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Kepler Verge
September 17th, 2205

21 people sat in the transport shuttle bound for the Basic Training camp. All nine of the recruits from the London base plus eleven more recruits plus a drill sergeant sat in relative silence. The shuttle rocked and shuddered for the hundredth time. The motion didn't bother Ashton more than it would bother any normal person. What came next, as it had each time before however, was starting too.

“Use the damn inertia dampeners,” muttered Robert. “It's what they're for.”

Ashton chuckled in spite of his slight irritation. Robert never could let slipshod piloting go without at least one critique. He looked over to his immediate left at his friend. His brow creased in annoyance at the apparent incompetence of the shuttle's pilot.

“Has it occurred to you,” Ashton asked smugly, “ that he's doing this on purpose to keep us off balance?”

“I have,” Robert gritted out. “That possibility just pisses me off.”

“Are you sure you're not just angry because the pilot's found a way to get under your skin?”

“There's NO excuse for piss poor flying Ashton,” Robert snapped. “He's killing this beautiful bird and if he crashes her, he better hope the wreck kills one or both of us or else I'll hunt him down.”

Ashton's reply was cut off by another rock of the shuttle. Before Robert could mutter anything however, the Krogan on his left slumped against him again. Robert groaned and set about budging the sleeping mountain of scales back over to his own seat.

“Ahh now I get it,” Ashton gloated watching his friend wrestle the Krogan out of his personal space. “You're just grumpy from sharing your seat.”

Robert shot him an eat shit and die look.

“YOU try sitting next to a sedated Krogan Ash. It's NOT fun.”

“Oh my, sitting next to a Krogan. I can't possibly imagine what you're going through.”

Ashton and Robert look around to the Krogan's other side at the sarcastic quip. Irikah is gazing at them with dry annoyance. Ashton and Robert stifle laughter at the site. Irikah is sandwiched between the Krogan on Robert's left and the one on her's. She is being used as a pillow for the second Krogan. Drool marks can be seen all over her left shoulder, staining her brand new cadet uniform.

She locks eyes with Robert.

“You must be suffering SO much you poor thing,” She says dryly.

As she says this, the shuttle rocks yet again and Krogan number 1 falls on her right shoulder. Irikah is now being snuggled on two sides by drooling sleeping Krogan. Her face is deadly blank and Ashton can tell she's weighing the consequences of a court marshal.

“Everything alright cadets?”

The question draws the three's gaze to the far right where the drill sergeant is seated. He's grinning like a fool and clearly enjoying the predicament.

“Yes sir,” reply all three.

He laughs.

“Speak freely cadets.”

“Well sir,” Ashton jumps in. “I'm pretty sure Irikah is seriously considering bodily harm to her friends, and Robert seems hell bent on killing the pilot on the grounds of shuttle neglect.”

The drill sergeant chuckled. Then pounded the hull.

“Charlie kill the rocking! You're tossing the Krogan like salad and I don't think they'll make it planet side if you keep it up.”

“Fine,” came the suffering reply of the pilot.

The shuttle smoothed out and Irikah unceremoniously shoved both Krogan off of her. Robert helps her straighten the one between them. Ashton and the DS just chuckled.

“Be grateful they're sedated you two. Krogan do NOT fly well awake.”

“Hey Bru,” came the pilot's voice.”We're 5 minutes out from the LZ. Better wake the sleeping beauties.”

“Rodger that Charlie.”

The Sergeant preps two syringes of neon yellow liquid. Tests the flow of both then moves over to inject the Krogan.

“Sir,” says Irikah sweetly. “I can do that if you want. I'm familiar with Krogan anatomy.”

The sergeant lifts his eyebrow then hands the syringes to Irikah.

“Don't kill them cadet Zero.”

Irikah nods then slams the needles into the necks of both Krogan. Both of them wake suddenly and lunge forward grasping their necks in pain. They wheel around and see Irikah smiling sweetly.

“Good morning,” she greets. “Did you sleep well?”

The one on her left looks like he's about to complain before he notices the drool marks and thinks better of it. The one on her right chuckles at the quip and smiles.

The DS shakes his head and returns to his seat.

“Best nap I’ve had in years,” Grunts the smiling Krogan.

“Really? You didn't feel any shaking or pushing?” Ashton asks.

“No, why?”

“Oh no reason.”

Robert just sits and fumes. Whether it's from the incompetence of the pilot or the Krogan's good nature Ashton can't tell. Maybe both but he's enjoying himself regardless.

As the shuttle slows and lands the mood grows somber. The door hisses and slides open.

“Alright people up and at em,” The Sergeant barks. “Grab your gear and lets go!!!”

In an orderly fashion the 20 cadets file out and onto the surface.
xXx

The group of cadets stood at ease in a 4 by 5 grid. Ashton allowed his eyes to scan the area around him. They were in a clearing surrounded by a thick forest on all sides. The sun was beginning to touch the horizon to the west. There was no sign of a barracks, or anyone out side the gathered cadets and a few superiors. The Drill Sergeant was signing for a package that had just arrived via a second shuttle. As soon as that was settled the pilot saluted and the shuttle left leaving just the Drill Sergeant, the 20 Cadets, the shuttle they rode in on and the pilot.

