Tranquility Base, Luna, March 14th, 2183
Commander Nathaniel Shepard liked to look down at the world that humanity had come from and wonder, almost as much as he liked looking up at the stars. He'd even found a nice tucked-away place where he could remain largely undisturbed as he watched the mostly blue and green orb rise and set on the moon's horizon. It was a welcome spot of quiet, even if the frankly ridiculously long shore leave was starting to get a little boring otherwise.
It felt strange, somewhat, how close it looked to Mindoir. It probably shouldn't have, seeing as Mindoir was one of those 'Goldilocks worlds' that colonial PR teams liked to go crazy about back in the day from what he'd heard. It was part of what had drawn his parents out there, past secured Alliance space and into the Attican Traverse in the first place.
He sighed quietly, running a hand through high and tight short dark hair before he pinched his dark green eyes shut. The memories managed to come anyway.
Darkness, a sliver of light from the cellar door at once their only source of light, a way for him and Allison to see out of, and something to be feared. A way for the batarians to find them, take them. The screams of the other colonists, muffled though they were, sinking through the ground and seeping past the two scared teenagers' skin. The barking laughter of the slavers mixed with the barking of gunfire, each shot making them flinch less and less. The stench of smoke and burning buildings and flesh and blood in the open air, filtering into the cellar and making an atmosphere all its own.
"Nate, I'm scared…" Allison whispered, Nathaniel squeezing his little sister tighter to him.
"It'll be okay," Nathaniel whispered back, squeezing himself and Allison further back into the cellar's corner. "We'll make it out."
"What if they find us?"
"I'll protect you." he squeezed the pistol in his hand, an old Frontiersman model that was their father's.
"Shut up. I can take care of myself."
There was fear in both their words, uncertainty that either of them could keep their promises. But this time, at least, they didn't have to find out.
Nate opened his eyes and studied the window for a moment. Good. He'd hate to leave something for someone to repair due to his biotics slipping out of control, even if he could probably patch it up with his omni-tool quite easily. Even still, it wouldn't have been the craziest thing that had happened to him on shore leave. And he certainly wouldn't get a medal for doing something so simple as that.
He regarded his reflection in the window for a moment, at the defined, but not too sharp face and eyes of his father. At the tawny skin and dark hair of his mother. Now, besides Allison, that face was among the few things he had to remember them by.
He set his focus elsewhere, looking at a cluster of ships as they flew past Luna like so much smoke on the wind, an impossible speed to them that went in stark defiance of the usual laws of physics. No doubt they were bound for the mass relay, that highway of the stars out at Charon.
His stomach rumbled, gently prodding him towards the mess hall, which he obliged as he walked away from the view.
He thought back to happier memories as he pointedly ignored people stopping and staring at him every once in a while, whether it was due to the still somewhat fresh N7 logo on his uniform or because he was what they were calling the 'Hero of Elysium'.
Allison Solomya Shepard's Basic Training graduation, with all the pomp and circumstance that he'd remembered from his. The feel of his dress blues, sharp and well-pressed, creasing as he stepped forward and pinned her Alliance Service Ribbon, With Distinction, to her chest. He couldn't have been more proud of her dedication. It had made him think of his own that day, the last day of N7 training, the Deimos Gauntlet, still fresh in his mind.
'I should call Aunt Hiromi, see how she's doing.' he mused as he found his way into the mess hall proper. 'It's a shame she missed the ceremony then.'
He sat down to eat at an empty table in the corner and found himself eating alone. It was a change of pace from getting swarmed after the first few times, but it left him feeling isolated. Like he was somehow more special than he was. 'I'm just an N7. It's not like I did anything more than I'm supposed to at Elysium. Did I?'
There were far better candidates than him to be called the Hero of Elysium. But those people had died and received their medals posthumously. What had made him so special for surviving, really?
"Hey, Commander."
He blinked and looked up at the two people, a man and a woman, approaching him to sit at his table, and smiled slightly. He'd been somewhat hesitant of Lieutenant Theisman and Lieutenant Flynn's attempts to befriend him at first. He'd had far too many people before now try and become friendly with him simply because of his now long list of honors. But whether it was through persistence on their part in getting to know them, or the unusually long time that they'd both been on shore leave, he'd actually warmed up to them.
"Afternoon. How's life in the engineering section going? Or have you two actually committed to being on your extended shore leave like you're supposed to?" he asked, smiling slightly as he remembered their various excuses for leaving a conversation early.
Lieutenant Theisman chuckled as he started to eat, blue eyes glittering with amusement. "Well, I'm now actually trying to get out of the habit of picking up odd tasks to help out and actually relax, however decent it is to be on hand for those who need it."
