Post by shepardcommander147 on Apr 2, 2017 16:49:49 GMT 1
Rebirth Chapter 1: A Hero's Demise
"Commander on deck!" a marine shouted as Shepard stepped into the CIC from the stairwell.
Shepard made his way to his station in the center of the CIC where Presley stood at attention in front of him. Presley's skin was slightly tanned, and he kept a well-trimmed beard and mustache, his eyes were blue and shimmered ever so slightly under the Normandy's lighting, "Status report?" Shepard asked as he surveyed the navigational data present in the center console.
"We're on course and proceeding on our patrol route, we'll be nearing the gravity well of a large planetoid shortly," Presley said stepping down from the command post and pausing to take a breath. "Nothing out of the ordinary, so far scans have been all but quiet, except for the occasional background radiation."
Shepard gave Presley a respectful nod in acknowledgment and stepped up to the command post. He watched as Presley assumed his secondary station to his left and quickly went back to work. John let out a sigh of relief as he tapped the center console causing his omni-tool to synchronize with ship systems, "Commander Shepard has command, XO Presley stands relieved," the Normandy's VI announced.
Shepard glanced at the display of his terminal, which was now showing the sensor readouts of the system. Nothing, yet countless ships had gone missing in this sector, but nothing seemed amiss, "Could be pirates," he thought as he tapped the screen to open an array of different menus, "but why would they hit this system in particular?"
"Commander," Presley said breaking John from his thoughts, "we're picking up a signature on sensors nearby, it's massive."
"Geth?" John asked as he pulled up the signature on his displays.
"It doesn't match any ship profile we know of, I don't think it's Geth, but I can't tell for sure."
"Keep us running silent and notify me if it does anything out of the ordinary."
"Will do Commander."
It'd only been a few minutes before Presley broke John's train of thought again, "Commander," he said turning to get John's attention, "the ship is on an intercept course."
That'd been enough to kick himself into gear as his muscles tensed and his mind began to run through various scenarios in his head, "Take evasive action," John said as his crew complied to his command within seconds like the well-oiled machine they were.
"They're adjusting to match sir," Presley said.
John pounded a clenched fist onto the terminal, "Bring weapons online and issue condition red," he said. A few seconds later and the lights around them were blinking red, and he could hear the sound of crewmen running down the walkways taking their stations and strapping themselves in as the Normandy's VI stated the obvious in case the blinking lights hadn't conveyed the message, they were under attack.
Shepard looked down on his console which was displaying a tactical readout showing the Normandy and the incoming vessel which the combat VI had named red one, "Lock weapons on red one," John said
"Weapons locked," His gunnery officer Addison replied.
"Open a channel to the enemy ship and transmit," John said
"Channel open," Presley said.
"Unidentified vessel this is Commander John Shepard of the S.S.V Normandy break your intercept course, or you will be fired upon," he said before tapping his display slightly which ended the transmission.
Moments later he was launched off his feet as a blast collided with the Normandy's hull plating
"Returning fire!" Addison yelled as the deafening screech of the Normandy's GUARDIAN lasers fired in unison on their attacker.
John grasped at the railing in front of him and pulled himself up, though he was instantly flung back again as another beam hit them. The consoles around him surged blasting arcs of electricity haphazardly while conduits of fluid and gas burst from the walls and deck plating below. He turned to see Presley lying a few feet away his eyes open staring blankly forward; his blue eyes seemed to lose their shimmer as the white lights faded, replaced by the red luminesce of the emergency lighting, "Presley is down someone get me a medic!" Shepard yelled as he crawled over to Presley. "Joker get us out of here!" John yelled though his words were cut off by the deafening screech of metal being torn apart, like nails on a chalkboard.
"I'm trying to lose them!" Joker said as his voice crackled through the intercom next to him.
John looked back to see a marine, Private Fredricks if he recalled correctly, rushing to Presley's aid. Fredricks was only a few feet away from them and was using the railing by the gunnery terminals for support as he closed in on their position. Suddenly a conduit ruptured near the marine spewing out a liquid he couldn't recognize though before he could react the spark from the console set the once harmless substance alight. John rushed over to the man now seizing on the floor beside him. The fluid had already burned out almost as quickly as it had ignited though it left the Marine's face mangled and torn. The once smooth skin now torn and charred as his pores oozed liquid and his left eyelid looked as if it had melted shut, "Private can you hear me?" John said as he knelt over the man.