“Alright then,” said the Drill Sergeant. “Relax kiddies, pop a squat I've got some talking to do.”

The cadets each sat down on the clearing floor. Over to his right Ashton noticed one of the cadets gasp lightly. His pupils dilated and he whipped his head up to look at the Sergeant. The Sergeant put a finger to his lips and the cadet nodded. The others were getting situated and missed the exchange.

“Ok let me start by introducing myself. I am Sergeant Brutus Arnold, I will be your Drill Instructor for the remainder of your training. Most of you will have other instructors if and when you reach AIT. However I'm responsible for the lot of you until you graduate and join the working ranks of the New Dawn. Look around yourselves. These will be your fellow trainees for the duration. Memorize the faces cuz chances are you'll all work with each other in some way or another before all is said and done.”

Ashton was taken aback at the instructor's words.
[There's only 20 people here total. That few make it into the New Dawn?]

“We're not a big military outfit,” Arnold continued. “We increase our number maybe 150 a year. We're choosy about who we pick to put to the grindstone and not all of them make the cut. We look for special people, usually young but not always. All New Dawn initiates have something that puts them above the rest. They run faster, jump higher, hit harder. Or they can decrypt information like they're coloring in a book, or perhaps they have an extra skill due to environmental upbringing. However you slice it, there is no such thing as a normal New Dawn soldier.”

Arnold reached his right hand behind his back and unsheathed a long silver knife that was strapped horizontal against the small of his back. The blade was half a foot in length and it gleamed in the fading light.

“For my skill, I can use this blade in over 200 maneuvers. I could kill a blood raging Krogan with it then turn right around and pick a deadlock. I keep a gun as a sidearm because I'm required too, not because I want too. I was on quite a few watch lists before I got recruited. This baby saved me more times than I can count during the Reaper invasion.”

He twirled the knife and sheathed it. Irikah watched with fixed eyes and nodded seemingly impressed. Ashton filed that away for later. It took a lot to impress his Drell friend.

“As for Charlie over there,” Arnold continued gesturing to the pilot. “He can take a rusty old clunker and jury rig it to fly straight through the heart of a hurricane and get you out on the other side. Contrary to some of your complaints, he's a fantastic flier.”

Arnold's eyes swept the cadets and settled on Robert who looked back in sheer defiance. Then looked over at the pilot who was smiling smugly at Robert.

“However, I'm inclined to agree with some of you that he could treat his birds a lot better.”

The quip deflated Charlie's ego in no time flat. He looked at his comrade with a long suffering gaze.

“Et tu Brute?”

“Use the damn inertia dampeners next time you dumbass.”

Charlie just shrugged and leaned against the shuttle.

“Hazing the newbies aside, Charlie's rock solid in a shuttle. Saved my ass almost as many times as my knife. But that's my point we all have at least one skill that sets us apart from the throng. And The New Dawn likes to harness those skills and put them to use. It's why we have so few people in our ranks. But let me be clear absolutely none of you are here based on the laurels of family or acquaintances. So if you think we have any problems booting celebrities or their progeny out of this program, then beat that thought to death and toss it out the air lock. I have no problem kicking any of you out.”

He swept the group with his eyes, but didn't settle on anyone of them.

“You're here because we think you're good enough. It's up to you to prove us right. But that's enough chit chat time to get down to business.”

He gave the crate on his right a solid thump with his fist then kicked the back. The front panel fell forward and 10 backpacks tumbled out onto the grass. He picked up the nearest one and opened it setting the items out before them. He did a quick tally to make sure everything was there.

“Ok listen up cuz I'm not gonna repeat anything. I'm going to explain your basic training.”

He tapped his Omnitool and a projection of the galaxy appeared and enlarged.

“Here we are. The Milky Way. Home sweet home.”

He tapped his Omnitool and it zoomed in on a cluster with two star systems.

“This, for those of you who didn't pass astronomy, is the Kepler Verge cluster. We are in it right now. And until a decade ago we thought it held two star systems. We, obviously, were wrong. Along with Herschel and Newton, the Kepler Verge plays host to another system.”

He tapped his Omnitool again and a third blue ring appeared on the screen. In the upper left corner of the green nebula.

“The records for this system were lost a long time ago and the hot gas of the nebula covered the tracks of the star in this system. Frankly the only reason we found this system is because of someone who knew the way to it. This system is called the Empire system.”

Again they zoomed in to view the system's layout.

“We've got seven planets in this system. And the star is still in it's yellow stage. The planet we're on now is called Khonvoum. It's the third one in the system and is the only world in the system that is capable of barring sapient life.”

He looked at the cadets again.

“In fact 50,000 yeas ago it did.”

He let that hang in the air. One by one they all grasped the true nature of what he was implying. It hit Ashton like a ton of bricks.

