Chapter 8 - Chapter 8, The History of the Helldivers

Okay. Here's the chapter that I'm certain will answer a lot of questions that some of you might have about the Arkanes and the Helldivers.

Nothing more for me to say other than, please enjoy.

Chapter 8

The History of the Helldivers

Liara sat at her terminal still debating on whether she should do it or not. Ever since she had met Austin she couldn't stop thinking about him. She admitted that his connection to the Protheans was mostly why she was so fascinated with him. But she couldn't deny that there was another side to it. She wanted to know more about this Helldiver, to understand what made him the handsome young man he was today. What? Again, she thought he was handsome? What was the matter with her? Eventually, Liara made up her mind. She logged onto the extranet and typed in, Commander Austin Shepard.

To Liara's surprise there were quite a few interesting news reports. The first one she saw said "First Alliance Marine to become Helldiver!" Liara scrolled over to it and clicked. The article explained how Shepard had been celebrated as the first Helldiver to originally start off in the Alliance. It had been a huge achievement back then since at the time all human Helldivers had just joined straight away and hadn't originally began training in a different place. However the article didn't say much about his origins, where he came from, who his parents where.

Another article then caught her eye. It said "Alliance massacre!" at first Liara didn't see how it was related to Shepard but then she saw his name in the tags, so she clicked on the link. She was shocked by what she read. On the planet Akuse a squad of Alliance marines had originally been stationed there for training when they had suddenly been attacked by a Thresher Maw. Only one had survived and to Liara utter shock, it was Shepard. From what the report said Shepard had even managed to kill the Maw. The report then went on to say that a squad of Helldivers had provided aid by firing on the Maw from the air. They had seen Shepard's heroism and skill in defeating the Maw and after hours of searching they had managed to find and rescue him and return him to the Alliance brass. Then the report went on to say that the incident was known today for being the very thing that first got Shepard into the Helldivers since the Arkanes recognized his skill.

Liara was speechless. To even think what he had endured there, and not just physically. He had seen his whole unit die there. It was remarkable that he had managed to endure this and still come out sane. Anyone else could have been driven mad by that experience.

Liara then spotted an article that had a Helldiver picture with it. It once again had Shepard's name in the tags. The title read "Hero of Elysium!" Liara clicked on it. A large picture showed up of a Helldiver being interviewed by several journalists. It didn't look like Shepard though. His armour was different. He had N stripe on his arm or an N7 logo on his chest and parts of his armour where a desert colour rather than the plain grey that Shepard had. He did however have a sword on his back and also the exact same bulky shoulder plate on his left shoulder that Shepard had.

Liara read the article further and then understood. The report explained how Elysium had been attacked by Batarian slavers during the Skyllian Blitz. At the time only Shepard had been stationed there to try and improve Alliance relationships with the Helldivers. When the attack had occurred he had Shepard rallied a resistance force and managed to single-handedly repulse the enemy ground force long enough for Alliance and Helldiver reinforcements to arrive. For his heroism he had been awarded the Star of Terra and membership in the N7 program by the Alliance. This explained why the Shepard in the picture did not have the same armour. The report then also said that Shepard had also received acclaim from the Helldivers and the Arkanes by being promoted to Commander and being given command of his own squad, which the report seemed to state would later become the legendary Alpha Squad who was now known today as Helldiver legends.

Liara's tone now changed from shock to amazement. She had never had any doubts that the Commander was capable of much; after all she had watched him fight the Terror Geth hand to hand all by himself. But she had never expected something like this. She spotted one more article which said "Alpha Squad. The Heroes of the Helldivers!" Liara clicked on it.

The article first explained about Alpha Squad in general. They were a multi species squad led by Shepard. The squad consisted of a Krogan, an Asari, a Turian, a Quarian and two other humans. Today Alpha Squad where well known among the Helldivers as being one of the best of the best. The report even had a brief line spoken by Shepard in an interview. In that interview he had said "They say we get some of the best assignments. That is very true, but unfortunately that does mean that sometimes, we get the worst."

