Mass Effect Project Renegade
Chapter 13: It's a lead…
Jack opened his door to see Zoey who seemed trouble about something.
"Zoey is something wrong?"
Zoey took a deep breath trying to gain some composure.
"No… Wait no that's a lie, yes Commander there is something wrong, I have with our newest crew member…. The Turian, who joined in to hunt Saren down."
Jack immediately took notice to who she was talking about.
"You mean Bethora?"
There was a moment of silence between the two.
"Yeah…"
Jack leans his head outside his door to make sure there was no one around. Satisfied that no one was in the vicinity, Jack signaled her to follow him.
"Come on in we'll talk about this in private."
As Zoey enters Jack's Cabin, the door shuts and immediately turns red on the panel, to signify it's locked. In the room Zoey sat on Jack's bed, as she sat down she observed the room, one thought came to mind, how orderly it was. Jack sat down in his chair on wheels, Jack then opens the drawer up in his desk and pulls out a box of cigarettes. Jack rolled his chair slightly near his bed and offered Zoey a cigarette.
"Want one?"
Jack popped the lid off the box, and Zoey gladly accepted one.
"Th-Thank you Shepard."
Jack pulls out a Silver Lighter with Project Renegade's logo, he lights Zoey's cigarette first then his. As Zoey inhaled it and exhaled, she noticed the smoke was red.
"Uh… why is the smoke red?"
Jack chuckled a bit, from Zoey's question.
"They're a special kind, red's my favorite color, so they dyed the tobacco."
Zoey thought about what Shepard said, there is a certain appeal to red.
"I like it."
"I thought so, now what's your concern with Bethora, Zoey?"
Zoey took a large inhale, before speaking.
"Right… Straight to business, Shepard I'm concerned about the Normandy while that Turian, Bethora is on board."
Jack adjusted his position on the chair, before continuing.
"Do you have a problem with Turians or Bethora?"
"A little bit of both Shepard, I don't buy her story."
Jack didn't anticipate how quickly Zoey responded
"What brought this on? I've seen you give Garrus that 'you step out of line, I'll put you down look.'"
Zoey stared at the ground before looking back at Jack.
"There is a reason for the way I act around Turians, Shepard… but I can understand if you don't want to hear about it."
Jack wanted to find the source of this hostility that Zoey had with in her against Turians, sure he had some resentment, after what the Hierarchy did to Humanity… but what was her hatred in this?
"I got time Zoey, go ahead."
"I-I sort of have a bad past with the Turians…. You've heard of the First Contact War, correct?" Zoey replied.
Jack took a deep breath from his cigarette.
"All to well…"
Zoey's face could tell how uncomfortable the subject was.
"About twenty years ago, I was one of the best sharp shooters in Citadel Spacee… When Humanity was spotted near Relay 314, the Turian Hierarchy spread lies to the Council that Humanity was invading Citadel space, out of Patriotism or ignorance, I… I signed on with a Turian Special Task Force called Black Watch."
Black Watch the Infamous Platoon, Project Renegade crippled, Jack knew them all too well.
2159/Epilogue of the First Contact War
Hiearchy Space/Tatrus/Military Compound.
Jack along with May and Kai Leng were exchanging in both CQB hand to hand, and gunfire taking out many Black Watch commandoes, who were defending Admiral Desolus. Leng was hacking down the Commandoes, may slugging them down with her Stake out, as for Jack he was completely annihilating the defensive line, Jack took down Admiral Desolus bodyguards , while Desolus was withdrawing from the Compound. Desolus did not get far Jack stopped the sliding door, stopping it from closing, he then stomped on Desolus's back leg. As Desolus fell on his front, Leng threw Shepard a Phantom sword, Jack took the sword in mid-air then thrusted the blade into the back of Desolus. Far from death, Desolus screamed in agony, Jack stood in front of Desolus, he raised his right foot and crushed the Turian's skull in.
End of Flashback…
"What did you do in the Turian's Black Watch?"
"I was ordered to take out HVT's" replied Zoey.
HVT'S were High Valued Targets, the HVT goes down so does battle operations, kill enough and you cause chaos in the battle plans of the enemies strategy… but the Turians didn't know who were HVT's.
"High Valued Targets?"
"Yes, that's what the Turian's called it, I was sent to multiple Turian Fronts in Human Space, in heavy civilian populated areas, the first two months I was on Shanxi, Black Watch gave me targets, the targets weren't even on my Omni tool… it was more of a point and shoot, I will never forget those months in the First Contact war."
Now Jack was starting to see what was happening.
"Who did you kill exactly?"
Zoey took another deep inhale before putting out the cigarette.
