Chapter Text
It never gets any easier leaving Earth. Every time she stands by a window and watches her home shrink as they speed away towards the relay, she's filled with sadness. Even though she's probably spent more time off-planet than on, it just seems...wrong, whenever she leaves. She was born there, grew up in the shadows on the streets, doing whatever she could to survive. And while she never regrets joining the Alliance, she still wishes she didn't have to leave her home behind.
Shepard only moves from the window when Earth has long gone behind her, when the stunning orange shades of Jupiter fly by instead. She rolls her shoulders and steps into the CIC, shuffling out the way of other soldiers as they check over the ship, ensuring she's ready for their jump through the relay.
'Pressly,' she replies as the navigator stops what he's doing for just a moment to nod his head at her. It's a simple walk down the centre path as she makes her way to the cockpit, mostly just wanting to see first hand the relay. It's another thing she never really gets used to, and always enjoys watching it when she's able...approaching the huge relay, watching the mass effect field work as the pilot steers them towards the point required to make the jump.
'Hitting the relay in 3...2...1...'
Despite the speed the hurl through space, the ship barely moves and Shepard remains as tall and proud as always. She'll never forget the first time she made the jump—or the dozen times afterwards—her body locked up, almost expecting to be thrown around like some old, sailing boat.
'Thrusters, check. Navigation, check. Internal emissions sync engaged. All systems online. Drift...just under 1500 K.'
'1500 is good,' Nihlus says. 'Your captain will be pleased.' He then turns and walks away without another word, leaving Shepard alone with Joker and Kaidan. She sees his green eyes flicker over to her briefly, before darting away and making his way to the back of the ship.
It seems that everywhere she turns, the turian spectre is always there. And he always seems to be staring at her. She has no idea why, and if she didn't feel so scrutinised under his gaze, she'd almost be flattered.
'I hate that guy,' Joker announces, pulling Shepard's attention away from the turian and back to the two humans in front of her. She snorts at the pilots comment, crossing her arms over her chest as Kaidan Alenko replies, 'Nihlus gave you a compliment. So you hate him?'
'You remember to zip you your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom? That's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. That's incredible. Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having him onboard...call me paranoid.'
'You're paranoid,' Alenko replies without missing a beat, causing Shepard to snort once more. 'The Council helped fund this project—they have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment.'
'Yeah, that is the "official" story, but only an idiot believes the official story.'
Shepard can't help but agree. 'They don't send Spectres on shakedown runs. Nor to keep an eye on things...that's a politicians job.'
She smirks as Joker exclaims, 'Exactly! Clearly there's more going on here than the Captain's letting on.'
Before Alenko can reply, the comms beep and Anderson's voice fills the cockpit. Shepard pulls herself up a little taller, almost on instinct. Even though he's not there and can't see her—it's a reflex. She relaxes a second later, remembering that this is Anderson and despite being her superior, he's the closest thing to a father figure she's ever known.
'Joker, status report!' Anderson's voice is tense, short. It makes Shepard frown even as Joker fills the captain in on the ship's status, before adding that Nihlus is heading down to see him.
Shepard has to bite her lip to stop herself from cackling when Anderson's tersely replies, 'He's already here, Lieutenant.' She watches as the pilot hangs his head, pulling a face, while Alenko sends him a shit-eating grin. 'Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing.'
The link clicks off and Shepard can't hold back her chuckle.
Joker asks, 'You get that, Commander?'
'I did.' Shepard reaches forward and tugs Joker's cap down over his face. 'Thank you for pissing him off just in time for me getting there. Though, he did sound angry from the get go. Maybe something went wrong with the mission?'
Joker snorts. 'The captain always sounds like that when he's talking to me.'
'I can't possibly imagine why,' Alenko murmurs under his breath, and either Joker is too focused on his job or just didn't hear him, for he doesn't reply. Shepard finally turns and heads back the way she came. She doesn't want to keep the captain waiting, but when she hears Pressly and another person arguing over comms, she can't seem to stop herself from jumping in.
'Pressly...you don't trust our turian guest?' she says by way of greeting, making him falter in his salute.
'Sorry, Commander, just having a discussion with Adams down in engineering. I didn't mean to cause any trouble. But you have to admit that something's odd about this mission.'
Shepard almost wants to laugh. If the Alliance and the Council thought they were being discreet, they're apparently doing a terrible job at it. It seems that no matter where she goes or who she talks to, someone is noticing just how off everything is about this mission.
'You think the Alliance brass is holding out on us?'
