Ch.4 - First Mission

- Neo POV


After a week of going through the advanced Cerberus armor with Tali, we had finally finished going through it. This endeavor was time consuming but very much merited as we confirmed.


My weapons alone had several jammers or explosives rigged into them in order to render them useless or outright dangerous to be taken. The armor however, was filled with shutdown codes, hidden access points, scramblers, information mixers, and hijack points. It would allow anyone with proper knowledge and clearance in Cerberus, to completely shut the wearer into his suit like a prison if we had not done what we did.


I had to admit that their technology was years ahead of any other known parties in the galaxy. But I knew the cost. To reach this point Cerberus had long since lost its humanity. Just my own experience confirmed this, but after joining the Normandy I managed to study cases related to Cerberus, confirming my belief even further. Cerberus is no longer humanity first, but Cerberus first, and they would take away everything that is defined to be human in their quest for supremacy and control.


Back on the topic of my armor, we have also customized it to no longer appear as Cerberus gear, especially since this is far from their mass produced gear in the first place. The Cerberus symbol was removed, for more than aesthetic reasons due to it being a tracking device as well, which we disabled the first day obviously. And when it came to the new color scheme of the armor, I decided to go with the one which left the most impact on me: Jane's.


I am not sure as to why this is. It might have something to do with her personal strength or charisma influencing me. Or it might be some form of respect for the N7 program I have adopted after seeing her, my lessons and my research. But it was my choice.


So now my helmet has been colored to be mainly dark red instead of gold, with black where the white used to be. The left arm was changed to be completely black alongside the chest, leaving the right arm to be a mix of red and black with a white band descending against them. The rest of the armor was already black anyway, making it a rather quick job all in all. Just had to let the new coating set correctly according to those who applied it.


My weapons have also undergone a similar process, changing the overly white scheme to black with red accents instead. I have always thought it odd that so many models come in white as a standard color when the majority of combat locations would make such a weapon stand out. Tactically speaking, it made no sense too, hence the new coloring making it harder to identify the weapon I would using and exactly where my aim would be. Minor advantages stack up in conflict.


This meant that after the new paint job had set, I would officially be as combat ready as Ashley, classifying me as a Soldier by galactic standards. Although we would be the least likely to be chosen on any mission which would not solely require combat. Wrex and Liara have biotics to expand their capabilities, Garrus and Tali are tech experts, Lt. Alenko can do both, and Shepard can do almost anything even if she doesn't specialize in tech. But I still believe my physical abilities and learning speed can permit me to be chosen over Ashley.


But as of now, I will be cleared for deployment in the morning.


-The next day.


Jane has ordered a gathering of her team for the next mission. And so I sat between Wrex and Tali as our leader entered in a completely serious and disciplined manner.


"Looks like everyone's here already. Good." She started with as have everyone a once over. "We've received an assignment from Admiral Hackett after we reached the Newton System. Someone's been killing former alliance scientists who worked on a secret project on Akuze. The last known scientist, Dr. Wayne, was last seen in this system, on the planet of Ontarom.


We are not sure who is responsible, but I am expecting at least some resistance if the people behind these hits had the guts to take out former Alliance members."


"Any idea of where this Dr. Wayne was specifically seen beyond Ontarom?" Garrus asked, most likely because searching a whole planet sounds a bit far fetched.


"That we do." Answered Shepard," We identified an old fortified bunker a few klicks from a suitable landing zone for the Mako."


"Does the doctor have his own forces if he has decided to inhabit such a place?" Liara asked this time.


"None that we know off." Jane answered once again.


"I hope whoever's doing this has some quads or this'll be boring." Wrex commented with a grin from my side.


"You'll find out first hand Wrex, cause I'm bringing you along for this one. You and your shotgun are going to love it in close quarters." The commander said to the krogan with her own grin before looking at me, "and you're coming too Neo. I heard your gears good to go and Kaiden cleared you for deployment, so it's time for your first assignment."


To say I was not excited would be an understatement. The thought of finally testing myself in real combat made my body shiver at the thought. There were some nerves, but I would be alongside Shepard and Wrex, my mistakes would be covered and I will be able to learn much from seeing the two I would deem 'most dangerous' in action.


"Yes ma'am." I replied as I controlled my body's outward reaction.


"Haha! You're finally gonna see some proper action kid." Wrex said as he gave me a strong shoulder pat in his excitement, "being with Shepard always ends up in fighting something, especially if she feels like she needs me with her."