He gently elbowed Flynn, who glanced back at him with a slightly dirty look that she tucked a strand of shoulder-length strawberry-blonde hair to fully glare with. "Flynn, on the other hand, continues to be a bleeding heart. Come on. You heard the Commander. Give a little time to relax for yourself."
"Funny story about that, actually. I was planning on making today my last favor for Tech Specialist DiMeer and Chief Engineer Halsey. They needed someone to run some quick checks on a short-circuit down by the mass effect generators." Flynn paused, a slight grin growing on her face. "You know Lieutenant-Commander Benson, that guy that's waiting to be transferred to the Kharkiv?"
Theisman's brow arched as he scratched a head of dark blond hair. "I thought he was getting transferred to the Dallas."
"Dallas got rerouted to the Terminus Systems border for emergency deployment, so he got shuffled around," Flynn said with a shrug. "Anyway, I caught him and a few of his buddies drinking something a little stronger than soda in a little corner of the generator room."
Nate's brow arched. "That's… not exactly safe. Have you informed one of the base commanders?"
"Oh, I plan to," Flynn replied. "He and I both knew how deep he was in it. He threatened to report me for something, I couldn't quite tell with how drunk he was. Then he tried to bribe me with 'a real good time', as he so artfully put it. For the sake of 'neither of us getting drummed out'."
Theisman's jaw clenched, and Nate felt a brief grin twitch on his lips. Their current relationship (entirely professional, he was sure they'd protest) felt a lot more like they were siblings instead of fellow officers. Though who would know where things went with them?
"Damn." Theisman managed to get out after a moment to visibly relax. "As if he weren't in a hole already, he just had to keep digging, didn't he?"
"He hit the floor when he tried to show how willing he was to bribe me. With a little help from me, of course."
Flynn shook her head. "But enough about our adventures. How are you, Commander? Have you and Massana been in touch recently?"
One of the other survivors of the attack on Elysium, then-Captain Harouthi Massana and her squad had followed his directions, securing the rest of the base while he held off the main attack. Nate smiled slightly. "We traded messages a couple of days ago. She's leading a platoon out somewhere in the Verge running pirate interdiction."
"Good," Theisman said. "It's nice to hear that others made it out of Elysium. I was at Torfan."
He paused, a distant look in his eyes. "A lot of us had you inspiring our charge in. Those pirate bastards got what was coming to them."
It was silent at the table for a moment before Nate felt a soft vibration from his omni-tool. He activated a portion of it, a curving screen of luminous red appearing overtop of his forearm before much of it became black, a message quickly scrawling itself onto the surface under a Systems Alliance insignia.
He pulled at a corner of the screen, haptic sensors activating as he 'pulled' it off of his arm, stretching it to about the size of a piece of letter paper and holding it out.
"And what is that?" Theisman asked, a curious gleam in his eyes. "New marching orders?"
"Looks like it," Nate replied, clearing his throat somewhat theatrically as he began to read aloud. "From Admiral Steven Hackett to Commander Nathaniel Kei Shepard. Sir: You are hereby directed and required to proceed with all due haste to the ship SSV Normandy, to perform the duties of Executive Officer of the Ship under the command of Captain David Anderson. We expect you to discharge your duties with honor and distinction, and hope for your success in this role. Further information, such as where to reach the vessel from your current location, will be relayed to you via other secure channels."
Nate paused, then dismissed the mass-effect 'hologram'. "Well, that's all the important parts anyway."
"Normandy, huh?" Theisman pulled up his own omni-tool, the sheath of slightly separate screens that made a gauntlet around his forearm a deep purple light as he pulled up an Alliance military intranet browser. "With that name, it could be a frigate or a cruiser. Let's see… Normandy, Normandy…"
After a few moments, he arched a brow. "How interesting. I can't find a Normandy anywhere in the ship database. You get a new ship, Shepard. How exciting, to do a shakedown cruise."
"And I hear Captain Anderson's a damn fine commanding officer," Flynn interjected. "I've had friends that have served under him, claim him as near a second father as they can get."
"Glad to know I've got a decent command ahead of me. Every time I've been with Anderson's been good so far." Nate chuckled for a moment, then paused as the weight of it hit him. "It's my first command. My first actual command, I mean."
"I think you'll do just fine, Shepard. I think if there's anyone who'll care about his people as much as Anderson does, it's you." Theisman said with a warm smile. "It's just a shame we won't be there to see it."
Theisman and Flynn flinched slightly as their omni-tools softly beeped, a two-tone that was usually the message notification that Nate kept muted. Flynn activated her omni-tool as well, the light within a pale green as they both read the messages that they received.