“Yes indeed ladies and gentlemen. This is the homeworld of the Prothean race, and the crown jewel of their empire. Or at least it was, until the Reapers wiped them out.”

With this the whole group took in their surroundings with a whole new light. All except the recruit who had gasped in the beginning. Ashton noticed this, and it struck him as odd. Sergeant Arnold zoomed in so that the planet was the sole focus of the hologram.

“Ok everyone you can gawk later,” Arnold said not without understanding. “Global satellites show us that the planet has 5 continents, not counting the ice caps at the two poles. The one we're on right now is the biggest and most important.”

A gold arrow appeared pointing at that largest continent. As well as three red rings in equal distance from where the arrow was pointing. One was along the coast to the east, one looked like it was on top of a mountain on the western edge of the continent, and the third was right smack in the center.

“We are here, at the arrow. The other three objects of relevance are the capital cities of Khonvoum. The Protheans, it seems, liked to do things in sets of three. Most likely because of the number of fingers on their hands. These cities were Khonvoum's thriving cultural centers back in the day. And through the Prothean echo shards, and the teachings of Javik, the last living Prothean, we have gleaned a sense of this world's layout and tricks.”

He closed the Omnitool, and the map faded.

“Alright now that you know where you are time to tell you what you'll be doing for the next 9 weeks. This isn't your average basic training. There will be no middle aged men pissed off at the world, or borderline menopausal women jumping down your throat and making you wish you were never born. There will be no hikes through environment sims, or pushup drills, or teamwork exercises, no running until you puke.”

He smiled at their gawking faces, especially the few Turians in the mix who were brought up in militant societies.

“No you have to earn those luxuries. Truth is I don't need any of that soft stuff to break you lot. This planet will do it for me.”

The collective spirits of the cadets plummeted into the ground. Except for the two Krogan. They looked even more excited than before.

For his worth Ashton could hear the noises coming from the trees far more acutely now. As if they'd picked up on his trepidation. Like they could smell his fear.

“Your training,” Arnold said recapturing their attention, “is this.”

He reach down to his feet and held up a leather pouch. He opened the front flap to reveal three vials. Color coded caps Red, Blue, and Green.

“These my young friends are your key to the next stage of your training. In each of the cities you saw on the map there is a fresh water spring each with it's own unique mineral deposits. The water in each spring have lead to several medical breakthroughs in the last decade. For humans especially. The red vial's spring for instance has a mineral composition that promotes healthy muscle tissue growth, which we used to combat the muscle deterioration of Parkinson’s disease and Lou Gehrig's disease. It didn't solve the nerve damage but it extended the life expectancy of those afflicted by it and helped them to live more comfortably. Thanks to Salarian aid we may have a cure in the next 5 years. The blue vial's spring has water with minerals that promotes bone structure, which we used to cure Vrolik syndrome and Arthritis. The green vial's spring gave us water that increases brain development and cognitive thinking, which lead to breakthroughs in the cures for Alzheimer’s disease and Schizophrenia.”

He put the pouch back down.

“Impressive as these breakthroughs were though, they have nothing to do with your mission. Your mission is to travel on foot to the three cities and get a sample from each spring. The combined three water samples will unlock the gate to the barracks located at a third point on the continent. Only with all three samples can you get in. Further more, the coordinates for the barracks have been split into 3 parts and left at each spring. So any of you think you can just get 3 vials from one spring just don't try. We've seen every trick in the book.”

He gave them all a knowing look.

“You're going to be split into teams of 2, which I will announce after I finish the briefing. Your goal is to get both you and your partner to the barracks within the next nine weeks. After that anyone who's left outside the barracks is kicked out of the program. Which means all 10 teams can make it or none can. It all depends on you.”

The group all nodded in affirmative.

“Now some ground rules. You have to stick with your partner, it's part of the training. You need to be able to work together in a hostile situation an rely on your comrade. Either both pass or you both fail. If one of you drops out so does the other and you don't need consent from your partner to do so. Second there will be no fighting or stealing any other group's supplies, vials, or working to hinder them. You are all one unit and there is no room for traitors in the New Dawn. If you knowingly attack another group, that's it for you, you're out, for good, no second chances. Now to that end. Any groups that are attacked, if you can not repel your attackers then you will also be shown the door. Part of being a S.T.A.R. Guard is being able to guard your package on a delivery mission. If you can't then you're not ready to join us. However, unlike attackers, you will have the opportunity to reenter the program at a later date. Third, this a solo exercise with the obvious exception of your teammate. Teams can not work in conjunction with each other. There is to be no sharing camps and no traveling together. I will give you an Omnitool patch that will alert you to the presence of other teams, steer clear from them if at all possible. That being said you may share intel within the limits of the cities and along with supplies if you wish. Otherwise keep clear of each other. Fourth, while you will be on your own through out the mission we will be watching your movements from the barracks via satellite. If you get into more trouble than you can handle we will evac you. This will result in you being shown the door, but again you will have the opportunity to retry at a later date. Medical evacs are part of this deal too. Don't worry, to date not a single person has died on this mission. Well that's the tall and the short of it. Any questions?”

