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“EDI, can you play back that last part for me?”
“Of course, Shepard.”
The audio log began to play and Shepard heard her own voice come through the speakers of her cabin.
Samara and I were allowed to accompany Grunt on his Rite. I was dubbed his krantt, which apparently means I am willing to kill in his name and honour. I mean, if he does the same for me, who’s to say I shouldn’t do it for him? Plus, I don’t really trust anyone else to do this for him.
The Urdnot Shaman brought us to the Keystone, which did not look much different from the rest of Tuchunka. It was mainly just rubble. I will always wonder what Tuchunka looked like before the Salarians made first contact. Anyways, we fought Varren —which hurt a little more than normal after meeting Urz — and Klixen. Tuchunka really breeds the most annoying motherfuckers. And Wrex if you’re ever listening to this, I’m talking about you.
With the combination of biotics and firepower from the three of us, we took out those waves easily. Then, of course, the Thresher Maw came out to play.
EDI’s voice came through after hers faded away. “End of log. Would you like to continue, Commander? Or should I mark this entry as ‘unfinished’ for you to return to at a later time?”
Shepard sat in silence for a moment. Her eyes drifted from her personal computer to the model ships that decorated her wall. Cerberus really did not spare any expense. She didn’t know what they meant for her to put in this display, but once she saw the model of the SR-2 on her desk, there was no turning back. She smirked at the annoyance that might grace The Illusive Man’s face if he ever realized she put that first model in here rather than trophies of her enemies or Cerberus propaganda.
Her gaze took in the Destiny Ascension and the long turian cruiser. But even as she tried to put memories to these models or even to think about how much she could piss off The Illusive Man, it didn’t take away from her thoughts speeding head-first into a subject she had dismissed for several weeks: Akuze.
Her first mission as a Lieutenant. An almost absolute decimation of a squad. Humanity’s first encounter with a thresher maw.
Since Akuze, Shepard had faced a lot of thresher maws. Wrex could never give her a straight answer as to why so many populated these planets, but she blamed him anyway when they had to drive almost vertically up a cliff-face to get a good shot at the damn things.
All of those times she was in the safety of the Mako, surrounded by her crew who manned the guns and repaired the seemingly always on-fire engine. God, did she miss that monstrosity.
This past afternoon though, she was in front of one. Just her. Armed with an M-5 Phalanx, an M-12 Locust, and her biotics. She had swallowed the fear that had bubbled in her stomach. She had pushed it aside for Grunt, knowing that he needed her in this moment. Samara’s poised and calm presence radiated off of her, giving Shepard confidence in what they were doing. They were prepared, armoured, and so much stronger than she had ever been on Akuze. Everything worked in her favour in this face-off against a thresher maw.
They eviscerated it. Shepard was on her best game. She found its weak spots and ordered Grunt to unload there. While it was distracted by the krogan, she and Samara sent Warp after Warp to its broadside. She knew when it would retaliate, yelling orders when it reared back to attack them. She kept her squad alive and they were barely touched by the damn thing.
For the first time since Urdnot Wrex, someone killed a thresher maw during the Rite. On foot. She looked one in its gigantic maw and tore it to pieces.
So why did it still make her stomach swirl? Why did she feel sweat on her temple? Why were her hands trembling as she picked up her lukewarm cup of coffee?
Her eyes focused on the computer, the Cerberus symbol—that was emblazoned on fucking everything, even her damn underwear— staring back at her. Fuck . It wasn’t just the thresher maw. It was that she returned to a Cerberus ship. She was talking to a Cerberus AI. She worked with Cerberus agents. It was all pushing at the barriers she erected around everything that had to do with Akuze.
She was struggling to keep the image of Toombs holding that gun to his head, pulling the trigger…
“Commander?”
EDI’s robotic, feminine voice broke through her racing thoughts.
“EDI, pull up all Cerberus files on Akuze.”
Her computer lit up as several files opened on the screen.
“Commander, I am programmed to inform you that these files contain information that could compromise your mental well-being. I must alert Dr. Chakwas if you begin to stray from the allotted fifteen percent discrepancy from your baseline psychological evaluations.”
“Understood, EDI.” She took a sip of coffee, leaning back and staring up at the ceiling —a habit she was forming whenever she spoke to EDI. “Why would The Illusive Man allow me access to these records?”
