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[mothbanquet]

Hi all,

Just thought I'd do another, more specialised announcement in addition to the update on my usual fanfiction thread.

Mass Effect: Dark Saga is the spiritual sequel to my first fic, the popular Mass Effect 2: Dark Rendition. Dealing with mature themes, exploring companion and side character dynamics like never before and providing a gritty, flawed - and most importantly, human - Commander Shepard, Dark Rendition has recieved over 200 reviews and almost 101,000 views since its February 2010 release.

Due to popular demand, as well as to provide a fun side-project while I work on my upcoming original novel, I have started on a story detailing my Shepard's entire Mass effect journey, from the trauma of Mindoir to the fires of Torfan, from the desperate hunt for Saren to the final battle against the Reapers on Earth itself.

No detail will be spared, no side-mission or DLC overlooked - this will be the most complete Mass Effect story in existence. I am a massive Tali and Garrus lover, and so the story will fill in all the blanks the games left, including the former's quiet infatuation with Shepard in ME1 to their heart-wrenching separation before the events of ME3.

That's a long way off, however, so I will leave you with a sneak peek of Dark Saga's first chapter, which is available in Fanfiction.net and DeviantART flavours:


Breathing heavily, Shepard closed down the connection. He stared at Mason, his thoughts moving too quickly for him to grasp. 'They're holding civilians in their transports,' he said quietly. 'Families.'

'We should've seen it coming,' Mason replied. He scratched his head. 'We should get the word out fast, warn the fleet.'

Shepard did not need to be told. He immediately raised Kyle on his radio. 'Major, it's Shepard. We have a situation.'

'Shepard, we need to maintain radio silence. This had better be important.'

'It's important, Sir,' Shepard responded, eyeing Mason for a moment before continuing. 'We've just intercepted a transmission from what we believe is the slaver command team. They spoke of hostages, slaves numbering over a hundred in total, men, women and children. Sir, the slavers are planning to fly them out in heavy transports, using them as human shields.'

The line fell silent for a moment as Kyle digested the news. 'I see. That makes things difficult.'

'What you you mean, Sir?'

'Shepard, I've just received a priority message from General Fairburn, head of ground forces in the area. He wants these gun batteries disposed of before they inflict any more casualties on his men.'

Shepard let out an impatient breath through his nose. 'Sir, my team can infiltrate the main complex. We know the hostages are being held in the main hangars, in the cargo transports. If we-'

'Shepard, this isn't up for discussion,' Kyle interrupted. 'I don't like it any more than you do but we have our orders. Right now we need to make a hole in the slavers' defences big enough for Fairburn to move his troops through. When those guns are down, then we can think about rescuing those people.'

The words sat like bitter acid in Shepard's stomach. He stared blankly at the ground and it took a prompt from Kyle to bring him to his senses.

'Lieutenant, is that clear?'

Swallowing, Shepard finally replied. 'Yes, Sir. Send the co-ordinates of our target and we'll move right away.'

As the line disconnected, Mason looked at Shepard warily. 'You okay, Shep? Earlier you were all about putting the mission first but when the major mentioned leaving those people behind, you had the funniest look on your face. Something wrong?'

Shepard sniffed loudly, dropping a veil over his emotions as he had been taught to do many years ago. It was a skill that any Infiltrator agent had to learn and to Shepard, it came easier than most.

'It's nothing. Come on, we have to get going.'

Shrugging, Mason lifted his rifle and followed his team leader out into the darkness. Around them, the night rattled with the sounds of war and beneath the great red planet in the sky, the line of mountains in the distance shimmered with explosions.

The battle for Torfan had truly begun in earnest, though as he strode on, Shepard's only thoughts were of tear-stained cheeks and panic-stricken eyes.

Modifié par mothbanquet, 10 août 2013 - 11:20 .

[ClydeInTheShell]

Took the time to read Dark Rendition. I say you did an awesome job, I love the fact that you made certain choices, like destroying the grey box and killing Samara. Really well done.

[mothbanquet]

Thank you, and I'm glad you enjoyed the story. Dark Saga will takes that intensity and multiply it by about a factor of fifty, so be sure not to miss out!

[mothbanquet]

It's taken an unusually long time but chapter two of Dark Saga is now up on Fanfiction.net and DeviantArt!