"Yeah yeah. The rest of you are dismissed for now." Jane said as she shook her head mirthfully at the krogan's actions.


Seeing as we were dismissed, I stood and headed to my quarters to suit up, but on my way out I could hear Wrex's excited voice yelling, "Bring your shotgun! I want to see what it can do compared to mine!"


With a small smile on face due to the slightly childish words from the old krogan, I simply signaled that I understood with a backwards wave as I walked out of the room and towards the elevator.


One monotone trip down and a few minutes later, I was already beginning to armor myself.


"Are you feeling ok Neo?" The familiar voice of my Quarian friend asked from behind me.
She feels worried... on my behalf... it feels nice.


"I am ok Tali. I feel excited even. To test and prove myself is what I have been waiting for." I answered my friend as I finished donning the under armor and began to equip my protective one.


"I guessed that's what you'd say. I know you've been looking forward to it. Just be careful out there ok? Going out with Shepard can get pretty intense." She advised as she fidgeted a bit while watching me armor myself.


It did not take long due to my familiarity with the armor, to only have my helmet left to wear.


"Thank you for worrying Tali. I shall do my upmost to return even better than when I left." I responded softly to the young woman before closing my eyes, removing my Delumcore Overlay, then putting my helmet on.


With some sounds of my armor properly sealing itself and all the suit systems coming online, I felt my heartbeat increase once again.


"Looking good at least. Suit readings are still consistent with what we had before we debugged it and from yesterday. How are the systems doing?" Tail asked as she immediately got to scanning me and going into her techie mode as some of the crew called it.


"As of now all self-diagnostic systems are functioning properly and various sensory systems are operational. Shields are running at optimal levels, but I need to go to my weapons locker in order to see if those systems are still working." I answered as I did my own checks as the armor's wearer.


"Then get to it. I want to make sure you aren't running around in a fire fight just for it to not work properly." She urged as she followed me to the lockers.


As I grabbed each weapon and placed them in their designated magnetic strip, my suit displayed each ones statistics. Unfortunately, no one was able to acquire warp or incendiary rounds for my weapons due to the rather limited spread of thermal clip based weaponry at this point in time, but I was still able to take a few high explosive and incendiary grenades to make up for it.


"Everything is looking good Tali. Anything more than this will need field data." I informed the nervous Quarian.


'It is slightly amusing that she is more worried for my deployment than when she herself must go in the field. I am not the one who will require intensive medication and treatment should something breach my suit, nor am I as lightly armored as she.' I thought with some warmth in my chest which I could only identify happiness.


Sigh* "Yes I know." She replied as she turned off her Omni-tool. "Just make sure that you come back with enough of it to matter."


"Aye aye ma'am." I lightheartedly responded before turning to make my way to the Mako where Wrex and the commander were already waiting at.


"Finally here kid. Now we can get on our way." Wrex said to me as I approached.


"Apologies, Tali and i were running some last minute scans to make sure everything was good to go." I replied truthfully, only to receive a grunt of acknowledgment in return.


"At least you don't look like a Cerberus goon anymore." The krogan said as he began climbing the Mako. "I hope that fancy suit of yours has a puke bucket though. Riding with Shepard the first time is always a stomach turner."


"Hey! My driving is perfectly fine and it gets the job done." Jane countered as she gave of feelings of defensiveness, stubbornness and some slight guilt and amusement.


"I have received rather... poignant reviews of your driving commander, however I shall refrain from giving my final judgment until I have experienced your skills first hand." I said as I did my best to remain neutral on the matter.


I would find out soon anyway.


"Hehe. Your tunes gonna change after today kid." Wrex responded as he lowered himself into the Mako as I felt he was looking forward to me suffering for some reason, but not in a malicious manner.


"Don't you worry Neo. I'll get us to the objective in no time and then we'll survey the area for some other stuff in the area. We usually find some interesting or useful stuff like some prothean data disks, old Turian insignias, mineral deposits, first contact war stuff and even old Asari writings. Sometimes we meet a thresher maw, but that's only if we get unlucky." Jane said to me with a confident smile, but that last bit made me stiffen for a moment.


"Commander, although I have said I would follow your orders, I would prefer you not using this as an excuse to put me in front of a thresher maw." I said to her in a completely deadpan manner.


"Don't you worry about a thresher maw kid. I killed plenty in my younger days. Even did it when I was just a whelp." Wrex said as he popped his head out of the Mako. "Now if you two are done chatting, can we hurry this along? I want to kill some people."