No one raised their hand.

“Right then, onto your gear.”

He hauled the supplies up onto the crate.

“Like I said you'll be in teams of two. So you'll have to share your supplies. Other than the vials, you have a compass, a water filter, stainless steel water bottles, enough dry rations for a few days, low tech night vision glasses, some basic medigel, and a flare gun. Every pack is the same except some of them contain Dextro rations.”

He held up each item as he addressed them.

“That software patch I mentioned will include a 2d hologram map of your objective, the compass is how you'll orient yourself. I don't think I need to stress the importance of the water filter. The planet has both Dextro food and Levo food in abundance. We cultivated a bunch of stuff from all over. So don't freak out when the rations run out. Just look around and use your head. We're giving you night vision but we strongly suggest you leave the traveling to the daylight hours. But we also realize some of you will completely ignore that advise. The medigel is also obvious, and the flare gun is for your extraction should you need it.”

He put all the supplies back in the pack and set it down. On the ground with the others.

“There's a few more things to go over supplies wise. Your vials are your key to the next part of your training. If any of them break you're out. They're you package you need to take care of them. Now if you are attacked and you repel said attack you can replace your vials with the attacking party's should they break in the skirmish. But they can also be used for another purpose. Your filter and your compass aren't just important they're essential to survival and completion of basic. So if either breaks or is lost use the yellow flare and we'll come to your location with a replacement. However these things have a cost. You will need to empty one vial of the water you've collected for each item replacement. Which of course means you have to back track and get another sample.”

He finished the briefing, and opened his Omnitool again.

“Ok time to tell you who you'll be sharing Hell with for the next nine weeks. Now the guys who make the list like to say they put thought into the parings using the psych evals and such. Don't let them fool you. It's either drawing names out of a hat or comedy pairings. Depending on who got stuck making the list. One time the guy in charge did it while he was drunk. Let me tell you, that did not go over well.”

That got a chuckle or two in response.

“Alright, when I call your name come up and get your pack and the software patch. First up we have Irikah Zero, and Rafiki.”

Irikah got up and made her way to the front. From the back row a Crimson red Hanar stepped forward as well. Ashton was surprised he hadn't noticed the Hanar until now. He looked around and saw no other jellies.

At the front Irikah and Rafiki shook hands (tentacles) and turned to face the instructor.

“See? What did I tell you? The list maker thinks he has a sense of humor, a dry climate species paired with a wet one. Ok here you two go.”

He tapped his Omnitool and handed the pack over to Irikah.

“This one would be more than willing to carry the pack,” Rafiki said flashing electric blue as he spoke.

“That's ok Rafiki, I like the weight, it keeps me focused. But when I get tired I'll be more than happy to share.”

“This one understands, and It will comply.”

“Alright you two, enough chit chat, go sit down together.”

They made there way back to the group. Sergeant Arnold called out 3 other sets of names, A Human and a Vorcha, a Batarian and a Quarian, the only other Turian besides Zaeed got paired with the lone Elcor.

“Alright pair number 5. Zaeed Vakarian and Urdnot Talrek.”

The Krogan that had sat between Irikah and Robert got up. He had red brown plates like fired clay and an X shaped scar on his brow plate. He looked intimidating.

“Ah crap, really guys? A Turian and a Krogan?”

Arnold sighed and shook his head. The pair faced each other and looked the other up and down. Measuring them mentally. Finally Talrek nodded and extended a hand. Zaeed smiled and shook.

“Well look at that, you two seem to be civil enough towards each other. However my job requires me to remind you that you both swore an oath to bury past aggressions. That includes no Krogan Rebellion reenactments.”

“While it's true my people still bare something of a grudge toward Turians,” Talrek grunted. “The name Vakarian is respected among clan Urdnot. His father was there on the ground helping to cure the Genophage. There won't be any issues here.”

“My uncle is Urdnot Wrex, and my cousin is Urdnot Grunt,” Zaeed said smiling. “I don't hate Krogan personally. Guess that makes me a piss poor Turian.”

Zaeed shrugged and Talrek chortled.

“Well alright then. Back to your group you two.”

Zaeed went to take the pack but Talrek grabbed it first. Zaeed just shrugged and followed.

Arnold looked back at the list, and sighed again. The reason became apparent. The only Salarian was paired with the other Krogan. The Salarian looked like he was gonna shit himself and the Krogan was enjoying that. After impressing the need for team work he sent them off.

“Next we have Linala T'Nek and Robert Cortez.”

The two approached the front and shook hands. Robert went to grab a pack but was stopped by Sergeant Arnold.

“Hold on cadet. Take this one.”

He handed Robert a pack with a red stripe. Robert accepted the pack with a confused look.

“That pack has your medication in it.” Arnold said understanding his confusion. “We made sure you'd have enough for the time limit.”

“I'm allowed my medication sir?”