Flynn chuckled. "It's addressed to both of us, I see."
Nate couldn't help but chuckle himself. "I see even the brass has finally admitted you two are joined at the hip more often than not."
"Good for them," Theisman said offhandedly as his eyes darted away from his own omni-tool to the message on Flynn's screen, his brows rising as he smiled slightly and his focus returned to Nate. "And good for you too. It looks like we're both coming with you."
Nate's brows shot up in surprise. "Really? Does it say either of you, or even both of you, are my chief engineers?"
"No, actually." Flynn's brow furled in confusion. "It says here I'm under the command of a Lieutenant-Commander Adams."
"At least you get a name," Theisman said, shaking his head slightly before leaning in and narrowing his eyes on his own message. "All it says for me is… 'you will be working with a representative engineer and learning the maintenance and upkeep of the systems under her command."
"Representative engineer?" Flynn said incredulously. "What could that even mean?"
"It looks like I might be flexing my xenotech engineering minor." Theisman mused, glancing around himself at the other tables, seemingly to ensure that they weren't heard. "Now I can't wait to see what this ship looks like. What has our fair Alliance built that needs not one, not two, but four engineers to keep an eye on it?"
Nate couldn't help but wonder that himself. Whatever it was, it was likely going to be an exceptional ship. A part of him wondered if the schematics for the ship would be in the database onboard. It would be fascinating to see how things fit together on a ship this new.
"Well," Flynn said, "at least it doesn't sound like it's going to be a boring posting."
"I mean, you're coming along with me," Nate interjected. "Things aren't usually boring when I'm around anyway."
"I certainly hope so," Theisman said with a grin. "I think we've all had our fill of boring for the moment."
. . .
Docking Bay H-23, 1 Hour Later
Commander Nathaniel Shepard, now of the Normandy, walked into what was the farthest docking bay of the base, sure that there weren't any other personnel or ships anywhere close to them. Whatever this ship was, the higher-ups wanted to make sure no one saw it until they were ready for it to be seen.
"Well, if they were looking to give us an unscheduled cardio workout," Theisman said from behind him, only slightly winded as Nate glanced back at him, and the bags that he was holding, "I think they succeeded."
"Come on," Flynn said in slight exasperation, and Nate could almost hear her rolling her eyes at the man. "We're almost there."
They stepped through the door that led to the reception area of the docking bay, a long window that they paused in front of allowing them to take stock of the ship that would be their new home for the foreseeable future.
It was a somewhat interesting departure from the usual design of most Alliance frigates, though the wings that housed the thrusters, far shorter here and somewhat separated from the main hull of the ship, were still present, with another pair of rearward-facing thrusters extending out on what looked like small articulating pylons connected close to the main thrusters.
Its most striking feature was its main hull. A bold departure from the standard rectangular design that often housed one or more spinal-mounted railguns, it was instead a smooth, sloping upper hull that widened as it went further back before tapering slightly, what was likely the main sensor array jutting up from the back of the ship. At its nose were two claw-like extensions that might have been secondary sensors of some kind.
All in all, it was quite the sight to behold, and the trio regarded it for a moment.
"Commander Shepard. Good to see you again." a deep, calm voice called out.
The trio turned to the entry port and found a man stepping out of it, his uniform's blue a striking contrast to his milk-chocolate skin and close-cropped brown hair. The rank bars on his shoulders denoted him as a captain, and the trio was quick to salute who was sure to be Captain Anderson as he approached.
"Hello, sir," Nate said as Anderson came to a stop in front of them. "It's a surprise to meet you all the way down here."
Anderson's brown eyes, along with his smile, were warm as he saluted back, then extended a hand to Nate. "I prefer to meet my crew in person. It's been a while, Commander. I look forward to working with you again."
Nate shook Anderson's hand firmly, then regarded Theisman and Flynn with a somewhat puzzled look. "I was only expecting Commander Shepard. Who are you two and what are you doing here?"
"I'm Lieutenant Flynn, sir," Flynn replied. "This is Lieutenant Theisman."
"As for why we're here, sir," Theisman continued, "we were assigned to the Normandy at about the same time as Commander Shepard but to the engineering section. I presume it's due to wanting to make sure their new ship remains in working order for its shakedown cruise, but I hardly dare assume what goes through the minds of the Admiralty with any surety."
Anderson chuckled softly. "You and me both, Lieutenant. Either way, I won't turn down a few more helping hands. We're still a skeleton crew at the moment. Come with me."
As they stepped into the boarding tube, Anderson regarded Theisman again, focusing on a particular bag that he was carrying. "You play an instrument, Lieutenant?"
