Just an idea of mine that's been getting some interest on the Space Battles forum...I thought I'd post the drabbles I'd written for it here.
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"Doctor? Doctor Hacksaw, I think she's waking up!"
Grimacing at the noise and the pounding ache in her head, the newly-conscious Shepard hauled herself up off of her back and into a sitting position, cradling her head in her cool mechanical hand.
"You okay, Commander?"
Peeking between her synthetic fingers, the Normandy's executive officer chuckled slightly at the sight of Jenkins' head, preserved in a glass jar, but still eying her expectantly. "I feel like I'm interning back at Castle Heterodyne again, to be honest. How're you holding up, Corporal?"
Jenkins' head grumbled. "Fine...I guess. Doc says she can get me back up on my feet in a day or two...but the damn Geth only turned my torso into swiss cheese, so I'm not getting a cool gun arm or anything."
Across the room, Doctor Hacksaw piped up from where she was buried almost up to her elbows in Jenkins' chest. "I can only replace what you legitimately lose in the line of duty. Regulations are regulations, Corporal. For now you'll just have to be satisfied with the ability to hold your breath for half an hour and drink a Krogan under the table...among other things."
Ignoring Jenkins' grinning, Shepard curiously wandered over to peer into the bloody mess of meat and metal on Hacksaw's operating table. "Other things?"
Hacksaw cocked her head to the side in momentary thought before she shrugged. "I haven't really decided yet. I suppose I was just playing around in there, waiting for inspiration to strike." Yanking her hands free with a wet slurp, the grey-haired Doctor slipped the blood-covered gloves off and dumped them in a waste disposal unit. "Honestly, my mind has been a little preoccupied with the readings I've been getting from your brain...I've never seen anything quite like it. If Captain Anderson hadn't ordered me not to, I could have spent days poking around in your skull." The Medical bays' door slid open with a chime, and the two women turned to see Captain Anderson step into the room. "Ah, speak of the devil."
The dark-skinned Captain strode across the room, nodding to Shepard before addressing the good Doctor. "How's our XO holding up, Doctor?"
"I'd like to run a few tests, but as far as I can tell, it looks like the Commander's going to be just fine."
Anderson frowned slightly. "If you could hold off on the tests for a little while, Doctor, I'd like to speak with Commander Shepard in private for a few minutes."
"Of course, Captain." Walking over to her desk, Hacksaw hefted up Jenkins' jar. "Come along, Jenkins, let's see if we can annoy Jeff for a bit."
Captain Anderson waited until the door to the medical bay slid shut behind the two before turning to his XO. "Sounds like that beacon hit you pretty hard, Commander. Are you sure you're okay?"
Rolling her shoulders, Shepard sighed. "It's just a headache, really. Some odd dreams, I guess. Death. Destruction."
The Captain's eyebrows rose, and his tone of voice was noticeably lighter. "I was of the understanding that dreams like that are normal for sparks."
Shepard huffed, but didn't deny the observation. "It's not me causing the death and destruction in these dreams." When she noticed Anderson's shoulders shaking faintly in laughter, she crossed her arms and scowled at her commanding officer. "Permission to call you a jackass, sir?"
Anderson smirked. "Denied, Commander."
"...you said you needed to see me in private?"
With a sigh, all humor slipped from Anderson's face. "I'm not going to lie to you Shepard; things look bad. Nihlus is dead, the beacon was destroyed, and the Geth are invading. And Saren...he's a Spectre, one of the best...but if he's working with the Geth, then he's gone rogue." Anderson began pacing the room, wearing a troubled expression. "I know his reputation, his politics...he believes humans are a blight on the galaxy, and now he has the secrets of the beacon and an army of Geth at his command."
"Mysterious technology and a remorseless mechanical army in the hands of a genocidal madman are nothing humanity hasn't dealt with before, sir." Shepard pointed out.
The Captain nodded. "True enough. Still, I'll feel a hell of a lot better about this mess if we can stop Saren before he really gets started. Getting the Council to revoke his Spectre status would be an excellent first step."
The Spark frowned thoughtfully, leaning back against a bed. "Do we have enough evidence for that?"
"...no, I don't think we do." Anderson grudgingly admitted. "The only person who actually saw Saren is a traumatized dockworker."
Shepard blinked as a thought occurred to her. "And Nihlus." When the Captain turned to face her, she pinned him in place with a sharp look. "Did you recover Nihlus' body?"
Anderson's posture stiffened reflexively. "Yes, of course."
"ALL of it? Every last scrap of flesh?"