“The medication that keeps your blood from shredding your heart like shrapnel? Yes cadet you are allowed to be healthy and live.”

Sergeant Arnold laughed and shook his head shooing them away. Linala gave a questioning look and Robert returned it with one that said “I'll explain later.”

The other Human from the London base was paired with a male Quarian, the second Asari was paired with the second Batarian.

“And last but not least we have Ashton Shepard and Dennis Galen.”

The human recruit who had shared the look with the instructor when he first sat down stood up and approached the front with Ashton. As they shook hands Ashton felt a strange sensation like he was being analyzed. He recoiled violently. He immediately wished he hadn't. As he looked up to apologize he saw a knowing smile on his new partners face.

“It's fine I get that reaction all the time,” Dennis said genuinely.

Ashton nodded and piked up the pack returning to his spot with Dennis right next to him.

“Alright you've all got your partners. Now, your mission has officially begun. And due to the nature of it I can't give you any orders beyond what I’ve already given you. But I have two pieces of advise so if you're smart you'll listen up.”

Everyone locked eyes with him.

“First up, the water in the springs, while beneficial in small doses, is toxic if consumed in large quantities. It's Prothean water and the minerals are good for Protheans only. So don't go dunking your head in the spring and gulping it down. Side effects can range from headaches, nasuia, and vomiting to severe waking dreams, crippling migraines, muscle deterioration, and skeletal reconstruction if you drink it chronically. It's beneficial to Prothean bodies only, so for sanity's sake filter it first.”

He looked around and made sure the message was revived.

“And secondly. While I can in no way stop you from doing so, I highly recommend you wait until morning to start your expedition. If you do it right and keep moving by day and resting by night you should finish with time to spare. This world was once a civilized place but is now host to a great deal of angry critters that have had 50,000 years to establish territory and hunting skills. If you go crashing around in the dark you're basically coating yourself in tummy tickling Tuchunka sauce and lighting a neon sign saying free food. Just wait here tonight and camp together. This is the only exception to the stay apart rule.”

He made eye contact with a few of the group that looked like loose cannons.

“Just be patient and don't take unnecessary risks. But I get the feeling for some of you the words flew in one ear and out the other. So good luck to all of you. And to those stupid enough to try at night I wish you luck. FYI only 1 in 10 groups that travel at night finish. But if you wanna be the first person to get yourself killed just remember you might be getting your partner killed too. Idiots are another kind of person that the New Dawn has no room for. Idiots get their squad killed.”

His voice was stern with no joking tone at all. He nodded one last time, grabbed a handle on the crate and heaved it onto the shuttle.

“Good luck everyone see you in nine weeks,” he saluted the group. “Come on Charlie lets bug out.”

The shuttle came to life and rose up off the ground and flew off eastward. As soon as it was out of sight the Krogan paired with the Salarian stood up and stretched.

“Alright Pyjak lets move!” He bellowed.

The Salarian just looked at him astonished.

“Did you miss everything he just said?” He asked genuinely put off by the Krogan

“Something about not traveling at night.” the Krogan grunted.

“Yes,” mock praised the Salarian. “Very good. He also said only 1 in 10 teams that travel at night make it through.”

The Krogan smiled and pounded his fists.

“Well today's your lucky day Pyjak. Cuz you're traveling with Jorgal Krull. We'll be that one.”

Before that Salarian could protest Krull grabbed him around the waist and thew him over his right shoulder, and grabbed the pack with his left hand. With his packages in hand he trotted out into the forest expanse.

Ashton just looked on in astonishment and shook his head.

“They're gonna die,” he said to Dennis.

“Yeah, or, they're gonna kill everything in their path and finish first. Either way it's better for everyone they go now.”

Ashton smiled at his new partner.

“Very true,” he said.
xXx

Earth, Exact Location Unknown
Same Day

The sound of steel on stone echoed around the dark room. The walls and ceiling were gray unadorned steel. The floor was inlaid with a tile mosaic of a knife plunging through a glowing blue rock. The room itself was gripped in gloom.

At the back of the room a man sat behind an elegant mahogany desk with his face shrouded in darkness. He dragged his knife across the sharpening stone once more then lifted the blade for inspection. Grunting his approval he sheathed the knife.

A knock sounded at the door.

“Enter,” he called.

The door hissed open and a nervous looking young man stepped inside. He grasped a data pad in his trembling hands and approached the man.

“Sir our research teams have finished their test runs on the samples we took from the colonies. They report success on all samples.”

The man extended his hand and the young attendant placed the data pad in his open palm. The man scrolled through the notes and attached pictures.

“Samples,” he said startling the attendant. “Is that what the boys in the lab are calling them?”

“Um, y-yes sir.”

The man nodded and handed the data pad back to the attendant.

“Good, looks like we can begin the next phase. Tell lab 3 to run a field test on their population. Somewhere crowded.”

“Y-yes sir,” stammered the attendant. “Um sir? There's one other thing.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“We've located priority target two.”

The man stiffened in the shadows.

“You're sure?”