"Electric guitar, sir," Theisman replied. "It's followed me on every deployment I've gone on thus far. It can remain in my footlocker for the duration of my stay here if you so desire, sir."
"As long as you confine playing it to your spare time and remain mindful of the rest of the crew, I don't mind," Anderson replied as they stopped at the airlock to the ship. "We have at least a few musicians on the ship, from what I can tell. You'll probably fit right in."
"Good to know sir," Theisman replied as the hatch behind them closed, the decontamination process cycling through before the hatch in front of them opened.
"Log updated." an automated voice, probably the ship's VI, said over a speaker system. "CO Anderson and XO Shepard are aboard."
'I guess the ship wasn't prepared for Flynn and Theisman.' Nate mused. 'I'm sure the feeling's mutual.'
"Should we go ahead and find someplace to put our belongings, sir?" he said aloud to Anderson.
"I'll give you a tour of the ship. The crew quarters will be on the way." Anderson replied as he looked over at what was likely the pilot's chair. "Lieutenant Moreau, get ready to pull us out of dock."
"Aye, sir," Moreau replied. "Running pre-flight checks."
"That's our pilot, Flight Lieutenant Moreau." Anderson began as they began to walk into the ship proper. "Most call him by his callsign, 'Joker'. He's among the best pilots the Alliance has, and I'd hazard to say that he is the best from what I've seen." he sighed quietly. "Something he's unafraid of telling everyone he meets."
"He, and the other flight engineers, do their work here in the flight section of the bridge." Anderson continued as they went down a short ramp into a wide room with a decently sized yet still slim arrow-shaped display and console bank in the center that had an image of the galaxy, several markers on its surface as they walked past. "This is the CIC of the ship. State-of-the-art projector and computation tech worth more than most luxury yachts is stuffed in that console. At least, that's what the designers of the ship told me at drydock."
"Interesting layout," Theisman remarked as they began to pass the console bank. "First I've ever seen it on a ship. A human one at least. Looks more turian to me."
"Maybe we're trying out turian design concepts." Flynn postulated.
"Bigger than that, Ms. Flynn," Anderson replied as they rounded a wall and walked into a small circular room with a large viewscreen at the far end. "This ship is a joint Alliance-Hierarchy project. We aren't just integrating turian designs, but turian technology as well."
Anderson paused as he looked around the room. "This is the comms station, where most signal traffic is routed through before it reaches the rest of the ship. You and I will be taking more than a few calls here I would think, Shepard."
They exited the room, going to the right and passing through a door that had a marine stationed at it who saluted at them as they went down the stairs. "This is the crew deck. The berths are going to be on the immediate left and right of the wall we'll emerge from, so I can give you a second to stow your belongings before we continue."
It was a chance that they took, briefly stealing away into the port crew quarters and stowing their things. They emerged, and Theisman looked around. "I don't know if it's the fact that it's empty, but the ship seems a little large for its class to me. Is that part of the turian influence?"
"It is bigger than the older frigates, it's true," Anderson said as he swept his gaze around, landing on an elevator that was across from where they'd come off the staircase. "Part of it is the turian design ethos, yes, but with the STANMOD program having been in full swing for the last 10 years now, every ship's getting bigger these days. Where a frigate like this would have been 150 meters in length a decade ago, this lead design is edging slightly over 200."
Anderson shook his head. "But I doubt Shepard, at least, is here for a lecture on ship design."
"I don't mind, sir," Nate said with a slight shrug. "I may be a soldier, but I've always been fascinated with how things are put together."
Anderson smiled slightly. "Even still, I'm sure there's going to be plenty of time later to go into depth if you want. Let's keep going."
"This is, unsurprisingly, the main section of the crew deck." Anderson continued as they walked around an elevator, coming to a stop in front of a long table with a dozen seats. "You'll find most people relaxing here on their off-shifts. Over to the left there is my office in case anyone needs to talk with me privately, and over on the right is the medbay."
As he finished his sentence, the medbay door opened, and a man in gray sweatpants and a loose shirt under an equally gray zip-up hoodie noticed them before walking toward them. He was a well-built man, with a head of dark hair over pale skin and brown eyes. The sleeves and hem of the shirt betrayed a skinsuit underneath, a view that was easy to see as the man paused and snapped to attention, saluting crisply. "Sir. Good to see you down here."
"At ease, Lieutenant," Anderson replied as he saluted back. "Commander, this is Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, the man who is, or will be at least, in charge of our marine complement. Alenko, this is Commander Shepard, our new XO."
"Hello, Commander." Kaidan stepped forward, offering a hand which Nate took and shook firmly. "I managed to skim your file when I heard you were coming. It'll be good to have another combat engineer onboard."
