Ch. 2

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Lao-tzu (604 BC - 531 BC), The Way of Lao-tzu

I'm standing in a space ship looking at Liana. Okay I'm gonna regret this question but, "What's the survival rate of field operatives..."

I wake up in a room that, regardless of sci-fi equipment screamed hospital, a constant beep of my heart beat and several monitors around me are the only noise I hear. I try to turn my head, but find I'm bound down in the bed. This is definitely not how I imagined my journey through the Mass Effect universe would go. Nothings happening so I try to speak, "Hello."

Less than a second later I see movement in the corner of my eyes, man I hurt everywhere. "Will," a voice says it's Liana. She sits in a chair next to the hospital bed I'm in.

"Not how I expected you to learn my name," I say with a pained laugh. "So what's going on," I say.

"The owner is using you to go on a mission," she said, "he has become interested in events unfolding.""but due to your umm," she tried to search for the words.

"Physical weakness," I say, "pudginess."

"Not how I would have phrased it," she said with a slight smile, "the owner has used surgeries to modify your body."

"What," I say but start coughing.

"I will ferry information and orders between you and the owner," she says, "he has given you a code name and any individual who refers to you as such is an agent of the owner."

I'm an accepting person this person established themself as my boss so all I did was ask "what's my code name."

"The informant," she says.

"Imaginative," I say with another grin.

She ignores the comment but shifts uncomfortably "Your mission is to inform on a situation that may be developing on a planet called Eden Prime the owner has managed to track a classified data cache that was sent to the alliance command, they are sending a ship called the SSV Normandy to the planet sources say the ship is commanded by a man named Captain David Anderson, also a part of the Normandy's crew is another rather famous individual named Commander Jane Shepard the 'lion of Elysium'."

"When do we leave," I say it's like a plot line in a game forcing me into the events of the story I grin.

"You are there to observe and report, do not interfere with events," she says in an all business tone. She begins shifting around uncomfortably.

This worries me, "what's wrong," I ask.

"There are unconfirmed reports that a SpecTRe may be onboard the ship," she says, "you will most likely beat them there."

"So find out what's up and just disappear," I ask I'm already starting to plan how to involve myself in events.

"We will be the only crew onboard a small vessel both of us will be needed to work the ship," she says. Damn it stupid bastard, using her to keep me in line.

She releases the restraints and helps me to stand. I'm in a patients gown but that's not what I notice the most, my guts gone my keg has been replaced with a six pack, '...used surgeries to modify your body...' flashes through my head. I turn to Liana, "It may be a good idea to let me get dressed unless this is proper mission attire," I say with a small laugh.

"I'll help you," she says and grabs the gown.

I blushed like you can't imagine "I think I can handle it myself," I say and grab her hand tightly.

"Ouch," she says and grabs her wrist, "be more careful your stronger now."

I look at my arms I'd been turned into a athlete overnight, "I'll do it myself a little privacy please," I'm still blushing, but I'd turned away from her to hide it.

I hear the door whoosh closed, "good job," I say, "to myself my one friend and I may have broken her wrist." I get dressed the outfit though obviously this would make me stand out. It was armored only in certain areas my chest shins and fore arms, it had a black cloak the whole outfit made me feel like a jedi from that cg Starwars movie combined with Ezio Auditore from Assassin's Creed 2. I finish pulling the hood over my head and a HUD appears giving me my shield strength and a map with IFF tags. I see on the map Liana is marked green and is just outside the door. I take a deep breath and exhale, on to life.

I exit the room Liana turns towards me, "you clean up nice," she says with a grin.

We make our way to a small hangar, when I see the ship it sinks in I'm going to be a player in the events of Mass Effect. Luckily my legs are locked under me I feel like I could fall over with a small breeze. Liana notices my trepidation. "I'm okay its just that well..." I can't even think of the next word. I grin thinking of what I'd say to my dad about driving a car when I was starting, "its disconcerting."

I walk towards the small ship. It was roughly the size of an RV on the inside, a single bed a desk with a computer, a small lavatory in the back, and two chairs near the front one behind the other. "Wait a minute," I say turning towards Liana, "I have absolutely no idea how to pilot a ship or really do anything on one."

"The ship will only move when two of the owner's operatives are onboard, I'll admit it's to make sure that compassionate individuals are kept in line," she says in her all business mode, "I'm considered your friend so the owner assigned me to you."

I scowl but a question pushes through, "Why do you call him the owner, doesn't he have a real name."

I don't know what it is about him but whenever he's mentioned she shifts around nervously, yeah it already occurred to me about listening devices being everywhere, but he built me to do a mission so I probably wouldn't kill me...yet. Okay going to talk nice about the owner from now on. "No one onboard knows his real name," she says seeming to carefully choose each of her words, "or even if it's a he, just that he is rich enough that he owns the Circumference, and pays everyone enough not to care."

Okay I'm gonna regret this question but, "What's the survival rate of field operatives."

She looks away from me, oh crap.