Chapter 5: Of Mice and Men
The hot summer sun beat down upon his neck, the smell of the field filling his lungs. The old trundled through the thick grain, its great threshing wheel spinning slowly as it swatted down the stalks before it. Taking his hand off the wheel, he took off his vintage cap and wiped his brow. A cool breeze swept across the field, the vast expanse of grain swaying like the waves of some yellow ocean. The man put his cap back on, and adjusted it to protect his exposed neck. He continued the slow drive down the field, humming an old song to himself.
The morning calm was suddenly interrupted by a dull roar in the distance. The man turned off the engine, and looked around for the source. A flock of birds rose up from the orchard next to the field, startled by the unwelcome noise.
The first sound was followed by another, then another, until after a few moments it seemed the air was filled with a sound akin to a fleet of planes soaring overhead. The man craned his neck, and his jaw dropped at the sight. Directly above him, he saw what appeared to be a foul red blotch, spreading across the sky like some evil infection. Ugly, black shapes seemed to streak across its malign surface. He watched in horror as the sun was swallowed up by that hazy mist, almost like a monstrous veil was being pulled over the planet.
The man jumped out of his seat, his heart pounding in his ears, and raced back to the house. A high-pitched noise suddenly filled the air. He stopped and stared up, his eyes widening in terror. One of the black shapes was falling straight for him, foul tendrils trailing behind it. As it approached, the noise grew louder and louder, and the man fell to the ground clutching his ears. With a deafening explosion it shattered the small house, the white walls bending outwards and pieces of broken steel and plastic flying in all directions. The man was knocked back by the shockwave, his vision blacking out.
As the dust settled, he blinked up from the hard soil. He fought to regain his breath, coughing as he struggled to raise himself up onto his elbows. The sound of something approaching shocked his body from its dazed state. He lifted his head, the blurry outline of a hunched creature before him. The thing stalked towards him on all fours, two elongated arms extending above its head like swords poised to strike. With a snarl, it lunged forward, and as darkness took him, the last thing he saw was its cold black eyes staring soullessly at him, and dagger like teeth bared for his throat.
[Earth, Vancouver – Alliance Fleet Headquarters]
The man awoke with a start, his eyes flying open. He looked across the room for a few seconds, trying to find his bearings.
The familiar sights of his room greeted him, as the cool morning sunlight filtered through the window. He rolled back onto the bed sheets, cradling his aching head in his arms, and took a few deep breaths. The pounding subsided, and he sank slowly back into the hard pillow. "Well… that's a nice way to start the day off", he said to himself, running his fingers through his hair. He rose from the bed wearily, and moved to the window, pulling back the blinds, squinting as the sunlight filled the small room. As his eyes adjusted, he tried remembering the dream he had just had. 'Damn…' he thought as he rubbed his temples, grimacing slightly, 'I can never remember the good ones…'
A voice startled him out of his thoughts, "Sleep well, Commander?" He turned from the window. A muscular man in a sleeveless shirt and cargo pants stood with his arms crossed leaning on the doorframe. "I slept fine James", he said with a smile, "It's waking up to you every morning that really takes it out of me." The other man chuckled.
James Vega's face grew serious as he looked up, staring straight into the Commander's eyes, "The Security Council called for an emergency meeting. They've asked for your presence Shepard." The Commander's face hardened. He nodded coldly, and the two men exited the small room.
Shepard weaved through the crowds of officers milling around the base's corridors. "Did they tell you what this meeting is all about, Lieutenant?" he asked, dodging around a security patrol. James responded without turning his head, "I didn't ask, Commander." Shepard took the hint, falling in step behind the young officer.
As they neared a security checkpoint, Shepard saw a familiar figure standing among a group of engineers. "They wake you up this early as well, Major?" he called to the man. Major Kaiden Alenko turned with a wide smile on his face. "Well I did warn them that you might need your beauty sleep, Commander", he said grasping the other man's arm. The two shook hands warmly.
The major's face became serious.
"So I guess you know about the security meeting then?" he whispered.
Shepard nodded, "It seems they decided to invite me this time."
"Must be something big then", Kaidan leaned in. "You think it might be…"
The Reapers. The thought had crossed Shepard's mind.