"Yeah yeah. Come on Neo, no use making a krogan annoyed at you." Shepard said as she put on her helmet and climbed into the vehicle.


With a quick wave at the worried Quarian still looking at me, I followed suit into the cramped Mako.


"Buckle up for the drop kid. I got the turret, you're in charge of the sensors." Wrex said as he saw me come in.


"Wrex always has dibs on the turrets. Apparently Krogans aren't fans of not being able to use the big guns. Who could have guessed?" Jane informed me in a lighthearted manner as she prepared for our drop as the driver.


Seeing as my role had already been decided, I strapped myself in and began going through the Mako's systems, getting everything online and ready. My lessons had covered every duty aboard a wide variety of vehicles to assure my ability to infiltrate, fight and survive, the Mako was no exception. Hence this was no issue.


"Joker, ETA to the drop zone?" Shepard asked aloud.


"Two minutes commander." Our pilot answered as he was no doubt busy with making sure the ships goes through atmospheric reentry without any issues.


His answer started my mental countdown to our drop as I closed my eyes. The Mako was quiet as Jane and Wrex prepared for it as well.


"Drop zone in 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...go!" Joker's voice announced as I felt Shepard drive the Mako out of the cargo hold.


What followed was a adrenaline pumping experience. The feeling of suddenly accelerating and free falling in a vehicle is hard to describe. The stomach lurching, the elevated heart rate, the way you know you will be safe logically but feel a threat of death anyway. Truly a unique experience limited to those involved in battle.


Then, like the hundred times before, Shepard activated the Mako's propulsion systems to slow our approach and activated our miniature eezo core, resulting in us touching down on the planet surface at a manageable velocity. The shaking was much more severe than anticipated, but I would be ready next time. I was already calculating how strong the impact was on the Mako using this planet's recorded gravity and giving myself a formula for future impacts. But I was broken out of my thoughts, putting away the calculations for later, when the commander hit the brakes and brought us to a complete stop.


Without a word needed I was already checking the systems to find out our vehicle's status, finding everything to be within normal margins as Wrex observed our surroundings using the turret.


"All systems green Commander. We are good to go. I have also picked up the signal for Dr. Wayne's bunker 1.53 klicks southwest from here." I reported seriously since we were now officially on a mission.


"Nothing trying to kill us either." Wrex said as it appeared he took a more relaxed approach to reporting.


"Good, then let's get going. I want to find a scientist, not a corpse." Shepard replied as she set course according to my word.


What came next was... eye opening.
I was starting to understand why most of the crew was not exactly pleased with the commander's driving, but I found it manageable. I do believe that is because of my advantages however, I would not hold them to my physiological standards. Although Wrex was doing ok, even if Shepard's driving left much to desire when it came to helping the krogan aim.


The reason behind my enlightenment, stems from the commander's desire to take the most direct route possible when heading for our objective. This meant that if there was a hole, crater or mountain in the way, she would drive through or over them even if there was an easier but slower alternative. The result was an increase of time in the air and subsequent landings, sudden drops and steep climbs which sometimes made the Mako flip. So let's just say I was already appreciating my unique physiology.


It was a good thing our objective was not far.
Once we reached last known location of our target, we found the entrance guarded by a handful of mercenary guards. Certainly not from any of the three major groups like Eclipse, Blood pack or Blue Suns, but professional enough to look like they are doing their jobs at least. They had two Snipers on elevated towers and three men guarding the door, all human from our observation, with no female humanoid to have the possibility of an Asari.


"Wrex, can you get the snipers using the turret?" Shepard asked after we finished our observation.


"Maybe. But the angles bad. I say let the kid do it. He's got his own sniper." The krogan answered as he pointed at me using his equivalent of a thumb.


"Alright then. Neo are you up for it?" She then asked me as she accepted Wrex's word.
"I shall do so now Commander. This will be an excellent time to practice on live targets." I answered as I climbed out of the mako to set myself up properly.


We had stopped on an elevated outcrop about 600 meters away from our target in order to scope the place out, hence I would lay down at the edge to protect my body from retaliation and gain more stability when aiming. Taking out my Widow, I prepared.


'First target: 581m, 13.2 km wind, slight weaker gravity at 0.82 g, minimal target movement. Marked


Second target: 605m, data consistent with first target. Marked.


Targeting assistance fully operational and consistent with personal calculations and estimate. Good.' I thought as I went through all the steps needed.


Although this was short for a weapon such as the Widow, double checking was better than getting shot.


"On your word commander." I said through the com as my focus remained on my two primary targets.