"Y-Yes Commander," the Private murmured as though he was pouring every ounce of will power he had just to push the words out of his throat.
"Stay with me Fredricks, that's an order!" Shepard said as he gripped the marines hand in his and squeezed. "Someone get me a fucking medic over here!" he yelled. John turned back to the young Private as the marine's grasp loosened, "Don't you fucking die on me, you hear me? Private, answer me!" John repeated.
It felt like hours had passed he was still kneeling over the marine's body, holding his lifeless hand tightly. The sensation of someone pulling on his shoulder brought him back to reality as he turned to see Liara her dark blue skin glistening with sweat and dotted with dark spots of ash, "Shepard we have to evacuate!" she said handing him his helmet.
John slid the mask over his head as the helmet sealed around him, though without the proper equipment it wouldn't keep him alive if happened to run into a hull breach, "Damn it," he whispered under his breath.
"Do you know where Joker is? He wasn't in any of the escape pods I checked!" Liara yelled to make herself heard over the hissing of sparks and grinding of malfunctioning equipment.
A few seconds went by as he tried to push all the emotions out of his head, "He's in the cockpit, get to the escape pod, I'll get him!" he said.
Liara gave him a squeeze in the arm, "Don't do anything stupid John," she said, "and keep an open channel."
John nodded as he tapped the small transmitter on the side of his helmet, ensuring they were on the same frequency and headed toward the cockpit.
A minute later and he'd came to the end of the small corridor where large sections of the hull were replaced with emergency mass effect fields to prevent losing atmosphere, "Joker!" he cried out to get his pilot's attention.
"I'm not leaving Commander; I'll be damned before I leave the Normandy to die at the hands of these bastards!" Joker yelled back, his voice muffled by the emergency rebreather he was wearing which obscured his voice slightly, while whatever pathetic armaments the Normandy had left fired on their attacker once more.
"Joker the Normandy's lost, don't throw your life away!"
Joker turned to face him, his eyes glaring with determination, "I've already launched our distress beacon Commander, I'll lure this bastard away from here."
"Like hell you will!" Shepard said as he slammed the panel connected to the escape pod that was on the left wall next to them. John grabbed Joker by the arm and yanked his seat restraints off, he'd probably broken Joker's arm, but he'd thank him later. With a forceful pull, he shoved Joker into the pod though before he could follow another beam of energy sheared through the cockpit. John slammed the panel, sealing the pod as Joker banged against the door trying to find the override. Shepard called upon whatever strength he had left as he slapped the panel one last time, launching the pod.
"I love you Liara," he said as he tried his best to form what little breath he had left into coherent words. He let go of the railing he was holding onto as he was pulled into the black void of space which was littered with pieces of what used to be his ship, his home.
"John what's happening! Can you hear me?" Liara asked frantically
John tried to respond, but he could only gasp for breath that would never come. He tried to fight the burning pressure inside him as his lungs demanded air. John could still hear someone trying to get his attention through the transmitter in his helmet, but couldn't make out the words they were saying. He was trying to figure a way out of this though his planning was cut short when he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head as something smacked against his helmet, knocking him into unconsciousness as his eyes closed for the last time.
Liara stood in front of the crowded street in front of the Alliance headquarters on Earth; she could hear the chatter of pedestrians and the traffic of sky cars whizzing past above. The smell of flowers which only brought back the memories of her first date with John, he'd given some to her as part of a human custom. She felt a tear roll down her face causing her to pull her arm up and wipe it away discreetly. It'd been months since the destruction of the Normandy, and she still found herself mourning.
"Hard to believe he's really gone," Garrus said as he put a hand on her shoulder, "I didn't think anything could kill that stubborn bastard." Garrus shifted uncomfortably beside her obviously trying to cope with his usual sense of humor.
