A/N: I'm still on a roll guys, but with so many new ideas and plot twists that are coming to mind i might end up having to slow down a bit to get every detail to the way I want it...then again I've gotten really good at all of this since I joined this site long ago.
No action in this chapter, of course in the games there was always a good amount of character development and dialogue between each chapter to add to the overall story. And I intend to rely on that to really bring this all to life.
I own nothing
Alexander 'Maverick' Drake
SSV Normandy - Briefing/Comm Room
July 22, 2183 - 18:43 hours
"Too close guys. Ten more seconds and we would've been swimming in molten sulphur." said Joker as the team gathered in the briefing room. "The Normandy isn't equipped to land in exploding volcanoes. They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull. just for future reference."
"We almost died out there and your pilot is making jokes?" said Liara aghast.
Jane went to say something when Alex put a hand on her arm. "Don't worry Joker, next time you can come with us. Plenty of running, shooting, explosions, you'll have fun." said the Post-Human crossing his arms.
"Oh, ha, ha, ha! Our big bad vigilante Spectre has jokes, who would've thought?" fired back the helmsmen sarcastically.
"How bout I come up there with a fork and we can work things out?" asked Alex casually. Silence was his response which caused Jane and Kaidan to start cracking up. "About time someone out witted Joker's barbs." said the Lieutenant.
"This must be a Human thing. I don't have a lot of experience dealing with your species." commented Liara as they got back to the matter at hand. "I am very greatful to all of you. You saved my life back there. And not just from the volcano. Those Geth would have killed me, or dragged me off to Saren."
"If Saren was after you for your knowledge about the Protheans, do you know something about the Conduit?" asked Garrus.
"Only that it was somehow connected to the Prothean extinction. That is my real area of expertise. I have spent the past fifty years trying to figure out what happened to them." replied the Asari.
Jane looked up from her spot at the head of the room. "I've got my own theory about why the Protheans disappeared."
Liara tilted her head, "With all due respect, Commander. I have heard every theory out there. The problem is finding evidence to support them. The Protheans left remarkably little behind. It is almost as if someone did not want the mystery solved. It's like someone came along after the Protheans were gone and cleansed the galaxy of clues."
Alex's fingers twitched lightly as she continued. "But here is the incredible part. According to my findings, the Protheans were not the first galactic civilization to mysteriously vanish. This cycle began long before them."
"If the Protheans weren't the first, then who was?" asked the Commander.
"I don't know. There is barely any evidence on the Protheans. Even less on those who came before them. I cannot prove my theory. But I know I am right." said Liara. "The galaxy is built on a cycle of extinction. Each time a great civilization rises up, it is suddenly and violently cast down. Only ruins survive."
"The Protheans rose up from a single world until their empire spanned the entire galaxy. Yet even they climbed to the top on the remains of those who came before. Their greatest achievements, the mass relays and the Citadel, are based on the technology of those who came before them. And then, like all the other forgotten civilizations throughout galactic history, the Protheans disappeared. I have dedicated my life to figuring out why." the doctor concluded.
Jane soaked in all of the information before speaking, "They were wiped out by a race of sentient machines. The Reapers."
Liara's eyes widened, "The...The Reapers? But I have never heard of...How do you know this? What evidence do you have?"
"There was a damaged Prothean beacon on Eden Prime. It burned a vision into my brain. I'm still trying to sort out what it all means." replied the Commander.
Liara mulled it over, "A beacon? Yes. That makes sense. But the beacons were not programmed to interact with Human physiology. I am surprised you were able to make any sense of it at all."
Jane shrugged, "It's all still a bunch of random images to me. I still haven't been able to piece anything concrete together since I first received the vision."
The Asari doctor thought to herself again before standing up, "Commander, with your permission, I would like to try something. You were touched by the beacon; the visions are locked away inside your mind. My people are able to enter the minds of other species, perhaps I can help you make better sense of what you are seeing."
The Commander nodded, "Mind melding. I've heard of it in passing. Alright, let's give it a shot." she said walking to the center of the room.
