DISCLAIMER: Mass Effect video game is the property of its respective owners and the author has no financial gain from it. Original Characters and story concept are mine though. - Just adding it as I forgot to include it in Chapter 1.
A/N: Here is the first part of Chapter 2 for your enjoyment. This one is about 4k words long, but I will try and keep them at around 5k in the future. It may vary though, as I need to separate the document at logical intervals.
In before any complaints - the story has M rating for a reason. It will contain some mature content and readers' discretion is strongly advised. I will not be closing the door to the bedroom or to the torture chamber, so please consider yourselves warned.
My beta is still the one and the only Redentor
Chapter 2 – In The Army Now
The soldier is the Army. No army is better than its soldiers. The Soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one's country
Gen. George S. Patton Jr.
As it turns out, they already had my black dress uniform prepared. I was equally dismayed and amused because I really looked in this uniform like a Nazi stormtrooper. It was ironic because first of all I was mixed-race and second of all, I always considered Nazis as nothing more than a bunch of goose-stepping thugs in shiny outfits. I was informed by Captain Galtieri who helped me with putting it on, that they were traditional uniforms designed ages ago in one of the countries that later formed Confederacy. Interestingly, the unit wearing them initially was called (in rough translation) the Republican Guard and from them Security Branch actually derived many traditions of their own. It was astonishing to see a universe where a Nazi-looking uniform was worn by freedom fighters.
I knew and accepted that I would have to adjust many of my preconceived notions, due to the fact that history of Confederacy had as many differences as it had similarities. They had their own tyrants and wars. They had murderous ideologies and genocide. Confederacy seemed to mirror Earth, if in a slightly distorted manner, because of small differences. I've only learned bare basics of their history, but in many ways it was the same old thing except on a super-cosmic scale.
We only had time to say very brief goodbyes with the team. All of them, except Anneke (or Dr. Koeckritz as I probably should call her) were taking a well-deserved holiday. She would be staying in the office to monitor my progress and check my mental health until I was cleared for service by the External Affairs Bureau. I didn't know the Consciousness Acquisition team for very long, but I was still sad to see them go – they were the ones who welcomed me to this new world after all. Still, they've done their jobs and now it was time for me to earn my pay. I was advised by Major Sharpe that I would be meeting the IDD team again when my consciousness is transferred to a new body before my deployment.
I was taken via hovercar with Sharpe and Galtieri to a different complex, which was in complete wilderness – it was literally in the middle of nowhere if there ever was one. It was very imaginatively called Camp Bravo Two, Training Facility and it had one tarmac road leading to it and one power line. The facility itself was supposedly run by Security Branch, but it looked more like a small military base and one that was still under construction. There was a number of prefab barracks for the men and few larger buildings that housed offices and other amenities. I was told that there was a vast underground complex as well, but it sure didn't seem like it from the outside. There was a parade ground and a shooting range. On the edge of the field you could see warehouses and garages and I noticed a couple of towers with their parabolic antennas aimed at the sky. All of it was surrounded by a wall made from reinforced concrete or something similar. There were also automatic turrets placed in the tactical choke points scanning the horizon and at least a dozen drones that patrolled the airspace constantly.
On the way there I asked Sharpe about my training. He said, "You will not be trained with the rest of the recruits, due to confidential nature of your assignment, but you will be taking part in some of their exercises as well as socialize with them in the mess hall during meals."
Galtieri added, "It is imperative Dubois that you do not disclose to the other agents any particulars of the mission that you will learn from ourselves or your trainers. When asked, simply inform them that you are an artificially created, displaced citizen. I'm certain that other trainees will know better than to further question you."
"It was my understanding that all the people in this base will be taking part in this mission? Why do I have to be so secretive about it?"
It was Sharpe who responded.
"Your assignment is fundamentally different from what the rest of the unit will be doing. It will all be explained later."
So when I finally arrived at the Camp Bravo Two I knew I will be the odd man out. No matter what happens, there would always be a barrier between me and other men and women who were born in the Confederacy.
