Alex, still seated, watches Joker maneuver the Normandy ever closer to Eden Prime.
"Ever been to Eden Prime, Alex?" Kaidan asks curiously.
"Yes. It's a nice, peaceful colony… very boring, though. A good place to retire, I guess," Alex replies.
"It's kind of surprising to find something as rare as a Prothean beacon out there, now that I think about it," Kaidan notes.
Alex shakes his head. "You've got it backwards. Those are exactly the kinds of places where something like that turns up. All the well-known, central locations have already been picked clean of secrets and fossils."
"I guess that makes sense," Kaidan admits.
"Guys… this is looking bad. I'm getting weird signals here—lots of emergency messages. I need to contact the Captain," Joker says, his voice slightly panicked.
"Captain! We've got a problem—transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You better see this," Joker says through the communication channels..
At the same time, Alex sees a woman he immediately recognizes—Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams—fighting alongside other Alliance officers. They're being overwhelmed by Geth combat drones. In the distance, a massive, terrifying ship hovers above the battlefield, shaped like a colossal, chitin-like hand with a lot of added tentacles and a hard outer shell.
A Reaper… Sovereign. I knew this was coming, but still… seeing it firsthand is something else. How can any normal person ever stand against that? The Reapers really are terrifying.
"We'd better get ready," Alex mutters, already moving to equip his gear. He quickly fits into his [Heavy Onyx Armor], slots in his [Bluewire Tool], and readies his [Stiletto Pistol].
His [Heavy Onyx Armor] functions similarly to a powersuit, able to be equipped in a dedicated slot, worn over his regular equipment. As soon as he puts it on, a glance at his partial status display confirms the changes:
Alex Kerber: Lvl 6
HP: 373/373, MP: 373/373 AURA: 263/263 SHIELDS: 120/120
Shields should regenerate quickly, making them a strong first line of defense—essentially extra, rapidly replenishable HP.
His [Executioner's Blade R2] remains securely strapped to his back, thanks to the system subtly adjusting his equipment for compatibility.
His other weapons—[Magoroth's Legacy R2] and [Enchanted Runeblade]—are still equipped through the system, providing their passive bonuses. But since he isn't wearing them directly, he'll need to pull them from his inventory if he wants to use them in battle.
As the rest of the crew receives the footage from Eden Prime, panic begins to spread through the Normandy.
"This is terrible!"
"What is this ship?! Am I dreaming?!"
"The colony looks devastated! Are there any survivors?!"
"We need to escape!"
"Escape?! Are you stupid? I have family on Eden Prime! I was born there! We have to do something!" Jenkins yells, his voice shaking in rage.
"Jenkins, calm down!" Shepard says sharply, stepping out of the comm room.
"We have our orders. Get ready for deployment. Jenkins, Alenko—you're with me," she commands.
"Commander… I saw combat drones in the footage. Take me with you—I have a way of dealing with them," Alex says, locking eyes with her.
"Can you follow my commands without questioning them?" she asks, skepticism flashing across her face.
"Yes, Commander!" Alex responds at full volume.
"Fine. Kerber, you're coming with us. I'll trust you this once—don't make me regret it!" she barks, already moving.
The group assembles quickly. Nihlus is already at the landing bay.
"You're not coming with us, Nihlus?" Kaidan asks, clearly confused.
"I move faster on my own," Nihlus answers flatly, jumping onto the ground, before the ship lifts off again.
The Normandy, meanwhile, descends to a second landing point. Anderson's voice comes over the comms.
"Your task is to secure the Beacon. Go straight to the dig site. Nihlus will feed you intel as he scouts ahead. Save as many civilians as you can, but the Beacon is your top priority. We don't know what's happening down there—so be careful!"
Shepard, Jenkins, Kaidan, and Alex deploy from the Normandy, which lifts off the moment they touch down.
Alex quickly evaluates his squadmates. Kaidan is armed only with a standard pistol. Shepard and Jenkins carry the same pistol, but also have Alliance-issue assault rifles. Shepard wears N7 Onyx armor, though hers is Medium variety—offering more mobility but sacrificing some defense, compared to his own.
With Shepard in the lead, they move out—surrounded at first by grass and trees. The dig site lies further ahead, buried in a rocky, elevated region. This landing zone is one of the only viable points of entry that allow the Normandy to land.
As they move forward, Kaidan spots strange, puffy, floating creatures and points. "What the hell are those?"
"Gas bags," Jenkins replies. "They're harmless. Eden Prime has tons of them."
Heh… I always used to test my pistol on these things for that achievement. I better not screw around now. Shepard will probably get angry.
The group advances quickly—only to find a couple of charred corpses. Their clothing and gear have been melted into slag. The bodies are burned beyond recognition.
They reach open ground with no real cover, aside from a few flat rocks in sight. Shepard approaches carefully and signals Jenkins to scout ahead.
Shit—this is it?! Already?! I need to save him!
Alex rushes forward, sprinting toward Jenkins just in time to spot several Geth Recon Drones appearing in the distance and opening fire on Jenkins.
Jenkins is caught in the crossfire, his shields breaking under the barrage as energy blasts slam into his chest.
Alex lunges forward, crashing into Jenkins and dragging him to the ground, using his own body as a shield.
You have received 22 damage (blocked by shields)
You have received 21 damage (blocked by shields)
You have received 26 damage (blocked by shields)
The impacts worry Alex, but his shields hold—for now, as he quickly reacts. He hauls Jenkins behind a small rock, barely large enough to provide cover, where the two of them quickly lie down. Jenkins is pale and clearly in pain, trembling from the shock.
The drones move to flank them, trying to move behind the rock, but Shepard and Kaidan act just in time—emerging from the back. Both unleash a Warp, tearing through one of the drones, then open fire with their assault rifle and pistol.