Liara approached her until they were a foot apart. "Relax, Commander." Liara said closing her eyes. Jane did the same and took a deep breath as the Asari's eyes snapped open revealing black orbs. "Embrace Eternity!"
Alex and the others watched on as they just stood there motionless. A minute went by, then another, then another.
After about five minutes they snapped out of their trance with a gasp. Liara stumbled back a step. "By the Goddess...that was incredible!" she said in awe. "All this time. All my research. Yet I...I never dreamed..." she took a deep breath. "I am sorry. The images were so vivid. I never imagined the experience would be so...intense."
She looked at the Commander with intensity, "You are remarkably strong-willed, Commander. What you have been through, what you have seen, would have destroyed a lesser mind."
"Getting off subject here." said Ashley. "What did you see?"
Liara rubbed her temple, "The images were very blurry, but it seems that the beacon on Eden Prime must have been badly damaged. Large parts of the vision are missing. The data transferred into the Commander's mind is incomplete"
"There wasn't any kind of clue of hint?" asked Jane felling her head spin a little from the melding.
"Everything I saw, what I could see, you already know. You were right about the Reapers. The Protheans were destroyed by a race of sentient machines. I think it is obvious there is a connection between the Reapers, the Prothean extinction, and the Conduit. But I did not see anything that would help us find it." said Liara sadly.
"It's still a step in the right direction. No matter how small it may be." said Alex getting everyone's attention. "Knowing that the Reapers were responsible for the Protheans' demise and that it may be connected with the Conduit makes finding it and stopping Saren that much more important."
"If we can locate the missing components of the vision, or possibly a way to make sense of the images, I might be able to help the Commander piece everything together." said Liara.
"One step at a time." said Jane before holding out her hand to the Asari. "You'd make a good addition to the team Liara. Your knowledge could really help us through this."
"And her biotics could be useful in a firefight." said Wrex.
Liara smiled and shook the Commander's hand. "Thank you, Commander. I'l do whatever I can to...ooh-" she stumbled back, Garrus leapt out of his chair and caught her before she hit the ground. "T-Thank you. I am sorry, I'm a bit light headed."
"When was the last time you ate? Or slept? Dr. Chakwas should take a look at you." said Kaidan.
"It's probably just mental exhaustion, coupled with the shock of discovering the Protheans' true fate. I need time to process everything." said Liara.
"You were also trapped in those ruins for who knows how long. Being looked over by Chakwas would be the better course of action Dr. T'Soni." said Alex before turning to Kaidan. "Lieutenant, you mind helping her to the medbay?"
Kaidan nodded before standing and helping the young Asari out of the briefing room toward the crew deck.
Jane looked at the rest of the team, "We're all set here for now everyone. Dismissed."
The team began to file out as Joker came on over the intercom again, "Mission reports are filed you two. You want me to patch you through to the Council?"
"Patch them in Joker." said Jane before looking at Alex, "You did your report, right?" The nano soldier nodded as they turned to the holo-panels behind them. The images of the three Councilors materialized moments later.
"Commander, Maverick. We've recieved your reports. I understand that Dr. T'Soni is on the Normandy." said Tevos.
"Can we assume that you're taking the necessary security precautions?" asked Sparatus.
"If your worried about Liara betraying us then there is nothing to fear." said Alex. "The Geth were attempting to either kill or capture her for Saren. The chances of her working for him or her mother are slim at best."
"Benezia would never allow Saren to kill her daughter." said Tevos
"Maybe she doesn't know." offered Valern.
"Or maybe we don't know her. We never expected she could become a traitor."growled Sparatus.
"Regardless, Councilors, the mission was a success." said Alex.
"Apart from the utter destruction of a major Prothean ruin. Was that really necessary?" asked Sparatus.
"We were lucky to make it out of there alive." said Jane. "The Geth were all over the place, and Joker informed us on our return that more were on the way. At least now Saren won't be able to benefit from anything Liara may have left behind."
"Of course, Commander. The mission must always take priority. And ensuring that our enemy doesn't have an advantage also helps in the long run." said Valern.
