Star of the Normandy - The Collector Threat
A/N: This is an OC insert into the Mass Effect 2 storyline (based on my playthrough, I didn't have any of the DLCs). It follows the canon; any changes/additional storylines will be in an AU version of the story. Also contains a few off-camera scenes between the OC and other squadmates. They're there for character development.
Disclaimer: All characters except the OC owned by Bioware.
Warning: Here be spoilers! A lot of them. This covers two-thirds of the game. In-game dialogue used for added authenticity. Rated M for language and later chapters.
[Generic F!Shep, Colonist, Ruthless, Soldier, Renegon]
Chapter One - Dossier: The Mercenary
"There is nothing more absolute than the oath of an asari justicar. You did well getting Samara on our side." Yeoman Kelly Chambers remarked. "She is so elegant and gorgeous. Too bad her manner is so… cold."
Shepard nodded internally. She had just been to talk with the newly-recruited Justicar, and though polite, she could sense the harshness in the asari's voice. She obviously wasn't much of a people person.
"That'll be all."
"I'll be here if you need anything." Kelly said, turning back to her console. Shepard walked over to the Galaxy Map and opened her Omni-tool to her journal. She was half-way through the four new dossiers the Illusive Man had sent after the mission to Horizon, the two she had left being recruiting Tali on Haestrom and the mercenary on Omega. She scanned through the mission details, then decided.
"Joker!" she called through her comm link, "Set a course for Omega!"
Once they arrived at their destination, Shepard and her squadmates, Garrus and Jack, made their way out of the docking area.
"Shepard," EDI's voice chimed in over the comms, "Recent reports mention a freelance mercenary has been quite active against the other mercenary groups on Omega, specifically the Blue Suns. Aria T'Loak may have more information."
"A lone freelancer taking on the Blue Suns? Must be one tough customer." Garrus quipped behind Shepard. The group stepped into the streets of Omega and made their way to Afterlife, Omega's largest club, run by the queen herself, Aria. The music was loud and the air smelled of sweat and booze. Shepard ignored the asari pole dancers and made her way up to Aria's lounge. The asari motioned her to sit.
"What do you need?"
"I'm looking for a freelance merc. Heard she's been causing quite some trouble around with the Blue Suns."
Aria turned her head in thought. "Ah yes, her. Apparently, she's been targeting the Blue Suns specifically. Who knows what her reason is. She's been doing some work for me on the side as well."
Shepard raised an eyebrow. "I thought you had your own people."
"I do, but someone with a reputation like hers isn't a bad idea to keep around. Besides," the asari shifted her legs "she came to me first."
"Can you tell me where to find her?"
"She'll be coming to Afterlife soon to take care of some loose ends for me. Hang around the lower section, you can't miss her." She said as the commander stood up. "She tends to stand out in a crowd."
"Thanks for the help."
"Good luck."
Shepard moved down to the back of the club and headed to lower Afterlife, followed by her squad. Soon, they were seated at a table, with a good view of the exits. They'd been waiting for ten minutes now, and no one particularly interesting had showed up yet. Jack had ordered a drink and Shepard had begun to notice (and subsequently found amusing) that her turian squadmate was having a hard time keeping his eyes off the asari dancers.
"This is useless." Jack finally piped up, disgruntled. "That merc isn't gonna show."
"I'm sure she'll be here any second now." Garrus replied. The tattooed biotic rolled her eyes. Just then, Shepard noticed someone walk into the club. A tall, somewhat skinny girl, with long black hair hanging loosely in a low ponytail, a gun on her waist and a serious look on her face. She clearly wasn't here for a drink. Shepard turned her squadmates' attentions to her.
"Think that's our mark?" Garrus whispered.
"Only one way to find out." Before Shepard could get up, the girl began talking to a turian bouncer near one of the private rooms. He nodded to her and motioned her to go inside. Shepard walked over to the bouncer just in time to hear a single muffled gunshot go off inside the room. The girl walked out, her pistol in hand and barrel still wafting smoke, and nearly bumped into the commander.
"Watch it." she barked, somewhat annoyed.
"I was hoping I could talk to you."
"You one of Aria's people?" She shifted her weight, putting a hand on her hips.
"Aria told me where to find you."
"Only people who ask for me either want me for a job or dead." Her expression grew more serious. "Which are you?"
Shepard folded her arms and gestured to Afterlife's back door. "Let's talk and you'll find out." The girl stared at her for a second, then followed Shepard outside the club. Once outside, she continued. "I'm Commander Shepard. I'm on a mission to save humanity, and I came here to recruit you."
The girl crossed her arms. "So many trained professionals and soldiers in the galaxy, and you want some scrub from Omega? What about the Alliance?"
"The Alliance can't help me without council permission, and they're out of the question. I'm looking for the best, and if what I've heard about you is true, you fall under that category."
"I see. And what exactly is this 'critical mission' anyway?" she said, air-quoting.