The article explained about how Batarians pirates and slavers had somehow managed to acquire a massive dreadnought of unimaginable power. The Batarians used it to attack several human colonies and even to target Earth. This plan however was thwarted multiple times by the brave attempts of Alpha Squad who engaged the Batarians on multiple colonies and managing to drive them back. Only one world was lost to the Batarians, Horizon. Since then however it had been retaken and the human colony there was slowly rebuilding. After the loss of Horizon however, Alpha Squad took the fight to the Batarians and engaged them in a game of cat and mouse across the entire Traverse before the two enemies unexpectedly found themselves in the grasp of a black hole. Alpha Squad barely managed to escape by activating their Mass Effect core and retreating out of the black holes reach. The Batarians on the other hand had been unable to, since their Mass Effect core had been damaged during one of the dog fights and was unable to perform a jump. Alpha Squad had commented that they did offer assistance to the Batarians but they refused. So Alpha Squad had watched as the massive dreadnought was pulled into the black hole and destroyed. For their heroism Alpha Squad had all been awarded with the Cross of Glory, one of the highest rewards that the Arkanes and the Helldivers could bestow. With the story was a picture of Alpha Squad. Liara recognized Shepard immediately. In this photo he now had the same armour that he wore today.

Other than the reports she had just read, Liara couldn't seem to find anything more on Shepard. The reports did however mention about his family. He had a sister in the Alliance who had recently been accepted into the N7 program, his mother was an Admiral in the Alliance navy and his father was a Helldiver General. Other than that though there was little else about Shepard.

Then Liara spotted something interesting that said "The Idiot's guide to the Helldivers." Liara decided it would be a good idea to have a look at this. If she was going to be serving and fighting alongside a Helldiver it would probably be wise to learn more about them.

Thousands of years ago the Arkanes discovered highly advanced technology on their home world. At first the Arkanes believed that the technology was Prothean. However the Arkanes had long since discovered Prothean technology and when they compared the new technology to the Prothean tech they had found they discovered that technology was completely different. Some Arkanes even came to believe that it may have been older even than the Protheans.

Since the Arkanes already had a vast knowledge of science and technology they were quickly able to jump their current technology forward by almost one thousand years by developing more efficient machinery, advanced robotics, highly advanced weaponry and even their greatest creation, the Helldivers.

When the Helldivers had first been created they the Arkanes had still not made contact with other races. Therefore the very first Helldivers had been Arkanes. The Helldivers had first been designed with the sole purpose of serving as the Arkanes military force. After many years, sometime after the Asari had first mastered space flight and had discovered the Citadel, they made contact with the Arkanes. Fortunately, due to both species being peace loving, a war did not break out between the two. Despite this though, the Arkanes preferred to isolate themselves from the others and took to remaining in their own star cluster, which they took to completely colonizing.

When the first contact war broke out between the Turians and the humans, for a time the Arkanes observed and studied. After some time though they decided to end the war themselves. They gathered up their Helldiver forces and set out to intercept both sides. However the Citadel council beat them to it and ended the war for them. Despite this however, the Arkanes had been incredibly impressed by the human's bravery, military strength and strategies. Their respect for humanity even increased when the Batarians started to enslave the them. The Arkanes where appalled by this since they despised slavery and felt that the Batarians had no right to enslave a race that was not their own. In light of this, they decided to evolve the Helldivers even further. They invited the humans to join their ranks and become Helldivers. It was on Mindoir that the Helldivers first revealed themselves to the entire galaxy by driving the Batarians off planet and freeing all the human slaves. It was even said that this was another reason why the Batarians closed their embassy on the Citadel and left Council space. After this, everything changed. The Citadel Council immediately took notice and began to push for an opportunity to join the Helldivers. Although the Arkanes where very mistrustful of the Council at first, after some time the Arkanes finally agreed and allowed the three council races to join the Helldivers. It was this move that made the Arkanes come to the decision that they need to train their soldiers to work with and understand one another regardless of their race or species.

As the Helldivers continued to grow in numbers and strength they eventually managed to become the largest multi species military force in the entire galaxy. With this development their territory increased too. This however drew worry from the Citadel Council since the Helldivers had managed to successfully operate in both Council Space and the Terminus systems for many years. The Council became even more concerned with the Helldivers when the Arkanes began accepting Krogan and Quarians into their ranks. To try and reaffirm these suspicions the Council offered the Arkanes a seat on the Council. This however did not turn out well when the Arkanes found out that they would have to give up their territory in the Terminus systems and the Attican Traverse if they joined. The Arkanes attempted to reason with the Council but they constantly refused due to fear that the Terminus systems would accuse the Council of making a push on their territory if they were allied with the Arkanes. After the Council refused multiple times to allow the Arkanes to keep their territory if they joined, the Arkanes declined the offer to join the Council. Eventually though the Council and the Arkanes reached a compromise and agreed to work with one another. After this the Arkanes dedicated their lives to protecting any worlds or colonies that the Council would refuse to protect. The Systems Alliance in particular where very supportive of Helldivers freeing human slaves and protecting their colonies. Despite the Council fearing that this activity may one day trigger war with the Terminus systems, the Arkanes and the Helldivers have since been looked up to as the largest and finest soldiers in the galaxy. Because of this the Batarians and the Terminus systems have been reluctant to attempt war with the Arkanes and the Helldivers since they fear they may lose due to the Helldivers numbers and technology. Plus they also fear that if they attack the Helldivers they risk a war with every species recruited into the Helldivers, in this case, almost eighty five percent of the entire galaxy.