"And I'm looking forward to working with you as well," Nate replied.
"I imagine the Captain's showing you around," Kaidan said, starting to walk towards the starboard crew quarters. "I'll get out of your way, let you get used to the ship. We'll talk later."
Nate found it refreshing that the man hadn't brought up Elysium. It would have been easy to do, even only skimming his records. Even the brief moment that Lieutenant Alenko had given them made it seem like he had a good head on his shoulders. But, like in all things at the moment, only time would tell.
Anderson nodded. "If you'll all follow me into the elevator? We'll get to where the Lieutenants need to go."
It was a silent ride on the elevator, the doors opening up to a large shuttle bay that housed a shuttle, one of the newer Kodiak models if Nate was guessing correctly, and a Mako Infantry Fighting Vehicle. He'd done some fieldwork on the 8-wheeled platform before, when he'd been part of the Benjamin Davis' deployed marine complement, and had even had the chance to be behind the wheel of one during one of his shore leaves. It was a fine vehicle.
"This is our cargo bay," Anderson said in passing. "We'll have a complement of 2 shuttles join the one we have and have another Mako for our marines. And, where I'm sure the Lieutenants are going to be spending a majority of their time…"
They walked down a small hallway, passing through one of the doors in the wall and emerging into a large, tubular room, a massive hemisphere with flowing blue and purple lights dotted along its surface pulsing in time with what was likely the ship's Tantalus generator, the mass effect creating, Element Zero laden heart of the ship. Several hatches climbed up the walls of the bay to about head height, and ladders to access them in between every two hatches.
And even still, the sight that drew all eyes to it was the two turians, with bird-like legs and three-fingered claws that went along with a general look that would have fit right in with old Earth dinosaurs. They stood to one side, away from who was likely the chief engineer, as all eyes turned to regard them while they stepped into the room proper, most landing on Nate. Even with so few, he mentally sighed at how long some of them regarded him.
"Captain Anderson." one of the turians, the shorter of the two, said as he stepped forward, the almost too soft hum of a translator mod undercutting the natural flanging undertone of his voice as he spoke. "I assume that you're here giving your newest crewmembers a tour of the ship?"
"That I am, Nihlus," Anderson replied, looking back at Nate. "Commander, this is Commander Nihlus Kirrik of the Hierarchy Naval Infantry. He's a guest aboard the ship, and is here on Council business."
"Indeed," Nihlus said, his gaze lingering on Nate for a moment as Nate took in the striking white facepaint that highlighted the turian's deep brown skin. "We'll have more to talk about later, I'm sure. For now, I'll be making my way to the bridge to oversee the mass relay jump."
With that, he walked past the group of humans, leaving the taller turian to look expectantly at them. "Captain Anderson." the turian, a female, said as she straightened to attention.
"Chief Specialist," Anderson replied as he turned to Theisman and Flynn. "Allow me to introduce you to your new compatriots."
He glanced over at the chief engineer and slightly nodded the man, a mostly bald, stocky sort with slightly inset eyes that regarded the group almost warily, over to them. "Ms. Flynn, Mr. Theisman, this is Chief Engineer Adams, your supervising officer here below. I wouldn't trust anyone else to take the helm of overseeing a new starship."
Adams nodded at the pair. "Glad to have some extra hands to help out down here. I'll show you two around, make sure you don't get in the way."
The two lieutenants nodded. "Duly noted, sir," Theisman said. "But I don't think I'm technically directly under you."
He looked over at the turian woman, whose finger-like frills twitched in what was likely the turian approximation of a raised brow as she regarded him from behind wave-like crimson facepaint. "I believe I'm to be working with you, Chief Specialist, in learning what makes this ship tick."
The turian Chief Specialist nodded. "Captain, if I may introduce myself?" she asked levelly, and Nate couldn't hear any translator mods working. She had a decent grasp of English, as far as he could currently tell.
Anderson nodded silently, and the turian stepped forward. "Lieutenant Theisman, I am Chief Specialist Duvinian of the Hierarchy Engineering Corps. I expect you to observe and follow my orders closely, as only one of us watched the keel of this ship being laid in. I believe we're understood?"
Theisman nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
"Good. We'll get started immediately."
Anderson nodded, looking over at Nate. "I'll be taking care of some business in my quarters for a moment. If you want to go to the bridge, I'd appreciate having you keeping an eye on things."
Nate couldn't help but wonder if that had something to do with Nihlus. "Yes, sir."
With that, he looked over at Theisman and Flynn, getting to learn their new stations, and nodded, more to himself than anything, as he turned and went back up towards the bridge.
