Author notes: I've got two things I wanted to cover. The first is the battle scenes with the Geth in this chapter. I decided to go with a pretty bare-bones description of the firefights with the Geth, and really any shooting in general. It may seem glossed over, and it is, but to me, going into deep detail about each and every shootout in the series is uncalled for. It would add reams of content to the story, but IMO, all those words would amount to is "Shep and company shoot, explode, smash, and generally just fuck dudes up." If you're interested in seeing the battles in greater detail, let me know, but in the absence of other input, I'm gonna stick with the type of descriptions I've got here. If there's demand for it, I'll change up what I'm doing, but doing it the other way will slow things down a fair bit.

The second thing I wanted to cover is more me just wanting to give everyone a head's up. Most of this chapter is gonna seem REALLY familiar, and that's intentional. Don't worry, things'll start coming off the rails soon enough.

*****READ THIS FIRST*****

Edit: Alright folks, it's done. I've rearranged things in the story, so if you somehow missed the last chapter, 'Shocks and Aftershocks,' go back and read it now. Hopefully, with the slightly slower pace I've got going now, there won't be a repeat. Keep giving me feedback, because constructive criticism is appreciated.

Time Stamp 3/15/2014

Chapter 7: In the Beginning, There was Darkness

"We need to make a decision, Councilor."

"I know David, I know. The problem is deciding who to pick. Even with two all but guaranteed votes, it's taken us over a quarter of a century to get a third. If we misstep now, it could take another twenty five years for us to get another chance."

"You may have had something to do with that, Hannah."

"I didn't write all those demands. Hell, I didn't even want to be a politician. I still don't. Personally, I blame Hackett for this whole mess. If he'd just warned me where this was going, I could've avoided it."

"I doubt that, Councilor. 'Ours is not to reason why, Ours is but to do and die.' "

"Funny, the last time I read Tennyson, I don't remember that part being reflexive."

"I may have taken some liberties. And you're avoiding the question. Who do we pick?"

"What about you, David? I've seen your service record. You meet all of the qualifications."

"Ha. No, Hannah, I'm not cut out to be a Spectre. If you'd asked me twenty years ago, before I got blacklisted by Saren, then maybe. As it stands, I'm just an old soldier. It's time for a younger generation to take up the mantle. But if you think my service record makes me qualified, I know of at least one person who overshadows me by a longshot."

"Oh? And who would that be?"

"You know full well who I'm referring to, Hannah. John's record speaks for itself."

"We've been over this-"

"And yet you still insist on being an obstinate politician."

"Oough. That's a low blow, Captain."

"The obstinate part or the politician part? Now be reasonable. He did in ten years what took me twenty. Geist by the time he turned twenty-one, then onto N7 by the time he has twenty-six. And we can't forget Akuze."

"Believe me, Captain, I'm the last person who'll be forgetting that. Well, the second to last, at least."

"I know. I just don't understand why you can't accept that he's the right choice. If you're waiting for someone more qualified to come along, you'll still be looking in twenty five more years."

"I can't afford to play favorites, David. If I let my emotions get in the way of this, the fallout could be massive."

"And since when does Hannah Shepard care about fallout? Is this the same Hannah Shepard who threatened to turn Palaven into, what was it? 'A burning nuclear wasteland?' If I didn't know better, I'd say someone had swooped in and replaced you with a doppelgänger."

"Heh. Maybe you're right. But this is bigger than me, David. This is bigger than all of us. This is a chance for Humanity to prove that's were more than just schoolyard bullies with big sticks. I can't let my personal life interfere with this."

"So why are you?"

"… Alright, you've got me there. I'm still not sure about this, though."

" 'In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.' "

"Hehehehehe. Fair enough. I'll let Raan know. But I'd rather you tell John."

"I can do that Hannah. I can do that."

"Cut the chatter you two."

"Sorry, Commander." said Kaidan.

Suddenly, Anderson's voice cut in over the coms.

"Joker! Status report."

"Just cleared the Mass Relay, Captain. Stealth systems engaged, everything looks green."

"Good. Fire up the QEC and patch us through to FleetCom. I want mission reports relayed to the Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime."

"Aye, aye, Captain. Better brace yourself, sir. I think Nihlus is headed your way-"

"He's already here, Lieutenant. Tell Shepard to meet me in the com room for a mission briefing."

"Good job, Joker." said Shepard. "You pissed the Captain off, and now I'm gonna pay for it."