However, despite their reputation, some see the Helldivers as being brutal against the Batarians. In particular a mission on Torfan enforce these rumours. On that mission the Helldivers and the Alliance had joined forces to rescue a group of human slaves and take back the human territory there. The mission however ended up being a Batarian massacre and all the hostages and slaves were killed.

Despite this though, the Helldivers are always held in high regard by humanity and the Alliance. Some of the other Alien races do also have respect for the Helldivers and the Arkanes.

Then came a topic that Liara was a little bit more familiar with. She'd only heard bits here and there, but she was aware of how much the galaxy talked about it... The Hellspawn Civil War.

The Hellspawn Civil War was the name given to a 5 year conflict between the Helldivers and a terrorist organization known as Hellspawn who sought the extermination of the Helldivers and all alien life, save humans. Hellspawn was founded by a terrorist known as the Commander, a fallen Helldiver who betrayed the Arkanes and reportedly hated all alien life. Hellspawn's ultimate goal was to make humanity the only sentient life in existence, thereby allowing only them to rule the entire galaxy.

The Commander however first wanted revenge on the Helldivers due to his betrayal causing him great injury, leaving him forever scarred and deformed. Add to the fact also that they represented the opposite of Hellspawn's goal, all races unified and mingling under one banner.

First begining in 2176, the war lasted 5 long years, raging mostly throughout the terminus systems. Only in the final year of the war did it enter Alliance space when Hellspawn swept into Faranhell, a capital city in Alliance territory. Exterminating all the non humans, Hellspawn took the human population hostage, threatening to kill them if any dared to try and interfere. The Alliance sought the help of the Helldivers to stage a rescue and evacuation of the city. None other than Alpha Squad themselves were chosen to rescue the hostages. The operation proved successful and the populace was swiftly evacuated. With the risk of casualties now gone and the city clear, both the Helldivers and the Alliance banded together and retaliated. After a long battle, the city was retaken and Hellspawn driven from the planet.

The battle marked the end of the Hellspawn Civil War in 2181 with the death of the Commander and with him, the fall of his terrorist organization.

Liara sat back in her chair as she finished reading. Now all the stories she had heard about the Helldivers made perfect sense. Plus she knew more about the human she had clearly become very attracted to. She could now no longer deny that her interest in Shepard had now grown beyond just his visions of the Protheans. There was something compelling and very intriguing about him. He was handsome, smart, brave, caring, had a good sense of humour, had saved her life and fought a massive mutated Geth Prime hand to hand and had clearly done much for the Citadel Council to make him humanities first human Spectre. Add to that, his service record alone showed he was a decorated hero and war veteran.

She was however conflicted about her feelings for him. Did he have the same sort of mutual attraction her? Plus there was also the question of him and Ashley Williams. She was his own species and seemed more his type. Now she honestly didn't know whether it would be appropriate to act on her feelings. She would just have to hope that the next time he came to speak with her, he would help clear a lot of things up for her and she also hoped she would not make a fool of herself doing it.

"And so that's how I got this one." Said Wrex as he indicated his largest scar. He and Austin where busy exchanging war stories with one another and telling each other the stories behind some of their war scars. Wrex couldn't deny he was beginning to form some respect for the human.

"Ouch. I've never known anyone to survive that." Said Austin.

"Probably because you haven't seen a Krogan take down one." Wrex replied. "That was probably one the finest moments of my entire life. Even before I became a mercenary. What about you, Shepard? Surely you must have some point in your life as Helldiver that you extremely proud of?"

"You bet I do." Said Austin enthusiastically. "Sure Elysium is said to be proudest career highlight, but my favourite would have to be when I took on an Arkane, a Batarian and another Helldiver single-handed. Interested?"

"Go ahead, I'm listening intently." Said Wrex as he folded his arms and leaned against the box he was stood in front of.