The building hum of the ship around him told him that they were picking up speed, but it was remarkably difficult to even hear the ship's drive outside of the engine room like he could on many other postings. In fact, it was nearly silent. Finally, however, he made his way to the bridge, finding Lieutenant Alenko, now dressed in the deep blue uniform of the Alliance, sitting in what could be considered the 'co-pilot's' chair next to Lieutenant Moreau. Behind them stood Nihlus, watching silently as Moreau worked. "The relay is hot. Acquiring approach vector. All stations, secure for transit." the man said, and Nate could feel the deck beginning to vibrate just a little more as the jump engine came online.
He came to a stop next to Nihlus as Moreau's preparations came to their zenith. "Board is green, gravitic compensation values locked in. Beginning approach run."
From here, behind the cockpit's outside monitors, the somewhat eerie blue glow of the Mass Relay was curtailed from the almost blinding light it was outside as the strange machine spun up to barely bearable as the vessel came up alongside it. "Hitting the relay," Moreau said as they drew close, "in 3, 2, 1…"
Then, Nate, along with everyone else he was sure, felt the impact of the Relay's energies, a slight smell that Nate thought was like the discharge of a gun that had just been fired creeping in as the ship, and them, grew lighter and lighter, lighter than any material could possibly be while still remaining as it was, before zipping away from the Charon relay far faster than the speed of light.
As they settled in for their journey, Moreau began his post-jump ministrations. "Thrusters, check. Navigation locked in. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems nominal. Drift… just under 1500 K."
He said the words with a satisfied air, and Nate glanced over at Nihlus as a few of his quills twitched up in time with the armored plate above his left eye. "1500 is good. Your captain will likely be pleased."
His eyes dipped down to his forearm, an omni-tool activating in what was likely some kind of privacy mode. He nodded silently and slightly, glancing at Nate as he turned and walked away.
Nate looked back as Nihlus walked to the comms room, wondering if he should perhaps follow after.
"I hate that guy," Moreau said after a silent moment, dragging Nate's attention back to the pilot.
Alenko glanced over at Moreau. "You've barely even seen the guy, Joker. He gives you a compliment… so you hate him?"
"Compliment?" Moreau shot back. "Remembering to zip up your jumpsuit on your way out of the bathroom is good. I just jumped us halfway across the explored galaxy to land on a target that's about equivalent to the size of a pinhead, cosmically speaking. That's a little more of an 'incredible'."
Moreau shook his head. "Besides, he's a Spectre. They're trouble, even when they're being nice. Call me paranoid, but I don't exactly like him being onboard."
"Alright," Alenko said with a slight smile, "you're paranoid. The Council was a big part of funding this project, just as much as the Turian Hierarchy was. It just makes sense that they'd want someone to see how their investment holds up."
"Yeah, I've heard the official story," Moreau said. "But only an idiot believes the official story."
"Maybe so," Nate interjected, drawing the attention of the two men to him. "But right now, it's probably the best we'll be getting for now to explain why there's a Spectre on a shakedown cruise."
"So more likely than not," Moreau said meaningfully, "there's more going on here than the captain's letting on."
As if his words were a spell, the comms system chimed. "Joker," Captain Anderson said, "status report."
Moreau sat up just a little straighter in his chair. "We're clear of the mass relay, Captain. Stealth systems are engaged, and everything looks solid."
"Good," Anderson said. "Find a comms buoy and link us into the network. I want to be able to relay mission reports back to Command before we reach Eden Prime."
"Aye, Captain," Moreau replied. "Better brace yourself, sir. I'm pretty sure Nihlus is heading your way."
"He's already here, Lieutenant." Nate could detect a not-so-subtle hint of an unamused tone in Anderson's voice. "Is Commander Shepard there with you?"
"Present, sir," Nate replied.
"Good. Meet me in the comm room for a briefing. Nihlus and I have something we need to discuss with you."
With that, the comm channel clicked off. "Well, good luck, Commander," Moreau said somewhat sardonically.
"I might need it," Nate replied with a slight grimace. "Something must have gone wrong if it's got the Captain sounding like that."
As he turned away, he heard Moreau scoff slightly before continuing. "Must always be something wrong, if that's all he's like when he's talking to me."
"I can't possibly imagine why," Alenko said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
Whatever else might have been said was lost to Nate as he walked towards where he remembered the comms room was. He passed more than a few conversations, almost all of them about where they were going: Eden Prime.
It was, by all accounts, a historic place, one of humanity's first settlements, and accordingly, one of its most developed. People didn't call it a paradise world for nothing, either. So what were they doing going there? And what was a Spectre, a turian one at that, doing hovering around while they did it?