A few hours later and Liara was sitting on one of the reserved stages to the side of the center stage which had a podium, likely for those who wished to say their final good-byes. All of the Normandy's crew were present, and all of them had declined to speak. "What more was there to say?" she thought as she looked around the stage. She was on the end of the platform with Garrus sitting opposite of her and Wrex beside him. Joker was sitting at the far end of the stage; he hadn't spoken to her or anyone really ever since the attack, "Who could blame him?" she thought.
She could see Admiral Hackett with Captain Anderson, "Admiral Anderson now actually," she reminded herself. Anderson was sitting behind Hackett with another Alliance official she hadn't recognized. Though to her surprise, all members of the Council were present sitting to the far side of Hackett and Anderson with what looked like two Asari Commandos standing guard beside them dressed in full combat gear. "Thank you all for coming," Admiral Hackett said speaking into the podium at the front of the stage, "I wish we were gathered here under better circumstances." Liara shifted uncomfortably in her seat as Hackett continued, "We're here to mourn the death of one of humanities greatest hero's, Commander John Shepard, recipient of the Star of Tera, the hero of the Citadel, and the only damn reason Elysium is still standing." Small cheers erupted from the crowd as he continued. "Let humanity never forget the sacrifices he made in the battle against the Reapers," he said as some of the Council shifted uncomfortably, Udina included.
"Spineless vorcha," Wrex muttered to the amusement of the Normandy crew. The council had fought the idea of a Reaper threat hard and ever since the Normandy's destruction they'd fought even harder to undermine everything Shepard had fought for.
"John was right," Liara thought, "politicians did have a short memory when it suited them." Though now Hackett had said his peace and now Anderson was taking the stand. She could see the lines on his face they portrayed only grief, the pain of a father losing his son. She knew Anderson wasn't his real father but he was the closest thing Shepard had to a father, and Shepard was the closest thing Anderson had to a son.
"I'm not one for speeches," Anderson said softly, "no amount of words will bring John back but what we can do is carry on, like humanity always has. God-speed Commander." Anderson finished as he sat back down his hands covering his face.
Liara watched as Normandy's marines escorted John's casket down the street, normally this was done by honor guard, but Lieutenant Alenko had requested otherwise. The Marines marched behind Kaidan who was now leading his Marines towards the Commander's final resting place. Though not publicly known, the casket was empty. The Commander's body had been recovered but somehow to the Alliance's embracement, gone missing. Military fighters flew in formation above as the marine escort reached their destination and lowered the casket into the ground. A tear rolled down her cheek, and she let her head sag as she buried her face in her hands, "What were you expecting?" She thought, "For all of this to just go away from one little parade?"
Garrus put a warm hand on her back, "I miss him too," he said as he pulled her close.
A few months later Liara was sitting at her desk in her apartment on Illium; she'd been inquiring as to where Shepard's body had gone. "It wasn't right," she thought "his body isn't some trophy to be hoarded by some criminal." Liara shuddered at the thought of his body being preserved in some wealthy collector's home or even worse by some band of criminals. A ping from her terminal tore her from her thoughts, prompting her to open the message.
As per your request multiple broker agents have been interrogated and disposed of, our report will be attached to this message. I hope you find what you're looking for.
Captain Kirrahe
Liara took a breath as she read the report and it'd only confirmed her suspicions. The broker had somehow stolen Shepard's body and if the Kirrahe's report was accurate, which she knew it was, were going to make a deal with the Collectors on Omega, "I thought the Collectors were a myth," she thought as she closed the report. Omega was still a bit of a blind-spot in her small intelligence network she'd formed in her search for Shepard's body, "Thankfully I know just the Turian for the job," she thought grinning to herself as she began her message to Garrus.
Garrus had made a bit of a name for himself on Omega, without Shepard most of the Normandy crew had gone their separate ways. Garrus had taken to becoming a vigilante of sort on Omega, "Leave it to Garrus," she thought, "righting the galaxies wrongs one at a time." She stood up from her desk, still pondering how to approach the message, "This my wrong to right," she thought, "knowing Garrus he'll insist on handling it himself." She thought as she poured herself a cup of coffee and a few minutes later the encrypted message was on its way to Omega, and she would soon follow.