With the discovery of the Batarian Hegemony's intervention on Torfan, the situation grows worse as powerful personalities clash in the heat of battle. Here's a preview:


Shepard’s suit radio clicked and he snapped into awareness, shaking his head roughly as he thumbed the receiver. ‘Yes, Sir?’

He frowned as Kyle’s voice came to him in panting bursts, haggard and stressed. ‘Shepard, change of plans. General Fairburn wants us to push further south and attack one of the main defence bunkers in his line of advance.’

Shepard blinked, incredulous. ‘Say again, Sir?’

‘It’s as it sounds. Fairburn wants us to move on and soften the enemy positions in his path.’

Moistening his lips, Shepard frowned and raised a hand in disbelief. ‘Sir, excuse me but what the hell? He has an entire company of marines at his disposal, along with armour support! How can he justify sending in two teams who’ve drawn more than enough attention to themselves already?’

‘He’s being cautious. He doesn’t want to risk the Makos when there could be more surprises like those turrets waiting around the next corner.’

‘So we have to fight his battles for him while-’

‘Save it, soldier!’ Kyle interrupted. ‘I’ve got a wounded man here as it is, so believe me when I say that this isn’t my choice. I don’t like it any more than you do but I’m not about to disobey a direct order from the second-in-command of this battle group.’

Seething, Shepard pursed his lips and rose to his feet. He paced back and forth, his boots sending waves of dust over the grey rock while his breathing grew heavy with fury.

‘Let me talk to him.’

Kyle paused, disbelief holding back his reply. ‘What? Are you crazy, Shepard? I’m not letting you by-pass the chain of command, just to-’

Shepard didn’t give him a choice. Opening his omni-tool, he tapped in several commands and the device chimed its assent. He did not hear Mason approach, his brow furrowed.

‘What’s going on, Shep?’ he asked. His lips parted slightly as Shepard waved him off, turning his back as a new connection was established.

‘General Fairburn?’

The voice that greeted him was as harsh and jagged as Torfan itself, and had to yell out above the din of shouts and gunfire. ‘Who the hell is this? How did you get access to this frequency?’

‘Sir, this is Lieutenant Shepard, leader of Major Kyle’s second squad. Sir, the major has just relayed your orders.’

‘What of it, Lieutenant? In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re engaged in a major fire fight at the moment and I need to focus on getting my men into position, not waste time with a soldier who should be confirming this with his immediate superior, not the commanding officer of the God-damned task force!’

‘I’m not confirming anything, Sir,’ Shepard replied. His eyes flickered to the rear, fully aware of Mason’s gaze on his back. ‘I’m asking why the hell you’re ordering us to move on that bunker when we have over a hundred civilians waiting to be secured in the main facility?’

The line quietened for a moment and Mason’s jaw fell open in disbelief. He reached for Shepard’s arm but it was snatched away and the lieutenant’s face was unflinching as Fairburn responded, his tone thick with indignation.

‘And why in God’s name should I justify my orders to you?’

‘Because the lives of my team are at stake if you’re wrong. Right now the slavers are without comms, their supply lines have been cut and their turrets have been destroyed. If they didn’t know our teams are here before, they sure as hell do now.’

He pressed his lips together as he considered his next words. He had to make the general see the folly in his thinking. ‘Right now the only way they can strengthen their positions is with more men. More than Major Kyle’s team and mine can handle. Sir, this is the time for us to move behind the slavers’ lines while they’re scrambling to close the gap, not engage the enemy overtly. It’s suicide!’

‘I’m going to make this very clear, Lieutenant,’ Fairburn said slowly. ‘If you don’t get off this radio and start moving towards your objective, I will have you arrested for insubordination as soon as all this is over. Are we clear?’

Modifié par mothbanquet, 15 mars 2013 - 08:56 .

[mothbanquet]

Happy Saturday, all.

As I've been beavering away with my upcoming book, the updates for Dark Saga have been coming slowly but consistently nonetheless. I mean come on, when have I left something half-finished?

So yes, chapter 3 is out on fanfiction.net and DeviantArt. Enjoy a quick taste of the unfolding drama on Torfan below...


The interior of the bunker was cramped and cool, the narrow passageways constructed from bare, rough stone. Shepard stalked ahead, his weapon in front of his eyes as he strained all of his senses. His heartbeat was little more than a dull thumping in his chest as it matched the salvos of the anti-ship cannon, now growing fiercer with each step.Shepard's teeth flashed as he drew a difficult breath. His body was struggling against stress and fatigue but he fought against the weakness, knowing it would kill him if he let it.

