Authors note: I'm taking some liberties with the gameplay elements so they'll fit better into a story I like. Also I have no problem with the Marine Corps, even though I'm Army, so don't get pissy. Also with Shepard in the game he/she says they're a marine, but Shepard's rank is a navy one and he/she ends up commanding a ship. So my Shepard is Navy, which again as an army guy is… uhh, hateful.
And to TheDesertMan No not the band Ramstein as in what is currently a US Air Force base in Germany.
Warning: Foul language
Mass Effect: A Few Good Soldiers
Chapter 1: Spectres and Geth
The SSV Normandy - the most recent ship to leave the Earth Space Dock, and the first of a new breed of stealth ships - ran silently and, more importantly, coldly through the vacuum of space. In a galaxy where the most reliable form of outer-atmospheric sensors where thermal sensors, the ability of the Normandy to diffuse the heat its engines and drive core produced made it almost invisible-and therefore invaluable.
From her position mid-ship, Lieutenant Commander Kathryn "Kara" Shepard, the so-called Butcher of Torfan, watched as the blue-green orb of Earth grew steadily smaller. Not for the first time she angrily wondered what the hell she was doing here. Two weeks ago the George Washington and her task force had put into port and the next thing she knew, there were two MPs waiting to take her all the way back to Earth. There was no explanation or reason why they were taking her away from her Special operations post and her men. There was just a gruff, "Come with us ma'am." That was it!
On the way back to Earth, she wondered if the Alliance brass had some Black Op planned that they wanted her to command, but she quickly dismissed that thought for one simple reason: on her previous black op missions they brought her entire team with her. This time, they reassigned only her to the Normandy, which was on a goddamn shakedown cruise.
Or at least, that's what they told her anyway. Shepard didn't buy it for an instant. She'd read enough government bullshit to know a cover story when she saw it. Also, the fact that the Normandy was being commanded by Captain David Anderson - an N7 legend - and add to that the fact that a Council Spectre was present... it didn't really help to sell the story. Hell, from what she'd been hearing even the crew didn't believe the bull they were being fed.
The problem was, she couldn't figure out for the life of her what is was they were supposed to be doing that could involve an N7 legend, a Spectre, a stealth ship and a crew comprised mainly of people who were only a step above being FNGs.
"Nearing Charon Relay, initiating transmission sequence," Shepard heard the Normandy's helmsman, Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau call out. Shepard ground her teeth in frustration. That was another problem she had with this ship… a damn cripple flew the damn thing. While she didn't have a problem with the disabled, she had a problem when a man whose bones she could break by tapping him too hard on the back was flying the most advanced ship in the fleet and therefore, responsible for their lives. She had had a barely civilized argument with the captain about it, but in the end he pulled rank on her.
Tearing her gaze away from the window, Shepard made her way from her quarters up to the CIC. Regulations stated that when a ship went through a relay, the captain or the executive officer had to be present on the bridge. With Anderson off doing whatever he did, that left her to babysit the CIC.
"Relay is hot, acquiring approach vector," Joker said calmly over the comm. "All stations secure for transit," he continued, and now Shepard was close enough to hear his voice aloud instead of over the speaker. "The board is green. Approach run has begun."
As the commander approached the cockpit she felt her lip twitch as she saw the Council Spectre Nihlus Kryik standing with his taloned hands clasped behind his back. The pair briefly made eye contact, like two apex predators calmly evaluating one another, but nothing was said as Joker counted down the time until the Normandy jumped.
Shepard reached out with her left hand and steadied herself on the console in front of her. No matter how many times she went through the transit she would never get used to it. The jump clock hit zero and the Normandy was propelled instantaneously to another relay light-years away. Shepard formed her free hand in a fist and brought it to her mouth as she gagged slightly; relay travel always made her nauseous.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw the man in the copilot's seat chuckle slightly at her discomfort. Shepard scowled, "Something funny, Lieutenant Alenko?" she snapped crossing her arms.
"No ma'am," the First Lieutenant said, paling, as he suddenly realized he just laughed at a superior and an N7 to boot. The N7s had a grizzly reputation among the service for being cold hearted bastards; they had to be to survive what they did.
Joker, however, seemed to live up to his name and diffused the tension by rattling off the check list regarding engine temperature and the stealth systems, and remarking that they had arrived within fifteen hundred kilometers.
"Fifteen hundred is good," the Spectre said with a nod of his head, "I'll inform your captain."
Shepard watched the Spectre go before turning back just as Shepard heard Joker say, "Man I hate that guy."
"You hate him?" Lt Alenko questioned. "The man just gave you compliment … and for that you hate him?"
With the type-A personality that all ace-pilots had, Joker gave Alenko a hurt look and said, "Remember to zip your jump suit 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, that's fantastic. Besides," he grumbled, "I just don't like Spectres. They're nothing but trouble."
The commander let a small smile touch her lips. She had to agree with him on that one. The Council's pretentious, pompous, primadonna goon squad was right above the Batarians on her list of people she hated. It wasn't that she had any moral qualms about the way they got their missions done; in fact, she had the sort of professional respect for them that only a fellow Spec ops could, but... she still hated their guts.
She and her N7 team had been on a Black Bag Op in the Terminus, with orders to capture a Batarian Warlord who helped mastermind the Skyllian Blitz. The op was, of course, completely extra-judicial, but the Alliance Prime Minister wanted to make it clear you couldn't fuck with the human race and get away scot-free.
It had taken Shepard and her team months of hard intelligence work, operating outside Alliance channels and in plain clothes with no official support, to locate and ready the extraction. The N7 team did what they were created to do - the completely absurd - in a brutal if not somewhat elegant snatch and grab, taking the warlord right in the middle of some grand party.
As they were high-tailing it to the evac point, an Asari Spectre - one that apparently didn't care that they were technically on the same team - and her hired Eclipse lackeys got the drop on them. With two of her squadmates dead and her femur shattered Shepard had been forced to watch as the Asari bitch dragged her prisoner off, leaving her to die. She would have bled out on the backwater Terminus world if the rest of her team hadn't shown up before the Batarians and rescued her.
