Mass Effect Project Renegade
Chapter 6: Eden Prime
January/30th/2183
Location: SSV Normandy-On route to Eden Prime
The Normandy just exited through the relay, giving Joker a sigh of relief as he got a precise jump. Nihlus looked at the coordinates and gave a sturdy nod, while Joker waited for Nihlus to speak up, Nihlus tilted his head down to look at the pilot.
"1500 is good; your captain will be pleased."
Nihlus walked out of the cockpit while Joker gave him a glare.
"I hate that guy."
Kaidan stopped entering commands in the Co-pilots seat to look at Joker.
"Nihlus gave you a compliment and you hate him?"
Joker just rolled his eyes while looking at Kaidan.
"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit? … That's good! I just jumped through a pin point- Oh shit Commander I hate it when you sneak up like that!"
Joker nearly broke a bone, while turning around seeing Jack just approached the two without either of them noticing. Jack just put his hand on Joker's shoulder.
"Joker… Nihlus is talking out of his ass; you're one of the most experienced pilots in the Alliance."
Joker gave off a nod while giving himself an imaginary pat on the back. Before Kaidan could interrupt, the Captain of the Normandy, Captain Anderson caught Joker's attention over the Comm.
"Joker find a Comm buoy and set a link up to the Alliance Brass."
Joker was initiating the frequencies while talking to Anderson.
"Aye, aye.. Oh and watch out Nihlus is heading your way."
There was a silence for a moment, before Anderson could reply.
"He's already here Lieutenant, tell the Commander to meet me in the Comm room."
Joker nodded while turning around to talk to Jack.
"You hear that Comma—What the hell? (Jack disappeared.) I really need to switch to decaf."
As Jack entered the Comm room, he only saw Nihlus in the vicinity, jack approached with caution. As Jack approached, Nihlus turned around to greet him.
"Ah Commander Shepard, I was hoping we had a chance to talk."
Jack looked around the room to check if Anderson was inside the room.
"The Captain said he was here."
Nihlus nodded while crossing his arms.
"He'll be here shortly, I was wondering if you'll indulge me on some questions."
Jack didn't even bother engaging in active conversation so he remained silent.
"I was looking in to Eden Prime, what do you know of it?"
Jack remained Silent as Nihlus was trying to coax a response.
"You're a man with few words, aren't you Commander?"
[Target Solution]….
Anderson walked in seeing Nihlus facing Jack, he approached the two to inform Jack of the real reason they're here.
"I think it's time to tell the Commander the real reason we're here."
Jack looked at Anderson ignoring Nihlus presence.
"This isn't a Simple shakedown mission, I'm aware we're hunting down a Prothean Beacon that recently was dug up, and went active… Alliance Black Ops informed me Anderson, so it's no use trying to deceive me, as well as informing me my Spectre candidacy… and my answer for that is no."
Both Anderson's and Nihlus's eyes widened, Nihlus spoke up.
"Your Black ops have impressive intelligence gathering… and as for declining Spectre Hood…."
Anderson intervened to Jack's answer.
"Damn it Shepard this isn't about you! The Alliance needs this… Humanity needs this!"
Jack turned to Anderson giving him a glare.
"The Alliance? We were doing fine, after the first contact war, and after the Blitz, then we joined the Citadel Community, having the Citadel Council Dictate terms, and I've been defending Humanity for a long time Anderson-"
Joker intervened the argument.
"Captain! Transmission from Eden Prime!"
The three immediately turned towards the screen witnessing the slaughter. After a minute of the video, Anderson looked at Shepard.
"This mission just got complicated, Commander Report to the hanger."
As Nihlus and Jack entered the elevator, Nihlus decided to break the ice and try to Coax Shepard into another conversation.
"Denying Spectre Hood… That's the first… I didn't think Human's would deny such an honor-"
Nihlus was cut off by Jack picking up Nihlus and slamming him against the wall.
"Don't talk about Honor with me Nihlus you and your butchering kind, has none!"
Nihlus was about to say something but once again Jack slammed him against the wall.
"I'll be watching you Nihlus, so don't think for a second that'll I'll be off guard, and the reason for denying your gang of Kill anyone I want and get away with it, you spectres think your untouchable, well the truth is you're not. One day your entire Spectre ops will slip up and piss off the wrong person, then look at where you are. I will not have you jeopardize this mission, we will get this mission done the right way, or not at all…. Do we have an understanding Spectre? "
Nihlus throat felt dry as he was beginning to regret egging Jack on in to a conversation, clearly he thought that Jack was not only Command Material, but would be a valuable asset to have in Citadel Space. Nihlus just nodded, while being careful not to get on Jack's badside.
"Understood Commander."
Jack lowered Nihlus down as soon as the doors opened; both Nihlus and Jack approached the ground team. The Normandy hovered over the ground of the colony, letting the ground team exit the frigate. Jack was the first to hit the ground followed by Nihlus, then Kaidan, and finally Jenkins who manages to stumble and falls off his feet. Jack looked at Jenkins giving him a glare.
"On your feet Corporal!"
