ME: Nos Astra

Mass Effect: Nos Astra Chapter 1

Prolouge
   My name is Mark O'Connell Well, it all began in a nice at Earth till I shot some criminal and I was transfered because shooting him was not needed, even though he had a gun. They sent me to Illium where the sun was beautiful, the city, the people, and the beach. Only if I new what I was getting into...


Chapter 1 Drowning


    Mark opened the door of his hover car at the Nos Astra police department. Asari walked around in their blue uniforms, badges on their belts. He grinned as he stroked his hand through his blonde hair. He walked down the white platform to the glass door. In the distance the sun slowly sank leaving a beautiful purple sky. The city lights started to get brighter as the traffic became constant.
  
     Illium was rated the fifth most dangerous planet in the terminus systems. You can sell anything that would be Illegal that you couldn't in citadel space as long as you don't kill someone with it or you have a warranty on it. Drugs were also legal as long as it was "named properly" but if it isn't and if doesn't have a warranty on it, well that's different. Mark didn't care since he was a homicide detective but even then he might run into the similar problems.
     As the doors slid open he was greeted by the sight of officers actually doing something. Mark walked up to the front desk and smiled, " Hey, do you know where the Chief is?"
     " Name?"
     " Mark O'Connell."
     " She's in her office down the hall and to the left." The Asari officer smiled back. Mark nodded with a friendly smile and walked down the hall looking to the left. He saw a glass door and window, on the side in a hologram was labeled, " Chief Anel'la". He knocked on the door as he opened it ajar. The Chief was still looking at her Datapad.
     " Who is it?"
     " The new guy, Mark O'Connell." Mark answered. Anel'la looked up.
     " Come right in."
     Mark walked in and stood before her. She motioned him to sit across from her. He pulled up a chair and sat down.
     " It's good to have a good Homicide detective with experience and proper training. I heard about the shooting part, I can see why they moved you here."
     " Why?"
     " If they have a gun and they committed a murder and they resist arrest, shoot him as long as you don't kill 'em. Besides, we need something new besides a Turian analyzer, and all these Asari."
     " Glad to be here."
     " Expect it to be hard here. I have your badge and gun and your office is right across from mine, here." She placed a badge and a M3 Predator heavy pistol. Mark clipped the badge to his belt and holstered his pistol. " Go meet Lithirax in the Lab down a floor and I'll radio you if you get your first case today."
     " Thank you Chief."
     " You're welcome, now go, I'm busy."
     Mark nodded and then walked out. He walked down the hall to the elevators where he went down a floor. He walked to the right following the illuminated holographic signs to the lab. When he stepped in the room was blue and dim except a giant light that looked down at a table. Lithirax sat on a chair filling out a report on his computer.
     " Are you Lithirax?" Mark said as he slowly walked in. The Turian continued to keep his focus on the computer.
     " Yes. And you are?" It was hard to tell if he was saying that in a hostile way or friendly.
     " Mark O'Connell, the new homicide detective."
     " Ah yes, I've heard you were coming." The Turian stood and faced Mark. Mark extended his hand to him. Lithirax just starred at Mark's hand and then at Mark's face. A sigh passed his lips and he lowered his arm.
     " Right." He sighed.
     " That isn't my custom."
     " Yeah, I know, sorry. I need to do some adjusting."
     " That you do." Lithirax bent over to the computer and powered it off.
     " O'Connell, we have a new case. I need you and Lithirax to the Langly inn, one hundreth and six street."
     " We'll be there." Mark answered. Lithirax and him walked out to the car with the other cops and they raced off through the skies and the sky eating towers glowing in bright lambent lights. Cars swerved out of the way for the swirling red and blue police lights and the screeching sirens.
      When they arrived a group of cops directed them towards one of the hotel rooms. Blood was stained outside the room and lead inside, officers took pictures with their Omni-Tools. Mark held his hand up.
     " Let me conduct my work first." He said as he slipped on a pair of white gloves and he walked into the room. On the floor a Human laid dead on the ground, blood pooling on the floor staining the emerald carpet. Litherax and Mark crouched on both sides. The rolled him over and searched his pockets. They removed a picture of a women with blonde hair.
     " Wife?" Lithirax asked.
     " Nah, can't be. Does he have a ring? No." Mark said dangling the dead man's hand.
     " Alright then."  
     Mark flipped the card and saw, " Hey, meet me at 2302 Har'lee on the beach, love Cleir." Mark grinned and looked at Lithirax.
     " I wonder where we should go, I'll examine this after the interrogation."
     " To the car." Mark said as Lithirax got up and walked out. Mark took one last glance at the room and then walked out. He nodded to the officers and then followed the Turian out.
     When they arrived it was a nice beach house. They knocked on the door and waited, there was no response. They walked to the back by the fence to the backyard. They heard pop music playing. They opened the fence and walked in the backyard to find an Asari in a bikini relaxing on a towel on the grass sucking a lollipop. Mark grunted. She lifted her shades and starred at the two men.
     " We're Nos Astra police, we didn't get a response from the door." Mark said holding his badge up.
     " Okay." The Asari tossed the lollipop into the garbage and walked to the two. Mark looked around and saw a sandle in the grass, a hose, some baby books, a hat and then a sliding glass door to the indoors. He looked back at the women Cleir.
     " Cleir, do you know a man who looks like this?" Mark turned on his Omni-tool and displayed a picture of the man from the hotel room.
     " No."
     " Funny because," Mark reached his hand into his pocket and took out the picture he took. " This is you and this is the reason we found this house."
     " Then that probably wasn't meant for that guy... it was meant --"
     " Cleir, he's dead. We're trying to solve a murder here, do you know who this is?" Mark pushed.
     Cleir was in shock, she didn't know what to say or how to react, she just gasped. After a minute or two she finally broke: " He was a friend, just a friend! His name is Gary, Gary Methoal."
     " And who is your boyfriend?"
     " I don't think that's your business."
     " Oh, but homicide is."
     " I have to make some calls."
     " So that's a no?"
     " Get out."
     " Lithirax, we need her in questioning."
     " Why!"
     " Because you're not telling me anything and that you're lying AND you need to make some 'calls'. No."
     " Come on to the squad car." Lithirax walked Cleir to the squad car. Mark grabbed the sandle, stuffed it into his back pocket and walked to the squad car.

