"Richard, are you secured?" Gemini asked from the driver's seat of the small shuttle they requisitioned.
"Hold on, I'm finishing getting the ordinance secured. Ok, all set." Richard dropped into the co-pilot seat and secured himself as Gemini accelerated towards the Mass Relay. "What was so important they needed to leave so quickly and detour on our way there?"
"Unknown. I was sent to retrieve you when Creator Rina contacted me and told me of the change of plans. We are to gather preliminary information before they arrive and we complete the mission. We were given direct orders to stay out of sight." Gemini's voice took on a weird quality that Richard could not place.
"What do we know about the place we are going?"
"It is on a small Turian colony near the Terminus Systems. Mainly a small farming community and science outpost, the total population reaches fifty-thousand people. It is also a staging ground for Privateers through the Turian military. Halona Spectre believes that one of these bases is where our target is."
"Hmm. The Primacy is not going to like hearing that one of their black-op projects took some side jobs. What other recon would we need? We have the location of the base, right?"
"Also unknown. We will learn once Halona Spectre re-integrates with us. Until that time, we shall go through the relays." Richard leaned back in his seat as Gemini hit the relay and they jumped off to their destination.
The colony world of Heredes was a pleasant world, but on the very edge of the habitable zone, making it very cold. Most of the farms were greenhouse farms, but some native flora was also harvested, making large outdoor farms broken up by greenhouse farms. It seemed like a nice and quiet place to Richard. They had landed 5 days ago at the small space port and were taking a small private transport to the outlands, where the Privateer bases were.
Two of the three bases had been abandoned for at least a few weeks and picked clean long before. The files had been erased and the storage areas were completely empty. There were no corpses and no blood stains, but after a day of searching, they discovered scorch and pock marks made by relativistic weapons.
What made the situation eerier was that they had no contact from anyone in Halona's party since they left the Citadel. Richard had sent a message to Niala, telling her of the beauty of the world, but that was it. Richard was not even sure the message got out. Every noise sent shivers down his spine and he was getting jumpy. It did not help the Gemini had no sense of imagination and very little fear, so they seemed to be working fine.
The third base was thankfully populated. Richard felt a lot happier when they saw ships leaving and entering as well as a few foot patrols. He let out a sigh and whispered thank you.
"Richard, why does seeing pirates make you happy? Is it similar to the Krogan need to fight and have an enemy?"
"No, this is relief from fear. The fact that we found no bodies, no blood, and no items of any personal nature had me feeling that there was something not natural happening. Almost supernatural. It is a fear response to knowing something is happening, but there are missing main components to what is happening for it to fit in reality. It's called the Twilight Zone effect."
Gemini looked questioningly at Richard. "But we know what happened to the other Privateers. They were killed and their possessions were taken."
"There were no bodies, there was no blood. It was too sterile for murder, but there was plenty of trash around that sterilizing the place would have picked up. And what about Halona? She should have contacted us a few days ago. Her detour was only supposed to take 1 day. She is 4 days overdue. Let's continue to scout this place. If they do not contact us within 20 standard hours, I think we should evaluate our chances of infiltration by ourselves."
"Affirmative. I too am concerned about the lack of contact with Creator Rina. There may be a communication blackout, preventing them from contacting us. Should we head back to the port before we infiltrate?"
"That is a much better idea Gemini. Do you mind if I borrow a scope?" They spent the next 12 hours slowly walking and sneaking around the compound, watching the guard and ship patterns. After making a full circuit, the only way they could see to sneak in was an aerial drop of Gemini onto the top of the compound. Unfortunately, Richard could not fly the shuttle.
They discussed this on the way back to the shuttle. By the time they had reached the spaceport, it was full dark and the twenty hour limit was almost up. Gemini had offered to do the flight alone, but Richard wouldn't allow them to be split by that far of a distance.
Richard and Gemini took a rest to recharge at the shuttle. There was no communication from Halona by the time Richard woke up, and no one had replied to their messages.
"How angry would Rina be if I crashed the shuttle into the compound?"
"If you survived the crash, I estimate your chances of survival being under 30%."
"Darn. I only have one other plan, and I doubt it will work." Gemini gave him a quizzical look. "I know how to speak Turian, my last name is Turian. I could send them a message pretending to be an official coming to check in on them. It's not too likely to work, will alert them we are here, but it is the only option either of us has thought of that has a chance of success." Richard and Gemini were sitting with their elbows on their knees, staring into each other's face.
