Mass Effect: Promise

A small shuttle landed at the front of the Purgatory Bar in the late afternoon. Various patrons shared curious glances before a turian Spectre dressed in black and red stepped out. Casually making his way through the crowd he entered Purgatory. The usual blaring music barely distracted the turian as looked around for his target.  

    It took a minute of wandering and scanning the area but he finally spotted who he was looking for. A human male of about 23 years of age was sitting at the bar and chatting it up with the bartender. A small group of Alliance Marines was also gathered around, listening to him. “-so I threw the Avenger away, it was shot. I picked up the nearest Lancer and nailed an ugly batarian right between the eyes before regrouping with the squad.” The bartender, ironically a batarian replied sarcastically, “Which pair?”

    The group laughed and the human boy raised his glass to the bartender. “Good one. Sorry if I was a little insensitive there.” Taking the man’s glass, the batarian replied, “It’s alright. Just remember not all batarians are a fan of the Hegemony. If you ask me, they’re a bunch of self-serving assholes.” A resounding ‘here, here’ answered him. The turian smiled, relieved to see at least some peace in the Galaxy. He chose this moment to approach the human. “Commander Shepard?”

    Benjamin Shepard turned around to face him. The human was of a fairly impressive height and a tanned complexion. Shepard’s features were broad, his hair was brown and brushed back, and slight stubble covered his face. Shepard’s eyes were a deep green and had a focused look to them. “Something I can help you with?” The Spectre extended his hand to Shepard. “I’m Nihlus Kryik, a Council Spectre. I’d like a word with you...” Nihlus looked at the Marines. “In private.”

    Shepard nodded and said to the other marines. “I’ll catch up with you guys later.” As the group dispersed, Nihlus led him to a quieter corner of the bar. “I’ve heard good things about you, Shepard. Your actions on Elysium have gotten you quite a reputation.” Shepard shrugged. “Yeah, it makes for good stories. But I’m just a soldier doing my job.” He gestured to Nihlus and followed up with, “What does a Spectre want with me, though?” Reminded of why he was here Nihlus pulled out a datapad and handed it to Shepard. “You’re aware that your Alliance has established a colony on Akuze, I take it.” Shepard nodded. “Yeah. But they’re still in development aren’t they?”

    “Indeed. I’m here because contact was lost with the colony 36 hours ago. I want you to accompany me to Akuze to aid the unit of Alliance Marines sent to investigate what happened.” Shepard handed the datapad back to Nihlus. “I’ll have to ask my superiors, Nihlus. I’m assigned to pursue an offensive against the criminals who attacked Elysium. The Alliance thinks that batarian leaders funded the attack.” Nihlus already knew this and had taken care of it.

    “I already talked with your CO, and he granted me permission to take you to Akuze.” The pair emerged from Afterlife and Nihlus went back to his shuttle. “I will be expecting you at the docks within the next hour.” The doors opened, but before the Spectre went inside he turned back to Shepard one last time. “You should know, Shepard: I had another reason to bring you along.” Shepard folded his arms and replied quizzically, “What reason is that?” Nihlus tossed the datapad back to Shepard. “Your brother, Samuel Shepard. He’s one of the marines investigating the colony, so I want to review the two of you in action together.”

With that, Nihlus boarded his shuttle and left Shepard behind to consider his offer.

****

    The next day, Ben was onboard a turian frigate on its way to Akuze. Despite his doubts he had wished his little brother well when he was sent to the planet. Despite his relative lack of experience, Sam had proven a capable soldier in his own right when they were fighting on Elysium. And he was talented biotic, allowing him to level the playing field against various pirates and enemy soldiers. Investigating the blackout on a remote colony was nothing.

    Nihlus had ordered the crew to show the human hospitality, but Ben still found the crew giving him weird looks every now and then. Tensions from the First Contact War hadn’t exactly died down. After finishing his stale breakfast Ben joined Nihlus at the bridge. “How long before we reach Akuze?” Nihlus pulled up a map of the Milky Way, and Ben saw that they were within one or two light years of the planet. “We’ll be there soon, Shepard. Another Alliance ship has entered the system, contact them and ask for an update.”

    So Ben did just that and entered a vidcom room. He activated the vidcom and after a while an older Alliance soldier appeared. “Commander Shepard. I’m Captain David Anderson of the SSV Tokyo.” Ben had heard of Anderson as a capable leader, and he could understand why just by seeing him and hearing his voice. Anderson’s voice carried a rough edge to it and he carried himself as a commanding officer should. Ben saluted Anderson and remarked, “It’s an honor to meet you, sir.” Anderson surveyed Ben up and down with a look of approval. “It’s good to finally meet the hero of Elysium. I assume you’ve been filled in on the mission parameters?”