Questions for Anderson and Nihlus, he resolved as he stepped into the comm room. On the far wall, a screen was showing what must have been Eden Prime, Nihlus standing alone as he looked up at the vista before him.
As Nate approached, Nihlus turned to face him. "Commander Shepard. I was hoping you'd arrive here first. It will give us a chance to talk for a moment."
"I was under the impression I was getting briefed, sir," Nate replied somewhat cautiously.
"You will be." Nihlus paused as he glanced back at the screen. "But for now, tell me a little about Eden Prime. I'm interested to hear about more than just its obviously apparent beauty."
"One of the first colonies we ever established, as I'm sure our public records will tell you," Nate replied. "It's still a haven for people who didn't decide to go back to Shanxi."
It was silent for a moment as Nihlus' eyes narrowed. "Yes. A haven. Safe. Tranquil. It's become something of a symbol for your people, hasn't it? A proof to show that humanity can not only spread across the galaxy at a remarkable rate, but also defend where they call home. But I must ask… how safe is it, really?"
Nate's eyes narrowed in turn. "I hope you're not insinuating something."
"Hardly, Shepard. Your people are still relative newcomers to the galactic stage, for as far as they've spread." Nihlus took a step forward. "There's a reason we responded so strongly at Relay-314. Your people still don't fully know what's on the other end of those closed-off relays. We do."
"So," Nihlus continued as he folded his arms, "is your Alliance ready for this?"
Before Nate could reply, he heard the door open behind him, looking back to see Captain Anderson striding forward. "It's time to tell Commander Shepard here the truth."
Nihlus nodded. "Indeed it is. This is no mere shakedown."
"If anything was going to make it obvious," Nate replied, "it was probably going to be you."
Nihlus shrugged slightly as Anderson continued. "We're here to make a covert pick-up. Running the stealth systems through their paces is as good an excuse as any to have them on."
"Anything else I'm allowed to know, sir?" Nate asked.
"At the moment, not much." Anderson shrugged slightly. "This comes down from the top, strictly need-to-know. But there is more I can tell you. A research team on Eden Prime investigating anomalies unearthed some kind of beacon during an excavation. A beacon that they determined was Prothean in origin."
The Protheans. Nate had heard somewhat about them, those ancient rulers of the galaxy. Most of the technology that connected the galaxy was supposedly their legacy. The last Prothean relic of any kind had been found under the surface of Mars over a century ago.
"Prothean?" Nate said somewhat incredulously. "Why aren't we sending a bigger research group?"
"The Council has the final say on all physical aspects of Prothean technology," Nihlus replied. "Whatever data you're able to collect from your studies, however, is yours to share."
"This is big, Shepard," Anderson said. "The last time we found a Prothean artifact, we compressed almost two hundred years of advancement into half a century. But as to your suggestion, there's just not enough time to set up advanced enough facilities to handle a Prothean artifact. The Citadel has those facilities."
"Thus, I am partly involved because the Council knows the potential implications of what the beacon might hold," Nihlus said. "Whatever you discover may affect every species in Council space."
"Not only that," Anderson continued, "but our continued cooperation with the Council will have important benefits going forward."
"Such cooperation is another part of why I'm here, Shepard," Nihlus said. "I'm also here for you."
Nate's brow arched. "Am I under investigation?" Nate asked.
"Evaluation, Shepard," Anderson replied. "Nihlus wants to see you in action. How you lead, how you adjust to situations. The Alliance has been pushing for what you're going through for quite a while. As we grow, humanity wants a larger role in shaping the galaxy we're going to be living in. A little more say with the Citadel Council."
"There are plenty of other species that are under the impression that your Alliance is being remarkably expansionist. Pushy, some might say." Nihlus remarked before pausing for a moment. "With how slow the asari, in particular, are about taking things, however, I must say it's been a refreshing change of pace."
"And part of that change is accepting a new member of our race into the Spectres," Anderson said. "The Spectres are a representative arm of the Council's power and authority, the best of the best from every race on the Council."
"And to this point," Nihlus said, "your records reflect well on you. Your stand on Elysium and willingness to give your life for the good of not only those soldiers around you, but for the people of that planet as a whole, is a very compelling example of your character and resolve."
'No,' Nate thought as he suppressed a sigh. 'There are better men and women that you can try and look for. They just happen to be buried with honors at the moment.'
"It's why I've put your name forward as a candidate to become a Spectre." Nihlus continued.
"I'm somewhat surprised, sir," Nate said. "Most turians I've met don't seem fond enough of humanity to be that… magnanimous."
