Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show!
Halo belongs to Microsoft Studios
Mass Effect belongs to belongs to Bioware
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XX Unpronounceable Jiralhanae Controlled Planet – 2773 XX
Jones did his best to treat Shepard's wounds but the man wasn't a medic so his treatment was little more than washing the cuts with disinfectant and coating the cuts in fast hardening Medi-Gel to prevent protect the injury from dirt or debris. Once the gel had hardened he stuck Shepard with a local anaesthetic to kill the intense pain from the two deep gashes that marred his cheek and chin.
"C'mon kid, let's go." Jones said gruffly as he pulled Shepard to his feet and handed the younger man his gun. Unable to reply, numbness and hardened gel made moving his mouth impossible, Shepard simply took the weapon and surveyed the street. "C'mon, there might be more of them and we're a long way from friendlies."
'Useless plastic piece of shit.' Shepard seethed silently as he looked at his mangled helmet before tossing it way. 'Just my fucking luck, get drafted three months AFTER they swap out the old armoured Battle Dress Uniforms for these hardsuit pieces of shit!'
Making his way over to one of his former squad mate's bodies Shepard pried the dead man's helmet off and stuck it on.
"I thought those things are a package deal? You know, no mix and matching!" Jones asked as Shepard activated his wrist mounted computer and began typing away, pausing every few seconds to scan the new helmet. The turians called them something that translated as 'All Purpose Data and Flash Fabricating Tools', seems they invented the word just for it.
The 'All Purpose Data and Flash Fabricating Tool' was one of those alien technologies that even the more hard-line xenophobes accepted, as long as it was produced in a human factory. The lighter weight, more powerful processing power and ability be weaponized via thermal or electrical bursts meant it had quickly replaced the old TACPADS.
The human ones varied in quality and processing power from about level with your basic personal computer to 'I just hacked your website with the push of a button, while sitting here sipping my Frappuccino'. The basic model the UNSC got after tendering the contract fell closer to the former unfortunately but looked similar enough to the good ones that the Reds had arranged for a higher end one to be smuggled to Shepard for him to use. The OPI Technologies Mk.3 Omni-Tool® was god send for him.
"Where'd you learn to do that?" Jones asked in astonishment when Shepard's IFF replaced Wilkins' one on his display. When Shepard ignored him and retrieved the particle rifle Jones just shrugged and pulled up his own computer. "We're about six clicks from the forward outpost, c'mon."
The pair moved mostly in silence, Jones had tried to hold a one sided conversation at first but a withering glare from Shepard shut him up. Shepard didn't care if Jones came from a Dark World, he didn't care that their planet's thriving economy had dried up after they declared independence from Earth and had a UNSC enforced embargo slapped on them and he sure as hell didn't care that Jones was a teacher by trade who was only here to get UEG citizenship.
If these suits didn't have recorders in them I'd frag you right now and say I was the only survivor… shit!' Shepard thought before face palming. The suits had recording equipment in the helmets and once he got back they'd see he'd hacked the Wilkins' helmet and taken it and that'd lead to questions about the Omni-Tool® and… And… "How the fuck was I gonna explain the undamaged helmet covering these cuts?'
"I've been thinking, maybe we should get off the streets. Use the buildings for cover… We are just two guys now." Jones said as he pointed towards a large tower, partly demolished, whose wreckage formed a crude bridge between two other towers. "And if we use those we can cut some time off our trek."
Letting Jones take point, and ditching the particle rifle since the ICWs automatic fire would be more effective in the corridors, Shepard made his way up the steps leading to the closer tower.
Progress through up the tower was slow, damage had rendered many corridors and stairwells collapsed or blocked and they often ended up scaling rubble to advance up a story. Upon reaching the level that held the makeshift bridge Shepard began to reconsider crossing. Sure the massive section of collapsed building weighed who knew how many tonnes but Shepard couldn't shake that old vid cliché of the unstable walkway that threatened to collapse under the hero's weight as he crossed. The knowledge that this wasn't some Jovian action movie, but real life, made that image all the worse.
Staying low to avoid being spotted by any hostiles Shepard slowly advanced, heart pounding in what he could feel of his ears. Reaching halfway without any sign of the rubble shifting Shepard beckoned for Jones to follow and moved forward. As they searched for a way to safely descend the two levels between them and the next bridge the distinctive growls of a Kig-Yar rang out.