Nearing an open doorway, he sank into the shadows of the wall. The stench of heated element zero was strong and with infinite care he nudged his head around the corner.The cannon was seated in a circular, open-roofed chamber that looked as if it had been carved from the bunker, not built within it. Five men stood inside, each preoccupied with either the enormous gun or its accompanying instrumentation. Shepard narrowed his eyes in dislike at a pair of helmetless batarians standing at the base of the cannon.

Lifting his hand, he checked one of his grenades, turning the silvery disc over with his fingers to ensure it had not been damaged. It took only a few seconds before he nodded to himself, satisfied.Flicking his wrist, Shepard tossed the grenade and it slid across the ground, settling between the batarians. Though the gun's barrage hid the sound, the slavers caught the movement at the corner of their vision and opened their mouths in panic. It was too late for them to react.

The grenade blew with a sharp bang, sending a cloud of dust out of the doorway. Shepard turned away from it for only a second before slipping into the room, raising his pistol as he moved. The haze of dust and fumes was thick but Shepard's senses were well-trained.

A slaver staggered forward to his left and Shepard responded instantly, sending a pair of rounds cracking into his armour. The slaver hit the ground hard, crumpling into a ball. Shepard breathed in sharply as he stepped over the body and felt fingers crunch under his boot.

He spotted the last man struggling to haul himself across the ground to where his rifle lay. There was no hesitation. He stepped lightly over to the crawling slaver and fired twice, shattering his head into bloody fragments.

The acrid smell of battle swam through Shepard as he raised his eyes back to the door, straining to hear if he had been discovered. He heard a commotion, but it was far away and unfocused. He still had time. Fingering his last demolition charge, he quickly slapped the explosive to the slaver cannon and ran, the short timer giving him speed beyond his own strength.

Modifié par mothbanquet, 10 août 2013 - 11:29 .

[mothbanquet]

Due to a severe lack of writing tools (let this be a lesson to all those who enjoy placing their apple juice near their laptops), this story has languished a bit but it's my pleasure to announce Dark Saga is back in production!

Chapter 4 is now up on DeviantArt and FF.net, and as usual, please enjoy the preview below. As you can see, Torfan is starting to bring out the worst in everyone...


Shepard bared his teeth in rage. The batarian had been stunned by the impact and Shepard kept up the momentum, hammering blow after blow into exposed brown flesh wherever he saw it. It was not long before his punches broke the skin, sending blood across the floor in loose sprays. 

Ranu tried to fight back but his strength had fled him. He swiped the air feebly and Shepard allowed the strike to flow past him before grasping the arm and twisting it painfully. The armour suits did not allow for much internal movement and Shepard used the extra leverage to wrench Ranu's elbow in its socket, making him cry out in pain.

'The hostages!' Shepard snarled. He turned on the spot, dragging Ranu around in a wide circle, bringing him head-first into a bank of servers. The electronics hissed and spat, and the air immediately filled with the sweet stench of burnt flesh. 'The hostages,' he repeated, 'where are they?'

Ranu coughed and grimaced at the taste of metal on his tongue. A large part of his face had grown numb and stretched. He could not even open his eyes to see his attacker. 'Who are you?' he managed to ask, but it was not what Shepard wanted to hear.

He gripped Ranu's head with his other hand, digging his fingers into the rigid folds of his skull.Ranu groaned as he was thrown into the fizzing, wrecked computers once more. Blue sparks filled the air, crackled across his skin, charring the flesh and sending waves of agony through his body. 'No!' he yelled out. 'No more, please!'

Shepard leaned closed, lowering his voice into a menacing snarl. 'I'll do this all night if I have to. I've come for those slaves, now tell me where you're keeping them!'

'You're after the slaves?' Ranu hissed disbelievingly. 'But...but they're just animals! Why would you care about-'

'Not what I asked for,' Shepard said. His expression was merciless as he clutched a severed cable from the ruined mess of the server bank. The end was bare, coppery metal and a thin wisp of white smoke curled up from between the frayed strands.He did not give the batarian a chance to object. He stabbed the cable into Ranu's fleshy neck and he bucked in Shepard's grip, screaming in agony. The smell of burning flesh became unbearable but Shepard endured it without expression. It was a smell he remembered all too clearly.