"There are plenty of war-birds that still see you as an… uppity client race, so to speak, but there are enough who see your potential. What you can bring to the table as equals." Nihlus said. "Besides, the Spectres are just an elite group, not a clique. The Council won't care what species you are. Only that you have the skills and talent to get the job done. This will be the first of several missions we undertake together to determine that."
"With that in mind," Anderson began, "You'll be in charge of the ground team that's going to secure and prepare the artifact for transport. Nihlus will be acting as an observer. We'll be sending Lieutenant Alenko and Corporal Jenkins along with you while the researchers make whatever preparations they need to."
Nate nodded. "Am I able to take someone else as well? Lieutenant Theisman has experience with xenotech. There's a decent chance he could move things along a little more quickly."
Anderson's brow creased in thought for a moment before he nodded. "It's not a bad idea, and with the nature of this mission, I'm sure the researchers will appreciate someone who can be a middleman."
"Now, we've only got about an hour-" Anderson began, cut off by the quick chime of the internal comms.
"Captain!" Moreau said urgently. "We've got a problem."
"What is it, Joker?" Anderson asked.
"I'm receiving a priority transmission from Eden Prime's garrison force. Patching it through now."
As Joker finished speaking, the comms screen flashed to life, the thus far silent room now awash with the harsh blare of gunfire. The screen showed someone peeking out from behind cover, then ducking back as their assailants, unable to be made out in the static of the feed, fired on their position.
The camera revealed itself to be helmet mounted as its owner took it off, revealing an Indian woman with black hair and brilliantly green eyes that easily showed how rattled she was.
"This is Staff Sergeant Korrapati of the 232nd! We are under fire from unknown enemy combatants, and the dig site is overrun!" the woman said, pausing for a moment as something exploded on the rock next to her face. "The scientists are… Ashley, here! The scientists have been slaughtered, those that survived are still in hiding. We're taking heavy casualties and need immediate evac."
Before she could continue, a low-pitched, loud drone began to cut over the sounds of battle, Korrapati putting her helmet back on as she risked a peek out of cover to see…
It must have been a spaceship descending into the atmosphere. But it was unlike any spaceship that Nate had ever seen before, gray and claw-like as it fell to the earth wreathed in red lightning.
Whatever else, it was causing interference in the transmission, the edges of Sergeant Korrapati's feed fuzzing and becoming staticky as she turned to run. "Go, go!" she said to what must have been her squad. "Fall back to the hill! Mayumi, get-"
With that, the feed cut off, now naught but so much static. "Everything after that is just dead air," Joker said after a moment's tense, somewhat dreadful silence. "There aren't any transmissions coming from Eden Prime now. Best guess is that they're being jammed."
"Reverse and hold at 38.5," Anderson said into his now open omni-tool, the pale blue interface likely connected to the Normandy.
The now logged transmission rewinded, pausing on the image of that strange, unsettling starship. The trio studied it in silence for a moment, the thing seemingly reaching like the hand of some forgotten god.
"Joker," Anderson said in a sober voice, "make sure to take us in fast and quiet when we arrive. Whatever the hell this is, I don't want it to see us."
"Aye, Captain." was Joker's only reply as the comm channel clicked off.
"This mission just got a hell of a lot more complicated." Anderson sighed quietly.
"A small strike team can move quickly to secure the beacon without drawing attention. It'll be our best chance at extracting it." Nihlus said.
"What about the soldiers?" Nate asked. "We should at least try and get in contact with them, see what they know about the lay of the land and enemy forces."
"We know where our objective is supposed to be." Nihlus retorted. "Wasting time trying to contact soldiers who may already be dead gives… whatever force is from that vessel that much more time to take the artifact."
"No," Anderson said firmly. "We are not leaving behind soldiers in distress if we can help it. The ship's likely logged what comm channel that emergency signal came from. Once you're on planet, Shepard, reach out if you can. Otherwise, focus on securing the artifact first."
"Yes, sir," Nate replied.
"Nihlus, we'll be deploying from the cargo bay," Anderson said. "Grab your gear and meet us there."
Nihlus simply nodded, turning and walking out of the comms room.
Anderson turned to face Nate. "Commander, I'm in a hell of a place to tell you and your team what to do. I don't want to ask for any miracles, but… bring as many as you can home."
Nate nodded. "I'll do my best, sir."
Anderson smiled wanly. "It's what you're good at. I expect you will."
He turned and began to walk out of the room. "I'll see you in an hour."
With that, Nathaniel Shepard looked up at the still-frozen picture for a moment, and couldn't help but feel anxiety, or even fear, begin worming its way through his gut. Whatever that was, it wasn't batarian slavers or marauders. This, he somehow already knew, was something much more.