I don't own Mass Effect. Bioware does.
Jane felt reinvigorated after resting for a few days. As to what they had found from the Prothean beacon during the last mission, the two were going back to Eden Prime to visit a recent dig site meant to expand the colony. As was marked on the beacon, the digging crew had found an old, locked, and crumbling facility that had been there long before the colonists ever arrived. This coincidental discovery was enough for Saren and Jane to slip into their armor and gather their weapons before they made their way to the front door. Saren was quickly communicating their arrival to Anderson as they exited the door.
"Anderson, it's Saren," Saren called, "Jane had previously interfaced with a Prothean beacon, giving her the possible whereabouts of other Prothean facilities, one of which being the recent find on Eden Prime."
{Wait, you're telling me a human came in contact with a Prothean beacon?} Anderson paused over the com-link.
"Yes, she did," Saren sighed, "so far, she hasn't suffered any long term effects, though the doctor did recommend a few days rest after first time use."
Saren and Jane stepped out of the apartment and made their way through the Presidium.
{Right, I can arrange for that as well. Also, I'll be sending Alenko along to the site as well. If this has managed to catch your attention, I can't imagine too many others would be close behind,} Anderson added before ending the call.
Sighing, Saren shook his head before he led Jane into the Spectre docks.
"You ready?" he mumbled nervously as they walked up the docking bridge to their shuttle.
"Yeah, more than anything," Jane nodded while she sat in a seat at the cockpit.
Saren sat in the pilot's seat before he took control of the shuttle. Saren initiated the familiar process of disconnecting from the docks and feeling the ship glide out past the Citadel fleet, before entering the Mass Relay into Alliance space. While the shuttle was in warp, all the Spectre and his protege could do was wait until they emerge from the other Mass Relay. Exiting the relay and coming into view of the system around them, the two set a course for the familiar garden-like planet of Eden Prime.
"I'd think this would be a rather safe planet," Saren said, "being relatively deep into Alliance Space."
Jane soon recalled the last time she was on Eden Prime.
"Perhaps not the safest," she sighed.
"Still, if the Alliance knows what they're doing, nothing will happen this time around," he reassured.
If anything, all Jane could do was resolve to not let anything horrible happen to her grandparents still living in one of its communities while the shuttle dove into the atmosphere. Docking at the familiar shipping port, much of the shipments going in and out had been pushed aside for a small Alliance cruiser. Saren and Jane disembarked the shuttle and started meandering through the docks. Like their last visit, they went to the nearby tram station where they found a trio of Alliance soldiers, one of which they both recognized as Kaidan Alenko. He had been talking on his omni-tool when he ended the call to greet them.
"Spectre Arterius, Ms. Shepard, it's good to see you two here."
Kaidan extended his hand, so Jane responded by shaking it.
"Likewise, Alenko. Captain Anderson said you were coming," Saren greeted.
Kaidan nodded at Saren before they, Jane and Alenko's squad boarded the tram.
"I assume you two are here to make sure the package gets safely to the Citadel?" Kaidan started, "right now, my current orders are to help get the package to a more 'suitable facility' before we crack it open."
Jane folded her arms.
"Sounds like we have different destinations in mind," she commented.
"If it means getting professional help with whatever they're pulling out, the Citadel will do fine," Kaidan replied, "besides, Arcturus Station is a military center of operations, not an archaeology lab."
Just then, the tram started moving after its doors closed. Saren glanced back one more time.
"So, I heard the Hierarchy and Alliance had a cooperative military project," Saren asked Kaidan, "was that the prototype back at the docks?"
Kaidan placed his hand behind his head and scratched at it.
"Yeah," Kaidan nodded, "it's an Alliance ship composing of human and turian designs. Not a whole lot on either side are happy with the decision, but it has a prototype stealth system, is small, and is designed for recon and infiltration."
Jane raised her eyebrows.
"So what's it called?" she asked.
"She's the SSV Normandy," Kaidan chuckled, "it's just the name that gets me. Everything else seems fine, but there's something about 'Normandy' that feels like a bad omen."
"Really?" Saren's mandibles flexed into a grin, "how so?"
"It's mostly named after an old battle on Earth back around the mid-20th Century. It was a hollow victory, needless to say," Kaidan reminisced grimly.
Jane listened in on the conversation while she gazed out the window. She watched on as the fields of crops passed by while distantly listening to Kaidan cautiously disclosing what little information he could on the Normandy. For now, she returned to thinking over what could possibly be of Prothean origin within the findings on the colony.
"So what do you know about the Protheans?" Kaidan asked.
"Other than they suddenly went extinct almost fifty millennia ago? Nothing else than what they teach in the classrooms," Saren sighed, "I'm just a Spectre. If you wanted a professional opinion, there are plenty of experts on the matter."
"Gotcha," Kaidan drawled.
"Yeah, I'm just looking for answers as to what might've happened to them," the Spectre sighed.
A long while later, the tram left the fields of crops. The five came into view of the colony central hub, busy as ever. The doors opened up to let the three of them out to a truck that awaited their arrival.