    The ‘hero of Elysium’? People actually call me that? “Yes I have, sir. But I’d rather avoid the fancy nicknames.” Anderson chuckled, “Just a few people are throwing that name around. I just thought I would give you a heads up if any loony fans come your way. Anyway, I’m on Akuze with my own squad right now. I’ll keep you posted.” Ben saluted again. “Thank you sir. And tell Sam I’ll be there soon.” The hologram of Anderson started to fade as the captain said, “Anderson out.”

    Exiting the vidcom Ben went to find Nihlus again. He found the Spectre at an observation deck, watching the stars. “Captain Anderson is reaching the planet before us. We’ll just have to rendezvous on the surface with them.” Nihlus kept looking out at space and commented, “It’s quite a sight isn’t it? I hope you don’t mind me asking, are your people as fascinated by the stars now as they were a hundred years ago?” This was a good question. Ben couldn’t speak for anybody else, but as a child he often looked up at the night sky and wondered what was out there.

    “I know I am. Seeing all this is one thing, but being able to go there... That’s something else entirely. I mean, a hundred years ago we were alone for all we knew. But I knew that couldn’t be true.” He laughed awkwardly and looked at Nihlus, living proof of just that. “Then we met your species. And look how that turned out. I don’t bear turians any grudge, but I know there are plenty who would love to see me dead.” Ben thought Nihlus was smiling, but he couldn’t be sure. “Be that as it may, I saw the potential in your kind even when facing you as an enemy.”

    Well that was flattering. Nihlus kept going, “And I was impressed by your brother as well. Are you comfortable with him going on missions without you?” It was silent for a few moments before Ben responded. “I worry about him. Sam was never cut out to be a soldier, growing up. He always let his emotions get in the way.” This did not seem to affect Nihlus. “Sometimes our emotions are what get us through the hardest of times, Shepard.” Ben with he could believe that. “Well, you don’t know Sam.”

    A chuckle came from Nihlus that irritated Ben just a little. “Don’t I? You had to bail him out after a fight he had with a young krogan when you were teenagers. Sam repaid the favor by saving you from a disgruntled gang member in London years later. And on Elysium he saved an entire family from a collapsing building while you rallied your troops.” The last part caught Ben off-guard. Sam never told him what happened when they were separated during the Blitz.

    “Wow. I was pretty pissed at him for leaving... He never told me. I’ll have to apologize when I see him again.” His nostalgia was interrupted when a turian rushed into the room. “Sir, we’ve received an urgent message from the Tokyo!” Nihlus and Ben rushed to the bridge. A fuzzy image of Anderson came into view onscreen. “Shepard? Shepard is that you?” Ben said quickly, “Yes, sir. What happened?” Although the feed was choppy, he could see that Anderson was visibly concerned. “The colony is safe, but something happened to the marines. The whole unit’s torn apart! Only one survivor.”

Ben heart dropped. “Torn apart? Anderson, what happened? Where’s Sam?” There was no answer for a few moments. Finally Anderson said, “You’d better get down here quickly.”

****

    A shuttle took Ben to where the Tokyo was docked, and he ran out of the door before he was even cleared. He barely even noticed that it was raining and slipped before entering the ship. Despite the stitch in his side and soldiers ordering him to halt, Ben raced through the Tokyo’ hallways to the elevator. Frantically he got in and waited to reach his destination. The door opened and before Ben could exit, a guard blocked his path. “Get out... Get out of my way!” The guard raised his pistol, not heeding his order. “Commander, I need you to calm down.”

    Even a gun pointed at him did not deter Ben, and he pressed himself as close as possible. “Where is he?!” The guard gestured to a hallway behind him. “I’ll escort you to him, but you have to regain your composure. Don’t worry, the soldier is still alive.” Ben was not in the mood to take his time, but he had very little choice. He was already out of breath, and ignoring or pushing away all security so far was bound to get him in trouble anyway. The guard took Ben to the sickbay, where a gray haired woman was waiting for him.

    “Commander. I’m Doctor Karin Chakwas. I was able to stabilize Samuel, but he is unconscious for now. I will have to ask that you not touch the patient until he is at least physically recovered.” She stepped aside and let Ben look at his little brother. Samuel Shepard lay on a table, naked from the waist up. He was shorter than Ben by a few inches and of a lighter build. Sam’s hair was trimmed shorter and he was clean-shaven, although he had much thicker eyebrows. However, the most glaring differences between him and Ben were his injuries.