"The leader's name is Tomara Redicus."
"Redicus…Why do I remember that name? Never mind, it's time to call them." Richard cleared his throat as Gemini set up the transmission. The call picked up after a few seconds and a woman's face entered the screen.
"Who is this?" She demanded.
"I am Inspector Kadimus, may I presume to be speaking to madam Redicus?" The figure nodded. " I have been sent to investigate some irregularities on the shipments leaving from here. It has come to my attention that of the three ports here, your exports have dramatically increased while the others have been running low for a while. I am here to tour these places and see if you merit a promotion." The woman visibly blanched in surprise. Her eyes narrowed and her mandibles clenched.
"We don't have inspections. We are Black ops and…"
"Madam, I don't think you realize the importance of your work and what it means to the expansion of the Primacy. If you are as successful as my reports show you to be, you and your crew will gain commendations, promotions, and you will have helped your people immensely."
"I hadn't realized our operations meant that much. Wait, why are they sending a human?"
"Because, I am a loyal servant who cannot be directly connected back to those with a vested interest in you."
"That makes sense. I will make preparations for you to come in and inspect the facility. We will be ready within the hour." The call cut out. Richard sat down and started to laugh. It spread uncontrollably until he was rolling on the ground, clutching his sides and laughing. Gemini looked on in bemused curiosity.
When Richard finally calmed down, he looked at Gemini's innocent and blank flashlight head and felt another wave of laughter coming over him. He took a few deep breaths and relaxed. "I think it is time to change into something a little more formal." He quickly changed into his formal uniform and got into the rental vehicle with Gemini. They sped off to the compound.
Both of them were only armed with their Omni-tools and a pistol each. Gemini took the Talon and Richard opted for a Tempest. Both were more concealable than a Widow and a Katana. Richard cursed at himself as they approached the compound. Once again, he was going into a dangerous situation with little to no armaments and only the lightest of barrier amplifiers. He whispered a small encouragement to himself as they approached the gates.
The guard at the gates approached. "What's your business here?" He appeared to be ex-military by his bearing.
"I am Inspector Kadimus. Madam Redicus is expecting me." Richard said, not turning his head to look at the guard.
"Wait here." The guard started talking over a com-system. After a few seconds, the guard nodded and waved them through. "Go to the door with the hrjayk above it and there will be an escort to meet you." Gemini pulled in near the door and the two of them got out. Richard placed on a pair of sunglasses as he got out of the car. It was mostly for show, but would help protect him from the flash bangs he had insisted they take.
"Richard, I have tapped into their communication systems. We can listen in, but our transmissions are still on a different channel. I also have a query: what did you say before the guard stopped us?"
"It was just a little motivational phrase from a comic book I read when I was young." The door swung open for them and a young Turian met them. She was pretty and seemed very friendly as she led them to the Main office, but Richard was sensing she was nervous. It was in the way the mandibles jittered when she talked. She showed them to a large double door and told them to go in.
"Miss, what is your name?" Richard asked, with a small tone of detachment.
"Um, Pelora Mitinor sir." She half mumbled.
"Ms. Mitinor, thank you." Richard and Gemini walked into the room leaving the bemused young lady behind.
The room they entered could only be described as Spartan. There was very little ornamentation and only the bare minimum of storage and seats. The operation looked very military, not betraying any hints of going rogue. The woman behind the desk was well built for a Turian, being nearly as broad as a Krogan. She stood up and towered over Richard and Gemini, a Carnifex strapped to her hip.
Tomara Redicus walked around the desk and stopped in front of the pair, not offering a hand or even a salute. She glared at the two of them, trying to make them back down. It was a futile gesture with Gemini, who still did not understand fear, but Richard felt that without his sunglasses his knees would be knocking. He took a deep breath and slowly took the glasses off, hanging them from his breast pocket.
"I'm glad you were as amiable to the inspection as you were. I am very impressed with what I have read about your operation. There are many higher-ups who are impressed, but not a few who are suspicious. I am here to allay their concerns and give credit where credit is due. I would prefer to begin as soon as possible."
"Well, then let's get on with it. If this will get the generals off my back, all the better." Tomara walked to the door. Gemini and Richard fell in behind her.
"Record audio only." Richard said to Gemini. Turning to Tomara, he said, "Just for notes for later." They walked through the operation, which mainly seemed to be ship yard and weapons storage, with some rooms for precious cargo the group "salvaged." For the most part, it seemed to be a normal Privateer group with no big illegal infractions. After they had interviewed a few of the crew members and went passed the back storage rooms, Tomara was leading them back to the front.
