Mass Effect: Galaxy at War

Chapter 2

                                                         The Terminus Alliance

I stood at the helm of the Galactic System's Alliance's newest vessel, the Liberty. The ship was designed mainly by human, quarian, turian, and geth engineers, but every species of the Alliance chipped in a bit. The ship was massive yet agile. It could house thousands of crew and was getting its first trial run under Admiral Hackett's command. And when Hackett was selecting his crew, I probably should've known he'd drag me into this. The admiral needed a special crew to man the ship for a diplomatic mission into the Terminus Systems to negotiate a treaty. In times of reconstruction where every race is left vulnerable by a crippling war (especially one with the Reapers), I knew It'd be best to come along and help anyway I could. Another reason that Hackett managed to get me onto the bridge wearing my old N7 combat armor again was that he managed to convince the Quarian Admiralty Board to send Tali'Zorah to negotiate on the quarian people's behalf. The day i don't support her is the day I'd let Conrad Verner join my team. The only thing I was worried about was the fact that the batarians were the main species we were trying to convince and they knew it and would damn right try to take advantage of it... if it weren't for the fact that their species is halfway extinct since the reapers hit their world first. But still something felt-

"Admiral, Sir! We're coming out of FTL now. We should be at the rendezvous point in 5, Sir," called out one of the crew man working the helm.

I looked across the strategic board at Hackett with a standard M-3 predator holstered at my side. Hackett understood I wanted to talk even with my helmet on, nodded and pulled me aside.

"You've got my attention Shepard, but make it quick," said Hackett with a tone of authority, but still with a friendly air to him.

"Why'd you go through the trouble of dragging me back into this Hackett. I know this is an important mission, but usually there's something going on when you pull a spectre out of retirement."

Hackett pulled me away from the field of hearing of any of the other crew ant talked quitely, " Honestly Shepard. I need men I can trust right now more than ever."

"Wadda' you mean Sir?"

"When I first got this assignment I got that feeling, that chill down my spine, that I always get when something's not right," Hackett spoke in a rather serious manner.

"Expecting trouble, Sir?"

"I'm not sure what to expect, Shepard. That's why I brought you."

"I've got that feeling too Sir."

"Well let's hope that it's just a bad set of coordinates or something. Otherwise... keep your weapon close."

I nodded and Hackett turned and walked back to his former position on the observation deck.

"Coming out of FTL in at coordinates in 10."

I stood at Hackett's side.

"9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4...3... 2..."

Maybe me and Hackett are just a little jumpy over the-

"CONTACT! CONTACT!"

The crewman's shouts and the rocking of heavy gunfire interrupted my train of thought. I looked forward to see a massive enemy flag ship with an emblem I knew all to well on the front of it.

"Cerberus!" I clenched my fist.

A massive beam weapon fired right below the deck. I lunged and tackled Hackett right as an explosion killed 3 crewman.

"Battlestations!" I heard someone shout.

he smoke from the explosion cleared as the elevator slid open and Cerberus troopers poured into the room and fires on me. Before I could react, a few rounds hit me through the chest as since I didn't have shields up, dropping me to the ground. Suddenly Hackett opened fire on the troopers with an M-3 Predator pistol killing their team. The admiral pulled me to my feet.

"I thought I told you to keep your weapon close Shepard," Hackett said firmly as he reloaded his weapon.

Before I could say anything, the elevator opened again with a rocket trooper aiming his launcher at us.

"Die Alliance trash."

I didn't think, I just reacted. I sprinted forward as fast as possible and grabbed his weapon, causing us to slam against the back of the elevator. He tried to shoot but I used my omni tool to close the door and I hit him in the face. The elevator rotated so the door was now on the other side as the trooper threw me off and started pounding my chest with his weapon. I threw him against the wall, kneed him in the chest, grabbed his weapon and slammed the butt of the launcher into his face with enough force to crack his visor. He slumped up against the wall, disarmed as I continuously punched his face, causing his visor to crack further and blood stains to be seen on his armor. I backed up from him. As he looked up to me staring into my visor he uttered, "Go to hell," and pulled a grenade from his belt. My omni tool glowed to life, forming around my left wrist, as I quickly raised my shields. He detonated the grenade just as my shields reached full, slamming me backwards, slamming my head into the doors enough to dent them.

Smoke detectors stopped the elevator on the floor below us. My vision blurred back into a barely clear image, stained by my own blood. I coughed as I looked down at my blood covered chest plate. I barely managed to pry the doors open and crawl out of the elevator. Smoke rose from the elevator as I coughed choking on the clear air. I barely managed to pull myself to my feet, wobbly limping forward, reaching my right hand out to the wall to support myself, while my left hand clutched my chest. I saw crew members frantically running passed me as more explosions rocked the ship and fire broke in the hallway. Another explosion caused me to lose my balance and drop to my knees. I threw my hands out in front of me to stop my helmeted head from hitting the floor. I breathed frantically, gasping for breath and quickly exhaling. A bead of sweat ran down my forehead into my eye as I raised my head to the feminine figure with her omni tool out trying to apply medi gel to my wounds.

"Shepard, just hold on. I've got you!"

My vision was blurred and my vision muffled from the explosion so I could barely recognize the the black and purple suit and slightly computerized sounding voice of the quarian crouched in front of me. I could feel the medi gel sealing my wounds as my vision finally blurred back to a clear and my hearing returned.

"Shepard! Are you alright," she said pulling me to my feet.

"I'm fine Tali. Just a lucky grenade from a rocket trooper."

She slumped my left arm over her shoulder a s she helped me get to a hallway clear of fire and critical damage.

"Can you still fight?" Tali asked.

"Yeah. I've got-" I looked down and noticed my pistol was gone. Then it hit me that the weapon Hackett was firing was my own pistol knocked loose from my leg by the explosion on the observation deck. "I could use a weapon."

"Here, I always carry a pistol on me for," Tali said as she pulled an M-3 Predator pistol, just like mine, from her belt.

I took the weapon from her hand and popped a fresh thermal clip into the side. Tali's omni tool glowed orange as it formed around her left hand.

"There's still crew trapped down in the lower living quarters," Tali said looking up from a scan of the ship.

"Then that's where were heading."

The door next to us slid open as four Cerberus trooper entered the hall. Tali quickly flung her hand out towards the lead soldier, causing an electrical current to stun him. I unloaded several rounds into the skulls of the terrorist forces. One of the troops slumped down up against a wall, causing a trail of blood to stain the once clean white steel wall as his squad members dropped lifelessly to the floor. I walked over to the injured trooper.

"All you Alliance goons will burn in-" I cut the trooper off with a bullet to his skull. I reloaded my pistol as me and Tali moved down the hall towards the maintenance ladders down to the lower floors.

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*Author's Note: This is my first action scene I've written so feel free to comment any suggestions for the next chapter.