened in his life for such things to be hidden just under the surface?
"Xero, we're approaching the Citadel." spoked a woman's voice over the comm system. Xero looked at me, "You feeling better now?" I slowly got off the bed and actually felt stable this time. "Yes actually." He grinned, "Great. Then it's only proper that I introduce you to the others."
X Xero's POV X
After giving Tali a quick tour of the ship, I took her to the bridge where the others were waiting. "About time, haven't heard from you in a while mate." said Soap. He looked past me and saw Tali. "And I see our guest is awake. How ya feeling?" "Much better thank you." she replied.
"Tali this is the crew. The guy with the mohawk is Captain John MacTavish, we call him Soap." Soap gave a nod, Tali giggled. "Something funny about my name?" asked the former 141 agent. "It's just funny how your nickname is that of a cleaning material." said Tali.
Everyone started laughing after that, Soap just crossed his arms and glared. "Right then, the one in the hat is Captain Price." Price tilted his hat at her. "The one leaning on the terminal is Yuri." The ex-Spetznaz nodded at her. "The one in full armor with the skull is Emile. Don't worry, he's not as dangerous as he looks." "Xero's right, I'm worse." replied Emile as he flipped his Kukri around each of his fingers.
"And lastly, Kat. Our expert in just about anything." Kat lifted her cybernetic arm and flipped me the middle finger. "What happened to your arm?" asked Tali. "Long story. Anyway, I believe that's the Citadel." she said pointing out the viewport.
We all looked ahead and saw the massive station before us. "Bloody hell." Price said in awe. "Keelah...I've heard and read about it. But I never thought that the Citadel would be this grand." said Tali. "Da...it's hard to grasp." Yuri said looking at the large station.
Our ship made it's approach, passing by the massive fleet that was protecting the station. "Fleet this size could deal some damage." said Emile. As we approached the docking area, we recieved a transmission. "Citadel Control to unknown vessel. Identify yourself." "This is the Cold Dusk requesting permission to dock." said Kat. Everything was silent until the operator came back on. "IFF confirmed. Dock on platform 23D. Welcome to the Citadel."
After the ship was secured to the platform, everyone got ready to get off. "Hopefully this won't end up too bad." said Price as he lit a cigar as we passed through the airlock. "What could happen?" asked Emile. "With us, anything's possible." I replied.
Tali stuck close to me as the airlock completed it's cycle and opened. Allowing us to step onto the platform.
X
The Citadel is said to be the center of all the politics in the galaxy. Where the biggest diplomats in the Traverse came to speak to one another and make laws for the betterment of everyone. It was also where the finest shops had some of the best supplies availiable. However, the large space metropolis may seem like a glorious place. But it could be just as bad as Omega.
But not everything about the large station was bad. A lot of good things could happen in a place like this.
However, going through the C-Sec checkpoint was the biggest pain in the ass!
The damn cops had been searching all of us for the past hour. And to be honest we were all getting pretty pissed. "Sorry for the inconvience." said the Turian officer. I just brushed past him and headed out of the checkpoint.
"Just what the fuck was all that about?" asked Soap irritably. "It was my fault." said Tali meekly. "People don't trust my kind. They look upon us like vagrants and thieves." Price snorted, "Ignorant asses."
We entered a large atrium where several people were mingling. "So what's up first?" asked Emile. "We need some new tech. And some onmi-tools wouldn't hurt. On top of that our weapons and armor could use some upgrades." said Kat.
"Then lets head to the market district. We could pawn some of our old stuff and get some decent credits." I said leading them to the stores. "You sure you know where your going comrad?" asked Yuri. "Believe it or not, I know the place like the back of my hand." I said over my shoulder. The russian got what I meant and nodded.
As we made our path, we got quite a few odd looks from passersby along the way. We tried to not let it bother us too much. "What the hell are they starring at?" said Emile unconciously reaching for his Kukri. "With looks like yours mate, It isn't a surprise." said Soap chuckling.
Emile slugged the ex-141 operative lightly in the arm, trying not to break the operative's arm with his strength. "Quite a strange group you have here." Tali whispered to me. "Yeah, but their friends, what can you do?" I said back.
X
It turned out that all of our old weapons and ammo fetched a very high price. All together we had accumilated over 18 million credits in all. To say we were shocked was a complete understatement. "I say we head to the bar." said Soap as he tried to get used to his new omni-tool.
"Maybe after we get our equipment. We could use the upgrades." I said as we entered the armor shop. I could practically feel everyone save for Tali and Kat grinning like crazy.