Shepard dropped flat and began frantically scanning the area for the hostile but spotted nothing. Jones, who was hunkered down near some rubble that had fallen from the floor above, leaned out over a hole in the wall and signalled for Shepard to join him.
"Sniper, below us." He hissed as he nodded out the hole, where the barrel of a particle rifle could be seen sticking out of a window a level below them. "Might be more… Do we engage or try and sneak past?"
Drawing his hand across his throat Shepard signalled his intent. The pair found a stairwell and descended a level, then retraced their steps to find the sniper's location. There was only one but the sounds of other Kig-Yar could be heard elsewhere on the floor. A flash of hand signals later Jones was positioning himself to cover Shepard's rear as Shepard himself set aside his assault rifle, drew his standard issue combat knife and advanced.
CRUNCH.
'Shit.' Shepard thought as some loose rubble broke under his boot. The Kig-Yar turned, its beady eyes widened comically and it managed the beginnings of a startled shriek before Shepard fell on it and embedded the knife in its long neck.
A sharp beep, followed by Kig-Yar shrieks told Shepard he'd alerted the others.
"Catch kid." Jones called as he tossed the ICW to Shepard before taking cover against a doorframe.
Catching the assault rifle Shepard rushed to join Jones, barely making it into cover before a group of Kig-Yar came rushing towards them. Bursts of superheated green plasma impacted the frames as the Kig-Yars rushed forward, seems the one Shepard killed was popular.
"Fire in the hole!" Jones yelled before tossing a frag grenade through the doorway. The resulting boom and Kig-Yar shrieks told Shepard he had some cover and, popping out of cover for an instant, downed two of the still standing Kig-Yars before the others could recover and retaliate. As he popped back behind cover, several crystalline shards whizzed past and embedded into the wall behind him. "Shit, Needler!"
Arming one of the plasma grenades he'd taken from the Kig-Yar snipers earlier Shepard tossed the explosive down the corridor and readied two grenades. As soon as he heard the plasma grenade detonate the frags went after, the flash of plasma masking them.
BOOM.
Leaning out again Shepard found the Needler carrying hostile, dazed and startled by the blasts, and put a few rounds into its skull. As the surviving hostiles fired on Shepard's side of the door Jones downed one and winged two more. A grenade from Shepard finished the fight.
"So much for being sneaky." Jones muttered as he and Shepard moved up the blood splattered, and explosion damaged, corridor. Looking over the corpses, and remembering how effective enemy tech tended to be, Jones started gathering grenades.
"What's it with you and their rifles?" Jones laughed when Shepard picked up a Type-51 Carbine and snagged a few spare magazines for it from a shrapnel riddled corpse.
Shrugging as he holstered the ICW on his back Shepard double checked the Carbine's magazine. With their grenades replenished and some liberated weapons, Jones had decided to nab the Needler, the pair pushed on. Crossing the second makeshift bridge they heard the sounds of battle, the 'ping' of mass accelerator rounds and the roar of the Jiralhanae 'Spiker'.
"Shit! Move it, move!" Jones ordered as the pair rushed through the ruined tower, descending this one much faster than they'd ascended the first. Making it to the streets they emerged about four hundred metres behind what remained of a Jiralhanae armoured column that had been ambushed by another UNSC patrol. The smouldering wreckage of the enemy vehicles, mostly Ghosts with two twisted Wraith remains as well, littered the street and where being used as cover by the Jiralhanae and Unggoy as they gave as good as they got from the UNSC marines.
Taking cover behind some rubble that had spilled onto the street Shepard and Jones got ready to open fire and provide assistance. The sounds of Type-51 Carbines and Needlers weren't the kinds of sounds Jiralhanae typically associated with hostility so few at the rear reacted when Shepard and Jones opened fire. In fact they didn't react at all until the Needler shards began detonating and turned their own comrades into bombs.