"Take 'em out." She ordered swiftly as I immediately opened fire.


*BAM*


'First target down. Head shot confirmed.' I thought to myself as I witnessed the sniper's head explode from my shot.


A predictable result seeing as the Widow can pierce armored vehicles like a Mako.


Reloading was done in a mere moment as I already lined up my second shot. I could see the sniper being on high alert and tense after the first shot, with the other three taking cover immediately. It would seem none had the time or calm to deduce the origin of my shot however, three of them were still in my sight.


*BAM*


"Both snipers down Commander. Should I continue? I asked since this was a good opportunity to learn for me and a sound strategy.


"Have at it Neo." She answered with a shrug.


"Let's hope there's more of them inside." Commented Wrex from the side as I focused on the three remaining guards.


It took two shots and two more downed targets before I missed the last one due to erratic movements. This was good. It meant a chance to improve and adapt to a certain degree to such actions.


I took a few moments to analyse the patterns and instinctual responses of the target, it not taking very long since the options were rather limited. Too far from the door, can't make a break for it, limited cover, and I doubt he knows my exact position either since I still have opportunities to kill him.


*BAM*


Oh well.


"All targets down Commander." I declared as I reloaded and stood up.


"5/6 shots isn't bad for your first time." Jane responded with a satisfied nod.


"Meh. I could have done it better." Teased Wrex.


"Biologically speaking, can a krogan even wield a sniper rifle?" I questioned our of pure curiosity.


That made him stumble slightly as he walked on and grumbled about stupid scopes and it being cowardly. I heard the commander stifle some laughter as she too began getting back into the Mako.


I hadn't realized that they had exited the vehicle in the first place. I guess I must properly stay aware of my surroundings next time, a rookie error. I was too excited to gain some experience that I focused too much on my shooting. But now this is a mistake I shall not repeat. It was good that it was done in such a way.


Strapping myself into the Mako for our short trip down to the entrance of the bunker proved to be a wise decision seeing as the commander decided to go full throttle and skip the slope downward in favor of a more expedient fall. At least it was quick.
We all disembarked and readied ourselves at the entrance. Shepard with her Spectre Assault riffle, while Wrex and I both selected shotguns for a battlefield which will almost certainly be close to mid-range in nature.


The commander opened the door and led us down the small connection to the first room according to these types bunkers' layouts, each room was connected by these types of sealable hallways. Reaching the to the first room, Jane opened it as Wrex and I took point and swept the room, finding it to be a sort of standby room with no important equipment or guard. Simply another door, but this time we could hear some voices, most likely mercenary.


I was surprised to find our commander going through a couple of locked boxes or storage units, but when I asked about the answer was 'it would be a waste to not take their stuff.'


Understanding the logic to a certain degree, even though the probability of finding something above our current equipment standards or that can outdo what we can get through spectre and military clearance being very low, I waited silently in front of the next door defensively just in case.


'Maybe I should ask Tali to teach me about scavenging and re-using technology to fix things. Coupling that with the Commander's habit may prove useful in emergency situations or missions where re-supplying is deemed impossible.' I thought for a moment as various scenarios flashed through my mind.


We moved on as soon as the commander was finished her scavenging. I was sure where exactly she stored her loot, but as long as it did not hamper her abilities it was not important.


What was important was the noise we could hear from the next room, meaning a very high chance of the rest of the mercenaries being behind the door.


"Here's the plan: Wrex and I are going to send out some biotics and get as many of these guys floating while Neo focuses on the ones still on the ground. Knowing these types of bunkers, there's a high chance of equipment and containers littering the room, meaning lots of close and quick combat, always be careful when going around corners." The commander said as she broke down the situation.


"I smell a couple of Krogans in there, so at least whoever's in charge isn't stupid." Wrex announced after sniffing the air and then looked at me, "guess I'll get to see how you stack up against some real muscle earlier than I thought."


That announcement immediately made me come up with a variety of actions to deal with the threats, taking less than a few seconds before I had a dozen set plans for the durable species at my disposal. All based on my current options of course, if I had my Omni-tool and biotics then I doubt I would have considered them much of a problem, but I am limited to my weapons and body this time.


"Thanks for the heads up Wrex, but try not to do something stupid you two. I'd prefer not to have to fill out more paperwork cause you decided to go hand-to-hand and got shot." Shepard wryly said as she looked at us.


"Heh, no promises." The krogan answered with a smirk.


"Understood, I shall deal with them in the swiftest manner available to me." I replied as I decided to test my physical abilities in a controlled environment anyway.