"Naturally. Standard procedure."
The Commander nodded. "Good. How long until we reach the Citadel?"
"Less than an hour."
"Do what you can to delay a meeting with the Council for at least..." She paused, considering what she'd seen of Nihlus' admittedly fatal injury. "...five hours."
"Commander...he was shot in the HEAD."
Shepard waved him off absently. "I've seen worse. And Hacksaw's cut up a few turians in her time, I'm sure she can manage it." She began digging through the Doctor's cupboards. "Have the good Doctor and our turian friend sent up, I should have things ready for them by the time they get here."
"Right away Commander." With a crisp salute, the Captain turned on his heel and marched back to the door. He almost made it out of the room before he snapped back to his senses. With a peeved expression on his face, the older man turned to severely reprimand the lower-ranked officer...
...until he noticed Shepard giggling and plugging in a coffee machine.
Anderson managed to leave the room without running...but it was a close thing.
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A few other possibilities for consideration...
Chakwas/Hacksaw - In a setting full of mad scientists, and with a name like that, it would be crime not to use the 'Hacksaw' anagram.
Sparks and Quarians - Quarians are naturally wary around sparks...mostly because sparks have reputations for experimenting and building machines that no sane person would even consider. On the other hand, they are also very aware of the fact that sparks are the only group that not only have no bias against quarians whatsoever, but actually consider them favorably. I imagine sparks admire the quarian people for their mechanical prowess, and have not a little pity over the fate of their race; more than a few sparks have met their ends at the hands of creations that have unexpectedly developed sentience and/or independence, after all. A common enough mistake, but not one that should have ended in the deaths of billions of people.
On that note, sparks generally don't think much of the council, not just for not stepping in and helping the quarians, but for seemingly going out of their way to avoid helping them.
Shepard's mechanical hand - She probably lost her real one either in battle or when she studied at Castle Heterodyne. She built her current mechanical replacement herself, and it houses a wide variety of tools, more than a few of which can be used as weapons. I also can't shake the thought of her fingers having a 'vibrate' setting...for negotiating with Asari.
War Hero Shepard - The Alliance hushed up the specifics, but for the most part people know that Shepard was on Elysium on shore leave, and almost single-handedly turned back the Batarian pirate fleet. Far fewer people know that Shepard did so by injecting a dangerous cocktail of stimulants into herself, then carving up the pirate frigates with a hand-held death ray she built while in 'The Madness Place'.
Death Rays on Ships - Are nightmarishly powerful, and could conceivably tip the balance of power hilariously in humanities favor, but for better or worse, the Alliance fields very few of them. Very few sparks are potent enough and focussed enough to build a ship-sized death ray and reign in the necessary number of minions and lesser sparks necessary to help keep it running. It's also a trial for ship captains to keep the sparks from...improving...the rest of the ship while it's in flight.
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Originally Posted by Keiran Halcyon
The Reapers will learn to fear Spark!Shepard, Bwa ha ha ha ha. Give a Spark the problem of fighting and killing a Reaper, add ME tech and Sparkiness...well, I don't think I want to be in the same Galaxy
Then...
Shepard walking into the Council meeting, holding a curiously large briefcase. The Council does their ostrich impression and disbelieves the fact that Saren led the Geth army on Eden Prime.
Shepard: "Well, we have witness..."
Turian Councillor: "We've already dismissed the dockworker's account Shepard..."
Shepard: "Would the word of a Spectre be more sufficient?"
Asari Councillor: "There were no other Spectre's other than the late Nihlus on Eden Prime."
Shepard: "Ah yes, Nihlus' death. We somewhat exaggerated his condition, it turns out. We were able to save him, well, most of him."
Council and Saren's hologram watches stunned as Shepard opens the suitcase to reveal a very familiar Turian's head in a large jar. Shepard places it on a nearby table. They're even more stunned when they see Nihlus' head turning and his mandibles clicking quickly, showing his annoyance.
Nihlus: "Finally, it was getting quite cramped in there." The Salarian Councillor just about faints at this point. Nihlus sees Saren. "Saren! Just wait until Shepard builds me a new body. I'll pull your mandibles off and feed them to you! Or I'll ask for extra strength eezo nodules and rip you in two!"
Not bad, but I'm not sure if the Jar treatment is really necessary in Nihlus' case; his body is fine, it's his head that needs fixing.
My thinking was that he looks pretty much the same as he always did, but those facial markings have been changed from simple white facepaint to metal bands that are holding his head together.
