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Chapter 1: Eden Prime is only the Start
“Vaclav Gagarin? The Biotic from Jump Zero?”
“Do you know other Alliance Biotics that haven’t served in Jump Zero, Director?”
“I know Cerberus have been pushing their luck with testing.”
“Does it matter?”
“I suppose not… What’s his bio?”
“Earthborn, specifically Kiev, Ukraine. Taken from his family to be tested for biotic capabilities, to Jump Zero, kept him there until he was 22 and a half, keeping him there for an extended amount of time for testing. Came out onto the field for the Alliance just eight months ago, given the rank of officer thanks to his training and degree in Jump Zero.”
“Officer… Stationed where?”
“Eden Prime.”
“Eden Prime? A farming planet post? Seems odd placement for a Biotic, especially an L2 Biotic at that.”
“Can’t always trust placement orders. Fault on their part. He seems like a very likely candidate for the N7 Slayer program considering his actions just recently, reported by his Commanding Officer.”
“Bring him into Rio De Janeiro, we’ll see if he‘s got what you’re talking about then.”
“Affirmative, Director Silva. I’ll contact him and arrange his transport.”

I only started working on the field, straight out of Jump Zero. A small team of shock troopers assigned to a post on the cusps of the Terminus Systems, specifically Eden Prime. A bunch of Alliance soldiers, we saw no action for weeks, months on end; not a promising career. I expected firefights and whatever the Drell Mercenary told me what I’d be experiencing back on Jump Zero. All I did at the post was work on paperwork, then do the quarterly patrol rounds around the vicinity and check the monitors for anything out of the usual.
Eden Prime was overall peaceful, not a single thing bad about it. Nice rolling hills, green pastures, nice water pools and good honest people. Certainly a peaceful colony. Though I don’t know why they’d station a biotic from Jump Zero to here instead of a frigate or another Alliance Navy vessel, even a squad of shock troopers.
I did get accustomed to the peace admittedly, my postmates treated me no different, I should be thankful for that at least. I did earn the name of “Brown Fox” from my brown hair and how fast I got in my rounds and finished my duties. The Commander always saw potential in me in getting off-world to be part of a different crew, maybe one of those programmes where you get stationed to a Turian ship.
I never really saw myself working with aliens anyway.
It certainly wasn’t what I expected from my new career, but I suppose it could be worse, sieged by Batarians at anytime or even worse. Certainly not C-Sec for me either, I could never handle the sickness of being on orbiting station as well, too shaky, closed spaces and worst of all: nowhere else to go.
It was only until the big event happened. I was just doing my rounds on the monitors for outer atmospheric sensors, seeing if anything new would pop-up on the sensors. I didn’t expect we’d get anything. Then the monitors flared up, we tried to contact with the nearest comm buoy and tell the crew, that was out off-vicinity, to report back immediately to their posts, but they were useless. We lost all connection to other posts and with crews operating outside of the vicinity.
A loud deafening blast of noise attacked the silence and we hit the deck as we took a massive shot to the West side of the perimeter of the building. A massive ship came out of the blue of the sky and descended upon the planet releasing hundreds of synthetics.
Synthetics dropping in left and right, pretty damn overwhelming! My post lost three men but we managed to get the rest out of the post and to the closest civilian settlement, then held up there. The settlement had a nice choke point, somewhere where we could funnel them into a nice space where we could open fire on them. Commander Miller, was sprayed by a burstfire by one of the synthetics, ran up his leg to where the leg connected to the waist. He told us that we had to hold the line and keep the Synthetics from entering the vicinity, keep them in the chokehold. He gave us orders, I received that I will be pushing back the synthetics with my biotics.
For the first hour, it was just simple shock troops entering through the choke point. Easy Enough, I’d push them out of their cover and let them open for my postmates to fire upon them. We experienced the synthetics then we encountered these… Monsters. They looked human but were glowing and had a blank existential look of lifelessness. They sieged us in massive groups, drawing off most of my postmates’ fire, only to be shot down by the Synthetics who were armed with heavy ammunition. Four postmates were wounded in their folly. Still we held the line, being joined by a couple of farmers who owned their own weapons, they definitely could hold themselves better than the new recruits. I never took thought they’d be loaded like that, especially on such a peaceful colony like Eden Prime.
We held off the synthetics until the waves stopped and that hell of a ship left. It was then I saw a white Alliance ship fly by, we finally got some reinforcements.
I felt so numb and bled from both nostrils as the synthetics stopped, dropping to my knees, to restless and numb to comfort the migraine I gained. I couldn’t move, but my fellow postmates gladly took me and got me out of the opening and to some shade. Wiped off the blood and gave me some silence, to recollect myself from the two hours of pure biotic force, pushing back so many of those things.