When the wire was removed, Ranu sank to his knees. A welt of twisted, blackened flesh covered his neck and he whimpered quietly, begging in words Shepard did not understand.'The hostages,' he said again, readying the cable. 'Now.'

Modifié par mothbanquet, 10 août 2013 - 11:31 .

[mothbanquet]

Chapter 5 of Dark Saga is now up on Fanfiction.net and Deviantart. The Battle of Torfan reaches its bloody climax, changing all of its participants forever...


It was Major Kyle, of that he had no doubt. The man was covered in brown and red gore, his face slick and scalp mottled with it. His armour was cracked and scarred and two holes had been punched through the plating on his left arm.

'I failed to protect them.'

Fairburn was silent. He glanced at the marines but they did not know what to say. The only sound came from Kyle, a constant murmuring that sounded almost like chanting.

'They were my children but I failed...to protect them.'

It was then Fairburn noticed something in Kyle's lap. Through the smoke and darkness that smothered them all, he could make out the vague shape of a body draped over the major like a rag doll. It wore the onyx armour of an Alliance Marine. He recognised Lieutenant Mason, though the face barely resembled that of a human.

'I failed, I failed, I failed...they were mine. My children,' Kyle mouthed softly, over and over.

The sergeant beside Fairburn spoke loudly to cover Kyle's voice. 'We found him like this. Our guess is the slavers cut and run at the last moment, leaving him alone. He's lucky to be alive.'

Somehow, Fairburn could not bring himself to agree. His lips parted silently as Major Kyle looked up at him, his eyes two wide circles of white beneath the bloody filth.

He spoke to the general, and yet somehow beyond him, 'I failed to protect...my children!'

His final word dissolved into a fit of sobs that echoed emptily against the bunker walls. It was only a single, gasping moment, and Kyle let it go on until his breath was spent.

Modifié par mothbanquet, 10 août 2013 - 11:46 .

[mothbanquet]

The taste of earth was still strong on Shepard's tongue and it mingled with the bitter blood that stained his teeth. What little of the dusty scarlet light that managed to reach him through the small window painted his armour with a ghostly sheen, leaving him looking as dead as he felt.

He lay in a tiny cell within Kashek's stronghold, appropriated and used in the most ironic way possible; to hold the captive pirates. Shepard could not appreciate the humour in it. The cell reeked of decay, and despair had been written into the very walls by generation after generation of slaves.

As he lay on the single narrow bed, his mind wandered until he thought he could see huddled figures packed into the room, some weeping, some silent, some simply breathing, broken and resigned. Perhaps it was the sight of Jane among them but Shepard was oddly unafraid of what would come next. He had found her at last and brought her vengeance, if not freedom.

He snorted. Or maybe it was that he was just a tired, battered shell of a man in stinking armour, one who had long given up hope of the vaguest chance of mercy. The consequences of his actions had been spelled out by so many in the past few hours that the words had become meaningless. In the end, his future had disappeared the moment he'd left Major Kyle in that bunker.

He scratched his chin. Even through the thick gauntlets, he could tell what a mess he looked by the way they scraped against his skin. His hair was dark and sodden with blood and sweat, and the whiskers on his jaw rasped against his armoured fingers. The thought made him want to laugh, despite it all.

Something clanged behind him. It was the heavy sound of a door lock and in spite of his apathy, the long-instilled core of Shepard's discipline reacted. He levered himself upright, hissing as a forgotten pain in his ribs made itself known.

The cell door opened and through it strode an Alliance officer. The gold banding on each cuff of his dark blue uniform denoted the rank of captain and Shepard slipped off the bed to salute, unable to contain it.

It was not the crispest of motions but the captain seemed surprised to see it. He was a man of elder years, with leathery, mahogany-hued skin and thinning hair. His body was still strong despite his age and his eyes locked on Shepard's keenly.

Rather than returning the salute, he spoke, deep and clear, 'Lieutenant Shepard, I assume. Take a seat. You don't look too good.'

The voice was relaxed and Shepard frowned slightly, unsure of how to take it. Still, he obeyed and perched on the edge of the bed, resting his elbows on his thighs. 'I've been better. The slave cot sure isn't doing my back any good.'

'You're lucky to be alive at all, after what you went through. I'd say a night in this place would be paradise by comparison, even under the circumstances.'

