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Mass Effect: The Helldiver Saga, The Beginning	By : Veyron722skyhook Category: +M through R > Mass Effect Views: 9852 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or any of it's characters. I only own the characters I have created specially for this story. I also do not make any profit or money from this at all, it is purely for Fan enjoyment.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
Sorry this one took so long to make. Things have been unbelievably busy. To make matters worse, this chapter accidently got corrupted while it was still half done and I had to start again.
Anyway, it's here now and finally finished. Enjoy.

Chapter 14
The Calm before the Storm
Austin walked through the med bay and into Liara's quarters. She quickly took notice of him. She got up from her seat and kissed him.
"You said you had something you wanted to ask me?" he said.
"Yes. But I'm not sure how to ask it." Said Liara, nervously.
"Take your time, Liara. I'm a patient man and I always have time for you." Austin reassured her.
"Alright. You know back on that asteroid over Terra Nova, when you fought Balak with your sword?" Liara asked.
"Yes?" Austin replied.
"Well, I saw what you did and I suddenly wanted to learn more about sword fighting, or fencing as you call it. Having done some research, I…" Liara stuttered.
"Wait a minute. Are you saying you want to learn fencing?" Austin asked.
"More sort of try it. I was hoping you could show me the basics." Said Liara.
Austin was surprised by this. Had he heard right? Liara wanted him to teach her basic fencing.
"Liara, are you sure about that? I may be good at fencing but I don't know if I'm that good enough to teach you." Said Austin.
"It's only the basics. Besides, you're good enough for me in many ways." Liara said as she winked at him.
Austin chuckled slightly.
"Alright. I'll show you what it's like. If you think it's something you want to pursue then I can maybe make arrangements with Zartrack. He's the best fencing teacher." Said Austin.

At this sort of time on the Normandy, some of crew would set up a shooting range to practice the skills. They also arranged sparing matches if anyone was interested. In this case, Austin and Liara. Kaiden and Ashley where already practicing on the shooting range. They took notice of their commander and nodded to him, which Austin returned.
When Liara arrived she could see Austin holding a black rectangular box. He'd also detached his own sword from his Helldiver armour and now had it strapped to his belt. Austin opened the box to reveal another sword. He handed it to Liara.
"This was the same sword that I trained with. I want you to have it now." He said.
Liara drew the sword from its holster and looked at it.
"You're sure you want me to keep it?" she asked.
"I've not really been sure what to do with it anyway ever since Zartrack gave me this one." Said Austin as he drew his own sword.
It was from there that Liara could see the large difference to his and the one she had. His sword had a guard on it to protect the users hand and also a small strand hanging loose from the hilt. From the looks of it though it was supposed to have that. Attached to the end of the strand was what looked like an Arkane Symbol. The most noticeable feature though was the blade, which had a gold centre and there was writing on it.
"What does that say?" she indicated to the writing. It was in Arkane and that was a language she didn't read. Austin looked at the side she had indicated to. The blade glinted brightly from the lights in the cargo bay.
"That's the sword's name, Excalibur." Said Austin.
"Why is it called that?" Liara asked. She couldn't help but think that she'd heard that name before.
"Have you ever heard of the legend of King Arthur?" Austin asked.
"I've heard of it when studying some human cultures but I'm afraid I don't know the basics." Liara answered.
"Well in that legend, the hero, King Arthur wielded a sword that was said to possess magical powers. General Zartrack always had a bit of a fascination with the legend. So much so, that when he forged this sword for me, he named it after the same sword in the legend." Austin explained.
Liara then noticed the other side. There was Arkane writing on that side as well, but it was different to the side she was looking at.
"What about that side?" she asked.
Austin turned the blade over and looked at the side that she'd indicated.
"That, is my name in Arkadian." He answered. He then handed Excalibur to Liara, she took it into her hand and compared it to the training one she had in her hand. There was definitely a significant difference. Excalibur was so much lighter than the training sword, it was also slightly larger, clearly designed for more combat.
"It's so light. It has almost no weight." Said Liara as she handed Excalibur back to its master.
"But it cuts like steal. Zartrack forged it from Kartalrium. It's a rare but completely indestructible metal. I've had Excalibur for nearly seven years. It's been submerged in cold water, endured extreme heat, fought in many battles and it hasn't even shown the slightest signs of damage or rust." He said.