“The Illusive Man wishes for you to have trust and faith in his plan for humanity. He anticipated the curiosity you would have about your unit on Akuze. He does not wish to leave you in the dark regarding your past. This faction of Cerberus did not stay true to the ideals of Humanity First . He wishes to implore that this faction met the end that they deserved.”
“Yeah, thanks to Toombs,” Shepard muttered.
EDI stayed silent. Shepard wished that the AI would continue to speak. She had a nice voice after all. Closing her eyes, Shepard shook her head. She knew that she was delaying what would come next. Her fingers reached for the screen, but she pulled back just before she could open the first file.
She took a deep breath, her finger hovering between the blissful dark and the context that every one of her marines deserved.
She was the only one alive, she owed them this even if it hurt. Her finger opened the first file and a long document popped up onto the screen. Project Basilisk: Akuze .
No turning back now.
“EDI, I’m not to be disturbed for the next couple of hours. Anything urgent, redirect to Miranda. Unless the ship is actively being attacked by Collectors, I don’t want to be interrupted.”
“Of course, Commander.”
*****
Entry #23: July 5, 2177
The last survivor of the Alliance pioneer team has succumbed to thresher maw poison. There seems to be no correlation between previous exposure to poison and immunity to continuous effects. The soldiers accompanying the pioneer team died in the initial thresher maw attack. Those we were able to test on were mainly civilians. Perhaps those in better health and strength could withstand the poison after initial exposure.
Dr. Wayne has deployed a distress beacon, so we intend to have more subjects arrive shortly. This research could help us develop an anti-toxin that could be given to Cerberus footsoldiers. It would save lives in the long-run.
I will update the log when the unit drops.
Her blood boiled. Her muscles were tense. Red ringed the edges of her vision, but it did not blot out the words on her screen. Those were clear. The anxiety, the sorrow, the fear did not bubble to the surface. Rage digested sentence after sentence until it was the only thing she felt.
“Shepard, I suggest a break.” She startled at the sound of EDI, forgetting for a moment that she wasn’t on Akuze.
She rubbed at her eyes, tearing them away from the folder filled with scientific entries and personal logs. How had they done so much to that poor pioneer unit in the little time they were active on that planet? She looked over at her aquarium, trying to make sense of it all.
“Not yet, EDI. Can you message Mess Sergeant Gardner to prepare a meal for me for a few hours from now?”
“Commander, I would suggest—”
“That’s an order.”
“Yes, Commander.”
If only the marines in her unit on Akuze actually listened to her orders. Maybe they wouldn’t be dead. No, their deaths were on her. Maybe if she had been a better leader…
“Lieutenant, ready with the scouting patrol?”
Shepard nodded, strapping a pistol to her side. “Scouting patrol has myself, Franklin, Fredricks, and Toombs on it. We will scout a mile perimeter around the camp and look for any survivors. If we stumble across anything, I will send a comm to Santiago.”
Commander Kimora Xiao gave Shepard a nod, pursing her lips as she looked over the mission log. “Normally I wouldn’t say a word, Shepard, but this is definitely not a normal distress mission. Still, I will be monitoring and judging your skills here. When we get back, you will have your own platoon without someone like me breathing down your neck.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Now, go show those marines who’s in charge. Kick some ass, LT.”
Shepard gave her commanding officer a wry smile. “We’ll be in contact shortly, ma’am.”
She turned on her heel and marched out of the commanding tent into the main camp. They were camped in the middle of rocky plains. Not the best place for a base of operations, but the proximity to the initial colony and the distress beacon was crucial for the mission. And as far as Shepard could tell, there was no cover for several hundred miles. Finding a different location would delay the mission and put any survivors in jeopardy. So she made the call, even though a couple of marines grumbled about the decision.
Shepard wondered what it was about her that invited asshole marines to question her orders. Was it because she was a biotic? Was it because she was from the streets? Or was it the worst option, because she was a woman? Whatever the dumbass reason, it only strengthened her resolve to have a successful mission.
The only problem was that the mission wasn’t going so hot at the moment. No survivors, no indication of what happened to them. And Shepard had a sinking suspicion that there was something out there. What they found here did not match the distress signal. There was no trace of their pioneer team. Akuze was too quiet for forty civilians and soldiers to just disappear.
She took a deep breath and walked toward the outskirts of the base, shouting a few orders as marines approached. Shepard felt the apprehension of being evaluated seep away. She could do this.