That was why she didn't like the agents of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch. Shepard and other N7s may have broken laws to accomplish their objectives, but they did so knowing that if they were caught they'd spend the rest of their life in Fort Leavenworth Military Penitentiary awaiting execution. Spectres, on the other hand, could do whatever they damn well pleased as long as it was in some way related to serving the Council. Shepard had the innate American distrust of anything that was or claimed to be above the law.
Lt. Alenko had to argue, "You're paranoid. The Council helped fund this project; they have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."
Raising an eyebrow at his naivete she countered, "You don't send a Spectre to watch over a ship's shakedown cruise. You send an egghead or a scientist. Lieutenant Moreau is right… shit's about to hit the fan."
"Yeah Alenko," Joker said, sounding somewhat surprised that the hard-ass N7 was agreeing with him, "that's the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story."
"Joker," Captain Anderson voice echoed over the comm, "status report!"
"Just cleared the mass relay," Joker reported. "Stealth system engaged; everything looks solid."
"Very good Lieutenant. Find a comm buoy and link us up to the network. I want mission reports relayed back to the Alliance Brass before we reach Eden Prime," he ordered.
"Aye, aye Captain. Better brace yourself, sir… I think Nihlus is headed your way," Joker said with a smile on his face.
However, the smile quickly fell from his face when Anderson said sounding somewhat annoyed, "He's already here, Lieutenant. Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing."
Shepard glowered at the man. "Great," she drawled. "You pissed him off and now I have to deal with him." She turned and left the cockpit.
Walking down the gangplank back to the CIC Shepard passed numerous crewman, including the navigator Lt. Pressly, an old mustang who got a battlefield commission in the Blitz; Doctor Chakwas, who was reputed to be the best doc in the fleet; and a young marine PFC, private first-class, who she thought was called Jenkins.
Coming to the comm room door Shepard reached out and punched her command code into the pad. The door slid open and Shepard walked in. The interior of the comm room was a large round room with eight chairs spread out, four to each side and the long range comm station at the far back. However the first thing Shepard noted was that Anderson was not in the room; it was just her and the Spectre.
"Commander Shepard," the dark plated Turian with white facial markings said slowly, crossing his arms over his armored chest, "I was hoping you'd get here first. It will give us a chance to talk."
Shepard crossed her own arms over her chest. The Turian wore his armor and weapons openly; Shepard on the other hand, following Alliance regs that stated only shipboard security personnel should be armed, was simply wearing her standard Alliance fatigues. "'Bout what?"
"I want to know more about this colony we're going to… this Eden Prime. I've heard its quite beautiful," the Spectre said pacing.
Shepard raised an eyebrow. What was he up to, she wondered, "Never been there myself. You should get a travel agent if you want to take a vacation," she said dryly.
"It's more than that," the Spectre countered, "it's something of a symbol for your people, isn't it? It's proof that humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but protect them as well. But, how safe is it… really?" he said bringing his face with a few inches of hers.
Glaring back at him, Shepard growled, clenching her fists at her sides. "Is that a threat, Spectre?"
The battle of wills went on for several seconds until Nihlus took a step back looking pleased with her, "You got a quad, Shepard, but humans are still newcomers. The galaxy can be a very dangerous place. Is your Alliance truly ready for this?"
Before Shepard could shoot back her scathing remark Anderson interrupted her, "I think it's time to tell the commander what's really going on."
Nihlus nodded, "This isn't a shakedown cruise."
It took nearly all the military discipline she had not to role her eyes. "I would have never figured that out… thank you so much," she said, sarcasm dripping from her tone.
"Sarcasm isn't necessary commander," Anderson said in reproach. "We're making a covert pickup on Eden Prime. That's why we needed the Normandy and her stealth capabilities."
That still didn't explain why she was here but for the moment Shepard was far more interested in what they were picking up. "What's the cargo, sir?"
"A research team on Eden Prime unearthed some kind of beacon during an excavation," he paused before delivering the punch line. "It was Prothean."
That got her attention. The Protheans were the extinct creators of both the Citadel and the mass relays that nearly all technology in the galaxy was based off. This was big. The last discovery of Prothean technology humanity made catapulted them forward over a hundred years, tech-wise. "Our orders?"
"To take the beacon back to the Citadel," Anderson said. "Eden Prime doesn't have the facilities to properly deal with this."
"That explains the Spectre," Shepard grumbled underneath her breath. Of course the Council wouldn't want to let something this precious get away from them, so they sent one of their glorified hounds to fetch.
"Obviously the Council has taken an interest in this discovery," Nihlus spoke confirming her suspicions. "This doesn't just affect humanity; it could have an impact on every species living in Council Space."
"Why did we tell the Council?" she asked still looking at Nihlus even though her question was directed to Anderson.
"Sharing the beacon will help improve relations between humanity and the Council. Besides," he sighed, "we don't have the technical experience to take full advantage of the beacon."
"You humans don't have the best reputations," the Turian Spectre spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. "Some species see you as selfish. Too unpredictable and dependent and even dangerous. Turning the beacon over could help humanity's standing."
"Why do you care, Turian?" Shepard asked the pointed question. Humans and Turians weren't the best of friends. A lot of people on both sides still hated the other's guts for the First Contact War.
"I see humanity's potential Shepard," he paused, before admitting, "and that's not the only reason I'm here."
Looking at Anderson the Captain explained, "He's here to evaluate you, Shepard. The Alliance has been pushing for this for a long time," he said, to her growing horror. "Humanity wants more say in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Council. The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks then it shows how far the Alliance has come."
"On Torfan you demonstrated willingness to do whatever it took to complete your objectives," Nihlus said, sounding impressed. "That's an important quality for a Spectre to possess. That's why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres."
Shepard felt her mouth fall open of its own accord. Finally she regained her wits and laughed, "You gotta be fucking kidding me."
Nihlus laughed slightly, "I know the problem you have with the Spectres, but we need you Shepard."