"It must be quite an honor to wield such a weapon." Said Liara.
"It is. Apart from this shoulder armour that my father gave me, this sword is one of my most treasured possessions. And now it'll be the sword that teaches you." Austin smiled.
"So, shall we?" Liara asked.
For the next few hours Austin started by teaching Liara the proper fencing stances and helping her improve her footwork. Surprisingly, she was actually much better at this than he had thought she would be. Duelling wise, Liara once again surprised her boyfriend. Her wrist movements seemed to match his perfectly. To start off they took the moves slowly so that Liara knew how to react to attacks and parries. As the moves sped up, Liara didn't even seem to falter. Apart from himself, Austin had never seen anyone do so well so quickly.
After several hours of blade clashing, the two lovers decided that they'd had enough for today. It was then that they both noticed that they'd gained a bit of a crowd. Almost everyone in the cargo bay had stopped what they were doing and had been watching for a good half hour.
"Alright everyone. Show's over. Back to your duties." Austin ordered.
The rest of the crew obeyed and the crowd dispersed. Austin then turned back to Liara.
"Well, what do you think? This something you might want to continue?" he asked.
"Definitely. Almost as fun as using biotics." Liara replied. "Thank you for teaching me, Austin." She walked up to Austin gave him a long kiss.

"Commander, we're receiving an urgent message. I'm patching it through now." Came Joker's voice.
"Shepard, this is Admiral Kahoku. I found out who set that trap for my men. The ones killed by the Thresher Maw. Damn, I hope you get this message. It was Cerberus. I believe you and helldivers are familiar with the name." came Kahoku's voice.
Austin froze upon hearing the name Cerberus. Kahoku was right. It was name he was all too familiar with. Cerberus was some kind of human terrorist organisation. Cerberus' core belief was that humans deserved a greater role in the galactic community, and that the Systems Alliance was too hamstrung by law and public opinion to stand up effectively to the Citadel races. They also saw the Arkanes and Helldivers as selfish for not trusting other species with the secrets of their technology. The also seemed to think that any methods of advancing humanity's ascension was justified, including illegal or dangerous experimentation, terrorist activities, sabotage and assassination. Though Cerberus operatives accepted that these methods where brutal they seemed to think that history would vindicate them. As a result of this, the Systems Alliance, the Citadel Council and the Arkanes had declared Cerberus to be a terrorist organization and would gladly prosecute identified Cerberus agents accordingly. Cerberus had also constantly interfered with critical Helldiver operations. The Arkanes were also appalled at what Cerberus often did, and the fat that they were anti-alien. As a result, Cerberus was declared as the Helldiver's second arch enemy, next to the Batarians. For the past few years though, their operations had been very quiet. The fact that they'd made a comeback all of a sudden, worried Austin.
"They're conducting illegal genetic experiments. Trying to create some kind of super soldier. I don't have any proof but I found the coordinates for one of their research worlds. I'm uploading them with this message. They're completely out of control. Somebody needs to stop them. I've done my part, now it's up to you." Kahoku finished.
"Joker! Lock onto those coordinates A.S.A.P!" Austin ordered.

The coordinates led the Normandy to the planet Binthu in the Yangtze System of the voyager cluster. This time the wind wasn't bad at all, plus the coordinates showed them the exact location of the Cerberus base. So it was okay to take the drop ship for this mission. Austin hadn't taken Ashley and Kaiden out together for a while, so he selected them.
When they entered the base Austin could already tell that something wasn't right. It was too quiet. As they entered the next room they could see what looked like a protective barrier. Inside, was a very unwelcome sight, Thorian Creepers, and they were crowded around a body.
Austin walked up to the nearby control panel and deactivated the field. Almost immediately the Creepers took notice of the soldiers and charged at them. At the same time, several Cerberus troops came into the room and opened fire. Austin could swear he heard one of them shout Helldiver.