"Those targets weren't HVT's they were civilians…. Those sick animals made me kill unarmed Civilians, Then I started to see holes in the Hierarchy claims of an invasion in Citadel Space, those Fuckers, Humanity wasn't the invaders… We were."
This was not surprising to Jack, he knew of the civilians that were killed in the FCW, but not to the extent of it.
"What did you do next, you know after you found out?"
Zoey rubbed her eyes of that painful memory.
"I grew to resent the Hierarchy, after finding out… what I did next…. I was mad… No Furious so I decided to turn the tables on them, assassinating High valued targets on the Turian's side, vengeance was my goal. I spared no one in that group in the sector that I signed on to. After Shanxi, I started to raid Turian military bases all over their sector; I wanted pay back for what they did. I thought I was alone on this, but I thought wrong, Splinter Cell Groups that were assisting the Hierarchy, broke off after they found out the lies and war crimes we all committed on your species Shepard. We caused chaos in the Hierarchy's system, trying to buy Humanity time, we weren't strong enough to go after a fleet so we hit behind their lines, trying to take the heat off your colonies. But then out of nowhere the Alliance began their counter offensive, wiping out the Turian Fleets, destroying entire platoons.
USF, Jack seen a dozen them in the war rooms, a good bunch and very open.
"We called ourselves the USF, we did the only logical thing, we went to the Human Government the Alliance to make contact… they uh… gave us a few raised eye brows, I mean could you blame them, the first species that came in contact with Alliance, attacked them… I could even see why Cerberus was created."
Jack was about to say something, but remained silent about it.
"We gave them everything on the Turian Hierarchy, information on fleet movements, supplies, troops, tactics, they were extremely grateful and took us in. The USF consisted on most species except Turians, you know Asari, Salarians, a couple Krogan, and a few Batarians too. I don't know if we turn the tide of the war, but whatever happened the Alliance was taking the fight to the Hierarchy… and winning. The war was going well, then the Council stepped in, they tried to broker peace, we pleaded to the Alliance to continue their assault on the Hierarchy. "
Alliance Leader Zachev, wanted the Hierarchy to pay. But was killed shortly before the War ended, Materson was quick to seize power but was removed a few months later.
"After the war ended and the Alliance was recuperating, from the Coup I went back to my apartment on the Citadel, then the nightmares happened, every time I slept, I'd see those civilians I killed. The guilt was still there, one that could never go away… Can I have another one? (Points at the Cigarette box which lay on the desk.) "
Jack nodded while handing her another one, while lighting it. Zoey took a deep inhale before continuing her story.
"So, when the Alliance Citizens started to move to the Citadel, I felt like I owed them something, I started to date the arriving Humans for a while."
"You were suppressing your guilt" Stated Jack.
Her face said it all Jack thought.
"Maybe… but it seemed that my nightmare followed me, while I was dating, many Turians were still sore from losing their colonies and fleets from the strength of the Alliance… There were a lot of anti-Human killings all over the Citadel, mainly the people I dated. All my Human dates died by a Turian's hand. The minute I got a close connection to the person I was dating, they died the next."
Jack decided to ask about the other night the locket.
"So what about the girl on your locket Jamie?"
"Before I go on any further I want to know a little about you… where were you born?"
Jack knew where he was, though he rarely got to visit his home world.
"I was born on Earth."
Zoey during the First Contact War of the Human home world, what a strange name to call it, but saw the images that originated from it.
"Earth… you know I always wanted to visit there, it …. It would be a nice place to go, Turian's wouldn't be caught dead there… but ever since the Citadel, I… What was your toughest mission in the Blitz?"
This was a hard one, for Jack to decide.
"After Elysium…. The Siege of Torfan, has to be the toughest one."
Torfan Zoey thought, she heard of the reports, of how bloody that battle was.
"They gave you a nick name for that assault."
Media has its way of words, Jack knew some were biased.
"Yeah the Butcher of Torfan."
Zoey remembered what the Media called him with Elysium.
"You were also given a nick name for Elysium."
Jack chuckled a bit from her statement.
"Yes the Conqueror of Elysium, right after Torfan."
The Turian's had pull in the Citadel News Network, Zoey all but knew this.
"You should've been called the Savior of Elysium, I saw the vids what you did down there was amazing you were outnumbered 10 to 1."
Jack inhaled his cigarette before putting it out.
"Yeah media wanted to mark me down as a soldier who was out for Batarian blood. I pay no attention to it, nor do I care."
Zoey couldn't figure out if Jack cared about it.
"If it means anything, I think you're a hero Shepard."
Jack looked at Zoey hearing that compliment.
"Thanks…"
Zoey decided to go deeper in to Jack's life.
"What are your parents like?"