"I don't know for sure", he said, "but I'm willing we'll know more inside."
"Agreed."
The trio moved through the glowing security gates, ID's blinking on the terminals next to them. A young officer ushered them on. They entered a wide hall, with a pair of heavy oak doors lining the end. As they approached, the thick frames opened majestically, revealing the massive Council chambers behind it.
The chamber was box-shaped room, the far wall a great window overlooking the Vancouver skyline. In front of that, there rose the Council's elevated chairs, the symbol of the Alliance emblazoning the front side. The men entered the room amidst a bustle of officers, many carrying tabs of military data from across the quadrant and beyond. An orderly ushered them to a pedestal which stood in front of the Council, a hologram of the galaxy floating before it.
"Ah, Commander Shepard", an elderly man on the right of the Council intoned as they approached. "Good of you to come. We have an urgent…"
Shepard cut him off, "If this is about the Reapers then you already know what I'm going to say." He stared at the Councilors one by one. Silence suddenly filled the chamber, all eyes fixed upon the proceedings.
The female Councilor in the centre spoke up, "You will be glad to know that no Reaper sightings have been reported." Shepard let out the breath he had been holding. "However", the last Councilor on the left spoke now, "This is still a very urgent matter. Three weeks ago, we lost contact with a frontier colony in the Kepler Verge. A routine patrol was sent out to see what had happened."
The Councilor sat up in his chair and pointed a pen at the hologram in front of them. "This…" he clicked his pen, "Is what's left of the colony Verizon." The depiction of the galaxy zoomed in on the coordinates, revealing the image of grey, lifeless planet.
Shepard blinked, and he heard Kaidan take a sharp breath next to him. "I think your coordinates might be off Councilor", he said, doubting the words as they left his mouth. "Verizon was a verdant colony, not a barren rock."
"I can assure you, Commander", the Councilor spoke with grim certainty. "This image is very much accurate."
Shepard could not believe his eyes. Not even the Reapers were capable of something like this. He grasped the pedestal to steady himself, his mind spinning.
"Commander Shepard", the female Councilor spoke again, "This is not the only reason, we called you here." Shepard took a deep breath and looked up.
"Two days ago, a small outpost on the planet Laurentis 2 reported a strange object which entered the atmosphere without warning." She clicked her own pen, the hologram shifting again to a mountainous planet covered in thick green forests. "Since then we have lost all contact with the planet."
"We here", said the elderly councilor, "Do not believe these two events could be mere coincidences." He looked straight at Shepard. "The Council, is hereby lifting your suspension from active service and placing you back aboard the Normandy. Major Alenko and Lieutenant Vega will also be joining you, as will Dr. Liara T'Soni."
Shepard snapped to attention. "Thank you Councilors." He gave a curt salute.
"Your mission, is to travel to Laurentis 2 and find out what is going on there. Dismissed." The trio behind the pedestal all saluted. All around them, the throng of officers slowly returned to their duties, and the hologram shifted back to showing the slowly spinning map of the galaxy.
"Well", Shepard said smiling despite himself, "It looks like our vacation days are officially over."
[Laurentis 2, Aboard the Hammer of Terra]
Lieutenant Tracy paced in her cramped cell. She and her men had been detained here immediately after being brought upon the strange vessel. That had been two days ago. The cells they were in reminded her of pictures she had seen from old wooden galleons and pirate ships, long bars reaching until the ceiling, a single bed and chamber-pot the only accommodations.
When Captain Dragus had left them here, he had assured them that their stay would not be a long one. Now, Tracy feared what he had meant by that.
The bulkhead leading into the brig groaned open, and a hooded man entered, pushing a cart of food trays. She grasped the bars of the cell.
"I demand to speak with Captain Dragus!" she yelled, her face red with anger, "You have no right to keep us here!"
The man ignored her and shuffled along the metal floor, stopping intermittently to place a tray by each cell.
"Where is Sergeant Sidonus? What are you doing to him?" she shouted as the man stopped in front of her. Her questions fell on deaf ears.
He turned to leave, the cart screeching on the hard panels.
"Don't ignore me goddamnit!"
