Disclaimer: Transformers: Prime and Mass Effect are the property of Hasbro and BioWare respectively.
Chapter 2. The War Veteran
While the Normandy is in transit
While the ship was heading to where SOS originated from Shepard was in the armory area of the cargo hold. Which was a lot bigger than the one in the second Normandy.
Not knowing what he will be facing he decided to go with his Collector Armor. Its design will no doubt hide the fact he is human. Upon placing on the armor he found out he could disguise his voice. That little nugget of information will definitely help him keep his anonymity.
The armor even had wrist mounted grapple launchers along with the jet boosters. That will make climbing easier.
He then went over to the weapons. He picked out the Mantis sniper rifle. Despite only firing one round per shot its armor piercing bullets, even when augmented by the armor piercing mod, makes getting past enemy armor easier.
Second he went over to the shotguns. After eyeing them for a bit he went with the Reegar Carbine. This particular shotgun, named after Reegar and his family, fires a current of electricity. Useful against Synthetic's. Which these Autobots and Decepticons undoubtedly were.
Third he went to the assault rifles and chose the M-76 Revenant. While it has low accuracy it does have a higher thermal capacity and it has rapid fire. Perfect for crowd control. Plus augmenting it with incinerator ammo and armor piercing ammo makes it even more useful.
Fourth he went to the SMG's and chose the Geth Plasma SMG. Created through the use of Geth technology this weapon has a higher rate of fire. And like the Reegar shotgun useful against Synthetic's.
Fifth he went to the pistols and chose the Scorpion. This gun fires rounds that are in the shape of balls that can stick to any target and act like a bomb or a proximity mine.
And last he went over to the heavy weapons and chose the ML-77 Missile Launcher. With this he could punch through the armor and barrier of a tank.
Of course he made sure there weren't any flaws he had to worry about. While these weapons were a little more advanced than the ones back home that didn't mean he was gonna be careless.
Fortunately none of the weapons seem to be weighing him down. Not even the missile launcher and Revenant. Now some would probably think carrying all these weapons would be considered overkill but as his drill sergeant told him in boot camp "Best to have it and not need it then to need it and not have".
And since he's doesn't have his squad with him he was gonna need these weapons to compensate for their absence. Especially Garrus, Ashley, Thane, Zaeed, and Legion since their sharpshooting skills would be very helpful.
After giving them a good once over he called Sentry and asked "Sentry, what's our eta until arrival?"
"We're about to come out of FTL now Commander. I would recommend takingthe Mako for this mission. There's a particular function you might enjoy once you're disembark." the AI suggested.
Feeling curious Shepard went over to the Mako. He had to admit that seeing this newer version of the old Mako brought him some good memories. It was a sad day when he went to the planet he died over and placed it along with the original Normandy ship to rest. While also collecting the dog tags of those who died during the Collector attack. At least those he could find.
Going inside he noticed it was more roomy. No seat for a gunner. No doubt he would be the one handling the driving and shooting.
Once he got into the seat he saw that everything looked the same. Except there were pads that looked like they were meant for scanning one's hand.
Sentry spoke up "We've arrived Commander. The planet looks to be a desolate place. Scans say the air is breathable though. But there are no signs of life. At least on the surface."
"Understood. But do you have a fix of where on the planet the call came from?" Shepard asked.
A few moments later Sentry answered "I just managed to find it sir. I'm taking the Normandy down."
"Are we cloaked?" Shepard asked not wanting anything or anyone to see his ship and decide to shoot it down.
"We are invisible to scanners and the naked eye Commander. No one will see us coming." Sentry said before continuing "We are arriving at the landing zone. A few clicks from the objective. Drop off in 3, 2, 1. Go!"
With that Shepard drove the Mako out of the hangar. He soon felt the all too familiar impact of the Mako meeting land after dropping from the ship.
Looking at his radar he saw that the objective was 4 miles east of his location. Just as he was about to begin driving Shepard was drawn to a red button. Over the button was the word TRANSFORM.
Wanting to know about this John called Sentry "Sentry I'm looking at a red button. Want to tell me what would happen if I press it?"
"Oh Commander I think you will most definitely enjoy what will happen next if you do. In fact I would suggest pressing it now. So you can see what you will be working with in the future." Sentry said with excitement in his voice.
After pressing the button, Shepard heard a strange noise. Then he noticed the inside was shifting and changing. The seat he was sitting along with the others were gone and he in a standing position. Looking down he noticed that there was nothing below his feet and yet he could still feel solid ground.