Ashley and Kaiden dealt with both the Cerberus troops. Ashley provided cover fire for Kaiden with her rifle while he moved in closer so that he could use his biotics on the troops. Austin meanwhile dealt with the Creepers. Despite his best efforts to shoot them all however, some of them lunged at him and started to crawl all over him. Their claws didn't do much damage to him but the stuff that they vomited out of their mouths was absolutely disgusting. To make matters worse, Austin could hear a slight hissing sound.
"Oh hell no! Not acid! I just fixed my armour from the last one!" he thought to himself.
Without hesitating, Austin grabbed the nearest Creeper and threw it to the ground using all the enhanced strength that his suit could give him. Before the creeper could pick itself back up again, Austin brought his booted foot right down the zombie's head. A combination of Thorian goo and human blood splattered all over his armour.
"Great! Covered in goo again! It's times like this that I'm glad I wear this armour." He once again.
Still annoyed at the Creepers for ruining his armour again, Austin pulled Excalibur out of its holster and began slashing at the creepers.
Ashley and Kaiden meanwhile finished the last of the Cerberus troops. They noticed Austin struggling with the creepers and ran over to help him. Ashley managed to shoot two of them off of Austin while Kaiden was able to throw another away with his biotics. Only one remained. This one however was dangerously close to the Helldiver's head and was trying to claw its way through his helmet. It was too risky for either of them to interfere. Fortunately, they didn't need to. A quick movement from Austin's sword arm brought Excalibur right into the Creepers head. The creature struggled for a moment and then went limp.
With the creepers all dead, Austin took a moment to get his breath back.
"Thanks guys." He said to his comrades, still a bit out of breath.
Austin walked up to the body that the Creepers had been swarming around. Upon close inspection he saw who it was.
"Oh no. It's Kahoku." He said.
He knelt down in front of the Admiral's body. Upon closer inspection it didn't look as though the Admiral's death had been by the hands of the creepers. The needle marks on his arm indicated another means of death.
"I'm so sorry." He said as he closed Kahoku's eyes.

"Cerberus had Thorian Creepers? How is that even possible?"
Upon returning to the Normandy, Austin had made sure that he informed the Arkane council about this latest development with Cerberus.
"It could be possible that they knew about the Thorian on Feros as well." Austin suggested.
"We appreciate you informing us of this, Commander. We will have to be more vigilante with Cerberus from now on if they've been able to pull off things like this right under our noses." Said one of the Arkanes.
"Just doing my job." Said Austin.

Austin sat in a chair while waiting for Emily Wong to arrive. Earlier today he had been contacted by Admiral Hackett telling him that the Alliance Brass where still disappointed with him about refusing to be interviewed by Miss Al-Jilani. So they had made arrangements for a proper interview to be set up that he had to attend. Personally, Austin would rather not, even if it was with a reporter he knew well. But he didn't really have much choice. Mercifully though, they had selected Emily Wong for the interview, rather than one he was completely unfamiliar with.
He couldn't deny that he was a bit nervous. With previous interviews it hadn't been a big deal. He had just been one soldier so what he said didn't have a huge impact. As humanities first human spectre however, his views represented not just the Alliance, but humanity in general and also the Helldivers.
"Just be calm about this. You've been interviewed many times before. This isn't any different; all you have to do is pick your answers more carefully." He thought to himself.
Eventually, the door opened and Emily walked in. Austin stood up and shook hands with her.
"Commander. It's good to see you again." She said.
"You as well, Miss Wong. So… Shall we get started?" said Austin.
Emily nodded and went over to get her camera started up.
"I want to thank you for agreeing to this interview. I understand you want to keep your personal affairs private and I will respect that." She said. "Apart from that, is there any topic you'd rather I left out?"
"As long as you don't go into too much detail, I'm okay with sharing a bit of my personal life." Austin replied. "Apart from that, I'm willing to speak about any topic you want."
"I understand, Shepard. I'll let you know now that I've interviewed a few Helldivers before you and are fully aware of how they feel about some of the rumours that people tell about them. So I will do my best to be respectful to you. I've even had the privilege of interviewing your old team, Alpha Squad before." Said Emily.
Austin was surprised by that last sentence.
"When was that? Surely I would've been there." He asked.
"It was after your mission on Shanxi a few years ago. I believe you were injured at the time and unable to attend the interview. Your second in command agreed to cover for you." Emily replied.