The place had several kiosks, all listing the various items the shop provided. The lone Salarian shop keeper saw us come in and welcomed us, "Welcome to my store. Anything I can help you with?" "Just browsing for now. We'll let you know if we need anything." I said kindly. However, standing tall in black and silver armor with a blood red visor did little good to make him comfortable.
Kat had gone right to work looking for the components to upgrade our gear while the rest of us browsed. Price and Soap looking for some way to have the 141 insignia painted onto the armor they wore. Yuri was looking at various combat knives for close quarters. Emile was trying to locate a new bandolier for heatsinks that could be attatched to his armor.
Personally, I really didn't need anything. And in the likely chance that I did Prophet would just upgrade the systems automatically.
I looked to the other side of the shop and saw Tali looking at different envirosuits. "Find something you like?" I asked walking up next to her. She jumped, but relaxed after she saw it was me. "Yes actually...but I'll have to make due." I looked at the kiosk and saw that she was looking at an envirosuit that had light armor plating that could withstand sufficient damage, but was still light enough to manuver in.
It looked similar to the suit she was wearng now. Except that it was a darker purple and black color. I looked at the price, 300,000 creds. "It doesn't seem that expensive." I said honestly.
Tali's glowing eyes widened, "Xero! I couldn't afford that if my life depended on it!" she said in shock. "Who said anything about you paying for it?" I asked grinning. I slipped my credit chit into the slot next to the kiosk ignoring Tali's attempts to stop me.
A few minutes later, the Salarian shop keeper came over and handed me the armor case containing Tali's new suit. "Consider it a gift Tali." I said handing it to her. She looked from the case, then back at me, "Xero...thank you." "Theres a clean room to change in the back." said the Salarian.
Tali stepped into the back while I checked on everyone else. "Everything good Kat?" I asked. She took her chit out of the kiosk she was on. "Got everything we need. It'll all be sent to our ship within the hour." she said looking back at me.
The others joined us a few moments later. All four of them having the additions to their armor that they were looking for. "Where's Tali?" asked Price. "She should be right out." I said turning back to where she entered the back.
She came out minutes later wearing her new suit. Now, I had seen a lot of good looking women. But the way that new suit hugged her curves made my brain shut down for a few moments.
"How do I look?" she asked hesitantly. "Like you could kick some ass." said Price around his cigar. She wrung her hands together as she came over. "So, where to now?"
I snapped out of my daze and was about to say something when Kat made hand signals out of sight of the others. It was a special code that only Spartans knew. "Actually guys why don't you go grab some grub. I gotta talk to Kat for a minute."
Emile gave a stiff nod while the others looked on confused before they walked away. "What's up Kat?" I asked seriously. "I've been thinking about our situation. And I came across a couple of theories." I stayed silent so she could continue. "Remember when you told me that you kept me and Emile from dying?" "Yeah." "You changed the timeline in our dimension. Then when we entered that dimension with the Ceph, you were the one to get the armor and me and Emile were able to help you. Again, that timeline was changed."
I started to put together what Kat was saying. "And, in the dimension where we picked up Soap, Price and Yuri we were able to assist them to end the war that had started." "So what your trying to say is..." "Exactly. The other universes were drastically changed because of our interference. So that would mean that this dimension could experience changes as well."
A sigh escaped me. She was right. Because of my presence starting in the Halo universe, the timelines had all changed completely in all the other dimensions. Which meant that whatever I knew about this universe could be useless.
"It's already experienced changes." I said seriously. "We saved Tali from the Geth. And in doing so changed the events to follow. So she won't end up meeting Commander Shepard like in the game." Kat brought up her omni-tool, which she had personally imbedded into her cybernetic arm. "We only have one course of action." she looked up at me again, "We have to find some way to get Shepard to come to us."
I thought hard for a few moments. Then it hit me. "Chora's den." Kat tilted her head confused. "It's a bar this guy Fist runs. He's the one who originally tried to 'help' Tali with the data she has with her. But he ended up sending some of Saren's assassins after her."
"We can't let her know we know about the data of Saren's guilt." said Kat. "That's why we're going there. First we'll get Tali to tell us about the data. Then we can head to the club and talk to Fist." I said laying out my plan. "So you intend on going through the same storyline?" asked Kat.
"No, that door has closed completely. But I think shooting up the bar and taking out Fist's thugs should draw enough attention for Shepard to investigate." Kat shook her head, "It's crazy. But it might actually work in our favor." I gave a nod, "Lets go meet up with the others and set everything in motion."