"Think of what this would mean to humanity, Shepard," Anderson said, taking a step forward and placing his hand on her shoulder. "You were selected out of over a hundred potential candidates. Alliance Intelligence operatives, Special Air Service, Naval Commandos, Marine Force Recon and your fellow N7s. Out of all of those you were picked. We need this, Shepard."
That was a low fucking blow and Anderson knew it. "What do I need to do?" she ground out.
"I need to follow you," Nihlus said stepping forward as Anderson took a step back. "Evaluate your skills. This mission to Eden Prime will be only the first of several we go on together."
"For Eden Prime you'll be in command of the ground team. Nihlus will accompany and observe," Anderson said.
She didn't like this one damn bit, but she'd been in the Military her entire adult life, ever since she went to Britannia Royal Naval College - the Alliance's premier Naval Academy. She was used to following orders, even if she didn't like them. Still, it didn't mean she had to bend over either. "Permission to speak freely, sir," she said, coming to attention.
Anderson frowned, "Granted."
"Fuck you," she spat, enjoying the flash of anger that flashed over his face, "but I'll do it."
To her immense surprise Nihlus actually chuckled. Anderson frowned, "Eden Prime is only a short way-" he started but was cut off when Joker's voice cut through the air.
"Captain we've got a problem."
"What is it, Joker?" Anderson barked back.
"Emergency transmission from Eden Prime… you're not gonna believe this."
"Bring it up onscreen," he ordered.
As if this day couldn't get any worse. Shepard growled internally as images started to appear on the holographic screen.
The screen was shaking, no doubt from someone's helmet cam. The tat-tat-tat of Avenger fire filled the air, as well as a higher pitch that Shepard didn't recognize. A woman in white armor with pink trim shouldered her rifle and let loose short steady bursts at some unseen foe. Suddenly she glanced in the direction of the camera and ran towards it.
"Get down," she shouted as she reached out with her non-firing hand and pushed the camera holder to the ground. The last image before the cameraman fell to the ground was the woman hefting her rifle and firing again.
She took a step towards the screen in an instinctive but useless desire to get a better view of what was going on. Suddenly, the camera refocused on a man with a Lt. Colonel's insignia on his chest, "This is Colonel Manson... under attack," the man shouted in-between bursts of static. "Taking heavy casualties! We can't… son of… need evac. They… out of nowhere! Repeat! We need…"
However the officer was cut off as he was struck in the back by some kind of blue light, "Colonel's down… colonel's down," the same woman as before shouted.
Suddenly the camera shifted again, and this time towards the sky. A red glow filled the screen as the clouds broke and something came through. It looked like a giant hand descending upon the world, reaching down to snuff out all that resisted. A shout echoed from behind the camera as its holder fell with a pained cry and the image turned to static
"That's it Captain. After that it cuts out. I'm not picking up anything else. No comm traffic at all," Joker said, and the worry in his tone was easily discernible.
"Status report," Anderson barked.
"Seventeen minutes out, Captain. No other Alliance ships in the area," Joker reported.
"Take us in fast and quiet Joker," he said before turning to the commander. "Gear up and get ready for a drop," he paused. "Take Alenko and Jenkins with you to secure the beacon, Commander."
"It's the best strategy," Nihlus agreed, "A small strike team can avoid attracting attention. I'll gather my equipment." He turned and left.
As Anderson turned to leave, Shepard reached out and grabbed his arm. "Sir, I don't know Alenko and Jenkins. I'm sure they're fine Marines, but I don't want to go into battle with strangers watching my six," she argued. The last thing she wanted to do was go into an unknown and clearly hazardous environment with a biotic boy scout and an FNG, "You should have let me bring my team."
"We didn't know anything like this was going to happen, Commander," Anderson said raising his eyebrow. "Now gear up and meet me in the cargo hold in ten, Lieutenant Commander," he ordered, stressing her rank.
Gritting her teeth, she ground out, "Yes sir," and spun on her heels, leaving the comm room in a storm. That was not the David Anderson she knew. He'd been flying a desk and hanging around politicians too long, and forgotten what it was like in the trenches. The man who had trained her in Hades - the nickname for the N7 training ground - was the toughest, meanest bastard this side of the Citadel. He understood that what made the N7 squad one of the deadliest units in the galaxy was its teamwork - NOT the individuals who made up the team. The N7s had proven that time and time again, and she would bet her life that her team could have taken on any Spectre in the galaxy and won… even that grade-A son of a bitch Saren Arterius himself.
Moving to her armor locker, she quickly opened it. Kneeling down, she removed her fatigue boots, the only part of her uniform that she could wear with her armor. In the locker hung the obsidian black armor made of interlocking plates of thick, ablative ceramic, with a single red stripe running down the right arm and one running over the crown of the helmet. On the right breast, emblazoned in white, was the N7 symbol.
Pulling out the boots she slid them on her feet and piece by piece began to put the rest of the armor on. In a systematic fashion that came from years of experience, Shepard dressed in her armor. Leisurely, she could put the twenty piece armor in five minutes; however, if she rushed she could get it on it two.
Placing her helmet on she checked the seals on the armor and when she found they were all green she reached back into her locker and removed her trusty M-8 Avenger. Slapping a fresh ammo cube into the bottom of the rifle, she waited until the light turned green before placing a fresh heat sink into the side.
The single cube would equate to tens of thousands of round. If she was careful about the rate of fire, the heat sink would last the entire mission as well; however, if she needed to, she could eject an overheated sink and replace it. Slinging the rifle she did the same with her sidearm, an M-6 Carnifex "Hand Cannon," before slipping it into her right thigh holster.
The moment she finished the Normandy shook slightly. It wasn't much, but it was enough to let the Commander know they had entered the atmosphere of Eden Prime. Doing one last quick check of her equipment, she straightened.
Satisfied that she was ready to go, Shepard headed toward the cargo hold, meeting up with Alenko and Jenkins along the way. "Ready to go, boys?" she asked dryly, not turning back to face them.
"Yes, ma'am," they chorused and Jenkins the FNG gushed, "Ma'am it's a real honor and a pleasure to serve with an N7. My instructor at basic had been an N7. His name was John Corm, did you kn-"
"Marine," Shepard shouted, exasperated, wondering how a man who was this annoying possibly survived basic training. "Shut the hell up." She was in no mood for this.