“Yes sir, we acquired DNA samples and ran them all. We're 100% sure.”

The man straightened.

“Very well then. Maintain observation. And alert me as soon has lab 3 has results.”

“Yes sir.”

The attendant saluted and left the room. The man took out his knife again and started to sharpen it once more.

“So,” he whispered to the empty room. “You've surfaced at last. Can't say I'm completely surprised. Well if you want to join in on the fun who am I to stop you? Lets begin shall we?”

The man put away the knife and sharpening stone then stood and left the room.
xXx

Ashton and Dennis had started making themselves comfortable in the clearing when Irikah walked over to greet the pair.

“Ash come on, Zaeed, Robert, our partners and I are camping together for the night. We've got a nice campfire going.”

Ashton looked at his partner. Dennis shrugged.

“Beats sleeping in the dirt alone I guess,” Dennis reasoned. “Am I invited?”

Irikah nodded politely.

“Of course.” she replied.

Dennis gathered the bag up and got to his feet. Ashton followed suit and they walked with Irikah over to a cheerfully crackling fire. The gang is gathered around it in various positions of relaxed demeanor. Talrek is regaling the group with a story.

“And the next thing I know the shuttle's inbound and my Krant's hauling ass to get out of the arena,” Talrek chortles. “They're screaming at me to get in the damn shuttle. That the Maw was coming back up. And I shouted back 'I know, exciting isn't it?' But when I popped the heat sink on my shotgun I realized it was my last. That's when the Maw shows up again. Damn beast took out the shuttle.”

“How'd you get out?” Asked Ashton sitting down next to Zaeed who tucked an arm around his waist.

“Ran like there was a thresher maw chasing me.”

The whole group laughed at that. Talrek slapped Dennis on the back in good fun. The young man looked like he was regretting sitting on Talrek's left.

“Once it figured out we wanted out, it stopped chasing us,” Talrek continued. “Maws are territorial. They don't like to work for their food.”

Talrek shifted his sitting position.

“I didn't get to kill the maw, but I passed my rite with flying colors. So it all worked out.”

Talrek stared at the fire for a minute having finished his story.

“So what about you Pyjaks? Got any good stories?”

“This one once killed a depth serpent with it's bare tentacles in the dark waters of the encompassing.” Rafiki spoke up flashing his electric blue spots as he spoke.

“What's a depth serpent?” Talrek asked.

“A creature like your Thresher Maws,” Rafiki explained. “Except they are aquatic, and their jaws open wider.”

“Eh no thanks Jelly man,” Talrek snorted. “I'm all set on hunting stories tonight.”

“Very well, this one understands.”

An awkward silence followed.

“Well how about we show off what we've got under the hood?” Irikah suggested. “We're all here cuz we've got something abnormal.”

“Well we already know why you four are here,” Talrek pointed out. “You got the best kind of training there is. Plus your lives are open books.”

“Point made,” Ashton said. “So lets start with you big guy.”

“Hold on a second,” Linala interrupts looking apologetically to Talrek. “I wanna know why he gets medication. If I’m gonna be lugging him around I wanna know whats up.”

Robert locked eyes will Talrek wordlessly asking for consent to go first. Talrek gives it with a curt nod.

“I'm a Novo. It's human slang for a child genetically born of two parents of the same gender. When the reapers were defeated we, like every other civilization in the galaxy, were severely depleted on population. So we tried a few crazy ideas to get our numbers back up. One of those ideas was the Novo project. Scientists came up with a way of splicing chromosomes from two eggs or two sperm together to make a new child without need of the other gender. The idea was popular with enough circles to get funding. And there were plenty of same sex couples that wanted to have kids that were genetically related to both of them. So there were no shortages on volunteers. My Dads, Steve and James Cortez were one of the first to volunteer. My Aunt Samantha Traynor volunteered to be the surrogate womb. But the project ultimately failed.”

“What happened?” asked Linala.

“Only 1 in 3 Novo children survive to birth, the rest die in the womb,” Robert explained. “Those that do live have a 50% chance of developing genetic defects. Children born of sperm splicing can get stuff like Vrolik syndrome. Those that are born of eggs, who are always girls because there's no Y chromosome in the mix, can end up infertile or hit menopause in their teens. It's not pretty. The project produced almost no completely healthy babies, boy or girl, sperm or egg based. It was shut down due to failure to deliver and the by then overwhelming unpopularity of genetic engineering. They tried to play God, and failed.”

Everyone except Irikah, Ashton and Zaeed were shocked into silence.

“So the medication?” Linala prompts.

“Oh yeah,” Robert chuckled. “I beat the odds of dieing but I have a genetic defect with my blood. It's too acidic. It tears at my heart as it pumps through, and damages blood vessels through my body. I was bleeding internally in my Aunt Sam's womb. They had to give me a heart transplant the day I was born. Cloned it from my own tissue. They gave my third heart when I was 4. When I turned 7 they had made a breakthrough in medication. Now as long as I take the pills regularly I”m fine. The meds change the pH of my blood making it harmless. I just need to avoid stress, otherwise the pH gets screwy again”

“They cleared you to join the New Dawn with that kind of handicap?” Asked Dennis stunned. “How did you pull that off?”