After leaving the hovercraft, which took off immediately I was guided by Pathfinder app to my current place of residence which was in one of the prefabs. Apparently Sharpe and Galtieri were to bunk in the same building as me which turned out to be a barrack for the ranking officers. I waved them good bye and followed the short corridor to a room with my name on the small display. My room wasn't very large but it had a homely feel to it. How they achieved that, I had no idea as designers have clearly taken the minimalistic approach.
My room had one bunk bed, a desk with an office chair and a wardrobe (it was actually voice activated and I spent few minutes playing with it). All furniture was made from metal and looked very futuristic, but it was spartan in design at the same time, as befitting the paramilitary organization. There was a small display on the wall which gave me access to lights, air conditioning as well as connection to their equivalent of the internet. I also noticed a pair of speakers above the display, which I surmised were used for broadcasting across the base.
After setting the lights and temperature to my satisfaction I dumped the duffel bag, which I had with me on the floor, and with a small sigh of satisfaction dropped onto the bed. I felt very tired after the eventful day, but decided it wouldn't be fitting to fall asleep now, when I should be unpacking my stuff. I was quite curious what was in the bag that I was given when we left IDD complex, as I had no chance to actually check it out before.
It looked like it was made from normal black canvas, but it had a metallic shine to it. There was a magnetic lock that was DNA-coded and it apparently responded to implants in my hand. When I opened the bag I found my ugly grey coveralls on top of the pile. I placed them in the wardrobe on a hanger that seemed to levitate (it was actually magnetic). Furthermore I found a tablet in the duffel bag and to my chagrin it was Flatline Interius, model 2550. It was a little better than what they had at Interactive Dislocation Dept., but not much. As Gillespie explained before I left the IDD compound, Flatline holo-tablets were the equivalent of Apple products here: pretty-looking, overpriced and in reality not much better than the others. I could only hope that I would receive some more durable equipment for my deployment. I knew that armed forces on Earth had used special rugged laptops that could be used in much harsher environment and withstand much more punishment than their civilian counterparts.
Nevertheless, I sat on the bed and decided to play around with it a little. With all the training awaiting I didn't know how much time I will have to familiarize myself with the technology. I turned it on and a holographic image appeared. Computer played an opening jingle and a synthesized voice said.
"Good evening, Officer Cadet Peter Dubois."
'So I was an officer cadet now? Shit, they promote quickly around here!' I thought with a smile. Not surprising, since they could hardly send out privates to run black operations in non-Confederacy universes. As far as I was aware, and Sharpe and Galtieri have been very reticent about the mission details so far, my task would require both military capabilities and diplomatic skill. As I understood, apart from general espionage, if situation calls for it I would also be required to represent Confederacy in official capacity in negotiations and that would require me to bear officer rank. I had no idea why would they want a spy of all people to negotiate on their behalf, but it was nice to know that should the mission go south I won't be left hanging.
I'm not going to lie – I felt rather overwhelmed by the task ahead. I've had some experience with negotiations while working for various companies, but I've never been the one to lead them and most important they were never political in nature. I had absolutely no idea about this cloak and dagger business and my knowledge of military tactics and logistics was limited. Nevertheless, a small part of me was giddy with excitement about the task ahead, even if I would not admit that to anyone.
I focused on the synthesized voice that gave me instructions. It sounded as boring as it could possibly be.
"Welcome to Camp Bravo Two training facility. It is a pre-recorded training program, which is here to help you with acclimatizing in our base. We will start with the mission-critical equipment. Please open the side satchel on your duffel bag."
I scrambled to my bag and opened the satchel that was highlighted like in a video game – technology here was really awesome. I wouldn't be able to lose anything even if I wanted to. I found a strange looking bracelet, which had some sort of electronic microchip. I wasn't sure what to do with it so I waited for the recording to explain, but the voice was speaking about the duffel bag now. I sighed with exasperation. As the Status Quo used to sing – 'You're in the army now'.