Thanks for reading Chapter 1 of Rebirth, there will be more to come soon as I will be adding chapters once I finish and review them. Please leave a review if you feel like it, constructive criticism is always encouraged.
Shepard made his way to his station in the center of the CIC where Presley stood at attention in front of him. Presley's skin was slightly tanned, and he kept a well-trimmed beard and mustache, his eyes were blue and shimmered ever so slightly under the Normandy's lighting, "Status report?" Shepard asked as he surveyed the navigational data present in the center console.
"We're on course and proceeding on our patrol route, we'll be nearing the gravity well of a large planetoid shortly," Presley said stepping down from the command post and pausing to take a breath. "Nothing out of the ordinary, so far scans have been all but quiet, except for the occasional background radiation."
Shepard gave Presley a respectful nod in acknowledgment and stepped up to the command post. He watched as Presley assumed his secondary station to his left and quickly went back to work. John let out a sigh of relief as he tapped the center console causing his omni-tool to synchronize with ship systems, "Commander Shepard has command, XO Presley stands relieved," the Normandy's VI announced.
Shepard glanced at the display of his terminal, which was now showing the sensor readouts of the system. Nothing, yet countless ships had gone missing in this sector, but nothing seemed amiss, "Could be pirates," he thought as he tapped the screen to open an array of different menus, "but why would they hit this system in particular?"
"Commander," Presley said breaking John from his thoughts, "we're picking up a signature on sensors nearby, it's massive."
"Geth?" John asked as he pulled up the signature on his displays.
"It doesn't match any ship profile we know of, I don't think it's Geth, but I can't tell for sure."
"Keep us running silent and notify me if it does anything out of the ordinary."
"Will do Commander."
It'd only been a few minutes before Presley broke John's train of thought again, "Commander," he said turning to get John's attention, "the ship is on an intercept course."
That'd been enough to kick himself into gear as his muscles tensed and his mind began to run through various scenarios in his head, "Take evasive action," John said as his crew complied to his command within seconds like the well-oiled machine they were.
"They're adjusting to match sir," Presley said.
John pounded a clenched fist onto the terminal, "Bring weapons online and issue condition red," he said. A few seconds later and the lights around them were blinking red, and he could hear the sound of crewmen running down the walkways taking their stations and strapping themselves in as the Normandy's VI stated the obvious in case the blinking lights hadn't conveyed the message, they were under attack.
Shepard looked down on his console which was displaying a tactical readout showing the Normandy and the incoming vessel which the combat VI had named red one, "Lock weapons on red one," John said
"Weapons locked," His gunnery officer Addison replied.
"Open a channel to the enemy ship and transmit," John said
"Channel open," Presley said.
"Unidentified vessel this is Commander John Shepard of the S.S.V Normandy break your intercept course, or you will be fired upon," he said before tapping his display slightly which ended the transmission.
Moments later he was launched off his feet as a blast collided with the Normandy's hull plating
"Returning fire!" Addison yelled as the deafening screech of the Normandy's GUARDIAN lasers fired in unison on their attacker.
John grasped at the railing in front of him and pulled himself up, though he was instantly flung back again as another beam hit them. The consoles around him surged blasting arcs of electricity haphazardly while conduits of fluid and gas burst from the walls and deck plating below. He turned to see Presley lying a few feet away his eyes open staring blankly forward; his blue eyes seemed to lose their shimmer as the white lights faded, replaced by the red luminesce of the emergency lighting, "Presley is down someone get me a medic!" Shepard yelled as he crawled over to Presley. "Joker get us out of here!" John yelled though his words were cut off by the deafening screech of metal being torn apart, like nails on a chalkboard.
"I'm trying to lose them!" Joker said as his voice crackled through the intercom next to him.
John looked back to see a marine, Private Fredricks if he recalled correctly, rushing to Presley's aid. Fredricks was only a few feet away from them and was using the railing by the gunnery terminals for support as he closed in on their position. Suddenly a conduit ruptured near the marine spewing out a liquid he couldn't recognize though before he could react the spark from the console set the once harmless substance alight. John rushed over to the man now seizing on the floor beside him. The fluid had already burned out almost as quickly as it had ignited though it left the Marine's face mangled and torn. The once smooth skin now torn and charred as his pores oozed liquid and his left eyelid looked as if it had melted shut, "Private can you hear me?" John said as he knelt over the man.