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Rushing purposefully through the Council Chambers with Nihlus at her side, Commander Shepard was almost to the Petitioner's Stage before she found Captain Anderson. "Captain."
Anderson breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the Spark, and the Turian at her side. "Nihlus, good to see you up on your feet. How are you feeling?"
The Spectre ran a hand gingerly across his face, then grimaced, frowning at his constantly twitching fingers. He clasped his hands behind his back and straightened his shoulders. "...I've been worse."
Shepard winced. "Sorry we kinda half-arsed your fine motor control, but don't worry, it's nothing that can't be fixed with another few hours work."
Nihlus nodded carelessly. "By all rights I shouldn't even be breathing, Commander. I'm not going to complain about twitchy fingers...so long as I'm not expected to handle a firearm."
Glancing anxiously up the last flight of stairs, Anderson waved for the two soldiers to follow him. "The hearing has already started, come on..."
Commander Shepard followed her Captain up the stairs, pausing halfway up when she noticed Nihlus wasn't following them. Turning back, she frowned questioningly at the Turian still standing at the bottom of the stairs.
"Go on, I'll be right with you." Nihlus reassured her.
With a nod, Shepard turned and ascended the rest of the stairs to the Petitioner's Stage, across from which a towering hologram scowled down at the assembled humans, and the Asari Councillor was responding to Udina's accusations.
"...the Geth attack is a matter of some concern, but there is nothing to indicate that Saren was involved in any way."
The Turian representative picked up where she left off. "The investigation by Citadel Security turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason."
Udina glared at the flickering orange hologram of the Spectre. "An eyewitness saw Saren fatally wound Nihlus, a cowardly attack from behind."
Saren growled, but the Salarian Councillor cut in before he could speak. "We've read the Eden Prime reports, Ambassador. The testimony of one traumatized dockworker is hardly compelling proof."
"I resent these accusations! Nihlus was a fellow Spectre...and a friend."
Anderson scoffed. "That just let you catch him off guard!"
The Turian Spectre sneered. "Captain Anderson...you always seem to be involved when humanity makes false charges against me." His gaze shifted to the dark-haired woman at the Captain's side. "And this must be your protege, Commander Shepard...the one who let the beacon get destroyed."
Shepard crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow curiously at the towering hologram. "It was my understanding that the mission to Eden Prime was top secret..."
"With Nihlus gone his files passed on to me." Saren answered easily. "I read the Eden Prime report...I was unimpressed. But what can you expect from a human"
With spectacular dramatic timing, Nihlus chose that moment to make his entrance. "I don't think you're giving the human race, or Commander Shepard, enough credit, 'old friend'."
Saren's head whipped around from glancing knowingly at the Council, to almost gaping at Nihlus, so quickly that his neck could be heard cracking.
With an 'innocent' expression, Shepard nudged Anderson with her elbow. "I'm not great with Turian facial expressions...is that 'surprised'?"
Anderson smirked viciously. "Very."
Saren's reaction had not gone unnoticed by the Councillors, who glanced amongst each other briefly before Tevos spoke up for the trio. "Spectre Nihlus, this is a pleasant surprise; by all accounts you were killed on Eden Prime."
Nihlus bowed slightly. "I was fatally wounded, and certainly dead when I was brought aboard the Normandy...lucky for me, Doctor Hacksaw and Commander Shepard are very good at what they do." Nihlus turned to his old mentor's image. "Now, Saren...I think it goes without saying that you lied to me back on Eden Prime about the Council having sent you to back me up. Would you care to explain why you felt it necessary to kill me?"
Several expressions flickered across Saren's holographic face, before he finally settled on a look of utter loathing. "No." That said, he swept his hand, and the signal was cut, the holographic representation of the Spectre dying with a momentary flicker.
Udina turned to the Council, looking unbearably smug. "So...treason?"
The Turian Councillor grimaced, stroking the fingers of one hand agitatedly across his brow. "That has yet to be conclusively proven...but until Saren returns to the Citadel to explain his actions...we have no choice but to strip him of his Spectre status."
Both Udina and Anderson frowned and made to insist that the rogue turian be hunted down, but Councillor Tevos' raised hand stalled their protests. "It is clear we still have a great deal to discuss, but Commander Shepard's presence is no longer required. Perhaps she could take this opportunity to tour the Presidium, or the rest of the Citadel."
Shepard glanced at Captain Anderson, who nodded subtly, before shrugging. "Sure, I think I'd like that."
Udina, however, sputtered in protest. "A Spark running around the Citadel unchecked? Are you mad?!"