She listens to his explanations, finding that everything is inline with what she's been thinking and what she's heard the others say. Captain Anderson is an N7. He's the best of the best. If this is supposed to be a simple shakedown, why send him? Why send Nihlus, a Spectre, the branch who operates outside the rules that most people are bound to? Why the stealth missions? Why the full crew?
Too many questions unanswered for it to not be suspicious.
'I'm heading to talk to Anderson, now. Maybe I'll get finally get some answers for us.'
'Good luck, Commander!'
It's almost no surprise when she makes it two steps and hears another couple members of the crew talking about how off everything seems. Doctor Chakwas and Corporal Jenkins are yet another pair who seem to realise something is off. The only difference is Jenkins seems to be eager for the action that he thinks this will bring, rather than being weary.
He rather reminds Shepard of herself when she had just joined and was eager for the glory. Then the glory found her and she realised it's not as wonderful as it appears. In fact, it mostly just comes with a lot of blood, nightmares and therapy sessions.
'You need to calm down, Jenkins. A good soldier remains cool, even under fire. And they don't go searching for it.'
'Sorry, Commander, but this waiting is killing me! I've never been on a mission like this before. Not with a Spectre onboard.'
Shepard steps up to him, clapping him on the shoulder. 'Just treat it like any other mission and you'll be fine. Now, I better get a move on before Captain kicks my ass. Corporal, Doctor.' She moves past them, finally making it to the comms room.
Only when she steps inside, she finds only Nihlus with no signs of Captain Anderson. She wonders what happened to pull him away...he had wanted to meet her here, after all. Rather than voice that, however, she moves closer to the turian, allowing herself a moment to study him as she walks.
He has dark grey, almost black plating, with white markings on his face. She knows enough of the aliens she shares the galaxy with to know that they're clan markings. He is as tall and slim as all the turians she's seen in the vids, though a little less scary than they're made out to be back on Earth. The black and red of his armour compliments his colouring well, and Shepard can't deny that there's something majestic about them as a species.
'Ah, Shepard,' Nihlus greets as he turns from the screen he had been looking at. 'Your captain just stepped out to attend to some matters...I'm rather glad. It'll give us the chance to talk.'
Stopping in front of him, Shepard cranes her head up to face him. She's never had any trouble with her height before. Anyone who ever did tease her for being 5'4" before always ends up regretting it. She's a hell of a fighter and growing up on the streets of Earth meant she's learnt to not take any shit.
However, she can't help but feel tiny as she cranes her head up at the turian, who stands almost a whole foot taller.
'What did you wish to talk about?'
'I'm interested in this world we're going to—Eden Prime. I've heard it's quite beautiful.'
Shepard can't really comment. She's never been there before. Her knowledge of the colonies isn't as great as it should be. And after the last time she stepped foot on one, she'd much rather avoid them at all costs. 'I've heard the same. Friends have described it as a paradise,' she replies, when she realises that she needs to say something to Nihlus.
'Yes. A paradise. Serene. Tranquil. Safe. Eden Prime has become something of a symbol for your people, hasn't it? Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them.' He fixes his small, yet vividly green eyes on Shepard. 'But how safe is it, really?'
He then turns away from her, and she finds her gaze once more surveying him. The three pointed crest on his head, the plating at the back of his head, the shape of his large carapace as it fades into a tiny waist with sharp pointed hips.
His words then come back to her and she frowns, taking another step forward as she asks, 'Do you know something I don't?'
'Your people are still newcomers, Shepard. The galaxy can be a very dangerous place.' He turns to face her again, crossing his arms over his chest. 'Is the Alliance truly ready for this?'
Before Shepard can say a word to jump to the Alliance's defence—how can she not, when it's the only place she has ever felt accepted?—Anderson appears at her side. 'I think it's time we told the commander what's really going on.'
'This mission is more than a simple shakedown run,' Nihlus declares.
Shepard snorts as she crosses her own arms over her chest. 'Half the crew's already figured that one out. The Spectre was a bit of a give away.'
At her words, she sees Nihlus' brow plates rise and his mandibles slacken, just a little. It takes her only a second to realise that it's the turian version of a smirk. She returns it before focusing on Anderson once more as he speaks.
'We're making a cover pick up on Eden Prime. That's why we needed the stealth systems operational.'