    A thin cut went down the right side of Sam’s face, over his eyebrow and down his cheek. His eye was covered with a patch and was likely damaged as well. On Sam’s chest, a larger gash traveled from his collarbone to the ribs below. Both wounds had been applied with med-gel and were stitched up, but deep down Ben knew that neither would ever fully heal on their own. Many smaller burns, bruises and scrapes covered him, but none of them were as serious.

    An increasingly numb feeling was spreading through Ben, and as hard as he tried he couldn’t shake it off or look away from the terrible sight in front of him. Ben’s mouth was dry but he asked anyway, “When will he wake up?” Chakwas examined the data collected at her desk. “It’s hard to say. Young Shepard was in shock when he was brought on board, and he lost a good deal of blood. But I think he may wake up within the next 12 hours or so. In the meantime, I need to file my report.”

    Still in a daze, Ben left the sickbay with the guard and met Anderson in the hall. “Shepard. You feeling alright?” Ben’s ears were burning and he looked at Anderson with a scowl. “What do you think? Sam almost died, and even if he survives this he probably won’t be the same ever again. What the hell happened down there?” He was lead by Anderson to the bridge as the captain explained. “The marine unit he was a part of managed to re-establish contact with the colony on Akuze. Everything was going fine until a Thresher Maw attacked. The unit took some casualties, but they were able to kill the creature. That wasn’t the end though, and two more Thresher Maws emerged and massacred the unit.

We found young Shepard making his way to the landing zone, bleeding and half-crazed. He passed out while we were getting him onboard.”

    Ben was outraged. “If the colony’s safe, why didn’t they help the marines? Why couldn’t they get them out of there?!” Anderson raised his hand to silence Ben. “The colony’s leaders are denying any knowledge of the attack. I requested that the Alliance investigate what happened; if there was any knowledge of a Thresher Maw presence on the planet.”

Ben listened in silence. Anderson had done all he could for now, but he could barely contain his frustration. If the Alliance had been more careful, there wouldn’t have had to be an investigation! And Sam wouldn’t have been scarred and likely traumatized down there.

    “Shepard, you still with me?” Ben snapped back to reality and stammered, “Y-yes, Anderson. I... I just need some time alone.” The older officer put his hand on Ben’s shoulder. “He’s going to be alright, Ben.”

Is he?

****

Blood... Rain... Screams...

His armor was ripped open and his weapons were gone as he staggered away from the wreckage of a Mako...

The soldier reached a rocky outcrop and hid before the monster could spot him. It took all his strength just to stay conscious...

He took off his helmet and cried out as the rain stung his wounded face...

A bright light surrounded him as the man collapsed and heard a voice yelling, “Hang in there, soldier!”

A strong grip lifted him up and far off he heard somebody shout for a medic before everything went black...

    Sam woke with a start in a cold, dimly lit room. He sat up and looked around. Sam’s vision was blurred; he couldn’t make everything out clearly. There was nobody else in the room with him. What was he doing here? Suddenly the image of a gigantic Thresher Maw flashed back into his mind and he shouted in terror. Sam blinked, trying to get the memory out of his head as he sat up. His legs were shaky but Sam managed to stand up straight and wander around the room. It looked like the sickbay of a ship. Probably Alliance. A sharp pain suddenly shot through Sam’s ribs, and caused him to keel over against the wall. “What the f***...”

    He looked down at his chest and flashed back to the crash of the Mako. Sam had sustained a wound on his chest in the explosion, and apparently somebody had stitched him up while he was out. Sam blinked again, but his vision was still blurry. So why can’t I see clearly? He reached up to feel his head, and with a creeping sense of horror he felt stitches. Despite fearing what he might find Sam kept running his fingers up his right cheek, following the stitches until he reached his eye. A small patch was covering it, but he could feel a dull pain meaning his eye wasn’t entirely gone.

    Where am I? Sam went to the door and tried to open it. It wouldn’t budge? “Hello? H-hello? Is anybody there?” Sam tried looking around the room, but he was the only one. None of the other marines from Akuze were in the sickbay with him. “I’m all that’s left...” The memories and images from the massacre came back in full force now; The mangled body of the Mako’s driver, dozens of marines being crushed or eaten alive right in front of him, blood dripping from the gaping wound in his chest with every step he took...