The Councillors were universally non-plussed, the Salarian member speaking for the group. "Commander Shepard's disciplinary records are exemplary, one of the reasons we accepted her as a potential Spectre."
The Ambassador was undeterred. "She. Is. A. SPARK."
Rolling her eyes, the Commander sighed. "If it bothers you that much, I'll have Lieutenant Alenko meet up with me and keep me out of trouble."
Captain Anderson voiced his approval before Udina got the chance to complain further. "That will be perfect, Commander."
As Shepard gave her commanding officer a salute and turned to walk away, Nihlus added quietly. "We'll probably be calling you back once we're done, so keep your omni-tool on."
With a nod, the Commander began tapping at her omni-tool, sending a message to Alenko as she stepped off of the Petitioner's Stage.
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Several Hours Later...
With her artificial hand keeping a vice grip on the whimpering salarian's neck, Shepard grinned wickedly and discharged a monstrous surge of electricity into the skinny alien, his body jerking spastically for several seconds before going limp. With a disdainful sniff, the Commander let the dead thug drop unceremoniously to the ground, before turning to the rest of her little group, absently shaking her mechanical hand until it stopped smoking. "Is that all of them?"
Garrus shrugged, shouldering his rifle. "That really depends on whether or not the one Wrex is kicking is still alive or not."
The crimson-shelled krogan mercenary gave the limp turian at his feet a few more kicks to the ribs before nodding and spitting on the corpse. "Yup, this one's done."
Stepping out from behind cover, the current 'most wanted quarian' on the Citadel glared down at what was left of the touchy turian who'd tried to kill her. "Fist set me up....I KNEW I shouldn't have trusted him!"
Eagerly, Shepard scooted over to the young quarian and looked her up and down, doing a quick scan with her omni-tool. "Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?"
The quarian looked surprised at the attention...though it was little difficult to tell with her helmet. "I know how to look after myself...not that I don't appreciate the help." She added hastily. "But...who are you?"
"I'm Commander Shepard, of the Alliance. This is Lieutenant Alenko, also Alliance, and Garrus Vakarian, of C-Sec. We understand you have evidence proving Saren is a traitor?"
"Yes, I do. Sharing it with you is the least I can do for saving my life." Tali'zorah glanced at the krogan at the back of the group. "...what about him?"
The Spark turned and glanced at the mercenary briefly before shrugging. "That's Wrex. He's just here to kill people."
"Ah."
Any further conversation was interrupted as Shepard's communicator chimed in her ear, telling her a message had been sent to her omni-tool. She checked the message, raising an eyebrow before shutting her omni-tool off. "Well, that's good timing; looks like the Council is wrapping things up, and they want me back." She glanced at Tali, her eyes wide and hopeful. "If it's not too much trouble, could you come with us and show this evidence of yours to the Council?"
Tali's own glowing eyes could be seen blinking in surprise. "You want me to show this to the Council? I...sure, n-no problem."
Hesitantly, Garrus called out to the human Commander. "Ah...Shepard, you might want to take a look at the Lieutenant; I'm no expert, but he's not looking so good."
That was an understatement; by the time Shepard got to him, Kaiden was ashen-faced and leaning against a wall for support. Shepard growled as she looked him over with her omni-tool and readied some medigel. "Damn it Lieutenant, you should have said something if you were shot, or if your implants are acting up, or whatever the hell is wrong with you."
The biotic licked his dry lips shakily. "I...s-supposed to keep you...out of trouble."
The Spark blinked, then turned to look back down the alley...the alley strewn liberally with corpses. "Oh. That."
Garrus shuffled awkwardly, wincing as he mentally tallied up the body count from the Clinic, Chora's Den, and this Alley. "Yeah...we might have gotten a little carried away here..."
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Originally Posted by Doomsought
Cypher3au- Where is my ham? The very blood of sparks flows with ham. Shepard should bleed bacon damn it!
That's very, very true. I'm thinking a good place to show that would be Chora's Den, when shaking down Fist for info on Tali.
Lessee...cut the lights...hack the turrets...walk in there with blood-covered N7 armor, and hand twitching with an assortment of lethal-looking tools, and a big slasher grin...that could work.
Maybe she waves a small, cobbled together pistol under his face, leading Fist to sarcastically ask if she built it on the ferry ride to the club. When she says 'yes', and he puts the pieces together...
Wants to save Quarian + Scratch-Built Gun + Insane Expression = Spark with Death Ray
...he's probably going to wish he wore his brown pants that day.
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Originally Posted by Peptuck
....my God.
This gave me an idea.
