[Colossus Armor S]
World: Mass Effect
Quality: Deep Purple
Type: Armor (Mass Effect - Heavy Armor)
Required Stats: STR - 18, PHY - 18, AGI - 14, INT - 10
Durability: 250/250
Effect: Outfitted with various tools and functions, this armor allows the wearer to inject a dose of Medigel, restoring 200 HP over 4 seconds. Usable once every minute. Allows use of Omnigel to restore durability.
Effect: Reduces Physical damage by up to 75%, depending on weapon type. Grants the wearer a shield strength of 300.
Effect: Decreases the effects of Biotic, Tech, and other abilities against the user by up to 20%.
Mods: Combat Exoskeleton: Melee Damage increased by 25%, Tech, Biotic, and other damage reduced by 25%, reduces Physical impact of various attacks, granting 50% more stability and a reduction in incoming force.
Mods: Kinetic Exoskeleton: Increases shields by 50, Increases Shield recovery by 30%, and increases accuracy while moving by 25%.
Mods: Medical Exoskeleton: Restores 5 HP every 10 seconds, grants 80% resistance against Toxins and Poisons, reduces all cooldowns by 20%
Note: Can be worn over other items, only one Mass Effect Armor or similar suit can be equipped.
Note: Among the best armors money can buy, this version is made specifically for Specters and includes a third mod slot.
Note: Manufactured by Kassa Fabrication—this Armor has been enhanced for Spectres.
Price: 985,000 Credits
"What the fuck?!" Alex screams.
"What's wrong, Kerber? Tell me, that armor still isn't good enough for you?" Shepard yells from across the room.
"No… sorry… it's just… isn't this armor a little too good?! I'll be fucking invincible with it! Also, how can you stack three types of Exoskeletons?! How is this possible?"
All of the other squadmates look over, their interest piqued.
"Oh, it looks like this is indeed the good stuff," Ashley comments, clearly eyeing an upgrade for herself.
"Hehe," the old man helping Alex laughs. "Many have said that. But don't get overconfident. So, I'm guessing you're fine with this armor?"
"Yes! Even the mods are perfect! I'll take it!"
Alex briefly compares it to his old armor, quickly summarizing the differences.
Omnigel effect doubled in strength, durability more than doubled, damage reduction against bullets up to 75%, shields more than tripled thanks to the mod, Biotic and Tech damage also reduced by a lot… This armor makes me invincible. The HP regeneration and shield improvements alone… I might even hit targets with my pistol if I wear this thing. How can this be allowed?
Alex glances at his old armor, including the mod, one last time, already deciding to store it for resale back in the Realm.
[Gladiator-Armor]
World: Mass Effect
Quality: Blue
Type: Armor (Mass Effect - Heavy Armor)
Required Stats: STR - 11, PHY - 11, AGI - 6
Durability: 115/115
Effect: Outfitted with various tools and functions, this armor allows the wearer to inject a dose of Medigel, restoring 100 HP over 4 seconds. Usable once every minute. Allows use of Omnigel to restore durability.
Effect: Reduces damage by up to 50%, depending on weapon type. Grants the wearer a shield strength of 115.
Mods: First Aid Interface: Restores 2 HP every 10 seconds
Note: Can be worn over other items, only one Mass Effect Armor or similar suit can be equipped.
Note: Cheap and surprisingly effective, though clearly a lower-grade imitation of superior technology.
Note: Manufactured by Elkoss Combine
Despite his usual shamelessness, even Alex can't bring himself to ask Shepard to buy anything else—the armor already costs nearly a million credits.
Once the old employee fits the armor properly, Alex greedily accepts his new [Colossus Armor S], with three end-tier mods powerful enough to question the very logic of the system. Using one of the nearby changing rooms, he quickly switches gear, storing his old armor in his inventory. His new [Colossus Armor S] is dark red and black, radiating raw power. He notices numerous spots on the armor—clearly modded and enhanced beyond normal regulations. Despite the bulk and complexity, it feels as light as ever, not hindering his movement in the slightest.
If I can wear this armor into another world… I'd be invincible. This armor makes me almost five times as tanky as I was before. This thing… it'll probably be forbidden in most other worlds, but if I'm ever allowed to use it…
Around two hours later, the team leaves the C-Sec Academy, everyone looking more than satisfied.
Alex watches as Shepard finishes a private call with Anderson via omni-tool. As she ends the transmission, she turns to the team.
"Our ship has been prepared. It'll be quite the surprise. We're leaving immediately. Wherever Saren may be hiding, we'll find him. Whatever he's trying to achieve—we'll stop it."
The group moves quickly through the Citadel, eventually arriving back at the Normandy. Alex sees Captain Anderson talking to Shepard privately, while the rest of the team boards the ship.
Finally, Alex has a moment to himself. He heads to the showers, cleans up, slips into a clean crew uniform, and then settles into the quarters. Taking out his [Cipher Tool], he updates Menchi and Jewel about the recent developments.
It doesn't take long before Shepard's voice rings out over the ship's comms.