This mission felt like a lifetime ago. She was not the street rat trying to win the approval of her squad. Not the soldier craving Xiao's respect. The only thing that had from that Shepard was the guilt and anger that was still rooted in her gut. That damned thresher maw had killed her mentor–her closest friend. Kimora Xiao was now just memory because of her–
No. No. She couldn’t break down now. She needed to know everything.
*****
Entry #26: July 23, 2177
The Alliance camp has been set up for a couple days. They’re right in the middle of thresher maw territory. All we have to do is sit and wait.
Dr. Wayne suggested that we have drones on stand-by to capture footage for study. Thresher maw tactics have not been studied adequately. I told him that we would consider it. Personally, I don’t have the stomach to watch those marines being eviscerated. They might be Alliance navy, but it’s still disturbing to watch fellow humans succumb to these aliens.
The scouting party had not checked in. Shepard paced the communications tent, watching as Communications Officer Santiago sent out another comm.
“They’re not on a different frequency?”
“No, LT.”
“Equipment was checked and double-checked before they left, correct?”
“Yes, LT.”
“They received proper training—”
“Yes, Shepard.”
Shepard heard the bite in the woman’s words, even though she was answering as she should. The lieutenant wiped her hands down her armour before resting them against the table. “Sorry Santiago. I just have a bad feeling.”
“You and me both, LT.”
Shepard stood in silence as they waited for a response from the scouting party. If they followed orders, there would be a comm every hour on the hour. The scouting path was identified by clear gouges in the rocks abundant on the planet’s surface . If they wandered off the path, the squad was to comm back and identify position by galactic standard. If all else failed, a flare should be sent up so that a retrieval squad could find them.
It should take four hours, give or take thirty minutes, to march the path. It had been six hours. All attempts to contact the squad were met with static. There was a reason that they were waiting to explore the pioneer camp–comms were faulty at best due to the composition of Akuze’s crust.
Something had happened to the scouting party. Whether caused by disobeying orders or an unknown hostile was still undetermined. No matter the cause, Shepard was out seven marines.
She made up her mind.
“Santiago, send out pings to the marines with search and rescue training. We have to see what happened out there.”
“On it, LT.”
Shepard sent a comm to her Commander with her plan and gave command to the highest ranking marine left at camp. She went to meet her squad.
Five showed up.
Of the eight that she requested.
“Franklin, where are the others?” Shepard rested a hand on her pistol, a slight tinge of biotic energy flickering from her fingertips.
“They insisted that the success of the mission hinged on them staying at camp, ma’am.”
Shepard bristled. They had ignored her goddamn orders.
“Anything else?”
Franklin paused. Shepard glared at him, her tolerance for bullshit hitting new lows. She needed everyone to listen to her. This was new territory and on top of that, there was something wrong about this mission. “Wilder said he wouldn’t take orders from ‘a messed up biotic chick’.”
Wilder was going to get his ass kicked by an angry, messed up biotic chick when she came back.
But right now, she couldn’t go reprimand him. Not with lives on the line.
She signaled her marines to move out. As they walked into the plains, Shepard pulled out her comm. “Commander Xiao, heading out with search and rescue. Three marines disobeyed orders and will be disciplined upon my return. Shepard, out.”
“Affirmative. Good luck out there, Shepard.”
What she wouldn’t give to have Corporal Wilder see her now. He would be absolutely pissed. Now, he was a pile of bones abandoned and buried in the Akuze plains. Only remembered by a statue.
*****
Entry #28: July 28, 2177
A group of marines was taken out on the fringes of pioneer settlement. This was not the plan. Our spies noted that their orders were to stay within two miles of camp while they set-up and organize planned missions to the settlement.
This team disobeyed orders to investigate the settlement. An interesting move and one that gave us more data. One survived. He was close enough to our base that we could retrieve and revive him. His injuries were grievous, but we were pleased to see that he was exposed to thresher maw poison. Perhaps, he is exactly what we need to continue our experiments. We will continue to watch the situation with the marines. They are down to forty-three from their original fifty.
We have detected activity to the west of the pioneer settlement. We are under the impression that the movements of the Alliance marines have attracted the maws just as we hoped.
Dr. Wayne has prepped the drones for recording. I hope he doesn’t suggest I look at the footage.
The walk from camp had been silent. But two miles out from base camp, she started to hear quiet conversations filter up to her. Shepard heard little snippets.
“Are we next?”
“We should be finishing the mission, not looking for the missing team again .”