“It's all thanks to my uncle Joker. He proved to everyone that having a genetic defect doesn't have to keep you out of the pilot's seat. It's one pill a day and I’m otherwise completely healthy. Plus flying doesn't stress me out. My heart rate actually relaxes when I fly. Even in hostile situations I’m comfortable. The New Dawn seems convinced.”

The group nods.

“Heh,” laughs Talrek. “You've got a lot of guts Cortez. I like you a lot more now.”

“Awe thanks big guy. So what brings you here to the New Dawn?”

“Hmmph. I'm from second generation of Aralak company. After the war ended Grunt reformed the company. He came to me first. I caught New Dawn's attention when I busted into a blue suns hide out that had stolen a Reaper corpse from the galactic junk yard. 50 Mercs dead in under 3 minutes. I was killing the last few of them off with their buddy's arm.”

The group looked at him with complete disbelief on their faces. Dennis however reached his right hand over and laid it on Talrek's shoulder plate. The Krogan jumped in his seat and recoiled from the touch.

“Huh, he's telling the truth,” Dennis said with his eyes screwed shut. “He's also experiencing some latent nausea from the sedative he took for the shuttle flight.”

“Ok how in the name of the goddess of oceans can you possibly know that?” Irikah asked leaning forward.

Ashton's skin crawled remembering the same touch on his hand. Like he was being crawled inside of.

“I'm the first naturally born citizen of Zhu's Hope. Mom popped me out while the Reapers were making mince meat out of our settlement. Both my parents were victims of the Thorian.”

“The giant telepathic plant that made the colonists on Feros into thralls?” Asked Zaeed.

“That's the one,” Dennis confirmed. “Five of the kids, including me, born from Thorian thrall parents were born with gifts. The twins Alana and Dusan have powerful biotics and low level telepathy with each other. Alex can talk to plants, influence their growth, tell instinctively if they need more water or sunlight. Zhu's Hope's produce output increase 10 fold thanks to him. And Mackenzie sees minute tracks and game trails. And she never misses a shot, unless she wants too.”

“And you got the Prothean sensory ability?” Asked Ashton.

“Not quite,” Admitted Dennis. “I can't experience memories or pick up traces people leave behind. I can only read biological layouts of living beings. And I have to be in direct contact for it to work. It's all part of the Prothean cypher I have.”

“My Pops has the Prothean cypher, he can't do any of that,” Ashton protested. “He can only read and understand the Prothean language and technology.”

“Yeah,” nodded Dennis. “So can I. The reason your Pops can't read bodies is because he has the cypher in his head. I have it in my DNA. I was born with it, my physical form was built around and along side it. It's on a deeper level with me.”

Ashton nodded his understanding

“So you can read physiology, and understand Prothean.” Irikah inquired. “Anything else? Can you smell hormones and pheromones?”

“Not without physical contact.” Dennis replied. “But by reading the physiology I can understand everything about the individual in seconds. Makes for great medical prowess. That's why I'm here. I'm training to be a combat medic.”

The group nodded impressed. They then turned to look at Linala and Rafiki who were sitting next to each other. The two looked at each other. Linala gestured for him to go first.

“This one is most adept with heavy battery weapons,” Rafiki began. “It is also versatile with all combat fire arms. This one can out shoot any Hanar or Drell shooter or assassin. And It can switch between weapon types with great swiftness.”

“A quick draw Hanar,” admired Robert. “And I thought I'd seen it all.”

“This one does not understand the term.”

“It's a human term that means someone who can unholster their pistol and shoot very quickly,” Explained Robert.

“This one understands. It thanks its companion.”

“My pleasure,” Robert smiled. “So partner. What about you?”

All eyes turned to Linala.

“My mom's a Justicar,” Linala spat out. “She trained me since a very young age. High Command took notice of me and recommended me to the New Dawn's recruiters.”

Linala was careful to keep the bitterness out of her tone but Irikah could still sense it. Ashton could too but both let it slide.

“Compared to you guys it's actually pretty boring,” Linala finished. “I'm just an above average Asari when it comes to biotics and combat.”

Ashton sensed there was more to the story. But he wasn't willing to push, he barely knew her.

“Well it's getting late,” sighed Irikah. “Dawn comes early. We should call it.”

The gathered cadets mumbled their assent. Irikah got up to extinguish the fire. Everyone laid down on the soft Meadow grass. Zaeed wrapped himself around Ashton who laid on his back watching the stars and listening to his boyfriend's heart beat. His arm wrapped securely around the young Turian's shoulder. A deep kiss was exchanged and the two fell asleep in the warm embrace.
xXx

Discovery, Horizon
September 18th 2205

The first rays of morning light gently washed over Horizon's capital city. The Human colony shook off the sleepy slow mood and started to pick up pace to begin the day. Civilians began their daily routine of coffee and breakfast pastries and made their way to their places of work. The population still mostly Human with a few Asari, Turian, and Quarian Bondmates. Horizon it seemed would always be a little out of the way colony world.