I was then taken off planet, along with the wounded members of the civilian settlement as well as post-mates and other operatives from the other posts. We made it to an Alliance Medical Frigate, loaded into the Medical Bay to be treated. The doctors examined each person, many burning exit wounds were treated. Howling from everyone filled the Medical Bay, quite overwhelming to one’s ears. My postmates came by to check on me, they exchanged remarks about how I held them off, making them light up like blue fireworks. Many of them in arm casts and wraps, Kovalyov had a wrap around his head, covering his left eye, I guess he took that shot like a brick wall if he’s up and at it in such a short amount of time.
They all saluted and dispersed when I was met with my Commander who took three rounds to his right leg. He came in with crutches and a ensign holding a data pad. I slid off my recovery mattress and stood up to salute Commander Miller. He spoke up and told me, indicating to the ensign with the data pad, “Officer Gagarin, how are ya doing boy?” his thick accent gruffled out of his mouth
“I have quite the headache, aside from that I am feeling much better without having to use my biotics constantly.” I said while rubbing my neck, comforting the massive pain in my head.
“I’ve heard that’s pretty comm’n place with biotics, surprised you were able to hold yourself together for such a long time.”
“True, Commander. Usually, a Biotic gets torn to shreds at the one hour mark if they consistently use their abilities.”
“Goes to show you can handle yourself quite well, strong’r than other soldiers I’ve seen. Held yourself and took control while I was being treated in shelter by the ‘civies’. Quite the accomplishment, boy”
“Yes but...”
“You felt you weren’t strong enough?”
“Have you seen the rest of the post officers? Four are wounded and we lost Jenkins, Griffs and Jordan back at the post. I could’ve done better, perhaps-”
The Commander raised his hand, letting go of the handle of his left crutch, “Don’t talk like that, Gagarin. The Comm buoys were disabled and we lost connection through a massive EMP that hit us. Thank the 2nd Frontier Division for getting a message to the passing Alliance Ship and it’s crew, the SSV Normandy SR-1! Or else we wouldn’t be talking to each other right now! You did the best you could, Gagarin.” He said sternly as he put his hand back to the handle of his left crutch. He then moved his head towards the ensign with the datapad. The Ensign moved forward and handed me the datapad.
“Gagarin, you certainly did the best you could do of the situation and handled yourself admirably. You have something that makes you stand out amongst the rest.”
“The N7 program?” I said confusedly, looking the datapad, reading all the information enclosed inside it. “But I just came onto the field quite recently, sir.”
“Yet you have already shown yourself to be capable. You need to be out on the field, and what happened on Eden Prime is just more leverage into that belief”
“Sir… I don’t know what to say. I’m-”
“Honored?”
“Of course I am! I just didn’t expect it to happen so early!”
“I knew you’d say that, it’s like an earlier case for the N7 program…” A silence overtook the conversation as the Commander reminisced.
The ensign spoke up abruptly, “Officer Vaclav we need a straight answer, will you do it?”
I looked at the ensign and I nodded to the reply. “Just sign here, then we’ll file it to the N7 Directors and see if you’ll get in.”
I took the datapad and I etched my signature into the hardware. “When will I get the answer from them?” I said handing the datapad back to the ensign.
“In due time, Officer Gagarin. Nothing is certain.” the ensign walked off leaving the two in their silence.
“Make me proud, boy, wherever you go.” He saluted the hobbled his way out of my space.
I sat there with my hands in knots, this could be it. My career certainly is looking up now if I was considered for the N7 program…
“What the hell am I going to pack? I need my stuff from the post!”

(Brief Note: I am switching from first person to third person to allow more characters to be introduced and to be maintained)