Jenkins immediately went silent, and Shepard thought she heard the clack of his teeth shut even through his helmet. Alenko didn't say anything, but through the visor of his helmet but she could tell by the look in his eyes he was thankful.
When her 'team' arrived in the cargo hold they found the captain and the Spectre waiting for them. "Shepard," Anderson called out over the roar of the wind, "your team will be the muscle on this op. Go in heavy and head straight for the dig site."
"What 'bout survivors, Captain?" Alenko questioned.
"Not our job, Lieutenant," Shepard responded. "Civvies are someone else's problem. The beacon's our priority."
"The commander's right, reinforcements are on the way," he explained. "They'll take care of any survivors."
"Approaching drop point one," Joker's voice came over the loudspeaker.
Jenkins was looking at the Spectre with something tantamount to hero-worship, "Nihlus, you coming with us?"
The Turian merely racked his shotgun. "I move faster on my own," he said and ran forward to run off the ramp. On his back he had a mass effect pack which would slow his decent and allow him to fall from great distances.
The Alliance had the ability to produce such packs, and she had used them on numerous occasions during her days as an N7. However, newer wasn't necessarily better, and old style parachutes used in HAHO or HALO jumps were just as good.
"Nihlus will scout out ahead. He'll feed you status reports throughout the mission; otherwise, I want radio silence," Anderson ordered. "Get moving Commander."
"Aye, aye," she said walking to the edge of the ramp. She gave one last tug to make sure her rifle was secure on the front of her harness and leapt into the howling wind with Alenko and Jenkins right behind her.
Assuming the 'spread eagle,' Shepard fell through the air, carefully watching the altitude indicator. While the computer in her chute should deploy automatically when she reached a certain height, 'should' didn't always translate to 'would' and, though rare, the computer had failed before. She'd seen someone in training die that way because he didn't watch the altitude indicator; he didn't catch that the computer had failed, and he had fallen too far.
Still in all her military training this was the part she loved most of all. Free falling through the air was one of the most wonderful feelings in the world. Shepard resisted the urge to close her eyes and just enjoy the feeling.
Suddenly three long beeps sounded in her helmet, letting her know that the chute was about to deploy. Seconds later it did, causing her to jerk violently as the fabric caught the wind, slowing her descent. Reaching up she grabbed the lines that went up to the chute itself, and brought her legs in tight as the ground grew closer.
She hit the ground with a thump and skidded along the ground as the sail caught the wind. Pulling her KA-BAR from her combat vest she cut the lines to the sail, letting it fly away in the wind. Unbuckling her M-8 from her vest, she shouldered the weapon and did a visual scan of the area. Finding the area empty with the exception of a few floating animals, Shepard craned her neck and almost immediately found Alekno and Jenkins.
The commander watched as the two marines landed and cut their own lines. Shepard waved them over and they came, carefully moving across the ground. Alenko, in addition to his biotics, carried an Avenger rifle like her. Jenkins, who was trained as a designated marksman, carried an M97-Viper, a semi-automatic sniper rifle.
"Listen up," Shepard ordered. "I'll take point. Alenko the right, Jenkins you're on the left. Twenty meter spread and keep your eyes peeled." Bringing her omni-tool up she studied the map of the colony. "Alright, we're about five clicks due east of the dig site. We'll follow the path and that'll take us straight there," she said pointing to the position on the map. "Move out."
As the team began to move out in a standard fire-team wedge formation, Nihlus's voice crackled over the comm. "This place got hit hard, commander. Hostiles are everywhere. Keep you guard up."
"You can say that again," Shepard said under her breath so the helmet mic didn't pick it up. The skyline was marred by smoke from the fires that raged all around.
They followed the path for a good hundred meters until they came to a bend. Something wasn't right. Shepard dropped to her right knee. At the same time she raised her left hand in a fist to signal her team to stop. Her mind told her this wasn't a very good place for an ambush because of all the available cover, but her gut said something was up.
Thumbing the safety off her rifle she brought it up to a 'ready' position. Taking her left hand she held up two fingers and pointed at two places of good cover. Alenko and Jenkins both nodded and when Shepard raised from her cover to cover them they dashed to their positions.
Still nothing. Shepard frowned - maybe she was just being paranoid. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Jenkins getting ready to move again. Damn that Marine, she'd put him there to cover the rest of them but the FNG was itching for action. She tried to signal him but he either missed it or ignored. "Fucking jarheads," she cursed under her breath as she breathed in to yell at him.
Before she could, two flying metallic objects - drones, she realized - rose up from behind a large boulder and opened up with a familiar high pitched whine and blue-white bolts. The poor kid was cut down before he could even scream, as the rounds tore through his kinetic barriers and his hardsuit with hardly any resistance. Shepard knew he was dead immediately as his lifesigns bar on her HUD flat lined.
"Go loud," Shepard shouted the unnecessary commanded as she opened up with her own rifle in short controlled bursts, sending slivers of platinum down range at a quarter of the speed of light. Two of the drones exploded under her fire and Alenko got the other.
Waiting several long seconds to make sure there weren't any hostiles left Shepard slowly rose and Alenko did the same. They advanced slowly until they came to the body. Kneeling down in front of it she allowed Alenko to check the corpse. "Tags and ammo," she said quietly without any trace of emotion, and by ammo she meant spare heat sinks.
The junior officer knelt down slowly and placed his thumb and forefinger over Jenkins eyes, and solemnly closed them. By the way he did it, Shepard had the feeling this was the first time he'd lost someone in the field. She remembered the first time a man under her command died, and it wasn't something she liked to think about. Contrary to common perception, she did care about the men and women who served under her. She remembered the names and faces of every one of the twenty-seven people she'd lost in her career in the Navy, every damn one. However, mourning would have to wait until the mission was over. "Lieutenant, come on. We don't have time."