“Wish Commander Xiao would stop evaluating and put Shepard in her place.”
Shepard could only take so much. She signaled for her team to stop, taking rest behind an outcropping of rock. Their first rescue effort yielded no results. The seven marines, including Toombs and Fredricks, were gone, missing like the pioneer team. Shepard felt their absence in her chest. The weight of those marines was making it hard to breathe.
But she had to keep marching forward. At least metaphorically. She looked at her small team, giving Franklin a nod. He moved to the west, resting his sniper rifle on a rock and peered through. Shepard looked at the rest of them.
“Be ready. But take a moment to compose yourself, drink some water, take a piss, whatever. We move out in five.”
A quiet chorus of ‘yes, ma’ams’ greeted her ears as they dispersed. When they were turned away, she let her shoulders drop. Was she fucking up?
Shepard walked to the east point, on the other end of the outcropping, her thoughts occupying her focus even as she scanned the horizon.
When she returned to base camp, Shepard was going to organize the team to scout the initial colony. There was no leaving her team behind, though. That she couldn’t allow. It did no one any favours returning seven marines down and no information on the pioneer team.
She put her missing marines first. There was no guarantee that the pioneer team was even still alive. Was weighing lives like this what command was about? She rubbed a hand down her face, her composure waning more than it should. What else could go wrong?
Shepard stumbled, which was concerning since she was standing still. She scrubbed all of her insecurities from her mind, focusing on the new variable.
The ground was shaking . That was new. Her comm chirped as she turned on her heel.
“Shepard, something’s coming our way.”
There was no room for indecisiveness now. “Marines — move, now !”
It was slow-motion when the creature came up from the ground. Her head twisted to see rows upon rows of jagged teeth bearing down on her marines. Its skin reduced the rock to pebbles, which bounced off her Alliance armour. It broke from the ground like a whale breaching the ocean water, but it was nowhere close to being majestic. Maybe terrifying, grotesque, alien .
And it was enormous . Comparing it to a whale was the only apt description, but scale was sorely lacking. In this moment, it was bigger than anything she could fathom. Her mind could not conjure anything that captured the overwhelming presence of the creature. It towered forty meters in the air, pincers around its maw, long enough she thought it would bisect right through her in one motion.
Then there were its pincers. Like those of a praying mantis, she could only imagine what horror and destruction it could create with them. It was not inconceivable to see her entire squad wiped out in one fell swoop.
She couldn’t find its eyes, nothing that would let her evaluate its mental state. Shepard knew though. It only had one thought: devour.
She watched as one of her soldiers was devoured when the creature slammed its mouth on top of him. It pulled back and shifted in the air, its blue tongue now dripping with red. Her eyes raked from the horror to where her other soldiers were scrambling away. Shepard screamed into her comm: “Back to base, now !”
Her marines ran. They made a beeline in the direction of camp, doing their best to maintain a serpentine as they went.
She didn’t run though, her head turning to where she last saw Franklin. She wasn’t prepared to see him sitting exactly where he had been stationed minutes ago. The only difference was his head turned with a wide-eyed expression toward the new, terror-inducing creature. Shepard slid along the rocks to where Franklin was. She pulled him up to standing, shaking him from his paralysis. “Franklin, get it together! We have to go!”
His eyes met hers and she saw the life come back into them. He shouldered his rifle and ran in the direction she was pointing, away from their rest position, but in the vague direction of base camp. Shepard and Franklin moved parallel to the other three marines, trying to divide the attention of the creature. Shepard pulled out her pistol and shot at the side of the creature before it sunk back into the ground. She hoped the creature would choose to pursue her and Franklin. She had plans A to Z cropping up in her head of how to keep herself and Franklin alive.
But when she looked to the rest of her squad, Shepard saw the creature burst from the ground only meters behind them, letting out a piercing scream. It was unlike anything she had ever heard. It scraped against her eardrums, reducing her thoughts to nothing. Her legs carried her forward, but it was only when the sound receded that she could feel the pistol in her hand. Before she could get off a shot at its backside, it sprayed a green liquid at her marines and she heard her soldier’s screams from hundreds of meters away.
The creature’s mouth crashed down around her people,and when it sunk back into the ground, they were gone.
Shepard looked to Franklin and she could see the emotions that were threatening to spill from his eyes. But he blinked them away as she pulled out her comm.
“Base, evacuate immediately .”