At that, Shepard could not help but grunt in amusement. He couldn't laugh, but a weary smile traced his lips. It quickly vanished and he looked into the captain's brown eyes. 'And here I was thinking you'd be just another superior come by to tell me how much trouble I'm in.'

'You're assuming I'm familiar with what's going on here at all. What makes you think I know anything in the first place?'

'Well,' Shepard said, fighting a groan as he stretched his arms, 'the look in your eyes, for a start. I've had a lot of officers come by today telling me I'm going to prison, that I'm being court-martialled, even that they could push for the death penalty.' He smiled again, briefly and humorlessly. 'But something tells me you're not just here to tell me what I already know.'

The captain offered his own small grin in response; a thin tilt of his lips, barely visible. He paced the cell and his polished shoes clicked on the stone floor. 'I'll cut to the chase, Lieutenant. My name is Captain David Anderson. I'm here to discuss your mission today.'


That was a little preview of Chapter Six of Dark Saga! This week, Shepard is met by an unexpected visitor after the Torfan debacle and is made an offer he can't refuse...

As always, comes in FFN and DA flavours!

[mothbanquet]

And so it begins! Mass Effect kicks off on DA and FFN. Much of the early dialogue is cribbed from the game's script to give readers a nice dose of nostalgia. Of course, it's not long before I have my way with that dialogue....

Enjoy the opening scene and the start of the Mass Effect journey!



Another gasping breath exploded from her throat. She looked about, her senses aflame with adrenaline as she surveyed the scene with wide, brown eyes. They swivelled beneath the half-lowered visor of her helmet, a white dome patched with pink. The coloured panels matched the sky now; it had been a deep blue only minutes before - when had it turned into an image of Hell?

'Come on!' someone yelled out hoarsely, 'Push them back! We have to retake the dig site!'

Another voice spoke, cutting through the fuggy haze of battle. It was Nirali, the servicewoman whom she had befriended on joining the battalion. Nirali was dark-skinned and beautiful, and always looked younger than she really was. Now though, the soldier's voice seemed much older as she cried in terror.

'Don't be stupid, the dig site's been overrun! We have to fall back to the spaceport.'
The man who had spoken before did so again; their squad leader Lieutenant Perez, an inexperienced man who gave rushed, conflicting orders. 'You're under my command, Bhatia! That means you do whatever the hell I tell you!'

Weapons fire thudded around them, though it was nothing like what Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams had experienced before. She'd spent a long time on the ranges, had fired rifles of almost every kind in the Alliance arsenal but this was something else. The humming, pulsing beat of the enemy guns was almost hypnotic. It was like the music of the clubs in the main settlement, and with every sound came a burst of plasma, searing a blue trail through the air.

'Williams, wake the hell up!' her lieutenant shouted. 'I said cease fire!'

Williams blinked. She eased her finger slowly from the trigger and her Lancer rifle ceased its rumble. The tree line on the hill above them was nothing more than a silent row of tattered stumps and shredded trunks but there was no sign of enemy dead. How? How can a whole squad unload everything they had and yet hit nothing?

She spotted a light among the trees. It was as bright as a lamp; a piercing circle of icy blue. Below, a body moved lithely and silently, and with it rose the shape of a strange, bulbous rifle.

'Get down!' Williams cried. She used her free hand to shove the bewildered Perez to the ground and returned fire, the squad following her in ripping a new line through the battered foliage.

The lieutenant gathered himself and keyed his omni-tool. 'This is Lieutenant Riley Perez of the Two-Twelve,' he said breathlessly. 'This is a priority distress call. We are under attack, enemy unknown. Taking heavy casualties, repeat, heavy casualties! Requesting evac.' He glanced up at the tree line and his voice filled with panic. 'Repeat, we need evac! They came out of nowhere. We have to-'

He shuddered, then fell as a plasma round tore into his chest. There was no blood. The projectile fused his flesh on contact, melding skin with armour.

Williams saw him go down and called out, 'Lieutenant Perez is down! Squad, fall back! Fall back!'

Modifié par mothbanquet, 25 août 2013 - 08:18 .

[mothbanquet]

 Today we're serving Dark Saga, Chapter 8 in the usual flavours of DeviantArt and Fanfiction.net. For a quick taste, take a look below!

Sorry for the food metaphors, my brain is on the wrong side of coherent.