"Saving the human race from the Collectors."
"Collectors? Those creepy bug-looking things? I've seen a few of them before, about two years ago. They were conducting a transaction with some of the Shadow Broker's agents. Don't they live beyond the Omega-4 relay?"
Shepard nodded. "No ship's ever made it through there in one piece." She added. "Basically a suicide mission." The look of intrigue on the freelancer's face did not escape the marine.
"Interesting. Well if I'm gonna die, might as well be fighting for my species." She said flatly. Shepard couldn't tell if she was being serious about her decision. "I'll fight for you, Commander. My name's Star, by the way."
Shepard nodded. "Good, I'll contact the Normandy and-"
"Wait just a second there." the commander turned back to the merc. "There's some unfinished business here I need to deal with."
"Which is?"
"I need some things to get from my apartment, but the local Blue Suns set up an ambush for me. They won't be expecting a group of trained soldiers, though." She said thoughtfully. "If you could clear out those guys for me, it'd be much appreciated." Shepard almost rolled her eyes. 'Of course she needed something in return first.'
"I'll take care of it."
"Thanks. My apartment is in the Gozu District." She sent Shepard her apartment's coordinates via Omni-tool.
The squad left Afterlife and headed towards the apartment districts. Good thing the quarantine had been lifted since Shepard last went through. They made their way to the Gozu district and spotted the mercs Star had mentioned; a seemingly small group of Blue Suns standing out in the open, trying not to look suspicious.
"That's the ambush? I thought there'd be more." Garrus commented quietly, walking up beside Shepard. The commander walked up to them, and one pointed their gun at her.
"Hey, I'm not here for trouble." She said, holding her hands up defensively. The squad captain signaled to his lackey to drop the gun and stepped forward.
"Those guns are making that hard to believe. Who're you?"
"I'm one of Aria's people. She sent me to tell you guys to clear out, the quarantine's lifted."
"Is that so? Well, Aria will just have to wait. I've got direct orders from my superiors to clean up some trash hiding out around here. We'll leave when we're done."
Shepard glared at the merc. "Is that so? Well, I'm under direct orders from Aria to clean up the trash crowding her district. By any means necessary."
The merc captain subconsciously took a step back, then gestured to his lackeys. "Don't just stand there! Open-" He was interrupted by one of the mercs' heads exploding from Shepard's pistol.
"Looks like we're doing this the hard way."
Both parties opened fired on each other as they ducked into cover. Shepard picked off the mercs crawling out of the woodworks with her Widow Sniper rifle as Jack tossed an advancing turian with a Pull field. They'd just cleared out most of the mercs that were there when they heard the captain call for reinforcements.
"Snipers on the upper levels!" Garrus warned, putting a bullet into one of their heads with his own Mantis.
"Damn, all this for one girl?" Jack commented, sending a Shockwave at the incoming LOKI mechs. "Shit, she must've really pissed them off."
"It does seem like overkill, Shepard." Garrus added, taking cover beside her. "Did they really expect that much resistance from one person?"
"You heard Aria." The commander replied, shooting down a batarian Legionnaire. "Star's been targeting Blue Suns. I doubt they'd be happy about her killing their guys."
They finished off the reinforcements quickly, and as soon as the gunfire died down, Star appeared, stepping over the dead bodies.
"Wow, they sent a lot more mercs than I expected." She commented nonchalantly. "Thanks, Commander. I owe you one."
Shepard walked up to the merc. "Something you're not telling me?"
"Excuse me?"
"Why did the Suns send so many people after you?"
Star shrugged. "I don't rightly know. Maybe it's because I've been a thorn in their side for a while now. Maybe it's because I killed one of their important lieutenants and disrupted their operations since the quarantine was lifted recently."
"By yourself?"
"Of course."
Shepard traded knowing glances with Garrus and turned back to Star, holding her hand out. "Welcome aboard the Normandy, Star."
The mercenary girl grinned and shook the marine's hand firmly.
Shepard met up with Star in the Briefing room, along with Jacob and Miranda. "Fancy ship you've got here, Commander." She remarked as the commander walked in. "You didn't tell me you worked for Cerberus. No wonder the council wouldn't help you."
"I don't work for Cerberus." Shepard stated, crossing her arms.
"Do you have a problem with Cerberus?" Miranda asked from across the table, shooting Star a cold glare. The merc shrugged.
"Not particularly. Never crossed paths before. I just heard it was some sort of terrorist group."
"Cerberus aims to protect humanity, by all means. The preservation and uplifting of the human race is our main priority." Miranda said sternly, leaning on the table.
"'By all means', inclusive of terrorism; my definition wasn't wrong." The merc replied nonchalantly.
Shepard didn't think Miranda's expression could get any colder.
"Your skills are pretty impressive for a freelancer, according to your files. I hope you'll be a valuable asset to our team. We need all the help we can get." Jacob said quickly, cutting off Miranda before she could retort.