"Well this story reaches back around six or seven years ago. Back then I was still a Lieutenant in helldiver training. Recently all of the Helldivers where in a difficult time. The Batarians seemed to know our every move and we were taking heavy losses and losing precious territory. I eventually found a lead that suggested one of our people had betrayed us and that we had spy in our midst, I investigated further…"

FLASHBACK

Secret Meeting Place, Prometheus Station, Arkadia, December 1 st , 2176

Austin held his breath as he waited. The Intel that Sparkle had given him showed that the meeting had been scheduled to be here. The info hadn't said who though. He'd been waiting for nearly an hour now, and still nothing. He was getting very worried. He had promised the Arkane Council that he was very close to tracking down the moles and spies in their ranks. Suddenly he heard footsteps. He instantly cloaked to avoid being spotted.

He could see two people approaching. He moved slightly to get a closer look. He was surprised by what he saw. A Batarian and an Arkane.

The Batarian was dressed in the armour that all Batarian slavers usually wore. The Arkane wasn't a Helldiver. In fact, he looked like one of the Arkane diplomats that had once served on the Citadel.

The two stopped and waited. Then Austin heard more footsteps. He looked in their direction, and his worst fears were realised. A Helldiver soldier came walking up to the Batarian and the Arkane. What made it even worse was that he knew this Helldiver. His name Jarric Barros, someone that Austin had fought alongside once. Austin decided to make his move. He didn't need to hear what they were saying, all he had needed was to find out who the moles where, after that the Arkane Council had said that they wanted him taken alive. They would handle making him talk. They had many different ways of interrogation.

"Consorting with a Batarian and getting an Arkane to betray us as well. I'm disappointed, Jarric." He said.

Immediately upon hearing his voice all three enemies pulled out their weapons. The Batarian pulled out two shotguns, he ponied one at Jarric and the other at Austin. The Arkane pulled out two pistols which he also pointed at both Austin and Jarric. Jarric pulled out an SMG and a shotgun, which he pointed at the Batarian and the Arkane. Austin pulled out his Assault rifle and his SMG which he also pointed at the Batarian and the Arkane.

"You! I knew we couldn't trust you, Jarric!" the Arkane shouted.

"I had nothing to do with this! You're the one that's in charge of covering our tracks!" Jarric shouted.

"I should've just killed you both when I had the chance." Said the Batarian.

All four opponents merely stood for a while, still locked in a four way Mexican standoff, all of them unwilling to make the first move.

"Right, a little Mexican standoff we got here." Said Austin.

"How about this? Everyone drop their weapons at the same time." Jarric suggested.

"And we'll let you escape with your dignity intact." Said Austin.

The Arkane and the Batarian both looked at each other and nodded.

"You heard, Shepard! Drop them!" Jarric ordered.

At the same time all four of them threw their weapons to the ground.

"That's good. Now…" Austin started. But he was interrupted as the Arkane activated his omni tool and a whip perturbed out of it. He swung it Austin but the Helldiver ducked, as did the Batarian.

"Jarric, watch out!" Austin yelled. But the whip slashed Jarric right across the chest, tearing a large of portion of his armour to pieces.

The Arkane then turned back to Austin and lashed again, but this time Austin was ready for it. He activated his omni blade and sliced the whip apart as it came for him.

"Shepard, catch!" Jarric shouted as he threw his shotgun to Austin. Austin caught it and aimed it at the Arkane. As the Arkane lunged for him he fired and the shotgun round hit the Arkane right in the face. He fell dead instantly.

"Behind you!" shouted Jarric as he attempted to keep the Batarian occupied. Austin immediately acted without hesitation. He stabbed the Batarian right in the back and lifted the alien right over his head and brought him onto the ground really hard. The Batarian's neck snapped as soon as it hit the ground. Austin took a moment to get his breath back and then he turned to Jarric.

"You're coming with me." He said as he picked up Jarric. "Don't even think of trying to escape!"

END FLASHBACK

"So what happened to the traitor?" asked Wrex.

"He was tried, court martialled and interrogated until the Arkanes squeezed every little bit of information out of him. After that, I don't know what happened." Austin replied.

"Hmmm. You know, that's not a bad story, Shepard. I'm impressed." Said Wrex.

"I had a feeling you would be." Said Austin "Even Kraan was impressed with that story when I told him."

"Wait. Kraan? Urdnot Kraan?" Wrex asked.

"Yeah. You know him?" Austin asked.

"He and I knew each other when we first took our Rites of Passage. He ever tell you about those?" Wrex asked.