"I'm guessing the tram can't reach the dig site," Jane said.
"The locals informed us the building was found near the edges of the colony and that they would wait for us before pulling anything out of there," Kaidan explained.
Without another word, the truck picked up speed down the colony road, winding around the prefabs. It was only a while before the truck started driving on rough terrain and the sensation of the vehicle wobbling about was enough for Jane to lean closer to Saren so she wouldn't fall over. Kaidan simply glanced out the side of his vision.
"So, I heard you were a veteran of First Contact," Kaidan pointed out.
"Yes, I was," Saren sighed.
"I understand if either side has very vocal opinions about the other. No mean to offend, but you yourself were a speaker against many of the Alliance's advances. If that was the case, why the sudden silence? Why go so far as to take up Ms. Shepard as a possible candidate?"
Saren felt a nervous tingle run down his spine. How was he going to explain his way out of this one?
"Well, time does heal all wounds," Saren reasoned, "some do take longer than others."
"Right," Kaidan replied stoically.
He glanced away from the two and simply watched the road ahead. It may have not been long, but the truck soon arrived near the dig site. All five quickly stepped out, as they found themselves in a flat clearing at the end of the road. Towards the far end where the Earth was still rough were four flat-bed trucks waiting with a crew of roughly a dozen diggers.
"Uh, how many more rides do we have to take again?" one of Kaidan's teammates asked.
"We don't know anything until we get in there," Kaidan answered as he finally eyed the solid steel structure, or what was left of it after time took its toll.
It was a surprisingly small building, just short of the average building size in town. Near the top was a sealed hatch, with its latches degraded further than most of the metal block. One would think a skilled tech could figure out a way to break through the latches. Popping the lid off with the help of a mobile construction vehicle, the men outside peered in anxiously with floodlights. What did it contain? Something the Protheans meant to pass on? Some evil that was never meant to see the light of day? One jumped in to see a row of olive-green pods, lined up in a row. The human in question made a hand signal that compelled Kaidan, Jane and Saren to step through the entrance.
"Do any of you recognize these? Any idea what they are?" he asked, peering into the pods.
Each one was empty, with the whole capsule open with nothing but dust inside. At the very end, the last pod was still sealed, with the lights on the side barely flickering.
"I'm not sure," Jane shrugged, "but we might find something interesting out of one of them."
Jane cautiously approached the sealed pod. Saren pulled out his omni-tool and put his hand over the container.
"Whatever's inside," Saren observed, "it's alive."
"Doesn't look like there's much else in here," Kaidan commented, looking at the corners of the small building, "okay, let's get this thing pulled out and taken back to port."
"Yeah, maybe if we're lucky," Jane nodded, "we could be sure whoever's inside is still ok."
"Or whatever's inside," Kaidan remarked.
The various mechanics nearby got to work cautiously welding the structure open, carefully tugging the roof off as to not crush whatever was inside. Once the roof piece was off, they began to dismantle the components keeping the pod intact to the floor. The pod itself was self-sustaining by the looks of design, and had enough power to last a bit longer until they could get it back to the Citadel. Now all they had to do was move the pod outside. Each of the five who came to Eden Prime watched as the pod was lifted back up like a reverse funeral. Put onto one of the flatbeds, they returned to the truck they arrived on to escort the pod back while construction workers began dismantling the rest of the pods so they could continue with paving for new prefabs.
Saren and Jane headed back for one of the trucks with Kaidan and his squad following suit. Their truck was right behind the flatbed that carried the pod, giving all of them a clear view. Some crew members took the time they had to fasten the pod to the flatbed so it wouldn't fall off. With the pod secure and covered by a tarp, the group drove off back to the spaceport. Once they arrived at the spaceport, Saren, Jane and Kaidan disembarked the truck while the crew members began to remove the pod from the flatbed.
"Since we'll be taking it back to the Citadel, I'll try to get your vessel temporary clearance to dock at the Spectre docks to unload the package," Saren told Kaidan as they exited the vehicle.
"You know," Kaidan mused, "I appreciate your offer, Arterius."
"Like I said, it's just temporary," Saren reminded, "we can't drag that thing through the public without getting swarmed by ranting hanar, so we're better off playing this safe."
Kaidan led his squad towards his ship while Saren and Jane made their way to their shuttle. Saren took a moment to pause and look as the container was hauled onto the Normandy's cargo hold before following Jane back inside. The turian Spectre settled into the pilot seat and turned on the ignition.
"I guess we're lucky this time," Jane commented.
"Yeah," Saren nodded, "now let's get out of here before trouble does arrive."
With that, the shuttle took off from the docks. Once they entered outer space, they watched as Eden Prime disappeared behind them and as the relay out of the system grew ahead of them. Saren steered the shuttle close to the relay before it sent them into warp speed.
"What do you think is in the pod?" he asked Jane.
Jane sighed as she tilted her head upwards.
"I could assume a person of any species is inside it," Jane replied, "who knows how long it had been in there?"