After that, the memories then came back to Austin. True enough; Alpha squad had been deployed to Shanxi three years ago to investigate the disappearance of another Helldiver squad. It had turned out to be the work of several rouge Turians who still bore immense hatred for humanity after what had happened in the first contact war. They had captured the first squad since they were an all human squad and had tortured them badly. Alpha squad had managed to rescue them but the Turians had put up a hell of a fight. Leena had ended up with several suit breaches which had very nearly killed her, Ventra had ended up with a dislocated collar bone, which had put him out of action for weeks, and Austin himself had got caught in the wrong end of a glass explosion. He shivered slightly as he remembered the immense pain he'd been in when thousands of shrapnel and glass shards had torn through his suit and become embedded in his back. Fortunately, his armour had slowed the shards, so they hadn't got very deep into his body. As a result, every single piece of the shrapnel and glass was able to be removed from his body safely and he had been able to make a full recovery. Even today though, he still carried the scars on his back from where shards had entered his back. He had been extremely lucky that they had all missed his spine. He had been stuck in medical for at least two weeks while he healed.
"Ah yes. I remember now. They did say something about having to manage the press without me. They never told me how it went though. How did they do? Tell me honestly." He said.
"They did fine. Your Asari lieutenant handled the interview perfectly." Emily answered.
Austin smiled slightly. "Good old, Alaara." He thought. He missed his old team. It had only been a few weeks, but he already wished that he could go back to serving with them. They were like a second family to him. Then again though, he couldn't deny that he was starting to get attached to this new team as well, Liara especially.
"Okay, Shepard. We're ready for the interview. You ready?" Emily asked as she finished setting up her camera.
"As ready as I will ever be, Emily. Let's get started." Austin answered.
"Take a seat then." Said Emily.
"Actually, I prefer to stand for interviews. Also, I'm afraid I have to insist that my helmet stays on." Said Austin. He did his best to sound polite though.
"As you wish, Commander." Said Emily.
The camera's light came on and shone on Austin. He was very grateful that he'd been able to clean his armour up from the mess that creepers had made on last mission. He had also given his armour two extra coats of polish. He hadn't bothered with the paint though. It wasn't too badly scratched anyway, plus it did show some of the battle scars and scratches that his armour had obtained over the years.
Austin cleared his throat just as Emily started recording and the red light on the camera came on.
"I'm Emily Wong, today I have the pleasure of an exclusive interview from Commander Shepard. Living legend of the Helldivers and humanities first human Spectre. First off, Commander Shepard, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. I feel very privileged." Said Emily.
"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Wong." Said Austin. He had altered his suits vocal comm a bit so that his voice didn't sound as deep or menacing as it usually did when he used his suit in combat. He had it set like that mainly so that he sounded demanding and had a huge amount of authority.
"Commander, many humans know of your heroics on Elysium, your heroics against the Batarians as leader of the legendary Alpha squad and now, the whole galaxy knows you as humanities first Spectre. I'm sure we'd be interested to know what your views are on being granted this unique privilege." Said Emily.
"Apart from maybe the Helldivers, the Spectres represent the best of the best of every species in the galaxy. True to what all of humanity believes it is an honor to join them. I feel that I should be honest with you though, I did originally have very negative thoughts on becoming a Spectre. Not that I am saying anything against this. It is huge accomplishment for humanity. My view on them is more of a result of personal matters and some of my Helldiver instincts. So I will definatly say now that that comment does not represent the view of every other human." Said Austin.
"I'm very sure no one can argue with that, Commander. Plus your honesty in the matter is greatly appreciated. As we all know, you were the first ever Helldiver to originally start off in the Alliance before you were given the opportunity to join the Helldivers, which you took. We'd all be curious to know what made first you join the Alliance military at eighteen?" Emily asked.
"I'm sure a lot of people are aware of my family. For those who don't know, I will gladly elaborate. My Mother, Hannah Shepard, serves in the Alliance Navy as a Captain. My father meanwhile is a high ranking General in the Helldivers. Both of them are definatly inspirations to me. At first, I was interested in following in my father's footsteps, but at the time I was unsure about the massive military network the Helldivers had. Plus back when I was very young I didn't have much experience with other species. I was worried I wouldn't do well, so I felt the Alliance would be a better option. After that I'm sure everyone know the story." Austin replied.