X
We found everyone sitting at a ramen bar in the wards below the market district. After placing our own orders, me and Kat started with the plan. "So Tali, why were those Geth after you?" I asked. Tali set aside her nutrient paste tube, "Well...I aquired some vital information on a Spectre who has gone rogue. I guess he sent the Geth to stop me."
"So what are you planning on doing with it now?" asked Soap. Tali sighed, "I need to find someone to give it to in exchange for safety. I was hoping to find someone who knows the Shadow Broker."
Price stamped out his cigar stub in his empty ramen bowl, "Gotta be someone around here. The big shadow man is well known everywhere."
"Actually, I think I know a guy who could help." I said absently. "A guy by the name of Fist knows the Shadow Broker in some way, maybe he could help." Tali and the others looked at me. "And where is this Fist?" asked Tali. "Place called Chora's den, he runs the joint." I replied. "Guess we know where our next stop is." said Soap.
After paying for the meal, we headed to the nearest rapid transit station and told the driver where to go. To be honest, I know full well the situation we're heading into could be bad. But it was the only way for us to make contact with Shepard.
The whole trip took 15 minutes, and when we got out we were all releaved. Even though we rode in a large transport, having six people in full armor and with weaponry wasn't an easy fit. "Damn, gonna be feelin that in the morning." said Price cracking his back. "Maybe spending so much time in the Gulag made you age faster." I said getting a chuckle out of Soap.
After the other Captain flipped me off, we entered the large club. The various lights and sounds hitting us, along with the smell of smoke and alcohol. "Place looks no different than Afterlife." said Yuri. I looked straight ahead, past the bar, where a large Krogan stood infront of a staircase leading to the second level.
"Alright guys, you go find a spot, me and Tali will go talk to the big boss." I said to the others. Two green lights winked down on the lower part of my HUD signalling that Kat and Emile knew what to do.
Tali and I walked over to the Krogan bouncer. "What do you want?" he grunted out. "Here to see Fist, got something that might interest him and a 'friend' of his." I said stepping infront of Tali. The Krogan sized me up before heading up the stairs.
"Do you have a plan?" asked Tali. "Yeah I do. But be ready incase shit hits the fan." I said, while at the same time I was tagging the guards around the bar with my visor. Through my vision, they were all highlighted red with a triangle over them. The best part was that no matter where I was I could track them.
The bouncer came back down, "Fist will see you." we both went to step forward when the Krogan stopped me, "Just the Quarian." In a flash I had the Krogan against the wall, forearm pressed into his throat with a knife just under the ridge of the crest plate on his head. "For the record, I know how to remove this..." I hissed in his face.
The Krogan's eyes widened in fear, I've never seen a Krogan this scared before. I released him before walking up the stairs with Tali. "Keelah, how did you do that?" she asked. "That's an explination that will take way to long to explain." I looked back at her, "But I promise that I will tell you sometime in the near future."
After giving me a nod, the two of us entered the office. "I thought I had my bouncer tell you just her." said Fist from behind his desk. "He had a change of heart. But that's beside the point." I said calmly.
My eyes quickly scanned the room, tagging where the automated turrets would pop out, as well as the desk before us. "Let's cut to the chase. My friend here." I motioned to Tali, "Has some information that the Shadow Broker might want."
Fist's face twitched, "What makes you think that I know the Shadow Broker?" I crossed my arms over my chest, "The Citadel is like a large cracked pipe. There are plenty of leaks." I said ominously. Fist looked between us, "Alright, maybe I do know him. What data is so important?"
Tali walked up, "I have data that could implicate the Council Spectre Saren of treason and the attack on Eden Prime." Fist's eyes widened a fraction, and Prophet could pick up his heartrate going faster.
"That is some data that he would definately be interested in. I'll contact him and see what he has to say about it." I could tell right away he was full of shit, even if I didn't know he already was.
Fist started to go through his omni-tool for the contact, ten minutes later he looked back up. "I got the go ahead, he will be in an alleyway in the lower wards in an hour. So make sure you be there." he said smirking. I activated a personal comm channel to Tali. "Tali, this guys full of shit." She glanced at me from the corner of her eye. "What do you mean?" she asked. "The Shadow Broker never reveals himself. He has agents who don't even know who he is get whatever it is for him."
I saw her eyes widen, "He's setting us up." "Exactly, my best guess is he's on Saren's payroll. The moment we get there we'll fall into an ambush." I said back. "What do we do?" she asked, I could hear the slight concern in her voice. I reached out and touched her hand, "Luckily, me and the others are always expecting a double cross. Therefore, we always have a way out."