As Shepard left the bridge and headed aft, he shook his head at Joker's antics. He was the best damn pilot in the Alliance, but he made up for it by being the biggest wiseass alive.

As Shepard entered the com room, he was surprised to see Nihlus there alone. "Where's the Captain?" he asked.

"Oh, Commander Shepard. The Captain's on his way, but I was hoping you'd get here first. I've been wanting a chance to talk to you."

"Talk about what, exactly?"

"I was interested in this world we're going to, Eden Prime – I hear it's quite beautiful."

"And?"

"And it's more than just a tourist destination, isn't it Shepard? Eden Prime is a symbol of your people, proof that Humanity can not only establish colonies in their new territories, but protect them as well."

Shepard scoffed. "I'd think that Rapture would be all the proof you'd need that we can protect our people."

Before Nihlus could respond, the door behind them slid open, and Anderson walked into the com room.

"I think it's about time we told the Commander what's really going on here."

Nihlus nodded. "This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run."

"Really? Who'd 'a thunk?"

"We're making a covert pickup on Eden Prime." said Anderson, ignoring Shepard's attitude. "That's why we've engaged the Normandy's stealth systems."

"What are we picking up, exactly?"

"A Prothean beacon." replied Nihlus.

"Prothean? I guess they left more behind than just some Martian ruins and old tech."

"This is big, Shepard." said Anderson. "The last time Prothean relics were discovered on a Human world, it led to new avenues of technology and research for man, and opened up the galaxy to us as well. The problem is, Eden Prime doesn't have the facilities to handle something like this. We need to get the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study."

"This goes beyond Human interests, Commander." continued Nihlus. "This discovery could affect every species in Council space."

"The Citadel? Why not Earth. Wait, let me guess: it should help "improve relations" between the Alliance and the rest of the galaxy, right?"

"I see that your mother managed to rub off on you, John." said Anderson, cracking a small smile.

"The beacon's not the only reason I'm here, Shepard." said Nihlus. "I'm here to evaluate you for the Spectres. I must admit, I was impressed when I read your file. The reports from Akuze were… particularly enlightening. That's why I supported your candidacy for the Spectres."

"And why would a Turian want a Human in the Spectres?"

Nihlus sighed. "Despite our history, not all Turians resent Humanity, Commander, just as not all Humans resent Turians. We can't deny the potential your species possess any longer, if we ever even could. As elite a group as the Spectres are, there are those among your people that could put even us to the test, you chief among them. I don't care that you're Human, Shepard. I only care that you can do the job."

"I suppose I can appreciate that."

"I need to see you in action for myself, Commander." continued Nihlus. "Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together. You'll be leading the ground team to recover the beacon, with me along as an observer. We'll secure the beacon and transport it to the Normandy."

"Alright. I can do that. Just give the word, Captain."

Joker's voice suddenly came in over the coms. "We've got a problem sir. We just dropped out of FTL, and we're receiving a distress call from Eden Prime."

Anderson looked concerned. "Patch it through, Joker."

The short video that played in the com room didn't look good. Whatever was going on down there, it looked like a damn warzone.

"…under attack, tak… ulties. I repeat, taking heavy… out of nowhere, we can't… AGH. We need evac, we need-"

"That's all we got, Captain." said Joker.

"Why the hell didn't this come through on the QEC?" asked Shepard.

"Hmm… Reverse and hold at 38.5." said Anderson. A large, mechanical-looking… squid… ship… thing appeared on screen. "Whatever that thing is, I'm betting it has something to do with this."

"Sir, we're five minutes out, and there are no other Alliance ships in the area." said the pilot.

"Take us in Joker, fast and quiet. This mission just got a lot more complicated."

Appearing suddenly on the surface of Eden Prime, the three Humans and lone Turian were greeted with the sound of distant gunfire.

"Remind me again why we couldn't simply transport directly to the dig site again, Shepard?"

"Because, Nihlus, something's jamming our psychic radar. There are damn few things that can manage that, and we could've been chronoing into a shootout. This was as close as we could get without coming in hot."

"I still think I'd work better on my own, Shepard."

"Too damn bad, Spectre. While we're on this op, I call the shots. We have no idea what's down here, and we're not splitting up. Jenkins, you're on point. Let's move out."