"Who wouldn't? It is that part of your story that everyone knows. The Arkanes recognised your immense skills and felt you'd be perfect for the Helldivers." Said Emily.
Austin noticed she had missed a bit.
"If I may also elaborate on that, the Arkanes also hold the Alliance in very high regard. They're eager for the whole galaxy to work together. They were also curious to see how well the Alliance trains there soldiers. As you've seen my from what has been accomplished over so many years, that training has not gone to waste." He said.
"That is very well said, Shepard. I know it is pointless asking this next question but I've been ordered to ask it. As a Helldiver you serve not only as a protector of humanity, but also as a protector of the galaxy. As a Spectre though, you serve the galaxy as a whole. Many would like to know. What do you think about working with aliens? Given that the Helldivers are a multi species group, I'm sure you've been asked this question a lot of times." Said Emily.
"Indeed. Though I do not mind answering it again. A lot of humans believe that humanity can manage on its own and that we don't need the help of aliens. While they are right, and that humanity is more than strong enough to fend for itself it does not mean we should turn down the opportunity to have more allies. Some believe that alliances like this can never work. Well I'll say that they are very wrong. The Helldivers alone are proof that humanity can work with other species. And now, being a Spectre only enforces that theory. At this rate it won't be long before the Citadel Council sees that we are worthy to have a full say in interstellar policy." Said Austin confidently.
"I don't think anyone could've said that better, Shepard. One more question if I may?" Emily asked.
"Fire away." Said Austin.
"There have been rumours that you're tracking a rouge Spectre named Saren. Do you have any comment on that?" Emily asked.
Austin paused for a while to consider his answer. After about half a minute, he spoke.
"Yes. He was behind the attack on the colony of Eden Prime. So far we have no solid leads on him but we are getting closer to him. Soon he'll be brought to justice to answer for the crimes he's committed." Austin answered.
"We're all glad to hear that. I'm sure you'll make us all proud. Thank you for your time, Commander Shepard. This is Emily Wong, signing off." Emily said as she ended the recording. Austin relaxed.
"Well, that went well." Said Austin.
"Thank you for that, Commander. I couldn't have asked for a better interview." Said Emily as she got up from her seat.
"You're welcome, Miss Wong. If I ever decide to do another interview, I will do another exclusive for you." Said Austin.
"Before you go, Commander. I have something I want to say to you. Can you remove your helmet for a minute please? It's something I couldn't say in front of the cameras." Said Emily.
Austin nodded and removed his helmet. Emily slowly walked up to the Helldiver. Then to his surprise, she planted a kiss on his cheek.
"What was that for?" Austin asked.
"I just recently found out that you and Alpha squad where the Helldiver team that saved the slaves on the planet Maltoor. One of them was my little sister, Meena." Said Emily. Austin could tell she was trying her best no to cry tears of joy.
"I thought you looked familiar when I first met you. At first I thought it was just coincidence." Said Austin.
"I know many people think that the Helldivers are ruthless due mainly to the events on Torfan. But I want you to know that I don't agree with them. In my eyes, the Helldivers are all heroes. You especially. I know you'll make everyone proud. I just wanted to say thank you, for saving my sister. I was so worried when I heard she'd been captured." Said Emily.
"This is one of the reasons why I do this. No family ever deserves to parted by slavery." Said Austin.
Emily could no longer hold back her tears. Austin pulled her into a reassuring hug.
"There, there. It's alright." He said. He was glad that Emily had asked him to remove his helmet. People always did say that he had a calm soothing voice.
"Thank you, Shepard. Thank you so much for everything you've done for me." Said Emily as she eventually calmed back down.
"My pleasure, Emily. I wish you luck in the future." Said Austin as he let Emily go and fastened his helmet back on. The two then departed.

Austin had decided to take a small walk through the Presidium before heading back to the Normandy. He'd told the rest of the crew they could spend an hour or two on break if they wanted. Noveria was where they were heading next. For now though, everyone had time to enjoy the calm before the storm came back. He was very certain that Noveria wouldn't be a dead lead. They were bound to find something that would give them another piece of the puzzle. Something that would once again bring them closer to Saren.
