Episode 1: Huskfall

Gerrit's colony is attacked, and he must work with a company of mercenaries in order to escape.

Gerrit knew he shouldn't have taken this route home. It was a stupid mistake, and one that he should have been able to avoid after two years here, especially given his hobbies. Yet here he was. And there they were, two hulking brutes who wouldn't have looked out of place among krogan, blocking the way to the main road.

"I'm surprised at you, Pajon," a gravelly voice drifted from behind Gerrit. He turned to see a turian standing there, arms folded, two more prodigiously muscled thugs flanking him. "You're usually more alert than this."

"Terrek." Gerrit subtly shifted his weight into a better fighting stance. "I haven't seen you in awhile."

The turian smirked. "I've been busy. Expanding business."

That surprised Gerrit. "Expanding? I hadn't realized you were doing so well."

One of the thugs grunted a laugh. "You ain't so big as you think you are, lizard-man."

Terrek silenced him with a sharp look before returning his gaze to Gerrit. "Uncivilized though my associate is, he is correct. Despite your activities, the Khans still prosper." He cocked his head in mock-thoughtfulness. "Although, it would be easier if you were no longer a factor."

Gerrit had not failed to notice the pistol on the turian's hip, nor the veritable armory carried by each of the brutes. "I have no doubt."

"In fact," Terrek continued, his eyes glinting, "if, say, your body was found in an alley, beaten in by some nameless lowlifes," he gestured casually to the brute on his right, "It would be quite the boon for business."

Gerrit sighed. "Are we going to kill each other or just talk all night?"

The turain laughed. "See, this is why I like you, Pajon. Always so ready to die." He straightened his face and looked at Gerrit. "Well, I suppose there's no point delaying it."

"Good." Before the turian had finished his sentence, Gerrit leapt backwards and rolledbetween the two thugs there, pulling the leg from beneath one as he did so. The man fell hard, sending his companion stumbling as he did so. Gerrit righted himself and aided the stumbling man into the wall, denting the weak prefab structure with the thug's head. Gerrit pulled a pistol from the man's belt as he fell past and planted a round in the back of the first thug's head.

Shots roared down the alley at him from the turian and his lackeys, forcing Gerrit to duck around the corner of the building. Glancing around, Gerrit noticed an overhang to his left and leapt up onto it before climbing up on the roof.

"Get him!" Terrek's voice carried easily over the side of the building. Gerrit paused. On the one hand, it would be easy for him to leave. The thugs weren't bright enough to figure out where he was, and he could be gone before the turian did. They wouldn't attack him in his home; that would force the authorities to act. Otherwise, he would have been dead long ago. On the other hand, though, Terrek said the Khans were expanding. That couldn't be good. And here was the head of a very big snake, and it was within his power to cut it off.

Damnit. Killing Terrek wouldn't bring down the Khans, not by a long shot, but it would cripple their expansion. He had to go for it.

The drell crept slowly along the edge of the roof, looking down at the three Khans.

He could hear Terrek muttering as the two thugs looked up and down the street, weapons drawn."Should have gotten backup. Knew he was slippery. Damn. This is going to look bad."

Gerrit focused intently, letting energy build up inside himself. He suddenly lurched forward two dozen yards into the backs of the three, the biotic shockwave sending them reeling. Gerrit raised the pistol, easily finishing one of the brutes. The other recovered quickly and, instead of shooting as Gerrit expected, lunged at the drell, crashing into him. Gerrit stumbled now as Terrek and his thug turned to face him.

Not good. Gerrit hastily threw up a biotic push, giving him enough time to right himself, when he noticed that he had dropped the pistol. That was stupid. He was supposed to be a professional, for Kalahira's sake.

Gerrit lunged at the thug as Terrek brought his pistol to bear. Gerrit grabbed the thug's arm and twisted, bringing him between the drell and the turan just as Terrek fired. The thug cried out, the bullet passing though his shoulder and inches from Gerrit's face, spraying the human's red blood over him. Gerrit spun, releasing the thug as he did so, sending him into the turian's extended gun arm. The turian cried out as several hundred pounds of muscle and weapon fell upon him, dropping his piston and staggering back under the weight.

Gerrit leapt upon the startled turian, flipping him over and throwing him into the ground several yards away before kneeling down and carefully snapping the thug's neck. Finished, Gerrit stood and advanced on the turian, who had not yet regained his feet. To his credit, though, Terrek showed no fear. Quite the opposite, actually.

"Hey, Pajon. Catch!" a small blue object left the turian's hand and caught on the drell's coat. Eyes widening in recognition, Gerrit tore the garment off and tossed it aside, diving in the other direction just before the sticky grenade exploded.

Gerrit's vision jiggled slightly as the explosion thrust him to the ground face first. He felt it split open on his left cheek as he came down hard. His left hand came down under his body, ending up bending roughly the opposite direction it should be. He tried to rise immediately, but with still-ringing ears and still-blurry vision, he only managed to extricate his pained arm before collapsing back to the ground. He closed his eyes, spending a few seconds to focus, before trying again. He managed to get to his knees before he was shoved roughly back to the ground.

Terrek stood over him, a black club raised in his talon-like hand. "Nice move. Didn't think you'd manage to survive that." He placed a foot on Gerrit's chest and leaned heavily on it. "You lost your nice coat, though."

Gerrit tried to raise both arms to grasp the foot compressing his lungs, but gasped as pain shot up from his left arm. It didn't feel broken, but he definitely couldn't use it.

Terrek laughed. "I guess you aren't so big. Right, Kemp?" The turian turned to the remnants of the thugs, whose bodies had been caught in the explosion. "Ah well. Not worth much anyway."

Grimacing, Gerrit used his momentary distraction to twist his lower body, hooking one leg around the turian's and pulling him slightly off-balance. At the same time, he powered up a throw in his right arm, sending it at the precarious turian. Terrek was thrown up and onto his back, his club arcing out of sight down the street. Gerrit rose slowly to his feet and stumbled over to where Terrek had dropped his gun earlier, picking it up. As Terrek groggily lifted his head, Gerrit put a bullet through it. He dropped the pistol and walked off into the night.