AN:
While the characters here will technically be "OC's", they have been mentioned multiple times throughout the games. Consider this an "elaboration" of what is present already. The next handful of chapters should be considered a prelude to the main story.
Chapter 4: To Forge a Paragon
April 9th, 2154 C.E.
Earth, United North American States, "Old" Toronto
The mountain of a man that called himself Andrew Williams moved through the dense crowds of the old city quarter, easily pushing aside the few who didn't give him a wide berth. He came to the meeting spot, the old diner and bar on the corner of Jane and Finch, the best dive in town. It was also 'coincidentally' the loudest public place, for any less-than legal 'business' discussions for those in said line of work.
"Jeb's Diner! Best food in the galaxy since 2074!" A ragged, repurposed advertising robot boasted. It wasn't true of course, by any stretch of the imagination, but nobody went there for the food. He had never seen a diner quite like this one; it was a "diner" in much the same way that a submarine was a boat. Sure, it served food, had checkered floors and had a greasy Eastern European man at the register to get your order wrong, but it really didn't count. If he could list everything wrong with the place, he would be there all day. Shrugging off the his train of thought.
Entering through the door, he was immediately greeted by the cheerful and liberally-clad waitress, also known as the reason people went to Jeb's.
"Hey gorgeous! The usual?"
A nod and a smile.
"On the Red's bankroll?"
"Yep."
"Right this way!"
A skip and a delightful bounce later, she seated him and handed him a menu.
"Call me the moment you need anything Andy!" she added. The waitresses here were renowned for two things here; their prompt service, and their cheap 'service'. Those days when he could indulge were behind him, but Andrew could still appreciate the oldest career path the world had to offer.
To his surprise, Shepard was not waiting for him; he was late. His friend rarely called him to talk shop, but when he did, he was never late. Something was obviously wrong, and the big man didn't like it.
"Ah, well."
Waving his waitress back over, he ordered a meat lover's pizza pie and the most alcoholic drink he could find.
"Size?" His bubbly waitress asked.
"Large."
"Hmm… alright. Now, what size pizza do you want?"
"Funny, Mindy."
A huge grin spread over his friend's face as he deflected what must've been her hundredth pass at him.
"Ha ha, you love it! Anyway, what size drink?
"Oceanic."
"Right away!" She winked at him, and with her suggestive smile in tow, she sped away to fetch his stuff.
Flipping through his omni-tool as he waited, Andrew went to his phone list, running through his contacts until he came to the one he wanted: Espina, Ashley.
Ignoring the annoying throng of people near him, he dialed her number and impatiently awaited her reply. A ringing sound came from his tool for a brief moment before a frowning and angry, yet beautiful face came up.
"What do you wa-? Oh, Andrew!"
"Hey Ash, I take it you were talking to your mother?"
"You're a regular Nostradamus." She sighed and twirled what he knew to be a knife off-screen. "But yeah, mom."
"That explains everything, heh. So what'd she say?"
"What didn't she say?" Ashley flashed her engagement ring as she parted her lustrous black hair and pushed it from her swollen, red face.
"Let me guess; 'Why did you say 'yes' to that retarded meathead Williams?' or 'where did I go wrong when I raised you?'" He put on his biggest asshole smile as he waited for her to respond.
"Something like that. She's such a…"
"Or 'How could you settle for such a loser?'…. Oh! Almost forgot my favourite one! 'You're marrying that stupid beefsteak whiteboy?!'"
"Shut up Andrew."
"Yes ma'am. Still, it's what you get for having a black mother. "
She looked around the room she was in, prompting Andrew to follow suit for no particular reason. She looked... anxious.
"Anyway, you need something?"
"Did you talk to Shepard earlier? He called me to Jeb's but didn't show."
"Yeah, actually, just a few minutes ago. He sounded frustrated. Well, frustrated in the way he gets frustrated."
"What'd he say?"
"The usual load; asking for money, asking for help on 'the next big score!'... you know the deal."
"God damn me if I don't." Classic Shepard.
