Throught I'd post another excerpt from my fan-fic. It concerns a HALO jump Ashley takes during her service with the Shocktroopers (S-designation), with a ME twist (jetpacks!). Please rate, review and comment. Having some trouble with the dialogue.
She thought her experiences with Commander Shepard would have covered everything possible in the galaxy. Dropping out of the Normandy in a Mako, fighting Asari Commandoes in the depths of a glacier, going head-to-head toe-to-toe with enraged Krogan and engaging in zero-g combat with Geth troopers on the Citadel were just a few of the bizarre and deadly situations Commander Shepard often dragged her into.
Don’t lie to yourself. A dark corner of her mind whispered to her. You loved every minute of it. It was true, Ashley loved every damn minute of it. Hell, after the destruction of the Normandy she almost went insane from the sheer boredom.
Yes the boredom. The cynical part of her soul sarcastically deadpanned. Not the fact that he ended up being spaced in front of your eyes. She closed her eyes as she fought to keep that memory back. Watching the Normandy burn, with Shepard onboard, had been one of the more traumatic memories.
But ain’t that story of your life? People around you burn and die. The 212, Kaidan Alenko, Pressley, the Normandy and even Shepard. She mentally shoved that line of thinking aside as she checked her weapons one more time. Thankfully the dropship pilot opened the hatch and Ashley was dragged back to the present.
The wind howled though the cabin beat against Gunnery Chief Ashley William’s helmet and swirled around her feet. She grimaced, as she tried to concentrate against the turbulence.
“Drones picked up a mass movement of hostiles, around the colony’s gatehouse.” The dropship pilot reported over her suit’s communication network. “The local militia are dug in hard…but they’re getting overwhelmed”
“Copy that, pilot.” She checked her Omni-tool. They had received the distress signal about thirty minutes ago. The SSV Shanghai had diverted to this tiny, insignificant, farming colony, located near the edges of the Terminus Systems.
Information from the local militia’s drones indicated that the hostiles packed portable anti air missiles. Any attempt at landing near the colony would be a massacre; landing further would take too long. This is what the Shocktroopers trained for, situations which required the delicate touch of precise, deadly fire.
The red strobe changed to green and it was time.
“Time to dance people!” She hollered “Out the door! Go!”
With practised ease her two comrades leapt out of the shuttle and into the void. Taking a deep breath, to calm the nausea that slithered in her belly, Ashley stepped out into empty, dusk air.
Falling from over 15,000 feet, Ashley should have been terrified. Instead she felt an almost serene calm, descend over her. The air howled as she dropped through the air, reaching terminal velocity in a matter of minutes. The altimeter in her Heads-Up-Display whirred as she dropped through the cold, dusk air. Finally reaching 7,000 feet, she activated her Jumpack.
An electrical charge arced through the pack’s miniature element zero core and she felt a mild vibration run through her straps. With a whirr, the pack’s four thruster-vanes spread out and angled themselves in a “mantis” formation. Grasping the suspended controls, she counted down and flicked the switch.
Within a millisecond dark energy was subtly manipulated and a mass field formed quickly. Soon she weighed no more than a pebble and at 1,000 feet the pack’s tiny thrusters activated. Gliding in silently, like a silent bird of prey, she glided in silently and landed gently on top of the colony’s grain silo.
“Oof!” Her spotter landed with the grace of an elephant and her rearguard followed soon after. She raised an eyebrow at his less than stellar landing, only to realize that her expression was hidden by her helmet. She settled for a simple shake of her head.
Quickly the team prepped themselves a firing positions and a quick exit. Ashley keyed her comm. unit and opened a line to the local militia unit.
“Militia, this is Shadow Team of the SSV Shanghai, what is your position?”
“We’re ****ed up that’s what!” The panicked cry of a militia-man came over her the line and in the background she could hear heavy gunfire.
“Say again.” She calmly replied, hoping to will some focus into the panicked man “We are on site and are ready to provide support. Just tell us your position.”
For a few tense seconds she got no response. Memories of Eden Prime threatened to return.
“We’re near the gatehouse, but we’re getting hammered!” The militiaman finally responded, “They’ve got ****ing Krogan and Vorcha and we’re losing people. Where are you guys?!”
“Alright, now listen to me very carefully” She responded “Fall back to the grain-silos, we can provide fire-support.”
“Alright, we’re falling back!” the terrified milita-soldier replied “Everyone, Fall Back!”
As the militia beat a hasty retreat, she glanced at her chronometer and made a quick calculation. They had maybe three minutes before the courtyard that lay before them would be filled with the panicked militia and the hungry mass of heavily armed slaver and mercenaries.
Ehh...She mentally shrugged, Could be worse. Could be Geth