"Y-Yes Commander," the Private murmured as though he was pouring every ounce of will power he had just to push the words out of his throat.
"Stay with me Fredricks, that's an order!" Shepard said as he gripped the marines hand in his and squeezed. "Someone get me a fucking medic over here!" he yelled. John turned back to the young Private as the marine's grasp loosened, "Don't you fucking die on me, you hear me? Private, answer me!" John repeated.
It felt like hours had passed he was still kneeling over the marine's body, holding his lifeless hand tightly. The sensation of someone pulling on his shoulder brought him back to reality as he turned to see Liara her dark blue skin glistening with sweat and dotted with dark spots of ash, "Shepard we have to evacuate!" she said handing him his helmet.
John slid the mask over his head as the helmet sealed around him, though without the proper equipment it wouldn't keep him alive if happened to run into a hull breach, "Damn it," he whispered under his breath.
"Do you know where Joker is? He wasn't in any of the escape pods I checked!" Liara yelled to make herself heard over the hissing of sparks and grinding of malfunctioning equipment.
A few seconds went by as he tried to push all the emotions out of his head, "He's in the cockpit, get to the escape pod, I'll get him!" he said.
Liara gave him a squeeze in the arm, "Don't do anything stupid John," she said, "and keep an open channel."
John nodded as he tapped the small transmitter on the side of his helmet, ensuring they were on the same frequency and headed toward the cockpit.
A minute later and he'd came to the end of the small corridor where large sections of the hull were replaced with emergency mass effect fields to prevent losing atmosphere, "Joker!" he cried out to get his pilot's attention.
"I'm not leaving Commander; I'll be damned before I leave the Normandy to die at the hands of these bastards!" Joker yelled back, his voice muffled by the emergency rebreather he was wearing which obscured his voice slightly, while whatever pathetic armaments the Normandy had left fired on their attacker once more.
"Joker the Normandy's lost, don't throw your life away!"
Joker turned to face him, his eyes glaring with determination, "I've already launched our distress beacon Commander, I'll lure this bastard away from here."
"Like hell you will!" Shepard said as he slammed the panel connected to the escape pod that was on the left wall next to them. John grabbed Joker by the arm and yanked his seat restraints off, he'd probably broken Joker's arm, but he'd thank him later. With a forceful pull, he shoved Joker into the pod though before he could follow another beam of energy sheared through the cockpit. John slammed the panel, sealing the pod as Joker banged against the door trying to find the override. Shepard called upon whatever strength he had left as he slapped the panel one last time, launching the pod.
"I love you Liara," he said as he tried his best to form what little breath he had left into coherent words. He let go of the railing he was holding onto as he was pulled into the black void of space which was littered with pieces of what used to be his ship, his home.
"John what's happening! Can you hear me?" Liara asked frantically
John tried to respond, but he could only gasp for breath that would never come. He tried to fight the burning pressure inside him as his lungs demanded air. John could still hear someone trying to get his attention through the transmitter in his helmet, but couldn't make out the words they were saying. He was trying to figure a way out of this though his planning was cut short when he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head as something smacked against his helmet, knocking him into unconsciousness as his eyes closed for the last time.
Liara stood in front of the crowded street in front of the Alliance headquarters on Earth; she could hear the chatter of pedestrians and the traffic of sky cars whizzing past above. The smell of flowers which only brought back the memories of her first date with John, he'd given some to her as part of a human custom. She felt a tear roll down her face causing her to pull her arm up and wipe it away discreetly. It'd been months since the destruction of the Normandy, and she still found herself mourning.
"Hard to believe he's really gone," Garrus said as he put a hand on her shoulder, "I didn't think anything could kill that stubborn bastard." Garrus shifted uncomfortably beside her obviously trying to cope with his usual sense of humor.
A few hours later and Liara was sitting on one of the reserved stages to the side of the center stage which had a podium, likely for those who wished to say their final good-byes. All of the Normandy's crew were present, and all of them had declined to speak. "What more was there to say?" she thought as she looked around the stage. She was on the end of the platform with Garrus sitting opposite of her and Wrex beside him. Joker was sitting at the far end of the stage; he hadn't spoken to her or anyone really ever since the attack, "Who could blame him?" she thought.