Conrad Verner, GENTLEMAN ADVENTURER!
"Foul!"
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"Doctor? Doctor Hacksaw, I think she's waking up!"
Grimacing at the noise and the pounding ache in her head, the newly-conscious Shepard hauled herself up off of her back and into a sitting position, cradling her head in her cool mechanical hand.
"You okay, Commander?"
Peeking between her synthetic fingers, the Normandy's executive officer chuckled slightly at the sight of Jenkins' head, preserved in a glass jar, but still eying her expectantly. "I feel like I'm interning back at Castle Heterodyne again, to be honest. How're you holding up, Corporal?"
Jenkins' head grumbled. "Fine...I guess. Doc says she can get me back up on my feet in a day or two...but the damn Geth only turned my torso into swiss cheese, so I'm not getting a cool gun arm or anything."
Across the room, Doctor Hacksaw piped up from where she was buried almost up to her elbows in Jenkins' chest. "I can only replace what you legitimately lose in the line of duty. Regulations are regulations, Corporal. For now you'll just have to be satisfied with the ability to hold your breath for half an hour and drink a Krogan under the table...among other things."
Ignoring Jenkins' grinning, Shepard curiously wandered over to peer into the bloody mess of meat and metal on Hacksaw's operating table. "Other things?"
Hacksaw cocked her head to the side in momentary thought before she shrugged. "I haven't really decided yet. I suppose I was just playing around in there, waiting for inspiration to strike." Yanking her hands free with a wet slurp, the grey-haired Doctor slipped the blood-covered gloves off and dumped them in a waste disposal unit. "Honestly, my mind has been a little preoccupied with the readings I've been getting from your brain...I've never seen anything quite like it. If Captain Anderson hadn't ordered me not to, I could have spent days poking around in your skull." The Medical bays' door slid open with a chime, and the two women turned to see Captain Anderson step into the room. "Ah, speak of the devil."
The dark-skinned Captain strode across the room, nodding to Shepard before addressing the good Doctor. "How's our XO holding up, Doctor?"
"I'd like to run a few tests, but as far as I can tell, it looks like the Commander's going to be just fine."
Anderson frowned slightly. "If you could hold off on the tests for a little while, Doctor, I'd like to speak with Commander Shepard in private for a few minutes."
"Of course, Captain." Walking over to her desk, Hacksaw hefted up Jenkins' jar. "Come along, Jenkins, let's see if we can annoy Jeff for a bit."
Captain Anderson waited until the door to the medical bay slid shut behind the two before turning to his XO. "Sounds like that beacon hit you pretty hard, Commander. Are you sure you're okay?"
Rolling her shoulders, Shepard sighed. "It's just a headache, really. Some odd dreams, I guess. Death. Destruction."
The Captain's eyebrows rose, and his tone of voice was noticeably lighter. "I was of the understanding that dreams like that are normal for sparks."
Shepard huffed, but didn't deny the observation. "It's not me causing the death and destruction in these dreams." When she noticed Anderson's shoulders shaking faintly in laughter, she crossed her arms and scowled at her commanding officer. "Permission to call you a jackass, sir?"
Anderson smirked. "Denied, Commander."
"...you said you needed to see me in private?"
With a sigh, all humor slipped from Anderson's face. "I'm not going to lie to you Shepard; things look bad. Nihlus is dead, the beacon was destroyed, and the Geth are invading. And Saren...he's a Spectre, one of the best...but if he's working with the Geth, then he's gone rogue." Anderson began pacing the room, wearing a troubled expression. "I know his reputation, his politics...he believes humans are a blight on the galaxy, and now he has the secrets of the beacon and an army of Geth at his command."
"Mysterious technology and a remorseless mechanical army in the hands of a genocidal madman are nothing humanity hasn't dealt with before, sir." Shepard pointed out.
The Captain nodded. "True enough. Still, I'll feel a hell of a lot better about this mess if we can stop Saren before he really gets started. Getting the Council to revoke his Spectre status would be an excellent first step."
The Spark frowned thoughtfully, leaning back against a bed. "Do we have enough evidence for that?"
"...no, I don't think we do." Anderson grudgingly admitted. "The only person who actually saw Saren is a traumatized dockworker."
Shepard blinked as a thought occurred to her. "And Nihlus." When the Captain turned to face her, she pinned him in place with a sharp look. "Did you recover Nihlus' body?"
Anderson's posture stiffened reflexively. "Yes, of course."
"ALL of it? Every last scrap of flesh?"
"Naturally. Standard procedure."
The Commander nodded. "Good. How long until we reach the Citadel?"