"Yeah, he was bullshitting, but he was really worried about something. He said he was going to the diner, so sit tight and shut up until he gets there."
"'Kay"
"And if you even smell a waitress I'll cut your balls off and sell them to a..."
"I'll keep that in mind hon." An angry woman was dangerous enough without having intimate knowledge of knives and firearms. Of course, he was engaged to one who did.
"You'd damn well better do more… er… less!... than that!"
Mindy came up with a gigantic pizza pie and his requested oceanic drink impossibly fast and looked at him knowingly. Andrew came up with an idea to bug them both.
"Don't worry so much; none of the girls here even hold a candle to you." He said with a smile. Ash smiled ear to ear suspiciously, and Mindy did a cutting motion at her neck.
"Yep, uh-huh, I'm sure of it."
"But the guys? God Ash, if you saw them…"
"Shut the hell up!"
"Ah don't fret! 'Tis better to have loved then lost, than never to have loved at all."
Ashley was not amused to any appreciable degree; "Thanks, Casanova."
"Hah! See you later honey, I love you."
"I love you too, stay safe."
He had a sudden urge to say one thing in addition, but before he could even open his mouth she reached for a button outside of what Andrew could see. She gave him one last smile and wink, and flipped the switch off. Mindy laid down the remainder of his meal.
"You wound me Andy." Andrew actually recoiled at how fast everything had been prepared and laid out.
"You seriously went behind the counter, made this and delivered it in less than five minutes?"
"'We finish quickly' is our motto here at Jeb's, babe."
"Interesting coincidence."
"Yes, quite the coincidence."
After giving another adultery-inducing smile at Andrew, Mindy practically leapt up and happily went to dote on another poor fool waiting by the door, leaving him alone with his thoughts... for all of five seconds before he recognized the fool at the door.
One hour later
"You're joking."
"Nope."
"That's seriously your plan?"
"Yep."
The towering man recoiled somewhat at his lanky friend's 'idea'; he had just suggested they betray the Reds, in the most audacious and dangerous way possible, for basically no payoff. 'Audacious' was not a word the big man liked to attach to his plans. Or use. He preferred to call it as it was, 'desperate'.
"That's crazy! You're crazy!"
"Ya' have to admit though, it's pretty audacious." the thin man said as if he was selling something.
"Shepard, we could die doing this! Strauss will have our asses for this!"
"What? We'll be fine Chewie! The craziest plans are always the least expected! "
"And the least successful." He responded gruffly, not much appreciating being compared to a Wookiee.
"Such a pessimist, this guy 'eh?" Shepard said as he gestured at the customers in the adjoining table, hoping for nods of solidarity. An observation of his sexually immoral practices with his mother was all he got in return.
"A pessimist is what an optimist calls a realist." The bigger man noted, standing to leave. His legs and most of his chest, once hidden by the table, revealed themselves once more and brought his height up to a wholesome 7' 2". Looking at his friend one last time; "I'm done with this, keep me out of your stupid plans from now on okay? See you later, jackass." Turning for the door, he took a step to leave.
"Scared, Williams?"
Stopping, the walking tank turned back. Shepard new damn well what he was doing, and Andrew "Chewie" Williams didn't like it for a moment. Shepard continued; "Afraid they'll make fun of your name again, Willard Williams?"
"Stop bringing that up already! I changed it years ago!"
"Worried they might beat you down again?"
"Shep!"
"Awwwww maaaannnnn, somebody's mad!"
References to the… 'embarrassing' incident weren't enough. Williams walked back towards his friend and gently –relative to the size of the man- placed his hand on the shoddy table in front of Shepard, his palm and fingers outsizing the half-eaten pizza and its pan. His voice took on a melancholic tone.
"Listen; I have a home, a good, somewhat legal job and a girl who makes me happy."
Looking around for any eavesdroppers, he continued;
"I'm not doing anything to endanger that. I want a life, Shepard, I want a family. You can keep doing what you do, get rich quick and die young for all I care. Just don't make me pay for it. Don't make Hannah and the kid pay for it."