The man stopped for a moment. He turned to her slowly, and spoke in a raspy voice, "Your god cannot help you now. You are at the Emperor's mercy." With that he left, the bulkhead slamming shut once more. Tracy slumped against the wall, burying her face in her arms.
"What the hell is going on here…" she whispered bitterly.
[Hammer of Terra – Interrogation Chamber 1]
Sidonus had felt pain before. During the First Contact War he had taken a shot to the knee that had shattered his leg. He remembered then how the medic had given him a piece of wood to bite upon as he had removed the armor blocking the wound to stop him from crying out.
Nothing in the galaxy however could have helped him now. His body felt as if it were on fire, as if every nerve was being washed in a searing wave of heat. He screamed, straining against the restraints around his arms and legs. The muscles in his face and mandibles grew taut, his back arched in a vain attempt to dull the pain emanating from every point on his body. Suddenly, the pain stopped. Unable to stop himself, he slumped forward and vomited onto the hard metal floor.
From the shadows a figure appeared, one he grown accustomed to over the hours he had been there. A raspy breath escaped from the grotesque respirator that covered the man's lower face, a red light gleaming from within the shadows of the dark red hood.
"Your resilience is admirable, xenos", the man said, his metallic voice filling the air of the room. "Are you ready to answer my questions now?"
Sidonus struggled to find his voice, "I h-have told you…e-everything…you sick bastard…" A glaring light was shone upon him, and he felt the table he was strapped to being raised up.
"Then you would not mind telling me again", the man's voice seemed to emerge from the very walls themselves. Sidonus felt the restraints on his arms and legs opening. He tumbled off the chair, landing heavily on the hard metal floor. He struggled to find his footing, his numb legs unresponsive after what felt like hours of the neural torture.
It had begun a day after they had been brought aboard the massive ship. A group of the armored warriors had come into the cells, led by a grotesquely augmented man. Arcane limbs that ended in all manner of tools and evil looking mandibles seemed to grow from his back, skulls and strange imagery adorning their ribbed lengths. The skin that could be seen on his face was pale and tubes penetrated out his neck and head.
'Bring the xenos', he had said, 'I have need of him in my study.' Powerful arms had grasped him then, uncaring of his struggles or the shouts from the rest of his group. When he had been brought to the room, two horrific constructs, akin to augmented husks, had strapped him to the table. That was the pain had begun.
The strange man had asked him questions intermittently, questions about things he never even heard before. And after every answer, the pain had continued.
"Well xenos, tell me", the man leaned over him as Sidonus stood hunched against the raised table, "What is your purpose on this planet."
The question was familiar. "I…told you before", he said, his voice cracking with effort, "I was assigned here by the Turian Hierarchy as part of an exchange program." He swallowed dryly. Looking over, he saw one the man's tentacles scribbling his words onto a long scroll on the table next to him. "The program is meant to better relations between our two worlds."
The scribbling paused. "Ah…tell me xenos. What two worlds do you speak of?"
Sidonus blinked. The question took him off guard.
"Why…Palavan and Earth of course…" he said, looking up at the other quizzically. The man's face betrayed a hint of shock at Sidonus' words.
Techmarine Kalman stepped back from the xenos, his mind racing at what he had just heard. 'Earth', he thought to himself. That word had not been used in millennia, only from his time on Mars did he remember reading about in the ancient history tomes he had studied there.
He spoke a clipped command in binary to the two servitors waiting in the darkness behind him, "Take him back to the others."
The two constructs emerged, grabbing Sidonus' arms. He was pulled along, feet scraping on the metal floor.
"Where are you taking me?" he asked with all the strength he could muster, turning his head to face his torturer. The man raised an arm in response, mechanical fingers flicking as Sidonus was ushered through the door.
A few minutes passed in silence. Snapping up from the table, Kalman pressed a button on the wall. "Kalman to Captain Dragus", he intoned in the vox receiver. A short pause later, the Captain's voice emerged from the panel.
"Dragus here, how goes your interrogation?"
Kalman regarded the scroll he had been using during the session. "Captain", he said slowly, "I ask for a general assembly on the bridge. I have a theory as to what has happened here."