"Never had any." Jack answered quickly, void of emotion.
He doesn't have any parents? What kind of Assholes would give up on someone this great? Or did his parents die?
"Oh, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to bring that up."
Jack signaled Zoey that she could calm down.
"Relax Zoey you didn't do anything wrong."
Oh Thank God, I thought I hit a nerve asking that question.
"Have you ever thought of doing something else that isn't military related."
Jack shook his head.
"I was born in to military, that's all I can say."
What is he hiding?
"Shepard why are you answers so short?"
Jack had to be careful of who he was conversing with, couldn't give out anything that had leads to his past.
"Sorry Military protocol, and….. extensive training raised me up like this."
Just how old was he when he was enlisted?
"Answer me this then how old were you when you joined the military?"
Zoey just listened in, hoping for a good answer.
"I was…. Very young…. Now that I told you some things about me, you can continue with your story."
Guess not…
The topic Zoey tried to prolong was now here.
"….. Jamie was the last person I dated, we were very close…"
Jack wanted to know how serious this relationship was.
"How close were you two exactly?"
The question brought Zoey to glare at Jack, thinking he was questioning her love for Jamie, which made her shoot back with an irritated reply.
"Like I'd have your children close."
Jack realized he hit a nerve there.
"I.. I didn't mean to pry like that."
Damn it I did it again! I'm just messing up any type of relation with Shepard aren't I?
"God, no I'm sorry I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."
Jamie was clearly a sensitive subject to talk about, and it brought emotional pain to Zoey when it was brought up.
"So how did it start between you?"
"Five years ago on the Citadel, I thought tensions between Human and Turians died down. I met Jamie at an arts supplies shop in the wards… she was great artist who made beautiful paintings, she had a lovely voice, and she was very nice… I'd come to the same art supplies every day just to talk to her… one day we finally clicked and went out on a date. We started to date for several months, the passion in our relationship… we uh got a little creative with the paint at her place… (Jack's eyes widen from hearing that.) One day I convinced her to move in to my apartment, things couldn't have gotten better… until one day she decided to go to the art supplies in the wards, to get her painting equipment."
They were obviously close, but how did she die Jack thought.
"Did she die that day?"
Zoey just shook her head, while a tear escaped her eye.
"No she got raped by a group of Turians… she was never the same that day, like something died within her, she stopped painting and barely ate, she was even afraid to go outside, one night I tried to meld our minds to sooth her memories, to help her recollect herself, it worked… I told her to report it to C-sec, while I hunted down the Assholes who did that… that was a mistake… I should've went with her…. Jamie…. She makes it the C-sec to report the attack, but she didn't know the officers she reported to… were the same Turians that raped her, they did it to her again… then put a bullet in her head.
I went to C-sec in that sector, and I burned the whole place to the ground, I SPARED NO ONE! THAT'S WHY I HATE TURIANS!"
Zoey started to break down in tears, Jack didn't know that the resentment could go so deep. Jack tried to calm her down.
"Zoey- I-"
Jack was interrupted by Zoey.
"Shepard they took everything from me!"
"Zoey listen none of that was your fault, not the First Contact War, not you losing all that is close to you, none it is."
Zoey wasn't buying it.
"Shepard I appreciate that, but I committed to many sins, and now I'm paying the price for it."
Jack tried to step in to cheer her up.
"Zoey…"
Zoey sat up drying her tears, and began walking towards the door.
"Thanks for talking to me Shepard… I should go."
Zoey walked out of the room with a depressed look, Jack knew Zoey had been through a lot. One day she'll have to come to terms with herself, that it wasn't her fault. Before Jack could go any further on the subject his PM on his Omni-Tool blinked Red.
TWO NEW MESSAGES
Shepard, Command has found a posing 'Cerberus' Facility, the Illusive Man has given you full authorization to wipe them out in the Sector, We're sending you the coordinates now, if you can collect any information on these facilities. After all data has been collected, purge the facility leave nothing left of these Imposters, Scorched Earth!
-Cerberus Command
P.S. Please make sure you follow in suit with the other facilities out there.
Commander Shepard, I'm sending you this notice on a secured Extranet address, your medical scans show that the chemical synthetic gel we used to hide Project Renegade scars are deteriorating at an alarming rate, we forwarded the scans to The Illusive Man and he is concerned at the moment. If our Calculations are correct, the chemical gel should wear off in two months if you feel your implants are flaring up, then that is a sign that your scars are starting to return. The only way to keep the scars hidden is to receive another injection, but we advise against it, we've come to conclusion that another dose we'll make you immune to the treatment.
Cerberus Scientist #3024
Wonderful, two months to stop Saren, and to prove my organization's innocence.