"Less than an hour."
"Do what you can to delay a meeting with the Council for at least..." She paused, considering what she'd seen of Nihlus' admittedly fatal injury. "...five hours."
"Commander...he was shot in the HEAD."
Shepard waved him off absently. "I've seen worse. And Hacksaw's cut up a few turians in her time, I'm sure she can manage it." She began digging through the Doctor's cupboards. "Have the good Doctor and our turian friend sent up, I should have things ready for them by the time they get here."
"Right away Commander." With a crisp salute, the Captain turned on his heel and marched back to the door. He almost made it out of the room before he snapped back to his senses. With a peeved expression on his face, the older man turned to severely reprimand the lower-ranked officer...
...until he noticed Shepard giggling and plugging in a coffee machine.
Anderson managed to leave the room without running...but it was a close thing.
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A few other possibilities for consideration...
Chakwas/Hacksaw - In a setting full of mad scientists, and with a name like that, it would be crime not to use the 'Hacksaw' anagram.
Sparks and Quarians - Quarians are naturally wary around sparks...mostly because sparks have reputations for experimenting and building machines that no sane person would even consider. On the other hand, they are also very aware of the fact that sparks are the only group that not only have no bias against quarians whatsoever, but actually consider them favorably. I imagine sparks admire the quarian people for their mechanical prowess, and have not a little pity over the fate of their race; more than a few sparks have met their ends at the hands of creations that have unexpectedly developed sentience and/or independence, after all. A common enough mistake, but not one that should have ended in the deaths of billions of people.
On that note, sparks generally don't think much of the council, not just for not stepping in and helping the quarians, but for seemingly going out of their way to avoid helping them.
Shepard's mechanical hand - She probably lost her real one either in battle or when she studied at Castle Heterodyne. She built her current mechanical replacement herself, and it houses a wide variety of tools, more than a few of which can be used as weapons. I also can't shake the thought of her fingers having a 'vibrate' setting...for negotiating with Asari.
War Hero Shepard - The Alliance hushed up the specifics, but for the most part people know that Shepard was on Elysium on shore leave, and almost single-handedly turned back the Batarian pirate fleet. Far fewer people know that Shepard did so by injecting a dangerous cocktail of stimulants into herself, then carving up the pirate frigates with a hand-held death ray she built while in 'The Madness Place'.
Death Rays on Ships - Are nightmarishly powerful, and could conceivably tip the balance of power hilariously in humanities favor, but for better or worse, the Alliance fields very few of them. Very few sparks are potent enough and focussed enough to build a ship-sized death ray and reign in the necessary number of minions and lesser sparks necessary to help keep it running. It's also a trial for ship captains to keep the sparks from...improving...the rest of the ship while it's in flight.
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Originally Posted by Keiran Halcyon
The Reapers will learn to fear Spark!Shepard, Bwa ha ha ha ha. Give a Spark the problem of fighting and killing a Reaper, add ME tech and Sparkiness...well, I don't think I want to be in the same Galaxy
Then...
Shepard walking into the Council meeting, holding a curiously large briefcase. The Council does their ostrich impression and disbelieves the fact that Saren led the Geth army on Eden Prime.
Shepard: "Well, we have witness..."
Turian Councillor: "We've already dismissed the dockworker's account Shepard..."
Shepard: "Would the word of a Spectre be more sufficient?"
Asari Councillor: "There were no other Spectre's other than the late Nihlus on Eden Prime."
Shepard: "Ah yes, Nihlus' death. We somewhat exaggerated his condition, it turns out. We were able to save him, well, most of him."
Council and Saren's hologram watches stunned as Shepard opens the suitcase to reveal a very familiar Turian's head in a large jar. Shepard places it on a nearby table. They're even more stunned when they see Nihlus' head turning and his mandibles clicking quickly, showing his annoyance.
Nihlus: "Finally, it was getting quite cramped in there." The Salarian Councillor just about faints at this point. Nihlus sees Saren. "Saren! Just wait until Shepard builds me a new body. I'll pull your mandibles off and feed them to you! Or I'll ask for extra strength eezo nodules and rip you in two!"
Not bad, but I'm not sure if the Jar treatment is really necessary in Nihlus' case; his body is fine, it's his head that needs fixing.
My thinking was that he looks pretty much the same as he always did, but those facial markings have been changed from simple white facepaint to metal bands that are holding his head together.
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Rushing purposefully through the Council Chambers with Nihlus at her side, Commander Shepard was almost to the Petitioner's Stage before she found Captain Anderson. "Captain."
Anderson breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the Spark, and the Turian at her side. "Nihlus, good to see you up on your feet. How are you feeling?"
The Spectre ran a hand gingerly across his face, then grimaced, frowning at his constantly twitching fingers. He clasped his hands behind his back and straightened his shoulders. "...I've been worse."
Shepard winced. "Sorry we kinda half-arsed your fine motor control, but don't worry, it's nothing that can't be fixed with another few hours work."
Nihlus nodded carelessly. "By all rights I shouldn't even be breathing, Commander. I'm not going to complain about twitchy fingers...so long as I'm not expected to handle a firearm."
Glancing anxiously up the last flight of stairs, Anderson waved for the two soldiers to follow him. "The hearing has already started, come on..."
Commander Shepard followed her Captain up the stairs, pausing halfway up when she noticed Nihlus wasn't following them. Turning back, she frowned questioningly at the Turian still standing at the bottom of the stairs.
"Go on, I'll be right with you." Nihlus reassured her.
With a nod, Shepard turned and ascended the rest of the stairs to the Petitioner's Stage, across from which a towering hologram scowled down at the assembled humans, and the Asari Councillor was responding to Udina's accusations.
"...the Geth attack is a matter of some concern, but there is nothing to indicate that Saren was involved in any way."
The Turian representative picked up where she left off. "The investigation by Citadel Security turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason."
Udina glared at the flickering orange hologram of the Spectre. "An eyewitness saw Saren fatally wound Nihlus, a cowardly attack from behind."
Saren growled, but the Salarian Councillor cut in before he could speak. "We've read the Eden Prime reports, Ambassador. The testimony of one traumatized dockworker is hardly compelling proof."
"I resent these accusations! Nihlus was a fellow Spectre...and a friend."
Anderson scoffed. "That just let you catch him off guard!"
The Turian Spectre sneered. "Captain Anderson...you always seem to be involved when humanity makes false charges against me." His gaze shifted to the dark-haired woman at the Captain's side. "And this must be your protege, Commander Shepard...the one who let the beacon get destroyed."
Shepard crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow curiously at the towering hologram. "It was my understanding that the mission to Eden Prime was top secret..."
"With Nihlus gone his files passed on to me." Saren answered easily. "I read the Eden Prime report...I was unimpressed. But what can you expect from a human"
With spectacular dramatic timing, Nihlus chose that moment to make his entrance. "I don't think you're giving the human race, or Commander Shepard, enough credit, 'old friend'."
Saren's head whipped around from glancing knowingly at the Council, to almost gaping at Nihlus, so quickly that his neck could be heard cracking.
With an 'innocent' expression, Shepard nudged Anderson with her elbow. "I'm not great with Turian facial expressions...is that 'surprised'?"
Anderson smirked viciously. "Very."
Saren's reaction had not gone unnoticed by the Councillors, who glanced amongst each other briefly before Tevos spoke up for the trio. "Spectre Nihlus, this is a pleasant surprise; by all accounts you were killed on Eden Prime."
Nihlus bowed slightly. "I was fatally wounded, and certainly dead when I was brought aboard the Normandy...lucky for me, Doctor Hacksaw and Commander Shepard are very good at what they do." Nihlus turned to his old mentor's image. "Now, Saren...I think it goes without saying that you lied to me back on Eden Prime about the Council having sent you to back me up. Would you care to explain why you felt it necessary to kill me?"
Several expressions flickered across Saren's holographic face, before he finally settled on a look of utter loathing. "No." That said, he swept his hand, and the signal was cut, the holographic representation of the Spectre dying with a momentary flicker.
Udina turned to the Council, looking unbearably smug. "So...treason?"
The Turian Councillor grimaced, stroking the fingers of one hand agitatedly across his brow. "That has yet to be conclusively proven...but until Saren returns to the Citadel to explain his actions...we have no choice but to strip him of his Spectre status."
Both Udina and Anderson frowned and made to insist that the rogue turian be hunted down, but Councillor Tevos' raised hand stalled their protests. "It is clear we still have a great deal to discuss, but Commander Shepard's presence is no longer required. Perhaps she could take this opportunity to tour the Presidium, or the rest of the Citadel."
Shepard glanced at Captain Anderson, who nodded subtly, before shrugging. "Sure, I think I'd like that."
Udina, however, sputtered in protest. "A Spark running around the Citadel unchecked? Are you mad?!"
The Councillors were universally non-plussed, the Salarian member speaking for the group. "Commander Shepard's disciplinary records are exemplary, one of the reasons we accepted her as a potential Spectre."