The Mako looked like a giant robot. The barrel retracted itself and was mounted on the right shoulder side. Four of the wheels were on the back while the other two were on the legs. The helm had a white color. The irises in the blue eyes were white. The feet resembled combat boots but had boosters. The face was black in color. On its chest was the Alliance symbol.
After processing what he just witnessed John then called his new ships AI "Sentry I just have one question for you: WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!"
"Commander this is the Mako's robot mode. In this mode you'll have even greater mobility than you would in vehicle mode. Your arms can shift into canons while the main gun is behind your right shoulder. You can mentally lower it so you can fire it. And you don't have to worry about it overheating."
"You can deploy a shield around yourself as well as expand it. Both modes have cloaking tech. You can also project holograms. Like your helmets there is a voice disguising function. Add your combat training to the mix and you'll be any even deadlier force on the battlefield. Also you needn't worry about feeling pain as you are not connected to the Mako." Sentry explained making Shepard feel even more floored than before.
'If the others could see me now.' Shepard thought as he can already see the reactions of his friends.
After getting over his shock Shepard then asked "That's great and all but how do I turn this thing back into its vehicle form?"
"Simply call up the image of the Mako in vehicle form. And to do that you have to think it." Sentry instructed before continuing "Now I would advise haste. We don't know how long the one who sent that message will last."
Knowing Sentry was right, Shepard summoned the image and pressed it. The Mako then changed back into its vehicle form. And with that the first Human Spectre drove to the Autobots rescue.
After a few hours, Shepard picked up the sound of explosions. These sounds were not unknown to him but he honestly wished he didn't have to hear them again.
Once he reached the top of the hill he saw something that surprised him. The valley was a battle ground between giant robots. Or a squad of giant robots against only one.
Looking at the one he saw that the mechanical titan had a red color scheme with bits of gray and black. The mech also had a strange symbol on its chest that looked like a red mask. And he was in cover while nursing a shoulder wound.
(Ironhide will look like the Transformers: War for Cybertron but he will have the wrist mounted cannons like in the first and second movie. Plus he will sound like how he did in the game.)
And on the other were group made up of ten robots with one being up front. The ten had a color scheme of purple, grey, and silver. Their visors were red. Their guns are triangular shaped that are shooting red energy blasts at the Autobot.
(If you've seen the show then you know what the Vehicons look like.)
The one up front was different from the rest. This one looked bigger and had six blades going down his back. They almost look like helicopter blades. Its color scheme was black and grey. Unlike the smaller robots this one had two eyes that were red.
They also had an insignia of their own. Only difference is they are all purple.
(You all know what the Decepticon insignia looks like. The Autobot insignia too.)
Shepard then heard it say with a male voice "Give it up Ironhide! Why don't you come on out and we'll put you out of your misery?"
The one called Ironhide said defiantly "Or you can face me without your backup group Blackout?!
Shepard could hear the Decepticon chuckle sinisterly. From what he saw the one called Blackout was gonna move in and finish him off.
Having seen enough, John began driving down the slope. The sound of blaster fire muffled his approach. But he would soon be noticed.
After taking aim with the turret, Shepard unleashed his own rounds at the firing Decepticons. When they noticed four of their own started to fall everyone turned to where the shots came from.
Growling in anger Blackout said "So another Autobot has come to die. Decepticons scrap that fool! I'll deal with Ironhide!"
The remaining Decepticons moved to follow his order even when three more troops were taken out. Dodging their shots, Shepard still unleashed his rounds against them.
After dispatching the rest of them he saw Blackout was close to Ironhide's position. Hitting the button and turning into robot mode, he shifted his arms into guns and started firing upon him.
Blackout felt the shots hit armor. While they didn't hit hard enough they still caused him pain. Abandoning his query he turned to engage the new enemy.
But this was a mistake as Ironhide noticed Blackouts back was turned to him. Pulling out his battle axe and with careful aiming, he threw the weapon at his exposed back.
"YAAAHHH!" Blackout roars in pain while throwing his head back.
This was a mistake as a shot from Shepard hit him in the throat. Resulting in his head being blown off. Blackout's body wobbled for a bit until it fell forward with Energon spilling out from where his head use to be.
After seeing the demise of the Decepticon warrior Ironhide finally came out of cover while holding his wounded shoulder. Coming over to Blackout's corpse he pulled out his weapon and placed it on his back.
Then he turned his attention to the mech who saved his life. (He doesn't know Shepard is controlling the Mako's robot form.)
He didn't see a Decepticon insignia on him but there was no Autobot insignia either.
"Never thought I'd be saved by a neutral. Not that I'm complaining." Ironhide said gratefully.
Confused by what he said Shepard asked "What did you call me?"