They didn't have to wait long to find out what was going on. As they entered a small glade, a pair of floating drones was there to greet them as Jenkins out came from behind a rock formation. Caught off guard, the drones cut through his shields and shredded his armor in an instant. Even as he fell, Shepard pulled out his Carnifex Heavy pistol and blew them out of the sky with two well-placed shots. Running over to Jenkins' limp form, he knew it was too late.

"Shit. Nothing we can do now. Leave him, we've still got a job to do. Whatever those things were, I think we'll know more when we reach the dig site."

They didn't have to wait that long. Taking out several more drones as they progressed, they eventually reached a large clearing and saw a lone Alliance marine pinned down by a number of synthetics. Quickly chronoing down beside her, Shepard pulled out his Black Widow anti-material rifle and put a round straight into the optics of in each one's head.

"Whoa, shit! Where'd you come from?"

"No time to explain, marine. Commander John Shepard of the Normandy. Sitrep."

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212, sir. Oh man… we were patrolling when the attack hit. Something jammed our psychic radar, and we never saw them coming. They took out command and control in the first shot, and we couldn't get out a distress call."

"Where's the rest of your squad, Williams?"

"We walked into an ambush trying to reach the beacon. They… didn't make it."

"You left them?" he asked, sounding disgusted.

"We held as long as we could! The Geth were everywhere, we had to fall back. I barely got out in one piece. I didn't have the luxury of a chronosuit."

"Watch it, Gunny." warned Shepard. "And did you say Geth? They haven't been seen outside the Veil in over three hundred years. Even the envoys we sent couldn't tell us a damn thing besides the fact they were told to fuck off. Why are they here now?"

"Must be the beacon, Commander." said Kaidan. "That's the only logical explanation."

"Damnit. Alright Williams, lead the way."

Fighting their way through several more Geth patrols, they finally arrived at the dig site. The beacon was gone.

"The beacon was right here, sir." said Ashley. "The Geth must've moved it. We'll know more when we check out the research camp. It's just beyond that ridge." she finished, pointing at a nearby hill.

When they reached the top of the rise, they were greeted by the sight of demolished prefab structures and small fires. A number of tall metal spikes were planted in the ground, and what looked to be glowing blue… humanoids were impaled on top. As they neared, the spikes retracted and the things rose to their feet, apparently not bothered by the gaping holes in their abdomens. The let out a shrill, grating scream, and then charged at the party, seeking to rip them limb from limb. They didn't get far. A combination of pistol, assault rifle, and sub-machinegun fire ripped the unshielded berserkers to shreds.

"Spirits, what were those?" asked Nihlus, a little perturbed by the quickly disintegrating forms of the creatures before them. "Were they synthetic or organic?"

"I think those… husks were what's left of the colonists." said Shepard. "They looked like they were synthetic and organic. Whatever those spikes are, they turn people into these things."

"Sir, over here." said Ashley, standing next to one of the intact buildings. "This door is sealed from the inside, security lock."

"Slap some omnigel on it and let's see what's behind door number one."

What was inside was a frightened scientist and her… manic assistant. After some brief questions, and a quick right hook, Shepard learned that the beacon had been moved to the spaceport.

"Alright, let's move." said Shepard. He tuned to the slightly distraught scientist. "Seal the door again and wait for the cavalry. You and your assistant should be safe here for the time being."

When they reached the spaceport, there was another squad of Geth and Husks there to meet them. Once they were out of the way, Shepard and his team fanned out, looking for the beacon.

"Over there!" said Ashley. "There's something moving behind those crates. I think it's a civvie."

"Come out with your hands up!" said Shepard, pointing his heavy pistol towards the crates.

"Wait, I'm Human, don't shoot! You're Alliance, right? If you're looking for the beacon, you're too late; the Turian and the Geth already moved it."

"Turian?" asked Nihlus. "What Turian?"

The dock worker looked scared. "I don't know. He came from inside that mother ship with the Geth. He was giving them orders, telling them what to do. I got a picture of him on my 'tool while I was hiding." He punched in a command on the haptic interface, and a picture of a Turian in black and silver armor appeared.

"Saren." breathed Nihlus, a look of shock coming to his face.

"Friend of yours?"

"He's a fellow Spectre, Shepard, and he hates Humans. If he really is commanding the Geth, the Council and your FleetCom need to be informed. This could be another Contact War in the making."

"And why the hell should we trust you, Turian?" Ashley spat. "For all we know, you're working with him."

"If I was working with Saren, I'd have shot you all by now." he retorted.

"I'd like to see you try, metalhead."