In the spaceport Air Traffic Control tower, the supervising agent was just coming in to start his shift. A cup of coffee in hand and sleep still staining his eyes he entered the control room.

“Morning all,” he greeted.

“Good morning sir,” came the general reply.

“Any changes to the roster?” he asked sipping his coffee and grunting in satisfaction.

“Just one sir, a ship from Kahje needs to dock for refueling.” said one of the air traffic controllers. “Apparently they had a run in with Batarian pirates.”

“Hmm, when are they scheduled to land George?”

“Half hour tops sir.”

“And the pirates?”

“Dead sir, the Jellies have a Justicar on board.”

The supervisor whistled his response.

“Poor bastards. Well anyway send the Jellies to dock three when they get here.”

“Yes, sir,”

The Supervisor sipped his coffee again and walked back over to his post to check his terminal. The sounds of everyday work around him resumed. He settled into his normal routine.

“Sir. We have a situation,”

The Supervisor looked up from his terminal.

“What is it Delilah?”

“There's an unauthorized cruiser in orbit. It's not responding to my hails.”

The Supervisor moves to the com.

“Cruiser this is Discovery spaceport control, identify and state your purpose.”

No response comes.

“Cruiser! Identify and state your business or our automated defenses will shoot you down.”

Still no response is made.

“Alright then, have it your way,” The Supervisor mutters. “Delilah, send the coordinates to Gerald and and give him the all clear.”

“Yes sir right awa....”

The control room explodes sending bodies flying. Those closest to the door are killed instantly, while the rest are injured and mortally wounded.

A man garbed in black clothes with a neckerchief tied around his mouth and a black cowl pulled up over his head enters the room. Only pitiless green eyes showed, and they glared around the room. He had a pistol strapped to his belt and an assault rifle in hand. He signaled with his hand and a half dozen more troopers flooded in, they were all dressed the same way. They shot any survivors and took their places. One of them signaled the cruiser.
xXx

From the roof tops and streets alike the citizens of Discovery looked at the black plume of smoke streaking into the sky emanating from the spaceport. Some screamed others simply watched in horror. As the flames clawed higher into the sky, four projectiles fell from orbit. Each one slammed the earth outside the city lines.

The objects were spheres each the size of a small fighter pilot. They all extended black metal shafts that rose 10 feet into the air. When all four shafts were raised red beams of light shot out to each other shaft connecting them in a complete square area. Once they were connected the tops of the shafts shot more red beams into the sky connecting to the cruiser. The entire city was trapped in a pyramid of red light.

More screaming could be heard as people started falling to the ground. A few of them were Turians, only a half dozen were Quarian, all of the Asari dropped like flies but the Humans made up the majority. Almost 1/5 of the city's human population had dropped to the ground incapacitated.

Shuttles began landing and moving into the pyramid of red light. Wearing special goggles troops dressed identically to the invaders at the spaceport moved amongst the fallen. They shot every Human that had been effected by the light. Men, women, and children alike the invaders made no distinction and did not discriminate. The shuttles opened fire from above. Strangely though not a single alien that had been effected was touched. Those that tried to protect the fallen were shot without hesitation.

When every human that was effected by the light had been shot, the light died down. The shuttles moved in and collected the four spheres. And as quickly as they came, they left. The cruiser hit FTL and left no trace of its existence.

In the streets of Discovery cries could be heard. Husbands and wives mourned their spouses. Asari Turians and Quarians that were effected by the ray wept the hardest. Having been paralyzed and watched helplessly as their Bondmates were gunned down, they screamed out their horror and despair. Parents who could not save their children wept uncontrollably. The entire city cried out absorbing the senseless horror.
xXx

Earth, Exact Location Unknown
Same Day

The Shadow shrouded man sat in his office staring at his terminal, his fingers steepled and his stature stiff.

The terminal beeped and he opened the new message. The whites of his teeth show as he grins. The field report states a complete success. The beam worked better than he expected. The operation was an overwhelming success. He taps his Omnitool, the orange glow lights up the lower part of his face as he does. The Omnitool connects him to the station's speakers.

“Attention all forces,” he announces. “Our field test in Discover on Horizon was a complete success. All of the rot there has been cut out.”

The whole base cheers in success.

“Celebrate with dignity my friends, we still have work to do. Congratulations to us all.”

As the people in the base break out drinks and pat each other on the back the man hits a switch on his desk and moves to the back of the room.

A large observation window is revealed as the metal shield moves out of cover. A sweeping view of the sky is laid out before him. It is still night on earth and the stars glare against the black of the sky. The man raises his arms and stare out into the void.

“Well then, it's begun.” He says addressing the sky. “So what will you do? Who will you send? Even the might Shepard is helpless before me now. No matter what you try or set into motion, you can never stop what's coming. You can not stop, the Cleansing!”