Alex clenched his fist and bit his tongue as the words, 'the mission must always take priority', kept ringing in his head. He always hated those words.
"Good luck you two. Remember we're all counting on you." said Tevos as the images vanished.
With the meeting over, Alex turned and headed for the door. "Maverick. Do you have a moment?" asked Shepard making him pause halfway.
"I could spare a few minutes." he said turning around to face her.
"Really seeing you in action down there proved all the hype that I've heard about. Your skills are better than most of the N7 Commandos I have met." she said stepping closer. "With skills like those, you could have gone off and done just about anything out there. What makes this mission so different?"
Alex rolled his shoulders, "Because it's a priority. Sure the galaxy seems to be 'threatened' every time you turn around but this one proves to have truth behind it. The Reapers wiping out the Protheans, and a crazy bastard trying to bring them back, is defiantly more important than taking down a group of street thugs."
Thoughts flashed through the Commander's mind, seeing him taking down Geth through various means and that Krogan just before they got off world had left her in a state of awe.
She'd never seen someone fight like that. Raw power, but he moved as though combat were second nature to him. She never saw anything like it and she was impressed beyond her expectations. The Council was more than right to pick him for the Spectres.
"Shepard?" Alex asked snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Sorry. Just wondering about something." she said shaking her head. "The way you fight, I can see that you've had military training of some kind. But it seems that it's been refined to fit a certain style."
"It allows me to adapt to a situation quickly." said the vigilante. "Even the slightest change in an opponent could shift the balance of a conflict. They say that great power can mean different things to different people. There's the power to take a life. The power to make a difference. But real power, is understanding just two things."
"And those would be?" asked Jane interested.
"Cause and Effect." said Alex cryptically. "Knowing your enemy. The environment. All advantages that there could be around you and utilizing them. Knowing all of this and the possible outcomes if you went about doing it a certain way could end a firefight in your favor without really having to fight that hard."
"And through understanding this form of power, you are able to make a difference in the world. That is my personal belief." said the Post-Human.
"Ashley was right, you are pretty philosophical under there." said the Commander grinning. "And every right to be called a hero from where I'm standing."
Alex was motionless before shaking his head, "You know the funny thing about heros?" he looked down at his wrist. The words 'Good Guy' looking back at him in the faded light of the room. "They're just regular people underneath. And at their core, they are flawed like everybody else."
Shepard followed his sight and looked at the accessory that she hadn't seen up to this point. "Gift from a fan?" she asked.
"A reminder." he replied running his fingers over the beads. "A reminder that even heros can fail when people need them the most." he turned his back on his fellow Spectre and walked out of the room, his cloak activating along the way leaving Jane wondering what else was going on inside the man's head.
And how deep the pain in his filtered voice truly went.
X
Alex rubbed his face as he finished getting his suit back on. It hadn't been easy sneaking past all the crew to get to the showers. But it was past the point of him needing one a long while ago.
So he kept himself cloaked as he reached the showers attached to the gym on the ship's lower deck. Hacked the door so it was locked. And made sure that any and all listening devices that 'could have' been there were destroyed via a small EMP pulse from his omni-tool before he felt safe enough to bathe without being discovered.
It was a lot of work for just a simple shower. But Alex was going to make damn sure that he wasn't found out by anyone. Yet that alone brought something to his attention.
No matter how hard he tried he couldn't help but let certain things slip around Shepard. It was like the woman had a power over him that made him want to tell her everything.
Maybe it was her nature. The Post-Human could feel it. People gravitated to her, not just because of her leadership skills, but her compassion to be there for her crew when they needed her the most. More than once he saw her talking with everyone on the crew about something or other and wondering if everything was going okay while they were on the ship.
He even caught pieces of conversation relating to him. The Commander was digging and digging hard. Thankfully the crew knew as much about him as she did, and Alex was going to make sure of that for as long as he could.
Before slipping his helmet back on, Alex brought up his omni-tool and started going over the various data he'd collected about everyone aboard the Normandy. He had Prophet go through each file with a fine toothed comb for anything out of the ordinary. One by one each crew member was removed from the list once proven they weren't a spy from Cerberus.