I saw her nod and we went back to talking to Fist who was looking at us oddly. "Is there a problem?" he said with a sneer. I uncrossed my arms and discreetly reached for my handgun. "Yeah." I drew the weapon and aimed at his head, "Your fucking lying." Tali took out her shotgun and aimed as well.
"What the fuck!" Fist held up his hands. "The Shadow Broker never gets information himself. He always have some slack jawed idiot do it for him. Therefore, you were setting us up." Fist starred at us, then started to chuckle, "You think you can kill me? This club has dozens of guards stationed. You'd never make it out alive."
I tilted my head and started laughing, which had creeped both Fist and Tali out. "In that order. Yes. So what. And we will. Oh, and one other thing." I lowered my gun, "Your the one not getting out of here alive."
In one swift motion, I kicked the large desk with all my strength. It flew through the air, slamming into Fist, and went shattering through the window behind him and crashing into the elevated part of the bar on the ground floor.
People started screaming and bailing out of the bar. I looked down from the shattered window and saw the remains of the table and Fist layed in a mangled pile on the ground.
I dove back just as a round struck the wall I was standing near. "Time to go." I said to Tali just as we headed for the ground floor. "How are we going to get out of here?" she asked readying her shotgun. I drew my Reveant, "Thought we'd try shooting our way out. Mix things up a little."
We entered the ground floor as a large firefight had erupted between Fist's thugs and my team. I saw Soap throw a knife that stuck into a Turian's neck, dropping him to the floor in a pool of blue blood. Emile was literally blowing people away with his shotgun while Price and Kat were emptying their weapons at a few thugs that took cover. Yuri was taking pot shots with his rifle nailing several headshots.
Me and Tali ran forward and ducked down behind an overturned table. "Jeez, you guys started to have a party without us?" I asked shooting a Batarian right in the center of it's four eyes. "Take your pick mate. Plenty to go around." said Price as he managed to drop another thug.
Tali fired an overload that took down a thug's shield allowing Kat to take him out with a well placed shot. Peering out I saw three thugs hiding behind another overturned table. I went to grab a grenade when a loud roar tore through the club.
The Krogan bouncer from before was charging at our location. I dropped my rifle and stood my ground. "Xero! Get down!" Tali shouted. I remained still. Just as the bastard was about to hit me I braced myself. "Maximum Power." The Krogan slammed into me...but I didn't budge.
"Nice try." I said holding him by his head and shoulder. The Krogan looked gobsmacked at the fact I held him so easily. I grinned under my visor, "Now it's my turn." I raised my fist and punched him in the face, splashing spit, blood and a few teeth across the floor.
Stumbling back, the Krogan looked at me with hate and fury. "Your dead human!" He roared charging again, I lept into the air and slammed both my feet down onto his back crushing him into the floor. The feeling of both armor and bones snapping rippled through my legs.
I looked down, and the Krogan managed to look up. Blood dripping down his face in rivers. "You...are not like other Humans." I looked down at him, "Guess not." I said with a smirk. The Krogan chuckled, couching up blood, "Either way...you'd be welcomed on my homeworld...as a worthy warrior."
I drew my hand cannon and aimed at his head, "Rest in peace." I pulled the trigger putting him down for good.
X
The rest of the thugs had been dealt with quickly, considering who was on our side it wasn't hard to believe. Soap was sitting on the bar drinking a Human made beer, "Well...that was fun." he said tossing the bottle away.
"Think they'll notice the damage?" asked Emile. We looked around. The bar was litered with dead bodies and broken bottles, all the tables were smashed, the bar was broken in several places, and the stage above the bar where the dancers once were was hanging lopisided onto the floor. "Nah, slap on a little paint and no one would notice." I said with a chuckle.
We turned to leave, when we spotted another group gawking at all of the destruction. Among them were three Humans, two women, one male, a Turian, and a Krogan with large scars on his face. "Damn...guess we didn't get here first." said the Turian, which I knew was Garrus.
The woman leading them, standing in black armor with the N7 insignia on the right breast plate. Raven black hair cascading down her back, and a pair of steel colored eyes that spoke of experience and war. It was a no brainer that the woman before us, was Commander Shepard.
"I guess you all have an explination as to why you shot this place to hell." she said looking at each of us. When she settled on me her eyes widened a fraction. I put my weapons away, "That we do ma'am, that we do."
A/N: Everythings flowing together a lot better than it did before. I'm making the chapters longer as I go in comparison to what this story was before so I hope you guys are liking it. Till next time guys.