"As you can see, we do everything by the book." Tomara said between clenched teeth.
"And that is what I will tell the naysayers. You are a shrewd captain, beloved by her crew, and honorable to a fault. I just have one more question." Tomara stopped dead in her tracks.
"And what would that be?" her fists clenched.
"What is in that room." Richard pointed to a door down a small hallway. The door was locked and warning signs were placed around it.
"That is where our hazardous waste is stored till it can be cleaned away."
"I do need to see it."
"I cannot let you. It's very dangerous." Tomara grabbed Richard's arm and tried to lead him away. There was something familiar about her face. Gemini appeared behind Tomara with his pistol under her chin.
"Please, I insist." Richard's voice dropped all politeness and gained a harsh quality. The anger in Tomara's eyes was evident as she marched off to the door at gunpoint. When they reached the door, Tomara stopped until Gemini prodded her with the gun. Reluctantly, she unlocked the door and let them in. Gemini went in first, having the flashlight built in. Richard had drawn his side arm and was covering both Tomara and Gemini.
"Richard, I have found evidence of organic life recently in here. There are also traces of blood and synthetic fibers and plastics." Richard moved into sight of Gemini and quickly scanned the room. He suddenly felt a heavy impact as Tomara rammed her shoulder into his stomach and sent him flying into the room. The door slammed shut as klaxons started blaring.
"Well, that could have gone better. Are there any other ways out of the room?" Richard groaned from the floor.
"Negative. There is an opening in the floor, but it is too small for either of us to fit in." Gemini came over and lifted Richard into a standing position. "And the door is locked from the outside." Richard cursed as there was nothing for them to do but wait to be slaughtered. There was a large group of Turian Commandos and pirates out there, with assault arms and armor, while they were armed with little peashooters. Richard could hear boots tromping down the hall towards them.
Richard's head rang against the door as the building shook. He backed up, taking out one of the flash bangs, arm cocked back to throw. The door did not open. The building continued to shake and reverberate. There was a muffled explosion from the direction of the hanger.
"Either someone got pissed off at them or our backup has finally arrived. Either way, I think a quick exit is in order. Do we have any way of opening the doors?" Gemini shook their head. "So we are waiting for a lucky shot or for someone to think they can finish us off." Richard sat down behind the door, and laid his head back against the wall to wait.
The battle lasted for about 18 minutes (Richard kept asking Gemini for an update on the time), before the power finally died. Gemini's head was the only light in the room, and Richard decided to try and force the door. Turning on his Omni-tool's flashlight, Richard found the latch and began to haul on the doors. Gemini joined in and they were able to slowly pull the doors open to about half a meter. The secondary power on outside of the room and the klaxons were still blaring. They both drew their sidearms, a flash bang and were just about to charge out when they heard a loud roar and most of a Turain came tumbling through the doorway. They poked their heads out to see a familiar face on the opposite end of a barrel facing them.
"Humans have a saying 'you are a sight for sore eyes', I think you might be a sight to cause sore eyes." Richard called out, having come out from behind the door. Vorx was covered in matted gore and walking with a limp. He had a metal spar sticking from the side he was limping on, but did not seem to notice it. Richard pointed to it and Vorx pulled it out, tossing the spar aside.
"Still a prettier sight than you, at least it's a fair contest now." Vorx and Richard started laughing. Gemini stooped and picked up two rifles, handing one to Richard. "Come on, there may still be some pyjaks left for you to kill." The three of them set off down the hallway.
"Where the heck were you all? We were stuck here with no contact from you." Richard shouted over the klaxons.
"We ran into a little trouble and a deeper investigation. We got all of your messages, but realized you were not getting ours. We were okay with that until you made the plan to raid the place alone. That's what got us out here. I'll fill you in on the details once we get out of here."
Richard peeked around the corner and saw a hasty barricade with half a dozen pirates manning it. "You disrupt them and I'll charge," Vorx ordered. Richard tossed a flash bang, and flipped around the corner the moment after it went off to send a shockwave that dismantled the barricade. Vorx charged the Turians and flattened two of them. Gemini and Richard provided support fire, taking out the remaining pirates.
By the time they had taken the doors, they had all run out of ammunition and Richard punched the doors open. Tomara was behind her desk with a leveled rifle. She opened fire on Richard, shredding his barriers. He ducked back outside of the room.
