Note from the author:

This is a homemade translation of my own halo/mass-effect crossover, actually available in french on this website. I decided to translate it in the hope to catch the interest of more reader.

I'll try my best to write in proper english, but keep in mind I'm not a native english speaker.

Of course, disclaimers, you know the drill: halo is the property of bungie, 343 and Windows, ME is the property of bioware an EA, the few external reference belong to their respective creator, etc..

Prologue: gravemind

The alarm was ringing loudly enough to hide the pouding of UNSC personel's boots walking up the corridor. The red hair of the leading woman were barelly visible, thanks to the red light, that had replaced the habitual one. Next to the all geared up squad of marine, she was looking very small and fragile, but, the bicolor pyramid on her sleeve and the fire in her eyes were showing she was probably the last person to be taken lightly.

A marine, a young one, a first class, suddently pointed at something lying on the ground.

-Here!

A sergeant, the squad leader, made everyone stop, before coming closer. He quickly noticed the thing on the ground was a turian: birdslike legs, external shell forming up a collar, mandibles on the face and tendrils on the back of the skulls. There was no mistake possible.

-Holly shit... what that asshole is doing here?

Human and turian. That was a long story. Well, to be fair, human and alien was very long story. In 2560, humanity had already met around twenty different sentient, intelligent and civilised species. But there was a catch: everytime, it was a package deal, which tried to kill them all. Turian were part of the last.

Two month of war on a stupid rock, because of a stupid misunderstanding, during which humanity kicked the ass of the alien coalition known as the "Citadel council". The general xenophobia of humanity went out particulary stronger, while the shame of defeat was burned deep down in the heart of the councilians.

Technically, today, the United Earth Governement (or UEG), alongside it's military branch, the UNSC, were at peace with the Citadel. But saying they weren't friend would have been the understatement of the year.

So, having a dead turian, in a secret UNSC facility, was rather bad. Especially when the colony harboring said facility was actually under attack.

-The councilians are behind this? Grunted the non-comm.

The red head approached the corpse. Her eyes swept the body. She didn't even need to kneel.

-One of our one maybe shot down that bastard? Suggered the yound first class.

She shooked her head.
-Negative.

She extended her finger toward a little mark at the base of the turian's skull. A thin line of blue blood was oozing from a tiny hole, partially cauterised. It didn't match with a firefight scenario, nor human weaponry.

-I'd say an element zero weapon. Probably an execution by the look of it.

The entire squad looked at her, before laying eyes on the corpse.

What the hell was going on here? A turian executed with a councilian weapon? In a UNSC facility?

-Let's move. Ordered the woman.

The sergeant, for a minute, tough to protest. That was his squad, he was in charge! However, the sight of three golden lines on her shoulder quickly reminded him who was trully in charge.

-Yes commander.

And so the group followed commander Jane Shepard trought the facility.

Outside, they could hear gunshots and explosions. It was all SNAFU out there. The marine themselves didn't really knew what they were doing here. The woman had requisitionned them, to get something or someone back. The young first class only remembered her telling, over the radio, a callsign: gravemind.

The squad arrived at the entrance of a stockage room. Two guard were lying, dead, near two pitiful pannel of steel, burnt and bent by a breach explosive. Quietly, the marine took position to proceed to their own breach. Once inside, they found the room empty, excepted for a very strange artefact, right in the middle of it, projecting a menacing green glow.

A synthetic growl was a heard. A blue light hit the sergeant right in the face.
-Contact! Shouted a corporal.

On the ceiling, a dozen of those machines that had attacked the colony, but faster and tinier. Like synchronized swimmer, they dived on the human, releasing hell.

The marines were quickly flanked and outmatched. A blue burst put down two privates. Shepard raised her submachine-gun to the culprit, peperring it generously, with limited result. Bullets crashed on a force field, thatwent from blue to red after an entire clip.

-Grenade! Yelled a marine pulling the pin.

Three shot landed on his armor. Only the third managed to went trought, but the first was already enough: the grenadier lost his balance and drop his grenade, which, armed, rolled right in the middle of his squad.

The explosion lifted Shepard and schrapnel teared up her uniform and her skin, sending her right on the artefact, which was glowing with more and more intensity. However, she never felt the shock of the landing.

She was now suspended, few inches above the ground, powerless. The glow grow even more intense. Pictures started to flood her brain. At first, unintelligible flash, but, quickly, grotesques amalgams of flesh and machine, alongside almost metallic screeching. Death, horror, destruction...

Around Shepard, the fight was still going on. Of the ten marines that have enteed the room, there were only three now, lost among the corpses of their comrads, fighting tooth and nail to save their hides. The young first class was looking at her, powerless, almost sorry. He couldn't help her... no one could.

The picture crashed faster in her mind, like if the artefact was loosing it's patience and was now trying to pound them in her head. The green light became white and, then, the artefact exploded, sending Shepard back.

She roll on the ground. It was hard. Cold. Metal and blood were filling her nose. She tried to call for help, but nothing could come from her mouth. A dark veil lowered on her eyes, indifferent to her struggle.