Mass Effect: Evolution

Mass Effect: Evolution is an upcoming four-issue comic mini-series that will delve into the origins of the Illusive Man and the human-survivalist organization Cerberus. The story opens during the First Contact War between humans and turians.

The series will be published by Dark Horse and written by BioWare lead writer Mac Walters, scripted by John Jackson Miller, and drawn by Omar Francia, with contributions from cover designer Massimo Carnevale. The series was first announced on July 15, 2010, and the first issue is planned to be released on January 19, 2011.

Issue One

 * Publication date: January 19, 2011
 * Tagline: The end of the universe...begins with one man.

Mass Effect: Evolution begins in 2157 CE on turian-occupied Shanxi, with the Systems Alliance retreating in the face of the turian onslaught. A trio of human mercenaries, Jack Harper, Ben Hislop, and Eva, ambush a patrol of seven turians and take one prisoner. An Alliance soldier arrives in an M35 Mako and informs Jack that "The Man" wants to see him and his prisoner at headquarters.

Later at General Williams's 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 a secret, that others where 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 his 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 to close and the device sends out an energy bolt that hits Ben. Jack rushes up to save is 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."