She breathed slowly. Her cabin felt too small. But where was she going to go? They were FTL at the moment, heading for their next destination.
“EDI, play All Eternity by Lifetimes.”
A soft, ambient track filtered through the cabin’s speakers as she tried to right herself. They were just memories.
Only now they were coloured by Cerberus entries. Shepard thought she understood the ramifications of what Toombs went through. But it never really hit. Before she could internalize it, Toombs was dead, shot in the head, and Dr. Wayne was whisked away to Council space.
But now it did. It clotheslined her.
They were experiments, something to observe. There were not humanity to these people, no matter the hints of remorse in their entries.
She ran a hand through her hair, the pain in her heart wanting a tether to the physical world.
She was reliving this. But it was worth it so someone knew. Someone could remember this the right way. Not with a statue. Not as some lost science experiment. Not as a failure of a lieutenant. No, it was none of those things. It was the slaughter of a marine unit by Cerberus.
But there was still guilt. Maybe she could’ve gotten Santiago or Franklin out. But, some of that guilt was now transformed into rage. Cold, terrible rage at Cerberus. At The Illusive Man. No matter what he said, it was his fault. She still needed them, she still saw the value in confronting the Collectors. But after that, she was out, done. They could not wipe out the red in their ledger with the blood of the Collectors.
Shepard got out of her chair. She walked down to her bedside table and opened the drawer. She was glad Anderson held on to this for her.
It was her medal from Akuze. She traced the bronze with her thumb, barely remembering the ceremony itself. She closed her eyes. Before they went through the relay, a visit to Akuze was in the cards. They deserved more than just that statue from her.
She opened her eyes and went back to her computer. There were still entries left.
*****
Entry #30: July 29, 2177
I looked at the footage.
Video footage has been uploaded with commentary and written notes. Ensure those reviewing understand that it is gruesome.
However, it yields interesting data on thresher maw aggression.
<Attached: 002threshermawAllianceattack.2177.07.29.vid; last accessed: December 30, 2178>
The moment she got back to camp, Shepard knew that there was a slim chance anyone survived.
It was silent.
Nothing made a sound. They were stopped at the entrance to camp, checking their guns and sending comms. All that she heard was static on the other side. Shepard grimaced, looking at Franklin. He had collected himself over the run back to camp. There was no trace of emotion, his face hardened against the uncertainty that they now faced. She met his green eyes and tried to give him the sense that they were in this together. He was not alone. And neither was she.
They moved forward, unable to preserve the silence. Their footsteps echoed through camp. The tents were deserted and as they rounded the corner, they saw what had become of her marines.
The ground was jagged, cut through. A path carved through the middle of the base and there were several entrance and exit holes. Body parts laid strewn around them.
Shepard had faced death. Her childhood was filled with close calls and empty stomachs. But, this was more than just death. It was carnage, unnecessary slaughter.
She checked off 'violent', 'aggressive', and 'kills for the fun of it' on the list of terrible traits this creature had.
"Look for survivors, Franklin."
"Ma'am--"
She silenced him with a look. "That's an order."
Picking her way through the camp, she started to catalog the people that she knew were gone. A face here, a chunk of personalized armour there. She kneeled in one section, pulling a dog tag from around a headless torso. Corporal Tyson Wilder.
She tightened her grip on the dog tag. There was no version of this mission where she wanted any of her marines to die, not even the assholes. Despite the vitriol Wilder had for her, he was still her soldier. She wanted to win him over, show him that she was right for the job, deserving of her rank.
Was it a little romantic of her? Yes.
But did she want to prove to someone that she was worth it? Hell yes.
Shepard pocketed the dog tag, moving on to other high density areas of camp. The mess tent was torn and boulders collapsed half of it. She maneuvered through the open slit and saw food strewn everywhere.
They had been in the middle of dinner.
Her eyes scanned, her brain catalogued, but her heart was checked out. Her muscles knew the protocol for if marines died on mission, but the rest of her could not bare to be present.
Out of her depth. That was what she was. Shepard had no intel, no indication of where the pioneer team went and her marines were decimated and scattered to the wind.
Still, she needed to keep moving. There was no benefit to standing still.
She couldn't dwell on what was here. Not here and not now. She still had a soldier under her charge. He had to make it out. And they had to tell Alliance about what was out here. Knowledge of these things needed to get off-world. Who knew how many planets had monsters like this lying in wait?
“EDI?”
“Yes, Commander?”