Still, Shepard shakes her head as she shuffles a little, unfolding her arms and fixing Anderson with a head-on stare. Anyone else, and she probably would have been written up for insubordination, but she and Anderson have a relationship closer to father and daughter, than leader and subordinate. 'I don't like being kept in the dark, Sir. I prefer having all the information when I'm a part of a mission.'
'I know, Shepard. But this comes from the top down. Information was on a strictly need-to-know basis.'
'And it was decided I didn't need to know? How nice.' She rolls her eyes as she shifts her weight once more. 'Do I get to know now, or...?'
Anderson lets her early comment slide as he starts to explain, listening to how a research team on Eden Prime had discovered, what they believe to be a Prothean beacon. And what that means for not only humanity but every species in the galaxy. After all, the last time humanity made a discover similar, it jumped their technology forward two hundred years. He explains that Eden Prime doesn't have the facility to study it, and so it needs to be picked up and returned to the Citadel for proper study.
'Ah, that answers Joker's question about why there's a Spectre onboard. Of course, I'm not going to complain. It always helps to have a few extra hands onboard.' She smiles up at the turian, watching as he steps closer to her.
'The beacon's not the only reason I'm here, Shepard.'
Before she can ask just what he means, Anderson states, 'Nihlus wants to see you in action, Commander. He's here to evaluate you.'
Cocking her head to the side, Shepard's gaze darts between the turian and her captain. 'That does explain why he's always there every time I turn around.' She frowns just a little, the grin fading as another thought occurs to her. 'Evaluate me for what? What's going on, Captain?'
'The Alliance has been pushing for this for a longtime. Humanity wants a larger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Citadel Council.'
Shepard knows that much already. After all, you only need to speak to a single human to know that most of humanity believes they deserve a bigger role. Even though they haven't been around for that long, as Nihlus stated earlier. But that's one of humanity's defining features. Always wanting the next greatest thing.
'The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks, it shows how far the Alliance has come.'
A heavy feeling settles in Shepard's stomach, one that only grows as Nihlus says, 'You held off an enemy assault during the Blitz single-handed. You showed not only courage but incredible skill.' He gives her that same look again—the one similar to a grin. Brow plates raised, mandibles slack and low. 'That's why I put your name forward for the Spectres.'
Despite the feeling in her stomach, screaming at her that this is such a bad idea, that last line peaks her interest. She raises her brows at him, staring with wide eyes. 'You put my name forward? Why would a turian want a human in the Spectres?' Her cheeks flush as she realises just how that sounds, and she runs a hand through her hair, pushing the red strands out of her face. 'I just meant...'
'I understand. But not all turians resent humanity. Some of us see the potential of your species. We see what you have to offer to the rest of the galaxy. And to the Spectres. We're a unique group. It's rare to find an individual with the skills we seek. I don't care that you're human, Shepard, I only care that you can do the job.'
Shepard stands a little straighter at that, knowing that the turians have the best army in the galaxy, and to hear one of them compliment her skill sends pride humming under her skin. Especially when paired with the fact that he thought she was good enough to join an elite rank of soldiers.
It's the same hum that had come over her when she was handpicked to go through N7 training. And that hum hadn't gone away for weeks afterwards.
'I'm also guessing this is good for the Alliance?' she ventures, trying to mask the growing excitement. The Alliance is all she's got in her life. All her romantic relationships have ended painfully, and the only family she had—Abuela, the old woman who had grown to be a grandmother/mother figure during her childhood—had died over ten years ago.
It's all she has and she wants to go as far as she can, do as much as she can. Not just to make a name for herself, she rather hated the taste of the limelight she got after the Blitz, but she wants to prove to herself and everyone who ever doubted her that she was worth something; that all the shit she endured growing up meant something.
'Earth needs this, Nina. We're counting on you.'
And that's how Shepard knows it's serious...it's the only time Anderson ever uses her first name.
'I need to see your skills for myself, Commander. Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together,' Nihlus informs.
Shepard's grin grows and she nods her head at the turian. 'Looking forward to it.' Those closest to her have often told her that her smile can sometimes be a little...varren-like, was how one boyfriend put it. But that doesn't seem to scare off Nihlus, who flutters his mandibles at her, returning the gesture as he's able.
'You'll be in charge of the ground team. Secure the beacon and get it onto the ship ASAP. Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission.'
Licking her lips, Nina nods. 'Whenever you're ready, Captain.'
'We should be getting close to Eden—'
Before he can finish his sentence, the comms crackle and Joker's voice filters into the room. He sounds urgent as he says, 'Captain! We've got a problem!' Shepard's brows shoot up at that, having to bite her lip to stop herself from saying anything. She's pretty sure that she'll never have a peaceful visit to a colony. 'We received a transmission from Eden Prime, sir, you better see this.'
