Chapter 10

"Captain Anderson, Communications specialist Jella has requested your presence in the communications blister."

Anderson immediately stood from his desk. The Captain's cabin on the Normandy was surprisingly big, a raised area by the door for his desk, and a lowered area for bedding beneath a window into space.

"Has she stated why?" he asked.

"She has not," answered EDI, "But she said it was of the Utmost urgency, and also asked that Jeff increase our acceleration to maximum speed, a request he took to with glee."

Anderson rolled his eyes slightly. No harm in it really, if Joker pushed the Normandy to her limits, then it made for a better test of what the ship could do. But he had to wonder what Specialist Jella was thinking. "Tell her I'll meet her in the war room."

The Darkly-lit room was empty when Anderson entered, waiting silently for his eyes to adjust. Anderson took a few steps into the room before he saw motion in the corner of his eye. Turning, he saw the Batarian specialist in the communications blister. She started when she caught sight of him. "Captain!" She said, fumbling with the words. "I'm sorry to call you down here sir, but we received a message from Eden Prime." She looked at him with all four eyes, and Anderson was surprised to see fear in them. "They've come under attack."

Anderson paused. This was only a single Frigate. If the defense forces already present couldn't deal with this attack, then there wouldn't be that much the Normandy could do. But that didn't really matter, they had to try. "Play me the message." He said finally, turning upward to address EDI. "Inform the crew. I want us to enter the system ready to fight." He then set a hand on Jella's shoulder. "Good job, you put me in charge of the situation as quickly as possible, as well as having us get to Eden Prime sooner. You did everything right Specialist."

She seemed not to hear him for a moment, watching the projectors as EDI started the message before she responded. "Thank you sir, I just hope it will be enough."

The projection started with a crack, and suddenly Anderson saw two-dimensional footage, taken from a helmet camera by the look of it. Whoever was shooting the footage was standing in some sort of camp. There were a few prefab buildings strewn about, and some equipment that looked expensive, if not the most cutting-edge.

A voice boomed through the speakers, presumably whoever was wearing the helmet. "This is Corporal Markus Green, Two-twelve, second Frontier division, We are under attack, repeat, we are under attack! Turian ships are in orbit of Eden Prime, Command is unresponsive, since they bombed Constant. They're landing troops all over." He stopped talking for a moment as the view shifted quickly about 90 degrees to the right, Anderson could make out two soldiers, one holding a handgun of some sort, the resolution was too low for Anderson to recognize it, and the second seemed to be just arriving, an Avenger in her arms.

He picked back up his distress call quickly. "There are troops coming at us from the south, reports are coming in from half the planet, landing parties, commandos, tanks, bomber strikes. The fleet has retreated to the edge of the system, we need help!" he stopped for a moment, looking out. On the hillside, Anderson saw large shapes, too big to be Turian, hefting guns as they charged down the slope, opening fire. At their distant range the weapons, shotguns apparently, didn't do much damage. Anderson saw the corporal raise a Katana shotgun, taking a potshot that did even less then the enemies' weapons. Beside him he would hear the avenger roar to life, shooting sky-blue bolts into one of the soldiers charging toward them.

The second soldier's weapon was apparently rapid-fire, as its smaller shots were as numerous as the avenger's, though less damaging. The Green's gun raised up, so that Anderson saw the tip of one finger gripped around the trigger, and then the screen went blue all around, and suddenly they were in the face of one of the enemies, who stumbled back with the impact first of the Corporal, then of a shotgun blast.

The Corporal turned, taking three shots at an assailant a few feet away. He ejected his clip as the attacker fell to the ground. Suddenly, Anderson saw the world shoot past as the helmet struck the ground face-first. To his credit, Green didn't give up. He rolled onto his back, and Anderson briefly saw his arm reach out for his weapon. He never touched it. As the Corporal looked up, he saw his attacker in the face.

The alien was big, at least eight feet tall, perhaps more. His legs were double-jointed, and the hands that gripped the tubular shotgun had only six fingers between them. The face was low on the head, beneath a massive forehead plate. The twin eyes were spaced apart on the alien's head, like those of a cow or mule. Behind the massive forehead plate was a mountainous hump of a back, stretching far above the creature's head. The Krogan held its weapon out, Pointed the barrel to Corporal Green's head, and the footage broke to static.

[Author's notes.]

Well people do have to die on Eden prime.

Anyways, no Traynor, because I personally don't feel like I know her that well. Besides, I needed to increase the Batarian presence on the ship.

I told you Berserkers meant exactly what you thought it did.

So the Normandy is obviously not going to take on a dreadnought, but it'll partake in some asskicking. The only thing you will know for sure, is that I like the name Spirit's Hammer too much to blow it up. Seriously, if you think about it in relation to Turian religion than it comes out as pretty freaking badass. I wish that I'd given that name to the dreadnought.