"Official designation of your personal duffel bag is: Bag, Duffel Type, Dura-Canva, General Issue. All equipment included in it is provided free of charge to every recruit, but said recruit is financially responsible for it. Should any piece of equipment be lost or destroyed, recruit is liable to replace it. Reimbursement will be taken from recruit's paycheck. Clothing included in the set is as follows:
Working/Garrison Uniform, Grade D, General Issue + Spare,
Beret, Grade D, Blue, General Issue + Spare,
Dress Uniform, Black, Grade A, General Issue,
Dress Uniform Headgear, Grade A…
The synthesized voice droned on about the contents of the bag. I didn't care about it in the slightest at the moment, as I wanted to know about the mysterious bracelet that it asked me to collect. The recording never bothered to explain why I needed the bracelet in the first place while it was supposed to be one of the most important pieces of equipment. My patience finally running out, I shouted at the holo-tablet.
"Stop it, damn you!"
Recording stopped immediately and a bright, holographic image of vaguely humanoid body appeared in front of the display on the wall. Meanwhile, my tablet seemed to go into standby. The body stood with his (her?) hands behind the back. I heard a voice coming from the speakers above the display.
"Induction recording stopped as per Officer Cadet Peter Dubois request. I am Lox, Artificial Intelligence assistant for Camp Bravo Two training facility. How can I help you today?"
Great, I will have to ask a glorified computer for help. But beggars couldn't afford to be picky now could they?
Presence of AI did not bother me at all, to be honest. In 2014 Google was putting money by thousands into AI research and they hoped to develop one within our lifetime. I would be greatly disappointed if a civilization that spanned thousands of worlds and couple of different universes failed to create Artificial Intelligence with the resources and technologies at their disposal. Besides, artificial or human, Lox was the least of my problems right now.
"Lox, I need help with this bracelet. Recording said that it is basic and vital, but it never explained what it was."
Lox tilted his 'head' in a very human manner and responded.
"What you hold in your hand right now, Officer Cadet Peter Dubois is a military issue wrist-comp that you can utilize when your holo-tablet is unavailable. It is also a tool that will serve with you in the field, providing accurate network-centric battlefield data which will improve your situational awareness by at least 89 percent. It will also function akin to mobile phone devices that you utilized in your universe and provide you with 3D printing capability that can be very useful in the field. Bear in mind, that printing function on wrist-comp is much more limited when compared to holo-tablets, both in capabilities as in amount of material produced. As you are left-handed, please place the bracelet on the right wrist."
I followed AI's instructions and put the electronic bracelet on. It adjusted itself to the size of my wrist and suddenly an orange, glowing holographic display surrounded my whole forearm. My eyes widened in recognition.
"Holy shit, is that an omni-tool?!"
AI responded with the air of finality.
"Negative. It is a Nexus X, a military issue wrist-comp that you will utilize during your deployment, Officer Cadet Peter Dubois."
I grinned wryly at Lox.
"Didn't you mean Nexus Ten, an advanced omni-tool from the Mass Effect universe?"
Sadly, the AI chose not to respond to my teasing.
It all started to make sense now. I remembered my previous conversation with Anneke Koeckritz. She dropped Mass Effect references at least twice. Sneaky woman! Of course she knew where I was going. She was in charge of the team which brought me here, grew my new body and mapped my brain, after all. Sure, she was not allowed to tell me where I'm being deployed, but she dropped enough hints for me to figure it out, even before Security Branch decided to tell me.
'20 points to Slytherin, Miss Koeckritz' I smirked.
It was relieving to know something early on as it gave me time to prepare and prioritize things I wanted to learn in order to survive there. It seemed like I had Consciousness Acquisition team on my side. In retrospect, it seemed that they were suspiciously forthcoming with the information concerning Security Branch, especially Gillespie and Vassilevskiy. I was certain now that they broke more than one confidentiality clause when they shared with me what they knew.
But why would they help me in the first place? Why go directly against Security Branch orders, when they knew how ruthless External Affairs Bureau could be? Perhaps, as citizens of Multiverse Confederacy they were out of their jurisdiction and could not be prosecuted? I had many questions and no answers.