"You're pitted against many foes designed to test your skill and determine if you're worthy to join a clan. First Varren, then Klixens and then finally a Thresher Maw." Austin replied.

"You know, Shepard. I usually hold humans in very low regard. With you however, I make an acceptation." Said Wrex.

"You're not going soft on me, are you Wrex?" Austin joked.

"Just because I might like you, doesn't mean I still wouldn't shoot you." Said Wrex, playing along with the joke.

"Talk to you later, Wrex." Said Austin as he walked off.

"Oh, hello Shepard." Said Tali, sounding slightly depressed.

"What's the matter? You alright?" asked Austin.

"I don't know. You're ship is definitely amazing and all and your crews been very good to me, especially Adams. But I just feel a bit, out of place. The Normandy runs so smooth that it feels like we're not even moving and the engines are so quiet. How do you sleep at night?" she asked.

"Oh, I see where this is going. You're not used to the quiet because of life on the Flotilla aren't you?" said Austin

"Yes, I… Can you read my mind or something, Shepard?" Tali asked, surprised.

"No. It's just that I had a Quarian back on my original Helldiver team, Leena Vas Penthra. She had the exact same sort of problems when she first joined the Helldivers."

"I heard about her. I had no idea that she'd joined the Helldivers though." Said Tali.

"She's one of the best engineers I've seen. Besides you obviously. Despite that though she too had some trouble adjusting to life outside of the Flotilla. Sometimes we don't appreciate what we have until it's gone." Said Austin.

"That's true. I'm starting to wonder if that's what the Pilgrimage is really about. It's given me a whole new perspective on my people and our culture." Said Tali.

"Maybe. Anyway, I'm sure you'll get used to the silence, everyone gets homesick sometimes. Even me." Said Austin reassuringly.

"I'm sure you're right. But thanks for your concern. It's nice to you care about me." Said Tali.

"As far as I'm concerned, everyone on this ship is an equal and they should be treated as such. You being a Quarian might matter to some, but it doesn't matter to me." Said Austin

"Thank you, Shepard. That means a lot." Said Tali warmly. "Anyway, I should get back to work, but thanks for checking one me."

Tali went back to her work and Austin left the Engine room. At first it looked as though Garrus wasn't at his usual post. But then Austin noticed a pair of Turian legs sticking out from underneath the Mako.

"Having fun, Garrus?" he asked.

There was a loud clang and Austin heard Garrus swear.

"Oh. Oops. Didn't mean to sneak up on you like that. Sorry." He apologised.

"It's no problem." Said Garrus as he rubbed his head. "What can I do for you?"

"Why did you want to be a C-sec officer in the first place?" Austin asked.

"You know, that's good question. There where several reasons I guess." Said Garrus.

"Such as?" Austin asked.

"I guess I was like the other C-sec agents. Wanted to fight injustice, help people. Plus I think my father had something to do with it as well. Looking back now I think it probably was him. He's a C-sec officer, one of the best. He's taking my resignation pretty hard." Garrus replied.

"Must hurt. But surely he'd be impressed with you going after Saren?" Austin asked.

"He doesn't quite see it that way. He says either do things right or don't do them at all. He thinks I'm being a bit too rash with my decision. He even taught how to becoming a Spectre when I was younger for the same reasons." Said Garrus.

"You, where asked to be a Spectre?" Austin asked.

"Not exactly. I was targeted as a possible Spectre candidate along with a thousand other Turian recruits. I could've received special training, but my father didn't like it. He despises the Spectres. He thinks the Council she be a bit stricter with them. Thinks that giving unlimited power with no accountability corrupts them just like Saren." Said Garrus.

"He's right though. I agree with him on that. Saren's just a perfect example of how all that power can make Spectres fall to their pride and greed." Said Austin.

"But still. Saren's not going to play by any rules. If you want to nail him you should send someone who won't be held back by politics or restrictions." Said Garrus.

"No. You don't have to. Besides, just because laws can be broken, it doesn't mean they should. I don't need to stoop to Saren's level to stop him." Said Austin.

"That is a very good point, Shepard." Said Garrus. "That gives me something to think about. Now, if you'll excuse me I need to finish these calibrations before our next mission."

And with that, Garrus went back to working on the Mako.

Right. I plan to do one or two side missions, one involving Wrex's family armour and the other involving Nassana Dantius in the next chapter. Also we'll meet Shepard's Mother and sister in Chapter 9 I think. After that, off to Feros.

Stay tuned and keep reviewing, you know how much I love them.