"Listen up, Normandy! This is your Commander speaking. We have our orders: find Saren before he finds the Conduit—and then deliver to him what he deserves. I refuse to let anything, or anyone, get in the way of that mission. The Council mostly wants to ignore Saren and everything related to the Reapers. They've never helped us in the past, so there's no reason they'd start now."
"I might be a Spectre, but as long as I'm in charge, you all work for me. And this entire crew has one goal—take down Saren. If you're not ready to give me your very best, I give you ten minutes to leave this ship. If you are, I thank you all for your trust—and I won't let you down!"
Not bad… though a little bit too Renegade for my taste.
Suddenly, he hears Joker's voice over the comms: "Lieutenant Kerber, report to the CIC immediately."
Alex sighs, finishes his drink, and heads up the stairs, entering the Combat Information Center—a room used for communications, discussions, and relaying orders to the crew.
Right… after every major mission, there's always a debrief or planning session that is held here.
As he walks in, he sees Shepard already waiting.
"Reporting for duty, Commander," Alex says, trying to keep up some appearances. As Commanding Officer of the Normandy, Shepard's position needs to be respected—even if it annoys him sometimes, as he knows that Shepard is also not a huge fan of formal speech.
"It's just us here, no need for any of that… anyway, I called you because I could use your advice."
"It's about how to start, right? Do we have any leads?" Alex asks.
Anderson and Udina didn't just hand over the Normandy—they gave us three potential missions. Some info was surprisingly provided by the Council itself.
"One is about Geth activity on Noveria," Shepard begins.
"All those damn corporations have their labs and research hubs there, huh? I wonder if Aldrin Labs… well, not important, the situation is serious. If the Geth are active on Noveria, then Saren's planning something. I don't give a shit about the greedy corporations, but letting him get his hands on cutting-edge research? That could be a disaster," Alex responds, trying to stay serious.
Shepard smirks. "Right, not the top priority to protect corporations, but if Saren wants something there—it's worth checking out. Then there's Feros. Reports say Geth and Krogans are attacking a tiny colony—too small to justify that kind of assault. But the area has some Prothean ruins."
"The final one?" Alex inquires.
"It's about Matriarch Benezia. Or rather, her daughter—Liara T'Soni. Apparently, Saren is after her for her Prothean expertise. We're not sure where she stands, or what he wants exactly… but she's somewhere in the Artemis Tau Cluster. No exact coordinates, but she's researching Prothean ruins, so that narrows it down a bit."
"Interesting. If we find her, she might give us an edge against Benezia… assuming she's not in league with her. Even if she is, having her might give us leverage. And her knowledge could help us understand more about the Beacon and those visions," Alex responds, trying to stay as neutral as possible.
"So… which mission would you recommend we tackle first?" Shepard asks.
"Feros and Noveria have vague, maybe even misleading, objectives. But the mission about T'Soni seems pretty clear and important to me. It's got a clear target and potential benefits. If her knowledge is half as valuable as Saren believes, she could be an asset. You mentioned Prothean ruins on Ferros? Also—she might be able to help interpret the visions you've been having since Eden Prime, I think they are important."
"So you want to recruit an Asari? Just to round out our colorful alien squad?" Shepard teases with a smirk.
Alex sighs. "I wish it were about that. Sadly, this shit's serious. We go for the mission with a clear objective first. It's a better tactical move. Also, this is all related to Protheans, recruiting a Prothean expert first, sounds almost obvious to me."
"I have to agree," Shepard nods. "Let's find the Matriarch's daughter and bring her under our control. Even if she can't be trusted, she's a card worth holding."
"We're heading to the Artemis Tau Cluster. The crew can relax for now—it'll take time to locate the right planet. We had a long day. Get some sleep."
Alex nods. "Thank you. I'll be ready when the mission starts."
Leaving the CIC, Alex rests for a few hours, then wanders around the Normandy, talking to some of the crew.
He finds Kaidan hanging around the crew quarters, eating.
"Again, Kaidan? You eat a lot," Alex comments as he approaches.
"I don't have a choice. Every biotic burns through calories way faster than a normal soldier. It's actually annoying," Kaidan says, shrugging with a grin.
They chat for a while, and eventually, Alex takes the elevator down to the lower decks, toward the garage and engine core.
Wrex and Garrus are chatting near the Mako. Wrex, ever the seasoned mercenary, shares a few brutal but entertaining stories from his long mercenary career. Garrus adds in his own tales—mostly frustrating memories of his time with C-Sec, clearly still bitter about its bureaucracy.
Eventually, Alex finds Tali near the ship's core, deep in conversation with Engineer Adams.
"Interested in the core, Tali? Maybe if we bring down Saren, Shepard'll let you take it back with you when you return to the Flotilla," Alex jokes as he approaches.
"As if," she replies, shaking her head. "This core probably costs more than ten ships its size. Still… I'm impressed. You humans have made real progress. I'm almost a little jealous. So, do we have a mission?"
Alex nods. "Three options. Shepard will make it official soon. She's still concerned about leaks. You've got a little time to study the drive core, but stay ready."
"So we have some time? Let's get to the Quarters then… I want to talk to you!" She says in a hard-to-read voice.
What…? What does she want?
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