"That's what I'm here for." Star maintained the indifferent look on her face. "Where do I sleep?"
"A place has been prepared for you down in Engineering with Jack. Jacob will show you the way." Miranda replied in her usual cold demeanor. Jacob led Star out of the Briefing room, leaving his superiors with each other. Shepard watched them leave then turned to her XO approaching her.
"I don't trust her, Shepard. The information I've gathered from Omega makes her out to be nothing more than a reckless, trigger-happy professional criminal. She's not suitable for this kind of mission."
"I'll decide whether or not she's suitable, Miranda. You just do your job." Shepard said almost harshly, and walked out of the Briefing room. She headed up to the bridge and walked up to the Normandy's pilot, Joker, who turned his chair to acknowledge his commanding officer.
"That kid you picked up seems like the sweet, innocent type and the crazy, killing type at the same time. I'm not sure if I should avoid her or pet her and give her a treat."
Shepard barely contained her chuckle. "That's it for now."
"See you, Commander." Came the reply as the helmsman went back to work. Shepard approached Kelly next to hear her opinion of the new recruit.
"Star seems very indifferent to her situation, as if facing suicidal odds is a normal thing for her. I must admit, I'm a bit worried."
"You don't think she's fit for duty?"
Kelly shook her head. "Oh no, she's fit and ready for battle, it's just her emotional state I'm concerned about. Anyway, how can I help you, Commander?"
"That'll be all."
"Always nice chatting with you." The Yeoman turned back to her work. Shepard walked into the elevator and headed up to her quarters.
Star descended downstairs into the depths of the Engineering sub-deck where the Cerberus officer had shown her. She noticed the woman who had been with Shepard earlier, Jack, sitting on her cot with datapads strewn about at her feet. Her head was shaven clean and she was covered in tattoos, and was naked from the waist up, save for a leather strap that all but modestly covered her breasts. She looked up as Star walked closer.
"Hey."
"Hey." Star replied. "Jack, right?" The biotic nodded.
"The cheerleader said something about me getting a roommate." Jack motioned to the (newly-added) cot beside hers. Star put her bag under it and sat down.
"You okay with the company? You seem to like being alone."
"As long as you don't piss me off, we'll be just fine." The convict stretched out on her cot and brought up her Omni-tool as Star surveyed her new living space. She could see why Jack liked it down here. Dark, quiet, safe. She could hear heavy footsteps coming down the stairs and noticed Shepard turn the corner, heading right for her.
"Need something, Shepard?"
"Have a few minutes to talk?"
Star nodded, stood up and walked to the stairs, sitting on one of the steps. "What did you want to talk about?"
Shepard stood in front of her, dropping her voice low. "I want to talk about you. You said you've been giving the Blue Suns a hard time. What's the story behind that?"
"Oh right, those guys. Ever since I got to Omega, Blue Suns have been in my way. At first it was extortion rackets, or threats. Then, once I started to get into the merc business, they started hiring me for a few jobs. Nothing too hard, 'find and retrieve' missions mostly. Eventually, one of the top lieutenants offered me a gun and a uniform. I turned him down and he threatened me, said the Suns would make my life a living hell if I wasn't with them." She chuckled. "Joke's on them, it's the other way around now."
"Why didn't you join them?"
Star shrugged. "It wasn't worth it. I wasn't planning on leaving Omega anytime soon. I had - let's call it a purpose. One to live for. One worth dying for."
Shepard raised an eyebrow, but the younger woman simply shrugged again, refusing to elaborate. The commander changed the subject. "You mentioned something about Collectors and the Shadow Broker earlier?"
"The first and only time I ever saw Collectors. That was two years ago." Star leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands. "I was on my way to Afterlife, saw a couple of strangers in a fight with some Blue Suns. A drell and an asari. They looked interesting, so I tailed them for a bit. Followed them to the lower levels, the cargo bays. One of the Shadow Broker's top agents was there, and some Collectors making a trade. I was too far away to see what was going on. All I knew was, that salarian had a grenade launcher, and I was getting out of there before he found a reason to use it." The merc chuckled at the memory. "Good thing, too; that particular cargo bay is still under repair."
'A drell and an asari…?' The commander replayed Star's words in her head. Liara had mentioned being involved with the Shadow Broker while trying to reclaim her corpse two years ago. 'Maybe the asari Star saw could have been her?'
Shepard shook her head. She'd have to ask Liara next time they docked on Illium. "So tell me, why exactly are you going after the Blue Suns?"
The mercenary's brows furrowed. "They took something very important from me. I'm just dealing out payback."
"What did they take?" Shepard gave her a quizzical look.
Star stood up and stretched. "Ah, Commander. That's a story for another day. I've taken up too much of your time already." She nodded to the marine, then walked back over to her cot and lay down. Shepard sighed and went back to the elevator.
***** "Dialogue", "Memories/Recollections", 'Thoughts' *****