The Ambassador was undeterred. "She. Is. A. SPARK."
Rolling her eyes, the Commander sighed. "If it bothers you that much, I'll have Lieutenant Alenko meet up with me and keep me out of trouble."
Captain Anderson voiced his approval before Udina got the chance to complain further. "That will be perfect, Commander."
As Shepard gave her commanding officer a salute and turned to walk away, Nihlus added quietly. "We'll probably be calling you back once we're done, so keep your omni-tool on."
With a nod, the Commander began tapping at her omni-tool, sending a message to Alenko as she stepped off of the Petitioner's Stage.
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Several Hours Later...
With her artificial hand keeping a vice grip on the whimpering salarian's neck, Shepard grinned wickedly and discharged a monstrous surge of electricity into the skinny alien, his body jerking spastically for several seconds before going limp. With a disdainful sniff, the Commander let the dead thug drop unceremoniously to the ground, before turning to the rest of her little group, absently shaking her mechanical hand until it stopped smoking. "Is that all of them?"
Garrus shrugged, shouldering his rifle. "That really depends on whether or not the one Wrex is kicking is still alive or not."
The crimson-shelled krogan mercenary gave the limp turian at his feet a few more kicks to the ribs before nodding and spitting on the corpse. "Yup, this one's done."
Stepping out from behind cover, the current 'most wanted quarian' on the Citadel glared down at what was left of the touchy turian who'd tried to kill her. "Fist set me up....I KNEW I shouldn't have trusted him!"
Eagerly, Shepard scooted over to the young quarian and looked her up and down, doing a quick scan with her omni-tool. "Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?"
The quarian looked surprised at the attention...though it was little difficult to tell with her helmet. "I know how to look after myself...not that I don't appreciate the help." She added hastily. "But...who are you?"
"I'm Commander Shepard, of the Alliance. This is Lieutenant Alenko, also Alliance, and Garrus Vakarian, of C-Sec. We understand you have evidence proving Saren is a traitor?"
"Yes, I do. Sharing it with you is the least I can do for saving my life." Tali'zorah glanced at the krogan at the back of the group. "...what about him?"
The Spark turned and glanced at the mercenary briefly before shrugging. "That's Wrex. He's just here to kill people."
"Ah."
Any further conversation was interrupted as Shepard's communicator chimed in her ear, telling her a message had been sent to her omni-tool. She checked the message, raising an eyebrow before shutting her omni-tool off. "Well, that's good timing; looks like the Council is wrapping things up, and they want me back." She glanced at Tali, her eyes wide and hopeful. "If it's not too much trouble, could you come with us and show this evidence of yours to the Council?"
Tali's own glowing eyes could be seen blinking in surprise. "You want me to show this to the Council? I...sure, n-no problem."
Hesitantly, Garrus called out to the human Commander. "Ah...Shepard, you might want to take a look at the Lieutenant; I'm no expert, but he's not looking so good."
That was an understatement; by the time Shepard got to him, Kaiden was ashen-faced and leaning against a wall for support. Shepard growled as she looked him over with her omni-tool and readied some medigel. "Damn it Lieutenant, you should have said something if you were shot, or if your implants are acting up, or whatever the hell is wrong with you."
The biotic licked his dry lips shakily. "I...s-supposed to keep you...out of trouble."
The Spark blinked, then turned to look back down the alley...the alley strewn liberally with corpses. "Oh. That."
Garrus shuffled awkwardly, wincing as he mentally tallied up the body count from the Clinic, Chora's Den, and this Alley. "Yeah...we might have gotten a little carried away here..."
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Originally Posted by Doomsought
Cypher3au- Where is my ham? The very blood of sparks flows with ham. Shepard should bleed bacon damn it!
That's very, very true. I'm thinking a good place to show that would be Chora's Den, when shaking down Fist for info on Tali.
Lessee...cut the lights...hack the turrets...walk in there with blood-covered N7 armor, and hand twitching with an assortment of lethal-looking tools, and a big slasher grin...that could work.
Maybe she waves a small, cobbled together pistol under his face, leading Fist to sarcastically ask if she built it on the ferry ride to the club. When she says 'yes', and he puts the pieces together...
Wants to save Quarian + Scratch-Built Gun + Insane Expression = Spark with Death Ray
...he's probably going to wish he wore his brown pants that day.
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Originally Posted by Peptuck
....my God.
This gave me an idea.
Conrad Verner, GENTLEMAN ADVENTURER!
"Foul!"