Shepard froze. He was aware that Nihlus was observing him carefully but at that moment, he did not care. His only thoughts were on the ancient alien empire that had preceded them all, and had paved the way for humanity's expansion beyond their solar borders.

'The protheans vanished fifty thousand years ago,' he said, pulling from his memory everything he had learned about them throughout his life. 'You're saying this is a working beacon? A functional piece of prothean technology?'

Anderson nodded. 'Now you see how serious this is. Humanity discovered a small data cache on Mars and not long after, we uncovered the Charon relay.'

Literally, Shepard thought to himself. The relay had been previously encased in ice and mistaken for Pluto's moon until data from the Mars site led them to discover its true nature.

Nihlus took a pace forward. 'Humans weren't the only ones. The technology left by the protheans laid the groundwork for every drive core ever developed by a sentient species. Their mass relays allowed us to travel the galaxy while their Citadel is home to the leaders of our civilisations. Without the protheans, galactic society would not exist as it does today.'

'It's not just the possibility of groundbreaking technological advances we're excited about,' Anderson added. 'A beacon like this could have been used in a communication network that spanned the galaxy. There could be records within, archives, something that may give us a clue as to why the protheans disappeared.'

The news was overwhelming and Shepard lean over to clasp the railing that surrounded the area, steadying himself. No wonder they had kept the truth so close to their chests. If word of the beacon were leaked then Eden Prime could become a battleground, both overt and covert, for any number of parties intent on claiming the greatest discovery of the century.

He straightened and gestured towards Nihlus, 'Is that why you were added to the crew roster?'

'No,' the turian replied seriously. 'I was assigned months ago, right from the very beginning.'

He let Anderson explain. 'The decision to bring Nihlus on board came at the same time as the selection of our XO.'

Frowning, Shepard remembered his meeting with Anderson on Earth, only a couple of days before coming to Arcturus. 'I don't understand, Sir. I only transferred to the Normandy this week.'

'That's true, but the choice was made a long time ago. I knew there was no one else I wanted in this job, but your role here was also a cover. Shepard, Nihlus is here to evaluate you for Spectre membership.'

The revelation made Shepard feel light-headed. He opened his mouth to ask something but too many questions came at once.

Nihlus anticipated them and answered. 'We need people like you, Shepard. During your years of service in the Alliance, you've done more than any one man to preserve the peace and safety of the galaxy's citizens. Your actions on Torfan, the Theshaca Raids, they all brought about an end to the piracy and slavery ring that had plagued the Skyllian Verge for generations.'

The mention of Torfan brought a grave shadow over Shepard's eyes.

Again, Nihlus sensed his thoughts. 'I studied the report on Torfan extensively before I came aboard. A grim business. Many men would have succumbed to weakness; leaving your team, giving the execution order on the batarian ships, but you took the chances you were given and stopped the slavers from regrouping. The monitoring devices you planted during the Theshaca Raids enabled the Alliance to drive away the slaver fleets. You've already done far more than can be expected of any one man. I believe you're capable of more.'

It was not reassurance the Spectre gave but admiration. Some would have thought it odd to hear a turian praising a human but Shepard had not seen the First Contact War. He cared nothing for the bitterness that many of his people had towards Nihlus and his people. Then again, he could not say the same of the turians themselves, or if Nihlus was truly being sincere. All he could do was dip his head in acceptance.

He turned to Anderson. 'This is a little overwhelming, Sir. There've got to be at least half a dozen N7's with better service records. Why me?'

'Because the Council doesn't want flawless moral characters. They want sound judgement, the ability to make decisions without supervision and more than anything, the will to see the mission complete no matter what it takes.'

Nihlus bobbed his head. 'Many times the galaxy has stood on the brink of war, saved only by a costly yet necessary sacrifice. Sometimes blood has to be spilled to prevent greater conflicts - that's a truth you humans have known for thousands of years. You, Commander, are proof that humanity is already equipped to do a Spectre's job. All you need is a chance to show what you can do.'

Shepard flashed him a cautious glance, 'Not that I'm ungrateful but that's a strange view for a turian.'

Nihlus grunted, offering a thin smile. 'I consider myself a Spectre first and a turian second. Any resentment my people harbour towards yours is no business of mine. The same thing would be asked of you. Should you accept, that is.'

A Spectre. To Shepard, the idea was both tempting and unsettling.