    It was all too much, and Sam fell to his knees on the cold metal floor while shaking uncontrollably. He barely even noticed the doors opening and a woman in a doctor’s uniform running in. “Shepard! Shepard you need to relax!” He looked up and saw an older woman looking down at him with two guards flanking her. One of them looked almost like Sara, another marine. But Sara’s dead, she was split in half right above me. I’m covered with her blood right now! Sam held up his hands and a blue shockwave sent the guards and the doctor into the wall. “GET AWAY!” He stumbled to his feet and tried to run.

    “SAM!” The shocked young soldier stopped dead in his tracks. Turning around, Sam saw Ben standing in the doorway. “You’re... you’re here?” Ben walked over and took him by the shoulders. “Sam, it’s me. It’s Ben!” This almost didn’t register with Sam, but he tried to slow down his breathing and say something. “I... B-Be.. Ben. I’m sorry... I tried... I’m sorry...” He couldn’t even form a whole sentence before Ben wrapped him in a tight hug. “No, Sam. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. But I’m here now. Just... just calm down.” The doctor and the soldiers stood by quietly; giving the two moment while Sam began to cry into his brother’s shoulder.

****

2 DAYS LATER

    Sam tried his best to sit still as Dr. Chakwas removed his stitches. She paused, asking him, “If this hurts, just let me know. I’ll try to be more careful, Shepard.” He shook his head. “It’s fine, Doctor. Trust me, I’ve been through worse.” The embarrassed look on Chakwas’ face was almost funny. “Of course. Stupid of me.” She finished up, putting her tools down and standing him up. “Try your best not to aggravate the scars. They may ache for some time.”

    Sam took a brief look at his reflection in the window before dressing. The wound on his chest had become an ugly scar and a thin white line traveled down his face. Luckily, Sam’s eye was not too badly damaged; only slightly discolored. “Thank you, Doctor.” He exited the Tokyo and saw they were back on the Citadel. Furthermore, Sam was rather surprised to see Captain Anderson waiting for him outside. “Captain? What’re you doing here?” Anderson gestured Sam to walk with him answering, “I just wanted to see how you’re holding up, Shepard. You went through hell down there.”

    He escorted Sam back to the Wards. “I’m going to have to head off soon, I’m afraid. But before I go I want to ask you something.” Sam shrugged. “Go ahead, sir.” Anderson seemed to shift uncomfortable for a second before saying, “I’m aware your unit and CO were killed on Akuze. What’s more, I have been looking for new recruits to my ship. Most soldiers would have died or gone insane after what you went through, Shepard. But you came through in one piece. You were bruised and bloodied, but you proved yourself one of the best damn soldiers I’ve ever known. I need that kind of determination. I’m asking you to join my crew, Shepard.”

    Sam had no words. This wasn’t just any old soldier trying to capitalize Ben’s fame. Based on everything he had read Anderson was a good leader in his own right, and more than that he had saved Sam’s life. It would take a long time for Sam to recover from what happened, if he ever did. But serving under Anderson wasn’t a bad start. Sam saluted and replied, “It would be an honor, Captain.” Anderson smiled in response and saluted back. “I’ll give you some time to get yourself together. Let me know when you’re ready to go back into the fray, son.”

He walked away, leaving Sam feeling a little more than humbled. The young soldier straightened himself up and headed for Purgatory Bar.

Before going out again, the first thing Sam needed was a good, strong drink.

****

    Nihlus and Ben watched Sam catch a ride on the transit. “Where do you think he is going, Shepard?” Ben shook his head; he had not gotten much sleep within the past couple of days. “The closest bar, most likely. I should probably go with him.” Nihlus nodded, “Of course. I should be going too. I’m... sorry about all of this.” Ben turned to Nihlus and put his hand on the turian’s shoulder. “Don’t be. You at least tried to help. I’m glad I just didn’t find out some other way.” Rubbing the bridge of his nose Ben confessed, “I was scared, Nihlus. Sam could have died down there and there was nothing I could do to save him.”

    He was clapped on the back by Nihlus who replied, “But he didn’t. He’s still here, and he has you to look after him. Take some comfort in that.” The two shook hands before Nihlus walked away. Ben couldn’t make out what Nihlus was saying, but he thought he saw the Spectre talk into an earpiece muttering, “...candidacy put off for now. They both need time to recover...” Whatever that meant, Ben wasn’t even going to try and guess. Right now all he cared about was finding Sam and keeping him out of trouble. Going to a bar when likely suffering post-traumatic stress wasn’t going to turn out well. And even after that, Ben was going to keep looking out for him.

    I won’t let anything like this happen you again, Sam. I promise.