Then it struck me again. I was a fucking self-insert! As if my life wasn't complicated enough as it is. I liked the game well enough when I played it, but it didn't necessarily mean I wanted to go there in real life. Didn't Mass Effect have these large robotic Eldritch Abominations that wanted to destroy all intelligent life in the galaxy? I decided there that if they wanted me to stop or fight the Reapers I will gladly sign my resignation papers. But fuck, an omni-tool! How could I have missed that? Now I remembered some of the IDD personnel typing on their wrists, but their holographic displays were much smaller and I didn't make the connection straight away.
Putting this news aside I looked at the AI. Lox remained silent. I seriously doubted that Artificial Intelligence could get embarrassed by my previous questions, so probably he was just waiting for me to speak.
"Lox, can you explain why this recording listed all things in my Bag, Duffel, General Issue?" I said a tone of sarcasm in my voice clearly evident. I always thought that military naming conventions were a mouthful. Still, you couldn't deny that when spoken out loud they sounded professional if a bit funny.
Lox responded promptly.
"Standard procedure dictates that all equipment included in the bag needs to be double checked by new recruits to ensure nothing is missing. Could you please pick up your tablet, Officer Cadet?"
I did as I was told and turned on the holographic display. Lox continued.
"Please press this icon." One of the icons was highlighted. I tapped it twice. "This is the list of all the equipment that should be provided with the Dura-Canva Duffel Bag. You are required to go over this list and make sure everything is in place. All serial numbers, be it equipment or uniform have to be typed in next to the item on the list. Should anything be found missing it has to be reported to Supply and Logistics detachment in the main office building and a replacement procured. After confirming that all listed equipment is here you will need to sign a receipt form that is below."
I sighed unhappily. It seemed like it was going to be one of these fascinating evenings, compliments of Confederacy bureaucrats. I definitely wasn't looking forward to doing it. I looked up at Lox and asked.
"Can you help me with that, mate?"
The featureless visage looked at me and I could swear that he was smiling, even if I could not see it.
"It would be my pleasure, Officer Cadet Dubois."
With the assistance of the helpful AI I've been able to sort out my equipment. It consisted mostly of various uniforms and clothing that I will be using during my stay here, but there were also other things included. Usually recruits supplied their own toiletries, underwear and similar essentials. I couldn't do that, for obvious reasons so Security Branch provided them for me instead. Lox advised that due to my special status as an artificial citizen all of the equipment was provided to me free of charge. In my opinion it was only fair. They could hardly expect me to pay for it after bringing me here basically at gunpoint.
Next morning, I was woken up around 6 am by the ear-shattering sound of a trumpet playing through the speakers. I cursed and fumbled in bed. It was difficult for me to wake up in a new place and I briefly thought about skipping the day altogether and sleeping in. My, possibly misplaced, sense of duty prevailed and I got up from the bed. After all, I agreed to their terms the day before and I put my signature on it. I may be many things, but my word once given was as good as gold. Perhaps that was the reason I avoided the act of giving my word to anyone like the plague.
Lox appeared in my room again and advised me that Galtieri will be coming to pick me up. As expected, the cheerful Captain arrived soon after. He opened the electronic door and stood at the doorway with hands on his hips. He laughed at my dismayed expression, when I eyed his training outfit. Gone was the reticent and serious officer from the day before – Galtieri's grin was positively predatory.
"Rise and shine, Cadet Dubois!" He shouted at me loudly. "Get your training clothes together. We're going for a quick workout, now!"
I scrambled to comply. I've never served in the army before, but I knew quite a few people who'd been there. The two most important rules of all were to follow orders to the letter and to never question your superiors. These rules were even more emphasized during the basic training, when officers and noncoms were much harsher with new recruits to establish discipline and espirit de corps. So, without further delays I dressed quickly in my training outfit and followed Captain Galtieri.