"It does have the proportions to be a stasis pod," Saren agreed.
A few hours later, the shuttle emerged from the Mass Relay in the Serpent Nebula. Saren leaned forward and activated coms with the flight control tower.
"Control, this is Spectre Arterius. We're escorting a non-Spectre vessel to harbor with a VIP on board. They'll need permission to dock at the Spectre hangers. They're identified as the SSV Normandy."
The voice on the other end crackled.
{Of course, Spectre. We'll see it through.}
Their shuttle hovered into the dock, followed by the familiar sound of the magnetic locks clamping onto the sides of the vehicle. About fifteen minutes later, the Normandy followed suit and docked a short ways farther down the docking platform. They waited for several minutes at the docks before Kaidan and his crew arrived with the pod in tow.
"Okay, where to, Arterius?" Kaidan asked, heading the crew behind him.
Saren carefully eyed the pod.
"If there is someone in there, the Spectre academy doesn't have the equipment to help someone who has been under for so long," Saren suggested, "Huerta isn't too far from here, let's take it there."
Saren gestured Jane and Kaidan to follow him out of the docks. It was close to the evening by the time they had returned to the station, meaning the streets weren't as crowded. Frankly, Saren didn't want to be answering questions all the way to Huerta about what he was doing and what was so special about the metal olive-green coffin. Fortunately, no one approached them to distract them with questions as they arrived at the Huerta Hospital several minutes later.
"Ah, hello Spectre Arter…" the accountant greeted before her attention was drawn to the container with them, "what's this?"
Saren made a brief glance at Jane and nodded at her, prompting her to take a step forward.
"Do you have a staff available to handle people in stasis?" Jane requested.
While the need for stasis pods had long since been phased out by the use of Prothean technologies to help improve their own, the hospital was well equipped to deal with comatose patients. Soon enough, Huerta made room on the first floor to hold the pod while professionals elsewhere on the station were called up to help pry open the container. While Saren and Jane stood outside the room, Kaidan and his crew waited in the lobby in case they needed some help. Almost a half-hour passed when a crew of technicians arrived to open the pod. It was critical that pods be opened carefully, as there had been cases where forcing the pod open or malfunctions had rendered the patient brain-dead as a result, or close to it if they were lucky. As a matter of precautions, they brought along specialized equipment.
Saren, Kaidan, and Jane watched as the mechanics cautiously worked with the controls on the side. Painstakingly, the four on the pod meticulously picked away like they were trying to defuse a bomb. Finally, the locks on the side of the pod audibly clicked open. The mechanics left to be replaced with medical staff ready to greet whoever was inside. Saren walked forward to pull open the doors to peer inside. His eyes soon met a strange being he never saw before. It was a green, insect-like, yet humanoid in crimson armor with golden trim that consisted of multiple layers. His head was somewhat triangular, culminating at the front of its head with slit nostrils and four eyes. Saren took a step back so the medical staff can carefully extract the being from the pod. They lifted the heavy soldier out of the pod as he began to stir. He started mumbling incoherently as his eyes flickered. Saren turned his head towards Jane and nodded at her, compelling her to approach him.
Laying him down on a medical bed, the man from the cryo pod began to physically thrash as he tried to shake himself awake. Startled, the medical staff moved in to restrain him. His eyes blinked open, unfocused and scanning the room through brief flashes. He began uttering some unintelligible language as he tumbled over the side of the bed.
"Sir, you need to calm down," one of the medical staff urged.
Saren shook his head in disbelief.
"He doesn't understand us," he grumbled as he opened up his omni-tool.
He quickly began to compose a message to Liara that she was needed back on the Citadel. Jane examined the strange ancient soldier while one of the staff left the room in search of a spare translator. He continued to stumble around as he climbed back into his feet, having been inactive for so long. He continued speaking his native tongue, now in an angrier tone as he looked at them. Jane thought fast and headed for the door, determined to keep him from wandering off. The soldier simply snarled at her before wandering to the window overlooking the Presidium. It stared outside, taking in everything it could see until its eyes could adjust for longer distances. Jane couldn't help but have a sneaky suspicion of what he might do next.
"Saren," she muttered, "you don't think he's…going to…"
He simply continued to stare. At first, it was only confusion. Suddenly, a pang of realization grew across his face. Finally, it was the painful reaction of distress brewed. Saren began to approach the being and reached his hand out to pull him away from the window. With surprising strength, the soldier lashed out with green energy, sending Saren flying against the wall.
"Saren!" Jane panicked.
Jane scurried over to Saren's side as he slowly sat up to recover from the blow while he had a sharp medical instrument impaled in his shoulder. Unfortunately, this gave the being a chance to escape the room. The soldier began to panic as he blindly ran out of the room looking for a way out. With a few medical staff sprinting after him while another reached over for the intercom. The two were left alone as the staff continued to pursue the stranger from the cryonic pod while the other member announced an emergency state through the intercom. They could only hope the ancient being does not hurt anyone else.