"Shut the hell up, both of you." said Shepard. "We're wasting time. Whatever Saren's doing here, he wants that beacon, and I'll be damned if I let him just take it."

"The Geth loaded the beacon onto the cargo train on the other platform." supplied the dock worker. "They left about five minutes ago, so you should be able to catch them."

Fighting their way through yet another squad of Geth, Shepard noticed that some of the synthetics in this group were larger than those they had seen before. And based on how fast they cut through his shields, they packed a lot more firepower. Keeping low to avoid stray fire, Shepard ran forward, taking cover behind one of the low walls that lined the platform. He quickly lined up a shot with his sniper rifle and fired, eliminating two hostiles as the powerful projectile smashed through their metallic bodies. When the last of the Geth dropped, the team boarded the cargo train and started it.

After a few tense and silent minutes of travel, the train pulled into a station not too dissimilar from the one they had just left. The only difference was that this one still had Geth. Quickly picking one of them off with his pistol, Shepard got off the exposed train and ducked behind a metal wall, stopping next to a cylindrical metal device. Scanning it with his omnitool while his squad took out the rest of the Geth, Shepard cursed loudly as he realized what it was.

"Oh, shit! The Geth have set charges to destroy the colony! There's three more of them nearby, and we've got less than a minute to get rid of them!"

"Can you hack them!?" asked Ashley frantically, popping off a burst of assault rifle fire at a Geth platform on the catwalk above.

"Yes, but it'll take too long! I've got an idea; Nihlus, get this damn bomb turned off! I'll take care of the rest of them!"

Quickly holstering his pistol, Shepard pulled out his Temporal Dislocator. He located one of the remaining bombs and quickly teleported to a platform nearby. Ducking behind a metal crate, he aimed the Dislocator at the charge and activated the device. A hazy blue stream of temporal energy and chronitons shot from it and began pushing the bomb out of time itself. As bullets impacted his cover, the seconds ticked by all too quickly. Finally, with just over thirty five seconds left on the clock, the device he was working on winked out of reality, never having existed at all.

"How, it coming, Nihlus!?"

"Almost done, Shepard." he said, in a voice that was almost too calm for the situation. "Get to the next one and we'll cover you."

Shepard did exactly that, moving down the platform in the blink of an eye. He appeared directly next to the munition, but he was also next to a Geth trooper. Focusing on the bomb, he began erasing it as well, hearing a sharp bang behind him as the Geth had its' head blown off by a sniper round. When the next bomb was gone, there was less than fifteen seconds left to get to the last one. Unfortunately, there were three Geth near it, and one was of the larger variety.

"Kaiden, I need biotic support on the last bomb, now! Get rid of those Geth!"

"Aye, Commander!"

Teleporting to the final bomb, Shepard began the slow process of erasing it. As the Geth Prime turned towards him, it was suddenly thrown backwards by a biotic blast and fell off the steep elevated platform to the ground far below. The other two Geth turned on him as well, and their weapons began eating away at his shields rapidly. Unable to move with the bomb at less than five seconds to detonation, Shepard was sure that this was the end…

"Not today, you metal bastards!" yelled Nihlus, his omniblade slicing off the head of one of them before plunging into the other's chest in one fluid motion.

As the last bomb disappeared forever, Shepard let out a small sigh of relief. "Thanks Nihlus. I owe you one."

"Any time, Commander."

As they made their way forward, they took out one last group of Geth and Husks before finally finding their prize.

"Normandy, this is Shepard. We've secured the beacon. We need chrono transport at my location."

"So this is it, huh?" said Ashley, slowly walking towards the beacon. "It doesn't look like much up close. I don't remember it glowing, though. It's almost like… aaah… AAAGH!"

Shepard looked over his shoulder and saw Ashley doubled over in pain, her body being slowly dragged towards the beacon by some invisible force. He quickly ran over and grabbed her around her waist, twisting quickly and throwing her clear. Even as he did, he felt the same irresistible pull on his body. He was lifted sharply into the air and he distantly heard Nihlus yell his name as a series of thoughts and images began flooding into his mind.

loss…

sorrow…

reapers…

Violence…

Pain…

Reapers…

DEATH…

DESTRUCTION…

REAPERS…

ARMAGEDDON…

OBLIVION…

REAPERS…

YOU ARE ON THE WAY TO DESTRUCTION! YOU HAVE NO CHANCE TO SURVIVE, MAKE YOUR TIME!

Everything went black.