Mass Effect: Evolution 1

Mass Effect: Evolution 1 is the first issue of the 4-issue Mass Effect: Evolution comic series published by Dark Horse Comics.

Release Information

 * Publication Date: January 19, 2011
 * Tagline: The end of the universe... begins with one man.
 * Writer: Mac Walters, John Jackson Miller
 * Artist: Omar Francia
 * Colorist: Michael Atiyeh
 * Cover Artist: Massimo Carnevale / Joe Quinones

Publisher's Summary
Mass Effect 2 Lead Writer Mac Walters reveals the origin of our galaxy’s most mysterious powerbroker--The Illusive Man!

''With co--writer John Jackson Miller (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic) and artist Omar Francia (Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2), Walters chronicles humanity’s first deadly days on the galactic stage and uncovers the pivotal role The Illusive Man played in it all! Available only in comics, this essential piece of Mass Effect canon offers new insights for existing fans, while the focus on humanity’s first steps into the wider Mass Effect universe provides a riveting story of action and intrigue for sci-fi readers of all stripes!''

Story
After humans took to space using the mass relays, they settled a few colonies, but they never assumed they needed anyone's permission to use the relays. On the colony of Shanxi, humans are paying the cost of their assumptions with a full-scale invasion by the turians. The Alliance military is in full retreat and the turians turn their attention to eliminating all traces of the trespassers. However, they don't realize that not all human soldiers wear uniforms. A trio of human mercenaries, Jack Harper, Ben Hislop, and Eva Coré, are tracking a patrol of seven turians. They then proceed to ambush them. After a few close calls, Ben is found wrestling with a turian. Jack then hits the turian over the head and they take him prisoner. Ben charges at the turian only to be pulled off by Jack telling him to stand down because of the intel he might have and that if he is killed, they will lose it. Ben apologizes for his actions, which had come from seeing his brother and the settlements wiped out. Jack responds by saying that is why he joined the cause and if he just wanted to kill turians then he should join the military.

As they finish speaking, Jack notices an M35 Mako pull up, and notes how they always have perfect timing. One of the soldiers climbs out and asks which one is Jack and that "the man" wants to see him back at headquarters now. The prisoner is told to ride in the back. The captured turian remarks that if humans are resorting to mercenaries, then things really have gone bad. Jack tells him that they are specialists, but that is none of his business. Jack then pulls out a device and asks if it is a communicator. The turian replies that that is none of his business but says they probably can't fathom it anyway. Jack counters by saying that they might surprise him.

Later at General Williams' headquarters, Williams tells Jack that the Alliance is withdrawing to Arcturus Station because no one has the will to fight the turians anymore. Jack counters with that his group, and Williams, still have the will to fight and will fight. Williams then says that Jack is the only one who can figure out what the turians are doing. Jack says that they are going into places that were never settled, or have been abandoned for a while. The turians are conducing search patterns, looking for something, but Alliance Command says that there is nothing they have found, but since the turians are still looking, then there must be something. Jack says that they can finish the job in twenty hours, and Eva requests the APC out front.

While riding to the front, Jack and the others interrogate the turian they captured, who reveals his name is Desolas, and says that if he is released he may be merciful if they return him to his people. Jack points out that he knows he is a general, and that the device they took earlier is homing in on his camp, which Desolas counters saying that turians underrated human intelligence. Desolas says that his lieutenant is waiting with superior numbers and tells them to escape while they can. Desolas points out that humans, as the new arrivals, want everything, but lets them in on a secret, that others were in the galaxy first, that humans aren't welcome, and that the turians won't give humanity one kilometer of the planet. Jack says it is time to divide and conquer.

At the turian camp, which is in the shadow of a crashed turian ship, one of the officers tells Lieutenant Abrudas that the researchers have found the relic and moved it into a network of caverns five kilometers west. The Lieutenant is angry, as they could have saved the turians time searching, and reaches for her communicator to contact Desolas, however, he contacts them first. In a static filled transmission Desolas says that he escaped from the humans and tells them to meet him one kilometer east. Abrudas tells them that they have found the cargo, but Desolas tells them that he can't move, so Abrudas takes a squad to rescue the general while the rest move towards the objective.

After a bit of time, Abrudas reaches the objective, and while complaining about the researchers and the time they have wasted, the squad gets ambushed by Jack, his friends, and their APC, much to the surprise of the turians. Inside the APC Desolas tells Jack that his was “a childish ploy”, but Jack comments it was pretty good, “for a human”. Jack and the rest of his people tie up the turians. At the same time Jack and Desolas discuss what happened, and how there has been a lot of force for a simple recovery operation, and that Desolas doesn’t come across as a garden-variety general. Desolas warns Jack to "be careful what you look for human. You may find it."

At the caverns Jack and the rest ambush the remaining turians, and after threatening them with the capture of their General and their Lieutenant, and the big gun on top of their APC, Desolas tells his men to stand down. He says that their time will come, and until then, "let the human satisfy his curiosity." Apparently, he is curious what Jack will find as well. As Jack and Ben head into the caves, Eva asks what to do if they cause trouble. Jack says to run a few over, but to stay on the radio. As they progress into the caves, Ben says that Eva is worried about them, but Jack says that is more about him. As they continue the discussion, about Ben and Eva, Jack sees something up ahead.

Inside is a large object into the center of the room, with glowing chains extending out from it. Jack points out that it was clearly dragged here, but Ben starts points out that they would have had to been monsters to move it. Before Ben can finish his statement, they get ambushed by creatures wearing robes and they knock Ben to the ground. As one of the creatures lifts Ben into the air, Jack opens fire and Ben is thrown to the ground. Ben comments about intel first, but the Jack points out "not this time" and keeps shooting, becoming frustrated as the creatures won't die.

Eventually the creatures fall, but both humans are stunned at the amount of bullets it took to take them down. Jack then moves forward and pulls back one of the hoods, and it shows a turian, who's had parts of his face replaced with cybernetic implants. Jack tries to radio General Williams, or Eva but there is too much interference. Ben starts walking toward the object saying that it might be the cause and that there may be a way to turn it off. Jack tells Ben to wait, but he gets too close and the device sends out an energy bolt that hits Ben. Jack rushes up to save his friend, but it is too late. As Jack also gets hit by the energy from Ben's body, they both fall back to the floor, as a voice calls out. Eva rushes into the room, her cloths ragged and out of breath, and says that the turians came up from behind when they all saw the lights coming from the cave. As Jack asks what happened, a voice says that is what he would like to know. Eva turns around to see a large turian standing over them, with other armed turians in the background, saying that they will come with them, and tells the others to bring Ben's body for dissection. He ends by saying "You've studied us -- now it's our turn to study you."