'Bring it up on screen,' Anderson orders and after a second, a fuzzy vid plays on the screen. Theres a lot of motion and movement, due to being from someone's omni-tool, and the resolution isn't that clear but it's obvious that there's a fight going on. The sounds of gunfire and explosions fill the quiet comm room as Anderson, Nihlus and Shepard stand side by side to watch the vid.
A woman rushes towards the person sending the transmission, pushing them to the ground with a 'Get down!' She then focuses on her targets with her assault rifle, and they can only watch as the person responsible for the transmission glances around themselves in fear and terror.
Her mouth is dry as she turns to Anderson, gauging his reaction, and even though he's not giving much away, she knows that he'll be just as angry as she. That their mission had gone awry, that the news of the Prothean beacon had somehow got leaked, that innocent farmers were being attacked and killed because of it. It makes her own blood boil, and she finds it hard to turn back to the screen because her biotics are starting to react to her emotions, eager for some outlet.
But she watches it all, regardless, as another soldier steps into the frame and says, 'We are under attack. Taking heavy casualties. I repeat: heavy casualties. We can't...argh!...-eed evac! They came out of nowhere. Need—'
The transmission then goes dead, the screen going black and filling the room with silence once more. It's almost too much for Shepard and she's thankful when Joker says, 'Everything cuts out after that, no comm traffic at all. Just goes dead. There's nothing.'
'Did...you see that thing at the end?' she asks Anderson, who nods slowly and asks Joker to reverse the tape, freezing at 38.5. Now that the vid is frozen, she can take a better look at it again...she honestly has no idea what it is. She guesses it's a ship, but if it is, it's unlike anything she's ever seen.
Firstly, it's huge. She doubts all the ships in the Alliance would ever make up a similar height and width of that damn thing. Secondly, it reminds her of the cockroaches she used to share a home with when she was on Earth. Yet, it had something so utterly...off putting about it. Insects had never bothered Nina Shepard. Growing up on the streets ensured that. It was hard to care what scurried along beside you when you were freezing, wet and hungry. And sometimes, it was good to have the company—to see another life-form and know that she wasn't alone as she felt.
But this ship...she never wants to see this ship again.
'Status report,' Anderson orders and Shepard finally turns from the screen, the feeling of unease too much. She sees Nihlus' mandibles flare before folding against his face tightly. His vivid green eyes meet hers and she can see the same sort of concern in them. It makes her feel that little bit better, knowing that she's not alone in this feeling.
'Seventeen minutes out, Captain. No other Alliance ships in the area.'
'Take us in, Joker. Fast and quiet. This mission just got a lot more complicated.' Anderson's gaze darts to Nihlus' from the corner of his eyes, before they then land on Shepard.
Before she can say anything, Nihlus speaks up, saying, 'A small strike team can move quickly without drawing attention. It's our best chance to secure the beacon.'
Gritting her teeth, Shepard turns and faces the screen again, looking at the ship once more. She sees strange red lights surrounding it, and she wonders what that is. Engineering and tech has never been her strongest element, mostly because she was rather lately introduced to it. Yet another thing she owed to a homeless childhood.
'Grab your gear and meet us in the cargo hold.' It takes Shepard a moment to realise that Anderson wasn't talking to her, but Nihlus, as the turian turns and leaves the comm room.
Anderson then turns to Shepard. 'Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up, Commander. You're going in.'
She nods a little absentmindedly. When the doors whoosh shut, letting her know that she and Anderson are alone, she nods her head towards the screen. 'Have you ever seen anything like that before, Anderson?'
The captain slowly shakes his head, turning to fully face the screen, folding his arms behind his back. 'Never. And it doesn't give me the best feeling, either. Whatever it is, whoever is behind it, is going to cause a lot of trouble, Shepard. They're here for that beacon, and bringing so much firepower for it means they want it bad.'
Nina sighs. 'Just once, I would like to step foot on a colony and not have it go to shit.' Her lips quirk when she notices a small grin appear on Anderson's face. 'I'll go and get ready, Captain. See you in five.'
Anderson gives her shoulder a brief pat, before he turns back to the screen, asking Joker to replay it once more. That's all that Nina needs, and, after drawing a deep breath, she turns and leaves, ready to find Alenko and Jenkins, and hoping that the feeling of unease in her stomach was completely misguided.