Mass Effect: Reaper Dreams

Normandy Ho!

"We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls."

Anaïs Nin

July 7th, 2187

Lt. Commander Susan Rizzi
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The Kodiak set down on the pad not far from where they stood. Susan lingered for a moment, then turned to plant one more kiss on her lover's rough lips. She nuzzled her head against his chest while he stood rigid, stoic as a statue. He wasn't going to flinch, shed a tear, or break into some sentimental speech. He wouldn't say a word, but she could feel the tightening of his muscles as a sign that he was distressed. His heart beat in irregular rhythms, his hands were clammy with sweat. He swallowed hard, as if he were trying to keep down his breakfast.

"So this is my shuttle," said Susan.

"Yea, I guess it is," said Zaeed.

"So, when I get back I'll look you up," said Susan.

Zaeed nodded. "Yea, you do that, sweetheart. I'll be around."

Two marines loaded her footlocker into the Kodiak and indicated they were ready to depart.

"Ok then," she said. "This is it."

Zaeed looked her up and down. "Try not to get goddamn killed, ok, Mouse?"

"That's the general plan," said Susan.

"Right," said Zaeed. "Listen, why don't you jump on your shuttle and get the hell out of here. I'm no fucking good when it comes to sentimentality."

Zaeed turned his back on her and headed to the taxi. Susan laughed, turned around, strode up to the shuttle, and climbed aboard. The doors banged shut and soon they were underway. Despite the dampeners, she could tell that Kodiak was accelerating under full power. She was relieved she wouldn't have to wait very long to immerse herself in the job.

Susan looked the two marines over. Neither was familiar to her and they didn't seem like the type of soldiers the Alliance would assign her. She wrote them off as transport detail. They also appeared to be under orders not to speak with her. She supposed they were in the dark as to her identity. Susan had been asked to show up for transit wearing operational blacks, unmarked. The secrecy of the mission was tantamount. She closed her eyes and waited. The minutes rolled by.

A slight shift in the dampeners meant the Kodiak had flipped over to initiate deceleration. Susan ran a calculation in her head. It was too soon for the outer planets, the fleet, or jump zero, so their destination had to be either Mars or a post in the asteroid belt. Mars was a hub of activity in recent days. It was unlikely a mission shrouded in such secrecy would launch at such a location, this left the belt.

A few minutes later the shuttle doors opened, revealing a small dock-ring station. Three shuttles were docked, aside from her own. One marine hoisted her footlocker easily in the near zero gravity environment, the other stood vigilant by the shuttle as she departed, making her way to the hub. Susan was left standing alone with her baggage as the door sealed. Minutes later, another door opened and two more marines entered, saluted and escorted her down another passage. Once she was in the shuttle, her footlocker secured, the doors closed.

They waited for several seconds for clearance to leave. Each of the four shuttles would depart at the same time just as they had probably all arrived at the same time, thus ensuring that no surveillance would be able to determine who was on what shuttle. Nor would the soldiers who transferred her know which of the three shuttles she had entered. Each Kodiak bore the same numbers, the same personnel, and the same orders. Only her shuttle would arrive at the correct destination.