"Vorx, can you distract her? My barriers are gone and we are out of flash bangs." Vorx grunted and charged into the room. Richard gathered his energy as Vorx's shields activated to stop the barrage aimed at him. Richard flipped around the corner and charged in at Tomara. He impacted her and she crashed into the wall, dropping her gun. Richard dove for her gun and scooped it up, turning it on her still prone form.
Gemini walked over to the body and crouched over her. "Life Signs, Negative. Severe head trauma." Richard lowered his gun.
"Vorx, I'm not one to get philosophical about killing, but are we sure this was the target?" Richard asked, starting at the resting face of the dead Turian.
"Yeah, I'm sure. That is what we were investigating. We had to contact Captain R'Donis, but we found that not only was this pyjack running tainted eezo, but she was also running drugs and slaves from her raids. She apparently went rogue about three months ago when she destroyed a smuggling ring. Rather than dissolve it, she took over it. Our bust of Red got the information we needed."
The room fell quiet as Gemini cut the klaxons. Vorx got on the coms and radioed the all clear. A few minutes passed before Halona and Rina came running into the room. Rina gave Gemini a quick embrace, which was reciprocated, and Halona walked over to the body on the floor.
"How did she die?" Halona's voice came out as a menacing growl.
"I did," Richard swallowed hard. "She was barricaded behind her desk. We were out of ammunition and I tried to charge her. I thought she would have shields on, but she flew into the wall and broke her head. Did we need to capture her alive?" Richard shifted his weight as Halona slowly stood up. She sighed and gave one last look at the body.
"Do you know who that is Richard?" Halona sighed.
"Other than being a Turian Commando and pirate, no. Are you saying there is something I should know about her?" Richard took another look at her, "I get a feeling of recognition when I look at her, but I don't know why I recognize her."
"She is…was, Niala's mother." Halona's voice was soft and tender, but it had a faraway quality to it. Richard dropped the gun and started at the body, horror slowly creeping over him. He had killed his daughter's mother. It did not matter that the death was an accident, he had still caused it. He felt nausea taking over when an echo hit his terror like a meteor. She was running the slaving ring that included the one Red was running. You rescued your daughter from there.
"No, she was not Niala's mother. That woman died when she let her daughter be taken by slavers. This woman was just a pirate." Richard said the words more to convince himself than anyone else.
"What are you going to tell Niala?" Rina asked. Richard looked at her, his expression a mask of pain.
"I don't know."
Richard knocked lightly on the door in front of him. He heard a voice from inside and an Asari he did not recognize answered the door.
"Hello. My name's Richard. I'm here to see Ms. R'Donis. Is she in?"
"Mom, there is someone looking for you, his name is Richard." The young asari called into the rooms.
"I'll be out in a minute Richard." Came the reply from the back. Richard waited patiently till Captain R'Donis came out. He was a little shocked by her choice of attire. He was wearing a normal short sleeve with trousers, but Captain R'Donis came out with a green lacing blouse and matching skirt. It accented her dark indigo skin very well. "I'll be back later dear, have a good night. And Richard, please call me by my first name, Kyana, you don't work for me anymore." She hugged her daughter and they started walking towards the gardens in the distance.
Richard remained quiet for a long time. His voice was soft when he broke his silence. "Thank you for making some time for me. I have a lot on my mind."
"I'm glad to help. I have you to thank for reintroducing me to my cousin and she speaks highly of you. So what do you have on your mind? Is it about Niala and that talk you need to have." Richard's ears turned a little red.
"Sort of. I mean I do want to talk about that, but this is a much different talk I need to have with her." They reached the gardens and found a quiet bench to sit on. Richard was wringing his hands, his knuckles white. "What do you know about Tomara Redicus?"
"Redicus…Isn't she the leader of that smuggling ring that you helped break? I only know because Halona asked me for the file on the raid and interrogation of Red." Kyana knitted her brows together and clasped her hands.
Richard nodded. "Yes, she was. We were there to kill or capture her. We got separated and things went bad quickly. We finally cornered her, and I tried a gamble to grab her, but I miscalculated and she died. It was only after that I found out I had a new connection to her. Her real name was Nadalash Trevian" Realization slowly dawned on Kyana and a look of shock appeared on her face.
"She was Niala's mother?" Richard hung his head and nodded. "How could she let her own daughter be kidnapped like that?"