The Jiralhanae found themselves in a tight spot, attempting to take cover from the UNSC marines would leave them open to Shepard and Jones while seeking cover from Shepard and Jones meant presenting themselves to the marines. The Jiralhanae captain, seeming to realise this and showing an unusual level of intelligence, levelled the massive Fuel Rod Cannon it carried at the building to its right and fired. The blast tearing a hole in the wall into which it seemed to order the others to retreat. The Unggoy didn't need to be told twice and ran as fast as their stumpy little legs could carry them. The Jiralhanae seemed hesitant to follow the order, their natural bloodlust made the idea of retreating something unaccustomed to them, but three of their numbers being dropped and another roar from the captain got them moving.
'Not so fast.' Shepard thought as he tracked the captain as it moved for the hole. As he fired the captain turned its head and let out a roar of rage that turned to a howl of agony as the Carbine's round ripped through the power armour's helmet and most likely part of the captain's face.
Rushing forward alongside Jones Shepard barely managed to resister the long Spike Grenades that came sailing out of the hole before Jones was tackling him to the ground. The grenades exploded, launching superheated barbed shrapnel out, and covered the Jiralhanae retreat.
XX Main Mess; The Fires Of Sol (Four Months Later) XX
Jones dropped down into the place opposite Shepard and began devouring his meal like a man starved. The pair had really bonded after they'd regrouped with allied troops and had thankfully been reassigned to the same squad afterwards. There new squad was primarily made up of Dark Worlders like Jones as opposed to their previous squad where Jones and the two actual UNSC marines where the only ones who weren't there as an alternative to prison.
This change made it a lot easier for Jones as he was among others who were fighting for citizenship but meant Shepard was avoided. The pair of jagged scars the Spiker had given him, plus his gang tattoos, most have made for an intimidating appearance. He didn't really care though, the CO talked to him when he was to follow orders and Jones talked enough for the whole squad so he was happy to be left on his own.
"That was something else, right?" Jones chuckled in reference to their last mission where they'd gotten to see the results of a group of ODSTs.
"Was pretty cool." Shepard agreed in between forkfuls of food. Turning to look at the others in their squad, who all look down at their food when his eyes fell on them, and looking back to Jones Shepard continued. "Although I'm surprised you like them, don't the ODSTs spent as much time fucking over you Innies as they do the Baby Kongs?"
"Hahahaha… Ha, fuck you Earthborn. Fuck you very much." Jones snapped, although the smile on his face said he didn't really mind. "So, you any idea what you gonna do once you're done in the Penal System?"
"I'm a year into a five year stretch, and they call what we're in Suicide Squads for a reason, so I ain't making any plans until my release papers are signed and in my hand." Shepard told him as he snatched the bread roll off of Jones' tray. "Thanks."
"No no, help yourself. Not like I might have wanted to eat it or anything." Jones said tiredly before Shepard tossed his own dessert over to him.
"What about you, how long left?" Shepard asked as he tore into the roll.
"I'm a teacher, or I was one back home, so I figured I'd get a job teaching." Jones told him, a happy smile on the man's face.
"You were a teacher?" Shepard asked, feigning total surprise to annoy him. "You never told me that… What'd you teach?"
"Ha. Ha. Ha." Jones said slowly. "You know, you should be a comedian when you finish here… Because you are just hilarious."
"Will I certainly know how to knock 'em dead, don't I?" Shepard joked as he finished his food. "Talk to you later Jones."
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So that's chapter two. I'm planning to spend a few chapters building up to the Eden Prime mission, showing Shepard as he goes through his sentence and later after he joined the Marine Corps proper. This chapter should have been up a day or two ago but the computer I was using was acting up and that made making the Timeline I've posting in my Forum take longer than I thought [even though making the Timeline mostly just involved copy-pasting stuff from the Halo and Mass Effect wikis then editing the dates or adding in my own little things]. I'll be adding the final section of the Timeline [Shanxi War to Eden Prime] over the next few days and then I'll either throw up a brief political overview as, describing the relationship humanity has with certain races, or do a brief detail on human weapons and armour as of 2773.
Shepard will be closer to a Mass Effect Infiltrator [skilled marksman with computer skills]. I'm also going to be changing around the service history of several human characters, reflecting the fact that the UNSC is not the Systems Alliance. Expect Shepard to meet some characters earlier then in canon or to not meet them until much later. Also expect human characters to have somewhat different personalities due to the changes in their race's history.
Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.
This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading