Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis

Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis.

Volume 1.

Chapter 6.

 

I was crouched down behind a wreckage of a building with three other people. Two Turians named Vahan Octavian and Galen Tyzuris and one human named Jervis Proctor. We were only about twenty meters away from The Council Embassy building in the colony of Elysium, of which we were located.

Galen: We run to the barricade around the building in three… two… one…

Galen pointed to the barricade and waved us through. First Vahan, then Jervis, then me.

Galen: Go, go, go!

The four of us ran there with no regard to the sound we’re making, knowing that if we get there with no one seeing, it won’t matter. I was the last one to hit the barricade, sliding into it.

Galen: All right, everyone good?

We nodded.

Galen: Now, Jervis, scout the area with your Mantis.

Jervis: With pleasure.

Jervis got onto one knee and leaned his sniper onto the top of the barricade, looking through the scope and down the barrel at the surrounding area.

Jervis: Hrm…

“What?”

Jervis: Nothing here.

Galen: All right then. Head to the entrance on my mark.

Galen made a hand gesture and we all went, lining up on the wall next to the entrance, Galen heading it. Galen looked back at me and nodded at Jervis.

I thought about this for a moment, and then tapped Jervis on the shoulder. I made a gesture for looking through a sniper at the now broken door. He seemed to get the picture, as he moved forward and began to take a look.

Jervis: Nothing…

Galen: Are you absolutely sure?

Jervis: Completely.

Vahan: Let’s head inside then.

The four of us ready our weapons and head inside, spreading out to cover all our ground. There was a silence between us, so I decided to fill it with something that I thought appropriate. I thought of the movie Alien and all the terms used in that movie.

“Check those corners, men.”

Jervis cracked off a small chuckle. Well, he knew I was referencing Aliens at least. I think. I hope. Is that movie still around?

Galen then made a hand gesture at us to wait.

“What’s-“

Vahan: Shh!

I shut my mouth and noticed Vahan analyzing me for a moment. I wonder if he knew I wasn’t… highly trained.

Galen hid behind a wall and we all took cover on either side of an open space to the next room. He peaked his head over to see a Batarian sleeping on a chair on the other side of the wall.

Then, faster than I’ve ever seen someone move before, he got his omniblade out, turned to the other side of the room and slashed the man’s throat. The Batarian’s eyes popped open, but Galen had already covered his mouth. He stabbed him, digging his blade farther into him.

Galen: Ngh…

The Batarian clawed at Galen, but then fell limp.

????: The hell-Chartin!

My eyes darted from Galen to another Batarian who had entered the room. It seemed the world froze.

Batarian: You motherfucking birdbrained bastard, I’ll-

Then suddenly, a blue light came from beside me. I barely had time to turn up before I felt force next to me being shot off into the Batarian, who was knocked into the wall.

“Huh?”

I turned up to see Vahan’s body stop glowing blue.

Biotics. I’m next to a Turian Biotic. Wow.

Vahan: Hrm. Galen, take a look through the rest of the building. I feel like those were it for resistance here.

Galen: Roger.

Galen turned from the corpse, walking partway through the room until he disappeared.

“Wh-oh. Right.”

Cloaking. Gonna have to get used to stuff like this, I guess.

I turned to Vahan who was checking his armor.

“You’re a biotic?”

He nodded.

Vahan: I was part of a cabal. Everyone’s dead now.

“Oh. What uh… class are you?”

Vahan: Huh?

“Uh… like… soldier class?”

Vahan: Ah. Vanguard.

“Oh. Cool.”

Vahan: Yeah, uh, sure.

Jervis took my conversation as a joke and chuckled again. Maybe out of nervousness.

We waited for a couple of minutes before Galen returned.

Galen: The building is clear. We need to move. Come on, I know the way.

We followed him to a storage room and you could see that he had moved several things out of the way to reveal a hatch.

Galen: All right, everyone ready?

Everyone grunted or nodded in response. Jervis walked forward and helped open the hatch, allowing all of us to climb down a ladder to get to a large tunnel.

Jervis was the last to get down and he looked at me and then everything else.

Jervis: Jesus. They haven’t cleaned this shit in years.

Vahan: Keep moving.

The four of us moved quickly down the tunnel and my thoughts were only on the hatch. We did close the door behind us, but there was no way to hide it. If they come around and look, they’ll find the hatch; they’ll see that it leads to the docking port. We might even have less time than we thought.

Galen: Here.

We stopped at a turn in the tunnel where it led straight to a large steel door. Galen got to work on opening it.

Jervis: Shep and I’ll do the talking, all right? They’ll be on edge; it’ll be good for them to see some Systems Alliance guys in here.

Vahan: No argument from me. Just don’t fuck up.

Jervis: Aren’t you sweet? Shep, remember how to talk down a situation?

I lived in a… well, not modern, but it was modern for me up until a day ago, household with my parents, who were both incredibly opinionated and old-fashioned people where I argued and heard arguing every day, playfully or otherwise. If there was one thing that I was trained for at all, it was defusing people getting angry at me or others. So…

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

Jervis: Good.

Galen: Door’s opening… about… now.

Suddenly, the door shot open and we moved quickly inside, shutting it, locking it, and then with a few shots of Vahan’s gun, sealed it.

????: The hell is going…? Holy shit. Intruders! Hey! They’re here! Holy fuck, they’re here!

Suddenly, as we finished walking up a ramp, we were met with about ten different people with assault rifles pointed straight at us.

Civilian: Stay right fucking there!

Jervis: Stand down, we’re Alliance!

Civilian: Bullshit! Fir-

Then a man’s voice from the back of the line of civilians came through the panic.

????: Stand down!

Civilian: What?

????: Did you hear me…?

The man stepped forward through the crowd, putting his hands out. He was an African American man with a shaved head, clean-shaven, and was wearing Systems Alliance blues with a cap. He was limping slightly with a bandage on his arm and side.

????: Stand your asses down!

“Holy shit…”

Jervis: You know him? I don’t recognize him, but that’s Alliance clothing.

I stepped forward gingerly, almost not believing my eyes.

“Yeah. Yeah I know him…”

The man looked at me, confused.

“David Anderson...”

David Anderson of the Systems Alliance stood before us… oh my god.

To Be Continued…