All that were left were three people. A Serviceman working in the CIC. An tech working in engineering. And XO Pressly. With each passing day the old man was looking more and more shifty. But Alex wouldn't make a move until he was 100% sure and had the evidence to back it up.
Breaking someones neck in front of the crew was a sure-fire way to get kicked off the ship unless you could prove why you did it.
Shutting the tool down and putting his helmet back on. Alex unlocked the showers and walked through the gym, startling several crewmen that were awake at this hour for a late workout. He entered the cargo hold and punched the display on the elevator and waited for it to arrive.
"Umm, excuse me? Maverick?" Alex looked over his shoulder and saw Tali standing behind him rubbing her hands together. "Are you busy right now?"
He looked back at the elevator and saw that it was a long way from reaching them before turning to the Quarian girl. "Sure, is there something you need?" he asked giving her his full attention.
Tali ran her hands together a little more roughly before speaking. "I was just wondering...you know if your okay with it...if-"
"Calm yourself Tali. I may be a dangerous person, but that's only to those that really piss me off." said Alex making her pause. "Your part of the crew, you can trust me with anything if you need it. Just don't bullshit me okay?"
The Quarian let out a deep breath, "Okay. Well, that hacking program you were able to create on Therum? I was wondering...if I could have a copy of it?" she managed to squeeze out.
Alex smiled under his helmet, "Your pilgrimage gift." he said making her stand up straighter. "I have a Quarian friend back on the Citadel. She was on pilgrimage too before she met her fiancé."
"As for the hacking program there isn't much I can do for you there. I had my personal VI create it using stolen Geth programming codes, and it's keyed to my suit specifically because of that."
He saw her looking depressed when he spoke again, "However, the program also allows me to enter their data banks unhindered. And since the memory cores are only wiped when they die they pretty much become an open book." he pulled a data disc from a satchel and held it up. "I pulled all of this from the Geth I hacked on Therum. It was a relatively new platform, but it shared consensus with several older models. The data here mostly talks about the 'Morning War' which must mean the Geth's interpretation of the war with your people, and a few events that followed it. It doesn't mean much to me. But to your people..."
Tali slowly took the disc, "It...It could mean much more. Ever since we were exiled 300 years ago my people have tried to understand the evolution of the Geth. This may be able to help us understand just a little more." she looked up at him with her eyes shining, "Thank you, Maverick."
Alex nodded, "I hope that this will help you as much as your data helped us. I guess you can call us even."
Tali nodded, thanking him one more time before heading off back to engineering. Shaking his head and chuckling to himself, Alex stepped on to the now open lift and punched the display for the crew deck.
Just as the doors were about to close a large hand stopped them. Wrex's hulking form stepped inside and stood next to him as the doors closed again and the lift started to ascend.
The tension in the small space was palpable. So Alex was expecting what happened next.
The Krogan stepped forward and slammed his fist on the console over the emergency stop switch causing the lift to stall halfway between floors. Wrex turned and nearly got in the Spectre's face. "Something on your mind Wrex?" the nano soldier asked not feeling the least bit intimidated.
"How the hell did you know how to remove a Krogan's head plate?" the Warlord growled deeply.
"You learn a few things here and there. I know that it's considered one of the greatest blasphemies to your people considering your history. But it was the best weakness to exploit on our enemy in that situation." said Alex.
Wrex pointed a clawed finger in his face, "You will tell no one...understand?"
Alex raised an unseen eyebrow, "That so? And if I refuse?"
The Krogan reared his head back. Alex quickly side stepped the headbutt, "Maximum Power." he delivered one of his own that knocked Wrex back a step. The warlord regained his barrings and looked to charge when he saw the Spectre with his knife out.
He froze. Memories of what that blade had done to the Krogan on Therum still fresh in his mind. To remove a Krogan's head plate would be like removing all the teeth from a Varren. You'd strip away everything that made them strong and honorable. They'd be nothing but useless flesh.