Wrex is likely to be a much bigger challenge than the two Krogans inside anyway.


Shaking her head at our thousand year teammate, Shepard signaled for us to begin as she opened the door.


We found ourselves in a large room, which was filled with various cover like the commander predicted, but I found the mercenaries sloppy due to no one guarding the entrance. This allowed us to sneak closer to a gathering of four mercs in the center of the room without alerting anyone.


The two Krogans were there, alongside a Salarian and human. I spotted two other humans walking around to the far left of the room, while Wrex signaled one additional merc spotted to the right. Not knowing their exact numbers was a minor risk, but according to the standard structural plans of these types of bunkers and the size of the room, unless they stacked themselves at the other door, only an additional one or two members are predicted to be present.


With a silent countdown, Shepard signaled the start of this fight as her's and Wrex's biotics flared to life and shot forward as they caught three of the four. Krogans being notoriously annoying in this situation as well, but option 1 from my prior brainstorm was initiated. Meaning I wasn't holding my shotgun anymore, but my Widow, and with a single bang, the unaffected krogan lost his face and was knocked off his feet as a sizable hole was made. The first threat was down.


The commotion made everyone present start shooting at whoever wasn't known to them, and with extreme speed and dexterity I had already switched to my Mattock as I took cover from the two on the left I had spotted earlier.


Taking in all enemy positions, I registered Shepard shooting a particular container which caused a small explosion killing two of the floating mercs and damaging the krogan, while Wrex used a biotic charge which caused the unfortunate target to be sent crashing into the wall and leaving a blood smear due to the impact's force. Impressive.


Not wasting anytime, I began firing on the more aggressive merc who was attempting to charge my position. Too bad for him it was only a distraction as I weakened his shield, making him fail to notice the grenade which tore him apart as he reached the halfway point between my cover and his. Then using the explosion as cover, I immediately sprinted to a different cover and flanked my remaining target as I switched to my shotgun, which was unfortunate for him due to it only requiring two shots before breaking his shield and penetrating his skull, all before he could turn around.


Without relaxing I began to make my way through the room and I carefully swept each corner for hostiles. I heard a few rounds being shot from various distances, but I had not doubt the commander and Wrex would be more than capable of dealing with this level of enemy. Thus I moved forward cautiously as I used my sense and sensors to aid my efforts, only to find the sounds and signals of my teammates.


I reached the room's second door and found Wrex already there and sporting a new blood stain, obviously not his own, and a second later Shepard joined us looking the same as always. This was not a difficult battle for either veterans.


"Good work you two." She commented as she noticed how easy this had been.


"Nothing good. Those two Krogans went down like whelps and the rest were too squishy. Couldn't even take a charge." Wrex grumbled due to not having enough fun.


"Thank you commander." I simply said as I quickly reloaded my Widow since the room was cleared.


"Next time we fight some Krogans I'll let you take point, how about that?" Teased the commander slightly as she looked at the big guy.


"Yeah yeah. Like you'll find anyone smart or stupid enough to get a bunch of Krogans in one room." Muttered Wrex as he knew full well how stupid and hotheaded his people could be.


"It would require significant effort to arrange." I added as I agreed with the red alien.


"It would be kind of funny if the bad guys got killed before we got there because they had too much muscle." Commented Shepard as she smiled at the image.


"I do find the idea amusing." I said in agreement with the commander as a small smile appeared on my own face.


"Meh, could happen." Wrex simply said as he acknowledged the possibility.


The small discussion released a good amount of the tension I didn't realize my body was holding in. This further emphasized my lack of experience and made me question if my two seniors purposefully had this lighter moment for me. I decided to appreciate it regardless and note the usefulness of such banter as a psychological aid.


We moved forward soon after as we ended up going down a corridor and a junction with an offline door to the left and a functional one to the right, this making the choice for us.


We could hear a very angry voice yelling in fury as another begged in fear, this resulting in the commander taking action before all we could hear was a gunshot and silence.


Entering, Wrex and I swept the room to find a single scientist begging for his life in front of who we assume is the leader of the group.


"Stay back! I've got no grief with you! All I want is this bastard!" The Merc loudly said as he noticed our entrance and kept his gun aimed at the scientist we could now identify as Dr. Wayne.


"Please! He's a madman!" Pleaded Dr. Wayne as he looked at the commander before turning his head back to the merc. "Mr. Toombs, you're insane! You need help!"