Alex also rolls to the left, firing his new [Stiletto Pistol]. His first three shots miss the small drones, but his fourth and fifth hit—one drone is immediately destroyed, while another one is heavily damaged by his heavy pistol. These recon drones, lacking shield generators, are unable to tank more than a few shots.
You have dealt 75 damage to Geth Recon Drone
You have destroyed Geth Recon Drone
You have dealt 61 damage to Geth Recon Drone
Two final drones appear, but Shepard activates her omni-tool, unleashing Overload—almost invisible electricity arcs through the air until a large electric shock appears directly next to the drones, blasting both targets. One explodes instantly, while the other falters in the air. Shepard lands a precise shot with her pistol, blowing it apart.
"Jenkins!" Kaidan shouts, rushing over. He activates his own omni-tool and administers a dose of Medi-gel to the wounded soldier, who is trembling and gasping in pain.
"Commander! He barely made it. He's alive, but he's in no condition to continue."
"Jenkins! Return to the drop point and hide yourself!" Shepard orders.
"I can still fight…" Jenkins stammers.
"You can't even walk properly! Shut up and follow your orders, soldier. I expect you to use every last bit of strength to crawl back to the drop point and wait for help," she snaps, her glare locking him in place, unable to talk back.
"…Yes, Commander…" he mumbles, head lowered, clearly ashamed and disappointed. Slowly, he begins crawling away, dragging himself along the dirt.
"Let's move. Alenko, Kerber—we're out of time! Also, Kerber, nice reactions."
"Yes, Commander," Alex and Kaidan shout in unison, quickly following her lead.
You have saved an important character: Richard L. Jenkins. His fate has been permanently altered.
You have obtained 3 Units of World Particles.
Three World Particles—nice. But more importantly… this Shepard is ridiculous. Medium armor, assault rifles, Biotics, and Tech skills? She's basically a cheat character.
Leaving behind the wide, open terrain, the group enters a small forest with unnaturally thick trees. Alex notices more burned corpses, along with some scattered supplies near one of them.
To his surprise, he manages to find and pick up a datapad, along with 3 [Omnigel] and 3 [Medigel]. The system automatically converts the datapad into credits, causing him to smile.
You have received 1600 Credits
"Grab anything useful, but don't fall behind!" Shepard shouts while collecting supplies of her own.
They push deeper through the woods, only to encounter two more Geth Recon Drones.
Alex casts Thunder on one of them, lightning exploding on impact and instantly destroying the drone.
You have dealt 43 x 2 = 86 damage to Geth Recon Drone
You have destroyed Geth Recon Drone
Thunder dealt double damage? Are mechs and Geth vulnerable to it? Good to know. I'll make use of that.
Shepard and Kaidan take out the second drone with a coordinated attack, blasting it apart with precise shots fired from their pistols.
"Alex, have you already modified your new omni-tool? That didn't look like an Overload—it looked almost like magic," Kaidan asks, clearly surprised.
"That wasn't Overload," Shepard adds. "I don't care what tricks you're hiding—can you use that Tech consistently?"
"Yes, Commander. I can even use a stronger version. You can count on me," Alex replies confidently.
Shepard nods before turning around.
They move quickly through the trees and come across a soldier in white-and-red armor. She's frantically retreating, sliding onto the ground and shooting down several Geth drones before they can land a hit.
Ahead, a horrifying sight comes into view—human-shaped robots. Their heads are long and narrow, vaguely snake-like, with glowing lights where eyes should be. Tubes and armored plating cover their mechanical bodies, making them look heavily reinforced.
The three approach and watch in shock as the Geth grab human survivors, forcing them onto strange platforms. With a sickening mechanical sound, a spike suddenly shoots upward—impaling the victims and killing them instantly, trapping their corpses on top of the spikes.
"Geth!" Alex shouts.
"Help her! Take them down!" Shepard commands, already charging forward. Alex follows without hesitation.
The Geth advance, their special rifles firing plasma-like bolts at the team. Alex moves fast, weaving behind rocks for partial cover as he closes the distance.
Reaching one of the Geth, Alex activates Thunder Sword. The Geth in front of him projects a large energy shield in response.
But the empowered [Executioner's Blade R2] slices right through it, cutting the machine clean in two. White fluid sprays from its damaged body as the synthetic components flicker with unstable energy and finally stop functioning.
You have dealt 122 + 54 x 2 = 230 damage to Geth Trooper
You have destroyed Geth Trooper
Alex ducks behind another rock for cover, observing the aftermath. The broken Geth twitches once before shutting down entirely.
Meanwhile, Shepard and Kaidan activate Overload, blasting apart enemy shields. They follow up with Warp—a powerful biotic attack that destabilizes mass effect fields—shredding the machines down to the frame.
Shepard then uses another biotic ability, Throw, slamming a Geth into a boulder with enough force to break it apart.
Alex spots two Geth firing at Kaidan—neither of them shielded anymore. He activates Ren and closes the distance, his [Executioner's Blade R2] enhanced by Shu.
The sword cleaves through both enemies in one swing. One loses its head, the other its arm—though Alex's blade gets stuck in the ground.
Without hesitation, Alex releases the grip and spins.
You have dealt 111 damage to Geth Trooper
You have destroyed Geth Trooper
You have dealt 41 damage to Geth Trooper
You have crippled Geth Trooper (left arm)
He immediately activates Mustrano's Malice Mauler, channels his aura into it with Ko, and drives his claw straight into the Geth's head, piercing into it.
You have dealt 101 damage to Geth Trooper
You have destroyed Geth Trooper
With no more enemies nearby, Alex, Shepard, and Kaidan approach the woman—still on the ground, catching her breath after the fight.
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