“Do you have any information on the trial of Dr. Wayne?”
A moment passed as Shepard assumed EDI parsed the extranet for data. She moved from her chair to stand against her fish tank, waiting for something good to come out of this whole evening.
“Dr. Wayne has testified against Cerberus in an Alliance courtroom. Deliberations are underway on the action that can be attempted against Cerberus as an organization and if there is a single, identifiable person to hold accountable. Dr. Wayne has been granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for this cooperation with the Alliance.”
“ Damnit .” Shepard clenched her fist. Fury coursed through her. She hadn’t ever been this mad for Akuze. Sad, perhaps. Guilty, definitely. But, anger? The only thing to have been angry about was a wild animal. Now…
She took a step and her fist met the column that held her glass display of models. The sound of the pound of her knuckles against the metal reverberated around the room. Blue energy flared around her fist, the emotions within her triggering her biotics. When Shepard moved her hand, there was no cracks even though she felt like she was splitting.
“Commander, you’re bleeding. Should I call Dr. Chakwas?”
Shepard looked down at her fist, seeing the red run down her knuckles. She shook her head, before speaking, looking up at the ceiling. “No, EDI. I’ll—I’ll be fine.”
“I am to inform Operative Lawson of any damage done to the ship, structurally or aesthetically.”
“I don’t think I damaged—EDI, blood smeared on metal doesn’t count.”
“My protocols are clear, Commander.”
“Don’t inform Miranda. I want—I need to be alone right now.”
There was a longer silence than Shepard anticipated.
“Very well, Shepard.”
Holding a towel to her hand, Shepard returned to the files, noting that only a few remained. Soon she would be through.
And then what?
*****
Entry #31: July 29, 2177
We’ve tried to locate other members of the Alliance marines. It has been difficult as the thresher maw’s behaviour has been erratic. Dr. Wayne tells me that he jerry-rigged a drone to inject its own venom into itself. I, personally, don’t know why he would do that, but perhaps it is to determine potential weapons against the creatures. No matter his reasoning, the thresher maw’s reactions are hard to determine at this point.
As far as we can tell, there are two survivors. We intercepted an out-bound transmission for Alliance space and are aware that they are requesting evac.
Our location here is well-hidden so there are no precautions that we need to take to safeguard our experiment.
Our Alliance subject is still recovering, but we anticipate an injection of thresher maw toxin within the next few days. We still hold out hope that our scouts will find marines at attack sites. A few more subjects will allow our experiment to hold scientific weight and yield greater results.
We hope the humans that given their lives here will allow more to survive.
“Lieutenant, I think I’ve got Santiago!”
The comm was loud in her ear, but Shepard did not care. She bolted out of the mess tent, pockets weighed down with the dog tags she could find.
“Location?”
“Communications.”
Shepard ran across the camp, sliding to an area that was relatively free of debris. She pushed through the flap and saw Franklin’s hand on Santiago’s face. It was gentle, stroking the communication officer’s cheek. Shepard looked away giving them a moment to realize that she was standing right there.
“Lieutenant! Santiago, she’s…well, she’s at least alive, ma’am.”
Shepard’s gaze returned to Santiago and she rushed over, pulling out medi-gel.
“Don’t bother, LT. Save it for you or Franklin.” Santiago looked very pale.
“No giving up, Santiago,” she replied, noting the blood seeping out from her armour. “How did you get here?”
A cough racked Santiago’s body and Shepard saw Franklin’s hand squeeze on the woman’s shoulder. “It attacked during dinner service. I was in the mess. Heard Commander yell something but then there was a lot of shaking…” Another cough, this time blood dribbled down her chin. “Woke up to screaming. Still felt shaking. I knew…I knew, I had to get something out to Alliance. I thought you...Franklin were dead.”
Shepard admired her determination. The finest soldier she ever had the chance to work with.
“Requested evac?”
Santiago let out a shuddering breath. “Yes, ma’am. Before power was gone.”
Shepard looked at Franklin who gave her a pleading look. She wished he could give him the reassurance he needed.
“LT?”
“Yes, Santiago?”
“Can you...a favour? Make sure Franklin...lives? He...wants to visit Germany.”
Shepard nodded, giving her a weak smile. “Absolutely, Operations Chief.”
She saluted her soldier—her friend—and walked out of the communications tent. Shepard could see that Franklin needed to stay beside her, til the end.