With a raised metallic eyebrow Ironhide answered "A neutral. That's what you are."
Still confused by what he was saying Shepard decided to correct him "Actually I'm not a neutral or whatever that is."
"Well if you're not a neutral then which side are you on? You're not wearing the Autobots insignia or Decepticons insignia."
Deciding to tell the truth Shepard opened the chest area of the Mako-bot. The moment he revealed himself Ironhide was shocked by what he saw.
"What kind of life form are you?" Ironhide asked having never seen this creature before.
Shepard then took off his helmet and showed the giant robot warrior his face. Shocking him even more.
"A human?!" the war veteran exclaimed. While he's never been to Earth Ironhide knew that humanity couldn't have had technology that could let them build giant robot suits. Nor should they be able to reach this far into space.
"Oh so you know what I am." Shepard said glad that his species exists even in this new universe.
"Of course I know what you are but what I don't is how are you even here. How did you get that robot suit? And why did you help me?" Ironhide fired off wanting answers.
"I could tell you but I think we should leave while we still can." Shepard suggested before continuing "My explanation will have to wait. There's a chance those Decepticon guys might have friend heading this way. And you're too injured to fight right now."
While Ironhide found the human a little suspicious he knew that he was right. Plus he was right. While he wouldn't hesitate to go toe to toe with more Decepticon's even he wasn't foolish enough to let his pride get the best of him. Plus the human did save his life. The least he could do is give him the benefit of the doubt. For now.
Giving a sigh Ironhide said "Alright I'll come with you. But don't even think about doing anything funny."
Nodding at that Shepard went back inside the Mako-bot and made a call "Sentry, all targets have been neutralized. Bring down the Normandy and set a course for Earth."
Hearing that Ironhide then asked "Who's Sentry? And what's a Normandy?"
He then heard something coming from the air. Thinking it was more Decepticons he deployed his cannon and scanned the sky.
Seeing this Shepard said placatingly "Whoa! Easy there big fella. That's my ship coming."
The Normandy then shimmered into existence. Surprising Ironhide in the process. Now he knew how the human came got on this planet. But it should still be impossible for humanity to have ships that could reach this deep into space.
But then a thought came to mind. One he voiced to Shepard "If that's your ship then how am I gonna fit?"
"The hangar bay should be big enough for you. You can just sit there until we arrive on Earth." John said before a thought came to mind. He slapped his head and said "Oh dear God, I can't believe I didn't consider this. How are we gonna hide you from other humans?"
"Don't worry about that. Once I scan a vehicle I'll be able to move around quite easily." Ironhide said before continuing "And you know what? This might actually be a good thing for me since I was heading for Earth."
That caught Shepard's attention. Giving the Autobot a suspicious look he asked "And why are you heading for Earth?"
"Because that's where Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, is located along with a team currently under his command." Ironhide answered.
"And why are they on Earth?" Shepard prodded further.
"Why don't you ask him once we get there? And besides you suggested we wait until get to Earth so you can explain yourself." Ironhide reminded him.
Sighing to himself, Shepard said "Ok, fair enough. Now let's get in the ship so we can get a move on."
Both human and Autobot entered the Normandy. With the latter bending down a bit to get onboard.
As soon as the hangar bay door closed and they were ready to go, the Normandy rose up into the air and began to break orbit. Once they were in space, the Sentry set a course for Earth and the Normandy entered FTL.
Little did Shepard realize that he was gonna be in for another adventure with more mechanical titans.
In another part of space
On another unknown planet, a Decepticon that looks like Blackout just finished killing an Autobot soldier.
But then he felt something in his Spark. Like something was taken from him. It didn't take him long to figure out what it was.
Looking to the sky he said "Blackout."
End
Author's Note: I hope you enjoy this chapter. And as you no doubt have realized Ironhide will have his own arch nemesis like Optimus, Arcee, and Bulkhead. I'll skip the explanation and go straight to Shepard's adventures. And just so know those changes I mentioned will be in the chapter after the next. And I'll explain why I did it at the end. Until then I hope you all will stay safe and healthy.
Post Script: I reread the second chapter and realized I made a mistake. So I had to delete it and do it over again. To the person who saw this. Thank you for pointing this out to me. To the one who wondered why I'm giving Shepard infinite ammo and medical supplies. The guy is gonna be in another universe with no means of resupplying himself like he did in the game. Except for weapons like the Prothean assault rifle and the Lance assault rifle that can fire until they overheat and they still have to cool down. And to the one who asked if I will have Shepard take part in all the Autobots battles. Some he will take part in others not so much. But to be honest I'm not the only one or the first to have a character from another take part in a good majority of events.