"That's who this is all about!" He had to watch his volume; the area was loud, but there's always someone listening. "Do you think I want my kid, my son, to grow up like me? Some fucking loser on the street? This is a cut-and-run job Andy, it's not about the cash."
Looking at him dead in the eye, the larger man sat back down. Shepard? Caring about something other than money and substance abuse?
"Explain."
Once again looking around to check for scryers, Shepard and Williams leaned closer to each other, almost touching.
"Phew, this is some serious sexual tensi-"
Slapping him with the back of his gargantuan hand, Williams expressed an unspoken desire for him to shut the hell up.
"Damn it! That's going to bruise!"
"Tell me already!"
"Fine! Ow! God damn! The Guardians struck a deal with me... fuck man!"
"What sort of deal?" Completely unsympathetic to his friend's pain.
"In exchange for the Red Sand in the depot, they…" He shifted in his seat, nervous about spilling the details. But if he couldn't trust Andrew, he couldn't trust his right hand. "… get me and my 'associates' off-world"
This was unexpected to Williams, who listened intently.
"They said they could get us anywhere we wanted; Mars, Demeter, and check this shit man, even Eden fucking Prime!"
"That's just… wow." The big guy could barely interpret this news, this opportunity.
"Yeah, I thought it was a joke at first; the Guardians coming up to the second-in-command of the Reds and asking him for help against the Reds? Fucking crazy bastards, I love 'em!"
Shepard was full of smiles, Williams was suspicious; they would only ask if they were desperate, or very well-informed. Shepard had been having reservations about holding this line of work, and they just happened to ask for help right as his discontentment peaked?
"And they said they could set you up anywhere? "
"For the price that Sand will fetch, anywhere. They even got new identities set up!"
"What's the catch?"
"No catch."
"Bullshit, Shep."
It sounded way too good to be true, and as it was usually said; "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
"What? We go in, accomplish the mission and get the hell out ASAT."
"ASAP, idiot."
"Whatever. So wadd'ya say… pardner?"
The fake hillbilly accent didn't do much to sell him.
"No."
"So you'll just let me do it alone then? Let me collect the reward all by myself?" Pouting slightly and raising his voice's register, he attempted to keep his friend off-balance. He was losing him; he needed the weapon.
"Uh huh." More like collecting a bullet to the brain, he entertained.
"Some friend you are!"
"We're friends?" Williams chuckled.
"Laugh it up asshole! Seriously man, come on!
"I'm not getting killed for some dumbass plot you thought up in five minutes!"
Shit. Deploy the weapon! Shepard thought.
"So you're sending me and Ash into the fire alone? No backup?" He ensured the emphasis was correctly placed, and fought a grimace.
"Damn straight I… Wait, what? 'Ash'? As in 'Ashley'?
"Yep, asked her today. Agreed like it was nothing; that's a hell of a girl you've got there, Willard."
"You're such a bastard."
"Well… yeah, if you want to get technical."
Thinking for a long moment, Williams considered his options. Shepard watched through the window in his eyes the battle between the logical "Shepard is being a dickhead again" hemisphere of his brain and the "Do it for love and friendship" emotional side. Emotion won. With the aid of blackmail.
Springing to his feet with anxiety; "Fine! I'll help you with your damn plan. But if I die, I'm haunting you."
"I knew you'd help bro!" Attempting to give the standing -and vastly taller- Williams a punch on the shoulder, Shepard's thin fists instead recoiled off his bicep as if they had hit a steel plate. Laughing, Williams sat back down and looked him dead in the eye.
"Yeah, yeah whatever; I just don't want you to get hurt. You also sorta' blackmailed me using my girlfriend and future wife, but I'll let it slide."
"Not mad?"
"If I was mad, you'd be dead."
"I love you, Willard."
"Shut up, Josh."
Shepard looked down at his now-empty sitting, long since demolished by his insatiable appetite, and looked back up at his friend, who knew exactly what he was going to say next.
"Hey, spot me for twenty bucks? Somebody has to pay for my meal. "
"Strauss is so going to kill us."