Closing her eyes, Shepard ran through the possibilities, the scenarios of getting her, Franklin and whoever else they could find off of this damn planet. Evac should arrive within the next twenty-four hours. They needed space to land a shuttle near their drop point. Shepard had flares they could set-up when evac sent out short-wave communications. They could try and stay hidden, but she had no idea how to hide from these things.
She opened her eyes, hearing soft sobs from the tent behind her. Five minutes, that was all he could give him. Then they had to move. Find survivors. And then do something that felt a lot easier, hours ago: survive.
The hours blurred together as Shepard and Santiago trekked to the drop point they had come from days ago.
Shepard kept her eyes out for any of her marines. But it was futile. There was nothing beyond the first mile out from the camp. Perhaps the monster had moved on. Perhaps her and Franklin were in the clear.
When they reached the drop point, it was deserted, only marked by a lone, blinking red light. The hope that Xiao would be waiting for them here was so stupid. Shepard shook her head looking at Franklin.
“Here’s as good a place as any.”
Franklin nodded, his face like stone. “Do we set up anything?”
“I don’t think so. Want to be able to move in case something gets up on us. Take turns on watch so we can get some shut-eye?”
Franklin was silent for a moment. “Don’t think I’m getting any sleep tonight, ma’am.”
“You and me both. And drop the ma’am. Just Shepard. It’s just us now.” She placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly before sitting on the ground against a low rock.
“Alright…Shepard.”
“Good.”
The hours passed by. They talked about home for a little bit. They talked about first loves and recent loves. It was the first time in her time in the military that she really got to know her fellow soldier. And she liked him. Franklin was a good man, not just a good soldier.
It was the middle of the night when static came up on their radios. Neither of them had been asleep, but they were both silent. Night was always more deadly, at least it always seemed like it.
“This is Alliance shuttle Kodiak F3-7. Responding to evac request. Identify landing zone.”
Shepard quickly radioed back. “This is Lieutenant Serenity Shepard. Heavy casualties. Unknown, deadly fauna. Unable to provide exact coordinates. Can identify by flares. Near previous drop point.”
“Copy. Send up flare.”
She motioned at Franklin who pulled the flare from her bag. In a moment the flare was lit and sent rocketing into the air.
“Identified. ETA 3 minutes.”
Shepard let out a sigh of relief as Franklin pumped a fist to the sky.
It was a minute later that the shaking started. Franklin looked wide-eyed at her. She pushed him forward, sending a comm to the shuttle that they should land a kilometer away from the flare sighting.
And they ran.
Shepard pulled out her pistol as the creature crested above the ground behind them. It was still a distance away, but she started unloading lead into it. There was no indication that the bullets hit, but it felt good. She caught up with Franklin and they spotted the Alliance shuttle hovering just above the ground.
The creature was still gaining.
It was so close.
Shepard kicked it into high-gear. “C’mon Franklin, give it everything you got!”
Her legs pumped as the sweat dripped down her face and her core screamed at her to stop moving. They were almost there. They were so close—
“Shepard!”
Franklin disappeared from view. She heard his collision with the rocky surface of the planet and the shuddering cry of the creature. Sliding to a stop, Shepard watched as…
Shepard watched as its maw burst…
Its maw burst…
She was on the ground. Her chair kicked away, knocked onto its side. Shepard did not remember her shaking legs or the sudden urge to hide. She was underneath her desk, legs tucked up against her chest. She closed her eyes not wanting to see the last of her marines die.
The one she promised to keep safe.
What a stupid promise.
And yet she made it. And promptly broke it.
The vids would tell you that Shepard was the final survivor of Akuze. That against all odds she survived. And that was true, she survived. But it wasn’t glorious or romantic. It was fucking hard.
The vids would also tell you that Lieutenant Shepard killed that thresher maw. She stood her ground against the monstrosity, waiting until the last second to send a powerful biotic blast down its throat and into its vulnerable flesh. And while part of that is true, no one really knew what went down there. The Alliance pilot was in-shock and didn’t fully remember the event.
Only Shepard knew.
Only she knew that she dropped to the ground, unwilling to go on, wanting to go down with her unit. She was distraught and terrified and angry. But, something in her wanted to live. It released that biotic blast. And she lived. To save someone else. To make up for all the people that she let down.
She had proven herself during that mission. Her life had fallen into place. She was invited to N School where she outdid herself. She became the first human Spectre.
She just wished her worth wasn't built on the bodies of her dead marines.