Alenko nodded and quickly broke the seal on Jenkins armor to retrieve his tags. "Back pouch," Shepard said when she heard the slight jingle. She felt the LT fumbl with the snap of the back pouch on her combat vest before dropping the tags in. "Switch up."
"Yes ma'am," he said, bringing up his rifle to switch places with the Commander. Kneeling down next to the body, Shepard grabbed his sniper rifle and slipped the strap over her head. She threaded her right arm through so the rifle was pointed down at the ground.
Turning back to her remaining squadmate she motioned forward. "We're oscar-mike." Taking point again they moved silently, continuing along the path. Now that they knew what they were dealing with, they quickly managed to eliminate two small drone 'patrols.'
Every major player in the galaxy used combat drone for scouting and recon purposes, and Shepard as a part of her training had been forced to memorize the different styles each military used. The fact that she didn't recognize these didn't sit well with her at all.
Suddenly, the distinctive whining sound of the unknown hostiles' weapons fire sounded off in front of them, over a small hill. With a quick gesture Shepard motioned for him to follow her, and then rushed up to the top of the hill and immediately went prone.
Shepard spotted an Alliance soldier, in what she thought was an utterly ridiculous pink and white armor color scheme, being chased by two combat drones. In a flash of realization she recognized the woman from the brief distress message. "Dammit, no shot," she growled.
"Me neither, Commander," Alenko said, his voice tight.
Shifting her aim well above the soldier, she fired off a few rounds into the air. While combat drones couldn't be suppressed like flesh and blood soldiers could, they were, however, forced to recalculate their options for the new variables. That half a second was enough for the soldier to throw herself to the ground to allow Shepard and Alenko to waste them.
The woman then scrambled up and managed to run to cover behind a large boulder. "Commander, look," Alenko called out and Shepard followed his pointing to where two… things were holding a man over some kind of… something. Suddenly the something shot skyward impaling the man. "Shit, what was that?"
Could it be… she wondered. They certainly looked like it. "I think they're Geth," she started to say, but their conversation was cut short when the maybe-Geth started shooting at them. One shot came close enough to skid off her kinetic barrier at the very top over her helmet. "Damn, that was way to close," she breathed and squeezed the trigger of her assault rifle.
The first of the two synthetic creatures stuttered as her rounds tore through its barriers and riddled the thing with holes. The second didn't last much longer, out in the open and exposed as it was, and it too was shot to pieces.
"Soldier, we're coming out," Shepard shouted out.
When the soldier shouted back, "All clear," the Commander stood, her rifle pointing down at the ground, and made her way over to the other woman. The woman was sitting on her bottom with her back leaning up against her cover, with her rifle leaned up against the wall vertically next to her. Unlike Shepard and Alenko, she had her helmet open without a rebreather. "Gunnery Sergeant Ashley Williams," she said somewhat breathlessly. "Special Marine security detachment on loan to the 212 to secure 'command's package,'" she said, adding air quotes to the last word. "You in charge here?"
Shepard nodded and held out a hand to help the other woman up. "Lieutenant Commander Shepard, 7th Naval Special Operations Detachment, on loan to the SSV Normandy." She said the last part with a slight smile.
"An N7," Williams exclaimed picking up her rifle. "Man, the brass is really serious about this."
"Sound off," Shepard ordered looking up and down her hardsuit. "You wounded, gunny?"
"Nothing but a few scrapes and burns, ma'am. It takes more than a few toasters to kill me," she paused and the cheerful demeanor faded from her face. "The… the others weren't so lucky," letting loose a deep sigh, she shrugged her shoulders and started to pace. "Oh man… we were patrolling the perimeter around the dig site when the attack happened. We tried to get off a distress call but the comms got severed. I've been fighting for my life ever since."
"Gunny, tell me I wasn't seeing things," Shepard started, not sure whether or not she wanted to be right. "Those were Geth, right?" The only Geth she'd ever seen were in historical archives. Williams nodded an affirmative.
"That doesn't make sense," Alenko said with a shake of his head, "The Geth haven't been seen outside the Veil in nearly two hundred years. Why would they show up now?"
"The beacon," the Commander realized. It had to be that. It was the only thing of any worth on this planet. "They're after the beacon."
"Beacon, ma'am?" the Gunnery Sergeant curiously said. "The comm beacon was destroyed when the Geth first attacked, and I don't see why the Geth would be interested in that."
"The Prothean Beacon the archaeologists discovered," she informed the Marine. "It's the package your unit was sent to secure." As she spoke she saw the light of understanding enter the gunny's eyes. "You fit to fight, Marine?"
"Hoo-rah," Williams said enthusiastically. "Locked and loaded, ma'am."
"Link up, Gunny," Shepard ordered holding out her active omni-tool. Williams nodded and activated hers, and held it close to Shepard's. The commander's HUD beeped and she glanced up to the see a new bar added to her squad monitoring system. It read GSGT Williams SAMC and next to that there was heart beat monitor which kept the squad commander apprised of their team member's vitals. They were ready to go.
XXX
Nihlus Kryik moved quickly through what used to be a farmstead on Eden Prime. "Shepard," he called out over the comm, "I've got some burned out buildings here." He raised his shotgun and carefully entered the main house, mindful of the burnt timber. Suddenly the stench of burnt meat hit his nostrils, and he slowly moved around the large table blocking his way. There were half a dozen bodies that were badly charred. "And a lot of bodies." He knelt down next to one and examined it. The skull was broken open from a gunshot wound. "Looks like some of them were killed execution style."
"Roger that." The Commander's clipped tones came over the comm, "Any sign of Geth activity?"
"Geth," he repeated dumbly, his mandibles flaring. No one had had contact with the Geth for over 200 years. "Say again, Shepard?"
"Roger that," she repeated with a touch of impatience in her tone. "Any sign of Geth activity? We have made contact with Geth foot mobiles and drone air support. Jenkins is KIA, but I've picked up a Marine from the security detachment sent to protect the precious cargo."
So there were Geth here… that was interesting. Were they after the 'precious cargo,' which was their codename for the Prothean Beacon? "Negative on any Geth sightings, Shepard. This just got a lot more interesting."
"Try not to get killed, Nihlus," Shepard said in what he understood to be a half-joking tone. "It'd look bad on my record."
The Spectre chuckled at her morbid sense of humor as he left the house, "Roger that Shepard. I'm gonna continue scouting. Nihlus out."
He was going to enjoy working with Shepard. She was just the kind of person the Spectres needed. It was in light of, not despite, her apparent distaste for the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Branch that made her such an important potential recruit. Too many Spectres did whatever it took to complete the mission regardless of collateral damage, and while Shepard was capable of such acts she also showed restraint that some Spectres just couldn't. Plus the fact that she capable, but didn't want the power and authority of a Spectre, meant that she was one of the few people that deserved it.
Nihlus's own mentor a Turian named Saren was one of the Council's most successful but ruthlessly brutal agents. Wherever Saren went a trail of bodies and wreckage always followed. If he was truthful Saren did more damage than was necessary by any stretch of the imagination, and only served to give the Council a bad name. The Spectres were too much of a public figure to act the way they did. He'd nearly been killed himself because of his excessive actions as a Spectre. In the hunt for a dangerous terrorist in Asari Space he'd killed an innocent bystander in a crossfire, and found himself fighting an Asari Justicar he only barely escaped from. Perhaps Shepard would be the first of a new kind of spectre.
XXX
Shepard's team moved at a decent pace towards the dig site, slowing down and spreading out as they saw the white pillars of the site. Raising her hand, she signaled her team to halt and find cover. Kneeling, she laid her M-8 up against a tree and pulled out Jenkin's Viper. Raising the rifle, she looked through the scope. "Alright," she spoke softly into the mic, "I've got four hostile enemy foot mobiles… confirm."
Alenko had the spotter's scope and after several seconds, "Four foot mobiles confirmed, Commander."
Taking several deep steady breaths she questioned, "Gunny, you ready?" as she shifted her aim between two targets, getting ready to shoot and shift as fast as she could.
"Locked and loaded, Commander," Williams said quickly.
"Alenko?"
"Ready, Commander."
Flipping the safety off she placed the cross hairs on the center of mass of the first Geth, and gently caressed the trigger with her right index finger. Taking a deep breath she squeezed the trigger, blowing a hole in the first Geth's chest. On the exhale she shifted to her next target and fired again, catching this one in the 'throat' and taking its head off. Shifting one last time, she placed the third Geth - which had raised its rifle - and shot one last time, catching it in the shoulder. This one spun to the right and Alenko or Williams, she didn't know which, took it out with a burst.
Taking cover behind the tree she called out, "You get the last one?"
"I might have clipped it but the bastards are tough," Williams shouted back, and Shepard's question was answered for sure when the Geth fired back. Unlike the first firefight where they had caught the Geth in the open, the surviving Geth here managed to get into cover and was returning fire.
"Suppression fire," Shepard commanded. "Get him pinned down and I'll flank left." Resting the Viper against the same tree, she briefly considered grabbing her rifle, but decided against it. She was going to be in CQB, close quarters combat; she drew her Hand Cannon and flipped the safety off. "Covering fire," she shouted and suddenly the air was filled with the sound of M-8 fire.
Dashing from her cover, she ran up to the wall that the Geth was using for cover. The Geth was using the right side, so she slid left and came to the section were the wall met the side of a steep incline. Placing her left boot on the incline she vaulted over the wall. The Geth apparently noticed her as it shifted its aim, but she was quicker and put three rounds in its chest.
She did a quick visual scan of the area to make sure it was clear. "All clear, move up." This certainly looked like the dig site. There was something that looked like a stone pedestal partially dug up out of the ground.
Holstering her side arm she made her way back and collected both her weapons, slinging her Viper over her shoulder again and grabbing her rifle. When she got back she found Alenko guarding the only exit, and Williams was by the pedestal.
"This is the dig site, but the package … the beacon must have been moved," she said, looking apologetic.
"By us, or them?" Alenko asked the very pointed question.
"For the moment, let's hope it's us," she paused thinking for a second. "Either way the spaceport's our best hope."
"Then we should check it out, the spaceport is not too far from here," the Gunnery Sergeant gestured out the back entrance.
"Shepard," Nihlus's voice crackled to life. "Change of plans. There's a small space port up head. I want to check it out. I'll meet you there."
"Roger that," she said, forming the team up in a wedge. They started to head up to the research camp. The first thing they noticed were the giant spikes with bodies impaled on them. That confused her more than she liked to admit. From everything she knew about the Geth, which by her own admission was not very much, it didn't make any sense for them to impale their victims. It was a very ineffective way to kill someone, and psychological warfare was something she didn't think AIs would bother with that.
"We should pull 'em down, ma'am," Williams said, softly shifting on her feet.
Shepard didn't disagree with her, but like with Jenkins they just didn't have the time. She started to open her mouth to tell her just that when she heard a metallic grinding sound, and the spikes began to lower. The corpses, or at least she thought they were corpses, began to move.
"My God," Alenko cried, "They're still alive," and he started to rush forward, but Shepard stopped him by holding her arm out.
"I don't think so," she said with a feeling of growing unease. The 'corpses' were molting, with flesh dripping off their decaying bodies. They had all kinds of metal-looking devices protruding from their skin and orifices. "Holy fuck," she whispered.
"What the hell did they do to them?" Williams exclaimed eyes wide.
The corpses… the husks wailed a horrifying moan and slowly started wobbling at them. Shouldering her rifle she fired two rounds hitting the lead husk square in the chest. The rounds made a pinging sound and the husk staggered, but didn't fall. Lowering the rifle to her hip, she flicked the firing stud from semi to auto and pulled down on the trigger for a five second hail of fire. The bullets peppered the husk and eventually it fell, riddled with holes and missing a large portion of its head.
The others, seeing her example, did the same. They hosed the entire group of husks with rounds until they all fell twitching. Slowly Shepard advanced until she was standing over one of the still twitching husks, and crushed its head with her boot. "Alright," she said turning back to Williams and Alenko, "what the fuck is going on?"
XXX
With a savage twist, Nihlus dug his combat knife out of the base of a Geth's neck and let the synthetic corpse fall to the ground. Flipping the knife around so he was holding the top of the blade, he threw it. The blade tumbled end over end through the air and embedded itself in another Geth's optical sensor.
This was bad, Nihlus thought. The Geth were perhaps the most dangerous threat that existed to the Citadel Civilizations. As a collective hive-mind of AIs, they were the most terrifying an enemy that he could image. As machines, they didn't eat or sleep, they didn't have to worry about losses as they could easily manufacture more fighting platforms, they didn't have to deal with crime or political dissent, they didn't have loved ones or civilians they left behind... they were one single entity marching off to war.
Historically, when the Turians fought they fought until their enemy was so completely destroyed that they could never threaten them or anyone else ever again. They fought in a style humans called"scorched earth," and were brutal on both the offensive and the defensive. Still, he had a feeling that war with the Geth would stretch even the Turians to the limits of their endurance.
Nihlus slipped into the space port like a ghost in the night. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of silver and ducked beneath a crate. Chambering his shotgun he spun raising his weapon. When the figure turned Nihlus felt his mandibles widen in surprise, "Saren," he called out it surprise.
The older ice-blue-eyed, silver bare-faced Turian walked towards him. "Nihlus," he stated. Saren Arterius was the longest serving Turian member of the Spectres, and a cold-blooded bastard to boot. Even though he was the Council's most successful operative he was nearly universally hated by most Turians. His actions were deemed dishonorable and underhanded to the honor-bound Turian people. In fact, Spectres in general weren't very well-liked among Turians. Even he had come to see what a zealot his own mentor was, and perhaps that was what Spectres were; people who were willing to sacrifice their own souls to keep the peace in Council Space.
"What are you doing here?" Nihlus said, confused, as he lowered his shotgun. "This isn't your mission." He wasn't upset that his old mentor was here, but it was strange nonetheless. Saren hated humanity and the last time they had spoken, they had a barely civilized shouting match when he told his old mentor that he had put a human forward as a candidate. Saren blamed them for the death of his brother in the Relay 314 Incident, and was convinced that humanity was spreading like a plague across the galaxy and needed to be stopped. Saren also looked different from the last time they met. His left arm didn't look natural and he had tubes running across his body. Nihlus decided he would ask later when they got off this planet.
"The Council thought you could use the backup," Saren said as he walked by.
A part of Nihlus was pissed that the Council would send another Spectre on his mission without his knowledge, but another part was grateful for the back up. "I didn't expect the Geth to be here. This is bad," he said.
"Don't worry, I've got it under control," Saren said, and Nihlus noted a strange quality in his voice. Nihlus was about to turn to ask what he meant when a shot echoed across the spaceport. Nihlus never felt the shot that tore through his skull and ended his life.
XXX
A shot echoed through the hills of Eden Prime. Shepard raised her fist, calling her team to halt. That wasn't a Geth weapon; the pitch was far too deep. She waited for any return fire, but didn't hear any. That was strange; then again everything happening was strange. Waving her team forward, they came out from a little valley and found themselves overlooking a storage yard which contained a maglev that would take them to the spaceport.
"What's that?" Alenko said speaking up. "Off in the distance?"
"It's a ship. Look at the size of that thing." Williams said with a slight tremor in her tone.
Shepard caught sight of the monstrous squid-like ship rising up from the ground as red lightning sparked around it, and ominous red smoke trailed behind it. That was easily the biggest ship she'd ever seen, and the fact that it had landed and now was taking off meant the mass effect core running it must be… well enormous. She winced as she imaged what something that massive could do in a straight up fight. If the Geth were capable of building those en masse then… well shit, they were fucked.
When the ship was out of sight, Shepard finally managed to draw her eyes back down to the spaceport at the base of the hill. Several Geth troopers and husks were streaming out of the storage yard. "Contact, twelve o'clock," she shouted, as she found a piece of cover and aimed down the sights of her rifle.
Putting the first husk in her sights she squeezed the trigger, sending a hail of platinum down range aiming at their legs. With tight bursts she severed the first husk's legs, before shifting aim to do the same to the second and the third. This didn't kill the husks, but it would take them out of the fight. At the same time Alenko and Williams laid down deadly fire, cutting down the charging Geth troopers.
Rising up when the firing stopped, Shepard led her team down the hill, shooting the still crawling husks in the head before continuing on. As they headed up the ramp to the storage yard, Shepard heard Alenko call out, "Commander is that…" He trailed off.
At her feet lay the cooling corpse of the Turian Spectre, a puddle of dark indigo blood pooling beneath him. Cause of death was obvious; the back of his skull was missing from what looked like a near point blank shot. "Fuck," Shepard cursed. The last thing she needed was to have to explain why one of its Spectre agents was dead.
"I take it this was the Spectre," William said, still guarding the rear.
"Yeah he wa-," she started when she heard a sound. Quicker than either Alenko or Williams could follow Shepard reached with her left hand over a large crate, grabbed him and pulled him over it. Letting the man drop to the ground she put her left boot on his throat and held him there, "Who are you?" she snarled, aiming her rifle at the cowering man's head. "Did you kill the Turian?," she questioned harshly. No doubt it'd be the height of irony if this dock worker had managed to kill a Spectre by accident.
"Nononono," the dockworker said terrified as he struggled with her boot on his neck. "Was the other one! I swear it!"
Slowly removing her boot from his neck but still holding her rifle on him she questioned, "What other one?"
"The other Turian got here first," the man said quickly. "He was waiting when your friend showed up. Called him uh…," the man paused scratching his head. "Oh Saren… yeah that was it, Saren. I… uh think they knew each other."
Shepard narrowed her eyes, "Saren Arterius… that Saren, the Spectre."
"I don't know, maybe it was him," the worker said. "I think they recognized each other and when your friend turned his back Saren shot him," he finished, mimicking a gun firing towards his head with his fingers.
"Where'd Saren go after he shot Nihlus?" Shepard growled. First it was being evaluated to become a Spectre, then a Prothean beacon, the Geth had showed up after a 200 year exile, and now her would-be Spectre mentor wound up murdered by another Spectre; his old mentor no less. This was getting better and better.