"We found out it was an initial part of her plan to disappear and start anew as a pirate. We caught her before she could. I don't know what to tell Niala. I feel that the woman stopped being her mother the moment she allowed her to be sold into slavery. It is true, from a certain point of view."
"Perhaps you could tell her the truth?"
"What, that I killed her mother! I can see that going over well." Richard spat out. He instantly regretted his tone. "I'm sorry, I don't think I can do that." He said in a calmer voice. Kyana placed a hand on Richard's back.
"No, you tell her that her mother is dead, but you punished the person responsible. As you said, Tomara was no longer her mother when you killed her." Kyana gently whispered to him. "Niala loves you, and it won't matter to her. If you want, you can tell her the whole truth when she is older."
Richard thought about this. Everything Kyana said was true from his point of view, but he hated the idea of lying to his daughter. Their new bond was built on honesty and trust, and he was afraid she would learn the truth from someone other than him.
"Richard, look at me." Kyana's warm hand shifted his face to look at her, her fuchsia eyes boring deeply into him. "I know you are worried. The only people who know about this are Halona, Rina, Gemini, Vorx, you, and me. None of your new team mates will say anything, and you can trust me. I have some good reasons to keep it secret." She smiled at him and let her hand linger on his face for a moment. "She will learn only if you want her to."
She stood up and offered a hand to Richard. He took it and they walked along the gardens in silence, privately enjoying the other's company. The evening flowers were fully in bloom, and the fragrance was intoxicating. It was only when his stomach rumbled that Richard had realized how much time had gone by. He looked down, surprised to see he was still holding Kyana's hand.
"So, howdidyouhavetheresponsiblesextalkwithyourdaughter?" Richard blurted out the words so fast there were no spaces between them.
"I just told her the truth about sex." Kyana chuckled. "Why are you so nervous? If you need information, there are some very informative texts out there for you. And besides, she is old enough to be getting it at school anyways."
"Oh, yeah, right." The look of relief was clear on Richard face. "I guess I'm still nervous about being a father. There is a whole world of things I don't know that a Turian mother would know about."
"What about her Auntie Tannis?" Richard's hand flew to his forehead. "You forgot she has been a Turian mother three times before, haven't you?" Kyana's clean, deep laugh rang out across the gardens, causing the others around to look over.
"I cannot believe I have been so thick headed about all of this. Thank you, you've helped me a lot with this. Is there something I can do to repay you?"
"I can think of a few things, but for now, just go home and spend some time with your daughter." Kyana gave his hand a squeeze and walked away, leaving Richard to stare after her. He sat down to try and sort out his confused emotions. His guilt and relief warred at each other, with dread as the battlefield. There was now a new force on the horizon now, and he was unable to fully pin that. Was it love or just lust? He had known Captain R'Donis for three years, and she had always been stern and very professional, so he had little chance to get to know her. But seeing her out of uniform, she seemed so friendly and open. Maybe he was reading too far into this. Asari were known to be a very empathic and friendly race, so she was probably helping a friend. Richard repeated that in his head till he felt he could believe it and walked off to his daughter's school.
It was an hour before Niala got out of class, so Richard decided to grab some food, remembering he had not eaten in nearly a day and he had extended his biotic abilities to their max. He grabbed a large rice and vegetable bowl and sat outside the café, enjoying the people walking by. This area was mostly Turian, but there was a prominent group of Salarians and humans as well. Asari were rare in this area.
The school bell rang and a few minutes later Niala came out of the doors, animatedly talking to a young Salarian, whom he assumed was Pevev. Niala noticed Richard sitting at the café, made a wait gesture to Pevev, and ran over to her father. Richard stood up and embraced her as she rocketed into him.
"I promised to come back in one piece."
"I know. I'm glad to see you. We got worried when you were gone for a few extra days. Captain R'donis came around asking a few questions, but no one else said much about the lack of communication. I think they did not want me to worry. I got the letter you sent, did you get mine?" Niala looked at him hopefully.
"Yes, once I get back here I received it. Is that Pevev?" Richard motioned to the Salarian who was waiting for Niala.
"Yes. I was going over his house to work on a project. Is that ok?" Niala asked hopefully.
"Of course it is my dear. I'll be back for a while, so we will have time to catch up." Niala hugged him and ran off to Pevev. When she reached him she gave him a peck on the cheek and they strolled off. Richard felt a weight lift from his shoulders. She was growing up. Not just in size (she was nearly as tall as Richard was), but she was maturing quickly. And she was handling growing up very well.