     In the Interrogation room Mark walked in and saw Cleir sitting at the table. He starred at Cleir and she starred back.
     " I told you everything officer."
     " That's what they all say." He smiled as he pulled the tiny sandle out of his pocket, he placed it on the table and thought about it. " Let's see, a small sandle for an infant... about twenty one months old. It explains the baby books and the hat on the ground, also that lollipop you've been suckn'."
     " I have a child, yes."
     " But you're not married. So Gary could have came over, did his business, impregnated you, then you got pissed, killed him and now you have to raise the baby and you have another one coming because of those birth control lollipops, that's a good cover up if I wasn't the detective on this case. The perfect murder?"
     " I didn't kill Gary! I would... I would be too scared to kill anyone."
     " Ah, that's what everyone says, unless..."
     " FINE! I didn't kill him... maybe my boyfriend... Jeff..."
     " Jeff...?"
     " Longworth."
     " Got it... so you've been cheating on Jeff because clearly he is the real boyfriend. I'll send someone with you to get your baby from your house." Mark got up leaving the sandle and he walked out. He closed the door behind him and faced Anel'la.
     " All that from a sandle?"
     " And a lollipop." He smiled as he walked to the lab.
     In the lab Lithirax was studying the body.
     " What do we have?"
     " Well, we have multiple gun shots to the body and a blunt object strike on the head. He also has a thermal clip burn in on his jacket."
     " So he was in a gun fight?"
     " I can suppose someone could have hit him, Gary broke away and got shot at, started to shoot back and crawled back to his room where he was shot in the back three more times."
     " Camera footage?"
     " Nope. That building was empty, I looked for them, I even asked before you came down here."
     " Alright. I have a new lead on someone."
     " Who?"
     " Jeff Longworth, Cleir's real boyfriend."
     " I knew it!"
     " Yeah, she also had a baby and is sucking on birth control pops."
     " How do you know?"
     " Well, she must have had fun with Gary, then had fun with Jeff, causing her to realize the mistake from Gary she had to control it so she couldn't have a second baby."
     " Here's the problem, if she has a baby, why would it be at the house? Wouldn't Jeff come and realize?"
     Mark's eyes grew wide. " I'll be back!"


       To be continued to part 2