Anderson stood beside him and murmured quietly. 'You said things were quiet. Well, now you'll never have to worry about a lack of work. Politics aside, I think you need this, Shepard. Earth needs this. We both know you joined the Alliance for a reason. Now you have the chance to make a real difference for everyone in the galaxy.'

It was something Shepard had often thought about. The truth was the slavers of the Skyllian Verge had never been a solely human problem. Innocents of every civilised species had fallen victim to them and Shepard had never lessened their suffering next to his own. Now that he thought about it, he could not remember ever making the separation between Alliance civilians and those of the asari or salarians to begin with. Perhaps Anderson was right.

'Making a real difference?' he said, mulling the idea over. 'You sound like an old recruitment poster.'

A rare note of warmth entered Anderson's voice. 'And you know you won't get a better offer than this. You're not the upper echelon type, Shepard and you know it. Frankly, it's been painful watching you try to play the part of an officer the past few days. You're a field agent and the Spectres are the ultimate test of those skills. You've spent a long time maintaining peace and stability in Alliance space. Now it's time to take it to the galactic level.'

[mothbanquet]

 We're on to Eden Prime now and I've remained true to form, offering a slightly different sequel of events in order to maximise drama.  Check it out on DeviantArt and FanFiction.net!


Another look at the bodies of the slaughtered colonists made Shepard shake his head. His voice was hard when he spoke to Cole again, his eyes fierce.

'I'm not buying it. These people weren't running for their lives when the firing started. Some of those scientists were shot while up close, facing their killers. The first moments of the attack were sudden and unexpected, coming from people they trusted.' He gestured back at the lifeless bodies. 'Then the invaders came, breaking up whatever was going on here.'

It was then Shepard noticed Cole was still clutching his own arm. 'Remove your hand,' Shepard ordered. 'Move it, now.'

Cole scowled. 'What? No! You can't just order me around like-'

His voice pitched and then broke into a pained cry as Shepard gripped his shirt and forced him back roughly against the doorway. His pistol neared Cole's chin and the farmer eyed it in terror.

Both Alenko and Jenkins started forward hesitantly but they did not protest. Jenkins in particular seemed shocked at what he was seeing but Kaidan's eyes were steady, showing a complete lack of surprise.

'I'm not negotiating, Cole,' Shepard growled, slamming him back against the frame. 'I want to know what really happened here and you can start by removing your hand!'

Even with the Kessler mere inches from his face, it took Cole several seconds to comply. His colleagues said nothing to help as his hand fell away, the palm stained dark red. A hole had been rent in his left arm, shredding the bicep. Sloppily-applied medigel glistened in the wound and his breath hissed from his nostrils as he looked at Shepard once again.

'Happy now?'

It took only a brief glance for Shepard to see the wound was similar to the colonists in the clearing. He twisted his grip on Cole's shirt, moving his armoured forearm up to press against the man's throat. 'Let's try this this again. Tell me what happened!'

Spit and dirt speckled Shepard's armour as Cole spluttered against the pressure on his neck. 'It was the scientist, the twitchy one the scientists brought down from the dig site. One minute we were haggling over prices with them, the next this guy started shouting and screaming, grabbing his head and pulling his hair out. The others came out of their cabins to see what was going on. He was screaming, saying "they're coming" over and over.'

Cole smiled bitterly. 'It was like he knew. Next thing we know, that awful noise started and the guy went berserk. Took a gun from one of our guys and started firing into the crowd, killing everyone he could. A few of us tried to restrain him, but then more gunfire started pouring in from off to the east. I just ran.' His free hand lifted towards Jennifer and Blake. 'We all did. We were just..scared. We ran inside here and locked the door.'

'Leaving everyone else trapped outside,' Shepard spat. He pushed on Cole's neck harder, bringing out a squawk of pain. 'Leaving no witnesses and you free to tell any story you like.'

Cole's eyes were closed and he choked, his arms flailing in panic. 'Come on, it's the truth! Please, you have to believe me!'

Unable to contain himself, Kaidan stepped closer. 'Commander, this isn't necessary!'

Shepard paid no attention to him. His lips were close to Cole's ear, making his voice a menacing snarl. 'I don't have time for your games, Cole. This planet is under attack and for all I know, you have something to do with it. I grew up in the colonies. I know farmers don't carry military-grade shotguns with shredder rounds pre-loaded in the chamber. Now you're going to tell me how you got them.'

Modifié par mothbanquet, 28 septembre 2013 - 11:20 .