I could feel the intense emotions of the two before us. The Merc was fury, barely contained, but it also had sadness, along with shock as he looked at the commander and determination. This was interesting to feel. While Dr. Wayne was desperation, fear, but under this was flashes of something slimy, the feeling which reminded me of some of those who worked on me. This meant he wanted to use us somehow.


"Shut up! You don't get to lie! You don't... Shepard?" The angry man responded before it seemed that he truly did recognize the commander. "My god, Shepard is that you?"


Flashes of recognition were felt going through Shepard herself now as she put pieces of a puzzle I was not privy to together. "Corporal Toombs? But... I saw you die on Akuze! How did you get here?" She asked in disbelief.


But to me this became complicated. I knew Akuze was a psychological scar on the commander. I read the reports of the incident and of the changes in behavior Shepard exhibited afterwards. It is something I have avoided speaking of even more than her previous 'feats' in the military. I understood that such events molded a person much more deeply than most realized and an event such as her survival on Akuze even more so. The issue was that I understood this clinically, but I could not help, hence I respectfully did not speak to her about such events.


"They took, Shepard. The scientists." Ex-corporal Toombs answered in anger.


"You can't prove any of this! This man is delusional!" The not-so-good doctor said as I could feel his nervousness and fear. I could tell he was lying.


I hated so called scientists who felt like this Dr. Wayne. The slimy, lying cowards.


"See, they were running tests on thresher maws. They let those things hit us just to watch and study." Toombs said in anger before I felt flashes of old emotions such as fear, pain, desperation, helplessness. "I woke up in a holding cell. The scientists were delighted i'd survived. Now they had someone to run tests on."


"What they do to you Toombs?" Shepard softly asked as she felt guilty, most likely due to not being able to help the man who was in her unit.


"You can't believe Toombs! He doesn't have any proof! I demand a fair trial!" Wayne yelled as he noticed his only hope slipping away. I could feel his nerves.


I would kill him, but this was not my call. I knew this was not going to be anything good. I knew these types of so-called scientists.


"SHe was there, you bastard! He knows the truth! They treated me like a lab animal! I only escaped because someone was destroying Cerberus, their big organization. This man deserves to die, Shepard. For you, for me, for everyone else in the unit. Are you with me?" Toombs asked as the situation started to break down quickly.


"You're better than this, Toombs. You're not like them." Shepard said as she tried to appeal to the man.


I did not agree with her attempts at letting a 'scientist' like Wayne live, but I held myself back.


"Don't tell me who I am! You got away with a few scratches and a scary reputation! The rest of the unit died and I was tortured for years, Shepard! You can't judge me. You don't have the right." The ex-corporal angrily replied at her attempted appeal.


"We swore an oath when we put on this uniform! Would our unit want revenge or justice?" Shepard righteously asked.
I couldn't truly understand. But I could feel Tommbs' anger faltering.


"I-I hadn't thought of it like that." The ex-soldier said as I felt sadness and remorse flow through him as he was no doubt reminiscing about his fallen comrades.


After a few moments of silence, Toombs' body visibly sagged. "Okay, I'm no murderer. They couldn't make me one. Just as long as he goes to trial. Maybe the screaming will stop now. I don't know."


He sounded so very fragile at that moment. The emotions were so raw that it was shocking to me that this man hadn't killed his hated tormentor. An aspect of humanity I would analyze later.


"Those bastards can't hurt you anymore." Shepard said as she comforted him. "Joker, tell the fifth fleet we need someone to pick us up."


This seemed to signal the completion of our mission. With the commander scavenging some more tech as we waited for our ride back due to our two additions not fitting in the Mako.


An end which left me with much to think about. Not just with analyzing everything combat related, but also regarding people, morality, justice, emotions. This would give me much to think about indeed.

_____________________________________

Author notes extra:


So yeah I pretty much did the assignment UNC: Dead Scientists as Neo's first mission, but with some minor changes due to not having done the Rachni or Thorian mission, not UNC: Hades Dogs yet.


I thought this had a good mix of combat and emotional problems to have Neo go through as his first mission.


Yes it was pretty easy, but what can you do against the thousand year old battle master, Commander Shepard and the Super hybrid soldier? Nothing that's what. Especially when you're only like eight people.


And the Krogan dying from one headshot from the Widow makes sense to me since that thing can take down light armored military vehicles, much less a generic Krogan.

So yes, big hole through head.


Finally, the reason I haven't been writing for the last while was for a few reasons. Was dealing with some health issues, had to move places, then flew out to spend some time with my family. So wasn't really feeling like writing and was enjoying reading when I could.