As Austin descended the stairs from the elevator he could see an elderly man looking at him.
"Excuse me, Commander Shepard!" he said as he waved to the Helldiver.
Austin walked up to the man.
"Commander Shepard. My name is Samesh Bhatia. Forgive the intrusion, but I have nowhere else to turn." he said.
"What do you need?" Austin asked.
"My wife was a marine like you. She was in the 212 on Eden Prime." Samesh replied.
To Austin's utter surprise another voice sounded behind him. It was Ashley.
"Wait. The 212? Your wife was Serviceman Nirali Bhatia. I'm Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. I served in her unit." She said.
Austin was surprised to see Ash, but it was a welcome surprise. The two friends merely nodded to one another as Ashley walked up and stood next to him.
"Chief Williams? It is a pleasure. Nirali spoke of you with great respect." Said Samesh.
"I'm so sorry for your loss, Me Bhatia. Nirali was a good woman. What can we do for you?" Ashley asked.
"I've requested that my wife's body be returned to me for cremation. But the military has refused my request." Samesh replied.
"Why'd they refuse? There must be some reason." Austin asked.
"I don't know. All I know is that they have declared it impossible for my wife to be returned to me." Said Samesh.
"Ash and I will look into this. Any idea who can talk to about this?" Austin inquired.
"The man in charge of my case is Mr Bosker. When I last saw him he was in the expensive bar over there." Said Samesh. He indicated to the bar where Austin had met Nassana Dantius a few days earlier. "Thank you for your time. I just want to give my wife a proper funeral and the respect she deserves."

The walk back to the bar was a quick one. Austin managed to spot Clerk Bosker immediately.
"My goodness, you're Commander Shepard." He said as he took notice of the Helldiver. "You're activities made for quite a briefing in the Diplomatic Corps! Is there something I can do to assist you?"
"Yes. A man named Samesh Bhatia is having trouble claiming his wife's body. He asked me to persuade you to give it back to him." Said Austin sternly.
"Commander, nothing would make me happier. I'm afraid, though, that it's not quite that simple. Serviceman Nirali Bhatia died on Eden Prime, as Mr Bhatia no doubt told you. Her wounds are inconsistent with any type of weapon damage we've seen before. That is why her body is being held." Said Bosker.
Austin however still didn't understand.
"It doesn't matter what the Geth did to her! It's Samesh's full right to claim his wife's body!" he said angrily.
"We are not holding Nirali Bhatia's body out of discretion. We are, frankly, holding the body for research. The test we are conducting may lead to better defences against Geth attacks. Respectfully, Serviceman Bhatia may save more lives in death than she did in life." Said Bosker.
Austin then lost it at that. He pinned Bosker hardly against the wall.
"You know who I am! If I want Nirali Bhatia, I'll get her!" he said.
"Commander, there's no need for threats. Even if the body was here on the Citadel, would you really risk going in, shooting, to get it?" Bosker objected.
"I've broken in many places that are heavily fortified and I'm still alive. The occupants of those bases where dead within minutes. You think you're people have better chances?"
"Alright, Commander. You win. It was hard enough refusing Mr Bhatia. I'm not gonna risk and incident by refusing you. Tell Samesh that the body is being shipped back to Earth. I'll go now to see to it myself."

"Hello again, Commander. Has there been any word?" he asked.
"I reminded Mr Bosker what we're fighting for. Your wife's coming home. I'll also see to it personally that her name is one of the first to be added to the memorial that's being built on Eden Prime." Said Austin.
"Thank you. I will return home and begin my preparations. It does not bring me happiness, but it may bring me peace. Goodbye, Commander." Said Samesh as he walked.
"You always did have a kind heart, Austin." Said Ashley.
"Yeah. I know. So, ready to head back to the ship?"

There we go. Hope that was okay.
Next chapter will indeed be Noveria. However it won't be for some time. I promised a Youtube friend that I'd help him with his own series, so I'm going to have to divide my time between writing and filming. Rest assured though I'm not going stop.
Hope you didn't mind me naming Shepard's sword Excalibur. It's just that I couldn't think of a better name for the sword.
See you soon. Tell me what you think in reviews.
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Mass Effect: The Helldiver Saga, The Beginning