"He jumped to the cargo train," the man said, pointing, "and headed over to the platform. He's probably after whatever got all the scientists hot and bothered."
She finally pointed her rifle in a different direction. "Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of and stay there until the Fleet arrives," she ordered before turning to Williams and Alenko. "Let's move."
XXX
Saren walked angrily, his pistol holstered and his hand shaking at his side. He growled at the offending limb - it wouldn't stop shaking. He'd killed thousands, if not tens of thousands of men before. He'd shot them, stabbed them, killed them with his bare hands; he'd tortured and murdered all kinds of people, countless men, women… he'd even killed a few children in his time.
In his service to the Citadel Council he'd sold his soul to the proverbial devil to protect galactic peace and no kill had ever bothered him before. Killing Nihlus shouldn't have bothered him; the man was a traitor, putting a human up as a candidate for the Spectres. The very thought made him sick. But still, his spirits damned hand wouldn't stop shaking.
Catching the 'eye' of the first Geth he saw, one of the white toned shock troopers, he stopped just long enough to say, "Set the bomb. Destroy the entire colony. Leave no evidence we were here."
Leaving the Geth behind, Saren stalked up to the Beacon. The diamond shaped tower rose up from the ground about twenty meters or so, and was covered in a green mist. He paused a second before looking up, steeling himself for what he was about to do; not only interface with the Beacon, but see what the Beacon would lead him to.
He didn't enjoy the thought of what he was doing, but it was necessary for the survival of the galactic civilization. Taking a deep breath, the Turian Spectre took a step forward. The Beacon flashed and he felt himself being drawn towards it. Taking one more step forward, he was lifted off the ground by some unseen force. Steadying his breathing, he closed his eyes before his mind was suddenly assaulted by images.
After what seemed liked years the Beacon dropped him, and he fell to his knees. Grasping his head in his three digit hand he roared, his mandibles flaring wide. The pain was incredible. Slowly he pulled one knee up and stood on shaky legs, but his left leg started to give when he found himself caught from behind.
Repositioning his legs he stood, tearing himself away, and turned on the Geth shock trooper with a ferocious growl. There was a brief burst of static as the Geth spoke. An implant in his skull took in the binary pulses of 'Geth speech' and translated them into electrical impulses that his language cortex could translate.
"I'm fine," he snarled shoving the helpful Geth away, "assist the others!"
Saren stood now, still slightly wobbly but no longer in danger of collapsing again. The first part of the plan was accomplished with minimal interference, and now he just had to escape the planet before the main human fleet arrived.
XXX
"You sure you know what you're doing Lieutenant?" Shepard shouted over the roar of Geth rifle fire. "If you're not…," she trailed off as Alenko worked to disarm the high yield thermonuclear device. Apparently Saren and the Geth - she still hadn't figured that one out - hadn't wanted to leave any evidence behind.
"Don't worry I've got it," Alenko said as he carefully pulled the panel off the device, revealing the bomb's internal workings. "Hopefully."
Popping up, Shepard let loose several burst sending two Geth to the ground before ducking back in cover. "Hopefully?" she questioned, her eyes wide. That wasn't what she wanted to hear. Before the op she'd read Alenko's jacket and learned he was qualified as a demo specialist. However, whatever his jacket said, it didn't compare to having demo men you knew and trusted handling the job.
"Hey Commander," Williams shouted as she ducked down, just as several rounds tore thought the space she just was in. "At least if he messes up we'll never know it," she laughed.
"Not helping, gunny," Alenko said briefly, glaring up at Williams before turning back to his work. "There, got it," he said, and Shepard could literally hear the relief in his voice.
"Good," Shepard said, relieved. "We can have the Normandy call a NEST team to handle the bomb," she finished, rising up to fire a few bursts at the only Geth left standing. The team quickly moved forward, Wiliams and Alenko covering the flanks.
"The Beacon has to be at the back platform," Williams said, gesturing with her rifle.
Shepard nodded and they made their way down the stairs, scanning the area with their rifles as they did. "Contact, three o'clock," Alenko called and Shepard shifted that direction, firing at the several husks that were milling about. They fell quickly before the onslaught of fire as the small fire team ruthlessly took them apart.
Finally finding the Beacon Shepard was rather unimpressed. She'd been expecting something a little more… impressive than a small diamond shaped tower covered in green mist. She'd seen more impressive things in Vegas casino.
Turning back, she glanced at the scaffolding, making sure there weren't any snipers trying to draw a bead on them. When she didn't see any hostiles she let go of her rifle with her right hand, and raised the same hand to her helmet. She blinked into her HUD, opened a comlink, "Precious Cargo is secured. Repeat, Precious Cargo is secured. Request immediate evac."
"Roger… commander," Joker static filled voice came over the comm. "What… your… situation commander?"
"Jenkins is KIA. So is Nihlus," she reported tersely. "We managed to link up with a Marine from the security detachment, a Gunnery Sergeant Ashley Williams."
"Alright… Commander hold put… we're coming to get you," Joker said after a brief pause.
"Roger that Normandy, standing by," she said, turning, and found Williams waiting for her next order while Alenko stared intently at the Beacon. Unslinging her sniper she tossed it to Williams. "Gunny, go up top and cover us in case there are any of those Geth bastards still kicking."
"Aye ma'am," she said, slinging her assault rifle and brandishing the sniper rifle as she ran back up the staircase.
"Alenko," she shouted and the Lieutenant didn't respond. "Alenko!" She tried again, louder this time as she started walking towards him.
The Lieutenant was being dragged towards the Beacon, clearly against his will. "Commander," he yelled, sounding pained.
Breaking out into a full run, she grabbed him by the waist. Leaning back with all her weight, she threw the Lieutenant away from the Beacon. Digging her heels in, she tried to fight the pull the Beacon had, but no matter how hard she strained the Beacon fought back harder. Suddenly she felt her feet leave the ground and screamed as her world went black.
Beta done by Thorn of the Dead Gods