She could see Admiral Hackett with Captain Anderson, "Admiral Anderson now actually," she reminded herself. Anderson was sitting behind Hackett with another Alliance official she hadn't recognized. Though to her surprise, all members of the Council were present sitting to the far side of Hackett and Anderson with what looked like two Asari Commandos standing guard beside them dressed in full combat gear. "Thank you all for coming," Admiral Hackett said speaking into the podium at the front of the stage, "I wish we were gathered here under better circumstances." Liara shifted uncomfortably in her seat as Hackett continued, "We're here to mourn the death of one of humanities greatest hero's, Commander John Shepard, recipient of the Star of Tera, the hero of the Citadel, and the only damn reason Elysium is still standing." Small cheers erupted from the crowd as he continued. "Let humanity never forget the sacrifices he made in the battle against the Reapers," he said as some of the Council shifted uncomfortably, Udina included.
"Spineless vorcha," Wrex muttered to the amusement of the Normandy crew. The council had fought the idea of a Reaper threat hard and ever since the Normandy's destruction they'd fought even harder to undermine everything Shepard had fought for.
"John was right," Liara thought, "politicians did have a short memory when it suited them." Though now Hackett had said his peace and now Anderson was taking the stand. She could see the lines on his face they portrayed only grief, the pain of a father losing his son. She knew Anderson wasn't his real father but he was the closest thing Shepard had to a father, and Shepard was the closest thing Anderson had to a son.
"I'm not one for speeches," Anderson said softly, "no amount of words will bring John back but what we can do is carry on, like humanity always has. God-speed Commander." Anderson finished as he sat back down his hands covering his face.
Liara watched as Normandy's marines escorted John's casket down the street, normally this was done by honor guard, but Lieutenant Alenko had requested otherwise. The Marines marched behind Kaidan who was now leading his Marines towards the Commander's final resting place. Though not publicly known, the casket was empty. The Commander's body had been recovered but somehow to the Alliance's embracement, gone missing. Military fighters flew in formation above as the marine escort reached their destination and lowered the casket into the ground. A tear rolled down her cheek, and she let her head sag as she buried her face in her hands, "What were you expecting?" She thought, "For all of this to just go away from one little parade?"
Garrus put a warm hand on her back, "I miss him too," he said as he pulled her close.
A few months later Liara was sitting at her desk in her apartment on Illium; she'd been inquiring as to where Shepard's body had gone. "It wasn't right," she thought "his body isn't some trophy to be hoarded by some criminal." Liara shuddered at the thought of his body being preserved in some wealthy collector's home or even worse by some band of criminals. A ping from her terminal tore her from her thoughts, prompting her to open the message.
As per your request multiple broker agents have been interrogated and disposed of, our report will be attached to this message. I hope you find what you're looking for.
Captain Kirrahe
Liara took a breath as she read the report and it'd only confirmed her suspicions. The broker had somehow stolen Shepard's body and if the Kirrahe's report was accurate, which she knew it was, were going to make a deal with the Collectors on Omega, "I thought the Collectors were a myth," she thought as she closed the report. Omega was still a bit of a blind-spot in her small intelligence network she'd formed in her search for Shepard's body, "Thankfully I know just the Turian for the job," she thought grinning to herself as she began her message to Garrus.
Garrus had made a bit of a name for himself on Omega, without Shepard most of the Normandy crew had gone their separate ways. Garrus had taken to becoming a vigilante of sort on Omega, "Leave it to Garrus," she thought, "righting the galaxies wrongs one at a time." She stood up from her desk, still pondering how to approach the message, "This my wrong to right," she thought, "knowing Garrus he'll insist on handling it himself." She thought as she poured herself a cup of coffee and a few minutes later the encrypted message was on its way to Omega, and she would soon follow.
Thanks for reading Chapter 1 of Rebirth, there will be more to come soon as I will be adding chapters once I finish and review them. Please leave a review if you feel like it, constructive criticism is always encouraged.