"Relax Wrex, I'm not going to tell anyone." said Alex slipping the knife back in its sheath. "Too many people would exploit that weakness, and I honestly think the Krogan have suffered more than enough since the genophage."
Wrex relaxed slightly, but kept his guard up just in case. "You know of the genophage?"
The nano soldier nodded, "Yes. Sterility plague made by the Salarians, dropped on your people by the Turians. Honestly your people have every right to be pissed. No parent should ever have to watch their children die when they never had the chance to experience life."
He reached out and put his hand on the Krogan's shoulder. "I may not know the Krogans' pain, but I can understand your rage."
Wrex was silent, red slitted eyes cast to the floor. Alex removed his hand and started the elevator again. "Your right." He turned and glanced at the Warlord who was looking back. "You will never know our pain. But it's good to know that there is at least some people out there that are willing to understand."
When the lift stopped and the door opened the large alien stomped out and headed toward the mess hall. Alex watched him go before heading to his quarters. It'd been a long day and his bed was calling to him.
X
Commander Jane Shepard
SSV Normandy - Mess Hall
July 24, 2183 - 05:21 hours
Jane stepped out of her private quarters dressed in a dark blue tank top and sweat pants, hair up in a loose ponytail and yawning as she headed to the mess for her morning coffee.
The skeleton crew was still about and about to call it a day and let the next shift take over meaning the kitchen would be empty and quiet. Exactly what the Commander needed to gather her thoughts for the day ahead.
Admiral Hackett had contacted her over the last two days and informed her of a situation occurring at Luna base. A VI had gone rogue and had killed several trainees in a live-fire exercise, they were now en route to Luna in the Sol system to take care of the situation before it got worse.
Rounding the last corner, the Commander stopped in her tracks. She wasn't alone in the mess hall.
At one of the tables with his back to her was Maverick. His helmet sitting next to him on the table as he appeared to be drinking from a mug. From the angle she was at she couldn't see his face. His shaved head had a little stubble growing from it, but was still too short to get an exact color.
Jane swallowed as she took a step forward.
"Proximity Alert." chimed a deep monotone voice from the vigilante's helmet.
Maverick grabbed his helmet and quickly snapped it back on before the voice finished speaking, turning to see her standing there a moment later. "Commander, up for your morning coffee?" he asked with his filtered voice casually.
"Y-Yes." she said a little startled at how fast he moved. "What are you doing up so early?" she asked heading to the kitchen to get her coffee.
"I'm always up at this hour. Best time to eat without someone seeing me." he said watching her out of the corner of his eye.
Jane looked up at him, "You know you don't have to keep yourself hidden all the time. We do know a thing or two about secrecy." she said honestly.
Maverick nodded. "We still en route to Luna Base?" he asked changing the subject quickly.
"Should be there in about ten hours. According to Hackett the VI has three terminals in separate locations to keep it online. We'll have to hit all three fast if we want to shut it down without anymore casualties." replied the Commander letting the subject change slide.
"We'll split up. I can hit one of the terminals. You take a small team to take down another. We'll link up and hit the last terminal in force, by that point the VI will know we're trying to shut it down and have that terminal heavily guarded." he said standing.
"Sounds like a good plan. But do you really want to go after one of the terminals alone? You could take a team for backup." said Jane.
"I can work faster on my own. And with my cloaking I can get past most of the security units that will most likely be guarding the terminal." said the other Spectre as he began to leave the room. "I'll be ready when we reach there. Until then Shepard." he said turning the corner.
Jane watched him go and shook her head. She'd get that man to open up if it was the last thing she did.
And Jane Shepard never gave up when her mind was set on something.
A/N: Seems that Alex is discovering ways to get out of his suit with zero chance of being discovered. But with Shepard getting closer and closer how long can he keep it all up?
As you may have guessed, I'm also adding in a few of the small side missions mentioned throughout the first game to add more depth and really get into both Alex and Shepard's different leading styles when they're out in the field.
Next chapter will be posted within the next few days, so don't get too comfortable. I try to be as unpredictable as possible.