Mass Effect: The Undead Spectre [Mass Effect x Overlord]

Chapter 9: Therum

The sound of Ainz' Omni-Tool pulled him from his mental ramblings. He had been sitting at the desk inside his own quarters, reading online sources and military documents to learn more about the galaxy, but the painful cycle of pressing icons, scrolling with his finger, and reading paragraphs of text became too much for even his undead mind. Five hours into the process, Ainz had mentally lost himself in thoughts about his old world and his comrades, and what they were doing now that he was gone.

He remembered how everyone abandoned YGGDRASIL due to personal issues -married life, work issues, financial trouble- and he couldn't help but blame himself for everything he lost; there wasn't a reason to hold himself accountable, his friends had said so themselves, but Ainz had always been a people-pleaser when it involved the guild and its members. He loved seeing them happy, even if that came at the cost of his own.

Ainz reminded himself of his Omni-Tool, which continued beeping into his non-existent ears, and pressed the mute button. He still didn't know half the functions of the weird device, but he managed to use it in day-to-day life.

The Overlord stretched his bones and stood up from the chair he'd summoned with [Create Greater Item]. He was surprised to see it continued existing despite having been created hours ago, but he wasn't going to complain about permanent items. If he could use his MP to produce new magical items, there would be no issues if he ever needed to boost the battle prowess of his crew members. They weren't very strong, but their technology was excellent.

Ainz prepared to open his Omni-Tool and analyse the data he'd found, but he never got the chance to; yet another strange noise emanated from the orange device, this time it was a synchronised beeping with a lot of different tones and pitches. He understood from Anderson that this meant someone was calling him, and he immediately responded. 

The person calling him was Greg Adams. He'd come to know him as the best engineer on the Normandy, which explained his position as the Head of Engineering. The two of them met the first day Anderson had brought him aboard the vessel, and they instantly forged a respectful relationship. It wasn't friendship, but what they had was more than enough. Adams was very dedicated to his work on the Normandy, which meant he was very reliable.

"Good morning, Captain"  Adams greeted.

"Hello, Adams. Is something wrong?"  Ainz questioned the human engineer. He was curious why he'd called.

"No, Captain."  Adams replied.  "Just wanted to inform you that we're almost at planet Therum."

"I see... why didn't Joker tell me?"  Ainz questioned.

"Not sure. He was probably busy with the Normandy."  Adams responded with certainty.

Ainz nodded to himself.  "Understandable. Tell Joker I'll be ready in ten minutes, and make sure the Mako is ready for deployment as soon as possible."

"Understood, Captain."  Adams replied and ended the call. Ainz stood in front of his computer and shut it off before scratching the side of his skeletal jaw. Many people said the noise was very disturbing, comparing it to claws on a chalk board, but Ainz thought it was very calming due to the unique, rough sounds it produced.

"Right then,"  He said to himself.  "Time to get ready."

(~Timeskip - Normandy Cargo Hold~)

"Right... there"  Ainz noted as he put a metal sheet into his M9 Alliance brand Assault Rifle. He gave the latch a light smack and placed the main components back in place, protecting the inner wiring from damage. He looked up to see his new team standing beside him. He released a nervous breath, but his [Emotional Suppression] Helped him calm down and focus on the mission.