A Quick workout to Galtieri's mind turned out to be not so quick, after all. I don't think I've ever run this much in my life. Despite exhaustion I noticed that my body reacted much better than I would have expected after such physical strain. My lungs burned, but I could still breathe with ease. My heartbeat barely increased. My muscles were sore, but they could still function like normal. If I attempted similar feats back on Earth I would be lying on the grass begging for someone to kill me, but here I barely felt it. I remembered Vassilevskiy mentioning that my current body was merely a temporary vessel for my consciousness and nowhere near the final product. If that was what beta version of me was capable of I was eager to try the other one as quickly as possible.
"The Consciousness Acquisition team informed me that since you're new muscles have never been used, they will hurt more during these initial training sessions," Galtieri told me later, "But most of the pain will fade with time and practice."
After the run we had a quick stretch and I still couldn't believe how nimble and strong my new body was. Afterwards Galtieri commanded that we will go back to the barrack to have a shower, change into uniforms and head for the breakfast. To my surprise Captain didn't go back to his own room. He made a beeline to my bunk instead and opened my wardrobe.
"I see you've unpacked your duffel bag, Cadet Dubois. Good!" He shuffled through the wardrobe quickly, taking note of all the uniforms that I placed there. He paused and yanked one piece of clothing from the wardrobe.
"What the hell is that? Are these the IDD coveralls?" he asked incredulously, staring at the ugly piece of clothing.
"Yes sir. They were in my duffel when I unpacked it, sir." I responded, standing at attention.
Galtieri just shook his head and placed them back in the wardrobe. He instead pulled out what I recognized as Working/Garrison Uniform, Grade D, General Issue. Yes, I've memorized them all yesterday evening as was expected of me.
"Put these on, after you finish your shower. A uniform tunic mustn't be tucked into the trousers; you will keep it outside and fasten it with a belt. The belt is to be placed on the level of your navel. For everyday use wear a grey t-shirt under the tunic as white collared shirts with grey neckties are reserved for semi-formal occasions. Trousers should be folded above the boots – elastic bands inside the trouser leg will keep them in place. A beret is to be worn angled to the left – you're left, not my left." he passed me a blue beret without any unit insignia.
I grabbed the uniform and waited for him to let me use the shower. Captain Galtieri turned away from me and looked out of the window, where some unit was doing the parade drill. If it wasn't for the fact that he was still lecturing me I would think that captain forgot about me altogether.
"What we are doing today will become a routine for you, Cadet Dubois. You are still new here so I will be going easy on you today, but don't expect any preferential treatment down the line."
"Yes sir."
He turned away from the window and looked at me.
"We only have three months to train you to a level of an elite operative. Even with transferring data through holo-tablets," I cringed at the memory of the painful knowledge transfer, "We will have a very tight schedule. We must organize our time in the most efficient way and that is one of the reasons you are trained solo, instead of being placed with one of the regular companies."
"You may stand at ease." He added noticing that I still stood at attention. I relaxed my pose, still standing awkwardly in my sweaty workout clothes and holding fresh uniform fatigues in my hands. "Do you have any further questions?"
"Yes sir. You mentioned that we have only three months for training – why is that? I would have thought that we'd have all the time in the world to prepare for the mission, sir?"
Captain Galtieri actually smiled at that.
"Good thinking, officer cadet. To answer your question: External Affairs Bureau of the Security Branch in its infinite wisdom decided that three month time is sufficient to train the displaced, artificial citizen up to the standards of a field agent. Of course, this decision was based on calculations made by some analyst who's never set a foot in the field. It's for the same reason that you do not have a proper NCO putting you through the basic training. Bureaucracy here works the same as it worked in your universe, Cadet Dubois. In short – we have 3-month period allocated to turn you into not only a mean, lean fighting machine, but also thinking and scheming one."
His smile disappeared and his face turned serious again.
"Now get to the shower and put on some proper fatigues, Cadet Dubois! On the double!"
I did an about-face and followed my Pathfinder app to the showers.
A/N: I just know that name 'wrist-comp' was used in Mass Effect fanfiction before, but for the love of God I can't remember which story was that. If anyone remembers, please either send me a PM or a review, so I could contact the author and belatedly ask for his/her permission to use this name.