Jenkins immediately dusts himself off while grabbing his fallen weapon. Jack scoped out the area around them, seeing no active hostiles only burned and bloodied human corpses, the scene manage to make Jenkins almost lose his lunch.
Jack signaled the others to watch his six as he advanced through the narrow pass between a couple of boulders. Jenkins managed to lose his cool and charge ahead of him.
"I'll Kill you bastards this is my HOME!"
As Jenkins passed through the boulders a swarm of Geth Drones closed in on Jenkins going full auto towards Jenkins direction. Before the projectiles even hit Jenkins, Jack sprung to action pulling Jenkins back, while springing from cover and firing his avenger until it reached its heat limit. Jack hated using Galactic standard weapons, he thought they were inefficient. He missed is AR-15 V4, Cerberus always stocked him up with real ammunition, the gun even fired bullets. Jack approached Jenkins, who was thanking him for saving his life.
"Commander… You saved my life, Thank-"
Jenkins was cutoff with Jack punching him across the face.
"Corporal you ignored my orders and nearly jeopardized the mission what the hell is wrong with you?!"
Jenkins couldn't explain himself he was tripping over is words, and decided to just apologize to Jack, while realizing around him was the very things that could of cut his career short.
"Sorry sir, I don't know what came over me; I thought I could catch the enemy off guard."
Jack gave out a long exhale, trying to calm himself.
"Look Jenkins, believe me I know what it means to have what you care for taken away from you, I know what it's like to want vengeance, just be more aware of your surroundings."
Jack patted Jenkins on the backed and signaled the others to follow.
As the squad moved up the hill Jack sight caught a female Alliance Marine hitting the floor while taking out the Drones, but before he could approach the marine, he noticed something behind her. Jack saw it, the GETH. Memories started to surge through Jack's mind, remembering how he and his platoon countered the Geth before. Jack was moving down the hill quickly to take out the Geth, but the Geth Troopers were more concerned about the colonist they were placing on the Alien Device. As Jack approached the Female marine he witnessed the Colonist being impaled on the device. The scene caused Jenkins to throw up, as Jack just glared and ordered the squad to open fire on the Geth. Seconds later the Geth collapse from the amount of projectiles that was launched in to them.
As soon as the fighting stopped the Female Marine approached Jack.
"[Salutes] Gunnery Chief Williams of the 212… Thanks for the assist Commander…. Damn it we weren't prepared to fight the Geth here."
Nihlus approached Jack to inform Shepard.
"Commander Shepard, if the Geth is here in force this will probably provoke a Galactic war with the Council, we should extract the beacon before the Geth find it."
Jack nodded in agreement.
"Alright lets head to the dig site, and call the Normandy."
Ashley interrupted the Commander from heading towards the dig site only to find nothing.
"Uh Sir, it won't do any good, when the Geth attacked the archeologists moved the beacon."
Jack stopped in his trail and immediately turned around to face Williams.
"Do you know where Chief?"
Ashley nodded.
"Alright Williams your with us, show us where they moved it."
The battle raged on across to the beacon with squad encountering more Geth and Synthetic reanimated Human Corpses. When no one was looking Jack would take snap shots of the Husks and would send this report to Cerberus when contact has been reestablished. The Squad approached the spaceport witnessing an enormous dreadnaught taking off from the surface of the planet.
The squad got on to a cargo train and approached the docks of the colony. As the cart prepared to dock Nihlus managed to catch Saren talking to a Geth. Nihlus reached for Jack's shoulder to point out the Rogue Spectre.
"Spirits! Commander look, Saren's working with the Geth!"'
Jack's eyes widened and equipped a Viper Rifle. He quick shot Saren only to his dismay the rifle's projectile only phased his barrier causing Saren to flee, and Jack lost his temper on the Standardized rifle.
"Fucking Obsolete Piece of Shit!"
Jack threw the Viper with full force on to the ground shattering it to pieces, causing everyone to back off slightly.
Kaidan informed Jack of the bombs of the Colony which Jack after forty seconds Jack Disarmed the first three bombs. Before Jack could approach the fourth, a Geth Destroyer decided to charge Jack. Jack grabbed a hold of the Destroyer slamming it in to the wall, then breaking it in half while throwing it over the rails of the docks. The Squad approached the beacon while securing the area, as Jack signaled the Normandy; the beacon went active causing the Project Renegade's implants to flare up, while lifting Jack from the air.
The beacon began its transmission process through Jack's mind transmitting visions, Jack's eyes immediately reverted to Project Renegade's scars. After a few seconds the beacon dropped Jack and went offline. The Squad approached the unconscious Commander while calling the Normandy for an evac.
[Warning Breach In Multiple Lobes of Brain- Recalibrating- Standby…..]
/Start Up Local Program… …. …. … /Error….. …. /Full Restart…. /Failed….. Recalibrating….
/Force Restart…. /Success..
Lost Conscious at 10:43 AM
Regaining Conscious at 11:00 PM.
[Please Not Commander Jack your Eyes have been compromised…]
Jack's eyes began to twitch open while hearing Ashley Williams.
"Doctor! Doctor Chakwas I think he's waking up."