Her heels gave a satisfying click, and resounded off the sterile, silver walls. She gave a tight smile and a curt nod to the passing human C-Sec officer. With a nod back, he continued on his lazy paced patrol; trouble wasn't too common up in the Presidium district.
Having just gotten off work, her boss had asked that she deliver a few reports to the Citadel Security Office in person. The Citadel Security, better known as C-Sec, was a government protection agency. Not unlike the police back on Earth. A sigh escaped her as she thought of her world. It had been a long time since she had been there. She hadn't even been born and raised on Earth. She had been raised on the Citadel, but something about Earth always felt like home to her. Maybe her biology knew that was where she came from, where her people originated; a natural wild calling… She knew such thinking was absurd, but being surround by endless metal and pristine walls made her itch for wild Earth. Forest, trees and flowers, free to grow as they wish, rather than sculpted by over-zealous gardeners.
The gardeners on the Citadel were like angry hornets when it came to their flowers, especially the Turians. For all the Turians were an elite fighting force, they made wondrous gardeners. She had managed to befriend one of the cranky Turians. An old man named Quiius. She often came to the Presidium Garden during her lunch break and often found the old man weeding. After a great deal of time and patient persistence on her part, she finally got him talking to her. He enjoyed having lunch or coffee (or whatever it is Turians drank) and answer her questions. She asked often about him. Wanting to know what Palavan was like, life as a Turian soldier, his children, He spoke fondly of his elder son, a C-Sec officer. It was a marvelous coincident that she had been thinking about Quiius, when she ran headlong into a hard body.
She clattered to the floor with her papers, and computer bag, "Please, forgive me." Came a deep, Turian voice, "I wasn't paying attention. Are you alright?" The Turian, dressed in C-Sec blue, reached down to take her hands and help her stand.
"I wasn't paying much attention either; it's not all your fault." She replied amused. He quickly picked up her scattered belongings and placed them neatly in her waiting hands, "Thank you."
"It's the least I could do. I'm Officer Quaraka."
"Kaelius?"
The Turian's head tilted to the side, and his vivid green eyes did a closer inspection or her. Her long dark hair, hung in smooth, loose curls down her back. Her eyes were an icy blue ringed in navy, and her blouse was a burgundy button up. Her black pencil skirt hugged her hips and made her legs look long. She nearly blushed when he stared at her pumps. They were a sparkly silver, and she loved ever sparkle on them. He looked back up to her sweet and now pink face, her glossy red lips in a thin line of embarrassment of the scrutiny, "We haven't met." He said with certainty.
"No, I'm friends with your father, Quiius. He speaks of you often, I feel like I already know you."
Kaelius chuckled, "You must be the human female he always speaks of, Alex?"
Alex gave a relieved laugh in reply, "Yes, that's me. He likes to talk, for all as surly as he appears."
"It's true, he'll talk to anyone who'll listen, even ones that don't!" He replied with good humor. Alex admired the facial tattoos along his chin and mandibles in dark blue.
"Well, I ought to get going, I need to turn these reports in before the Officer on Duty goes home for the night. My boss would have my head if these aren't filed today."
Kaelius looked to the direction she was heading, the way he had come, to the way he had been originally going, "I'll walk with you." He decided, "Why doesn't your boss just send the files like everyone else?"
"If my boss is sending any sort of file to C-Sec, it's a lot of trouble for somebody, and because of it, many have hacked our systems to reroute the delivery. It's safer, assured and currently more efficient until my boss decides to fork over the money for proper malware and virus protection. But that Volus is a greedy bastard, I doubt it will happen any time soon."
"What do you do for work? Father said you were a banker." He asked, sounding appalled.
"I am, essentially. But more specifically I work as a debt collector. The names I bring in are being sued or have been avoiding my calls and messages and I take them to court."
"I can't imagine that makes you very popular."
"No, it doesn't." She giggled, "I wish he did work with wealthier clients, then I wouldn't really be so concerned or ashamed. The people he does work with are poor and his business is not very forgiving. Albeit, he does, he does do a lot of work with wealthy clients, I just have to deal with all his poorer ones."
"Not often you take the mighty to court, eh?"
"No. They tend to be a bit wiser with their investments. It is what it is and no one is hiring right now, else wise I would leave in a heartbeat. He is a ruthless man." She gave Kaelius a sad smile and stopped in front of her destination, "If you would excuse me."
Kaelius lazed against the far wall of the office door as she stepped in and watched the silent exchange. The officer accepted her papers without comment and she left without leaving one, "I don't think he much cares for me." She whispered, coming out. Kaelius smiled, and Alex noted that he had an unusual broad face for a Turian, much like his father.
"I don't think he cares for Human's in general, Sweetheart." He replied, letting her in on the not so big secret of C-Sec. Feeling that he didn't really want to leave the woman's company quite yet, he escorted her outside and she bide him farewell. He was uncomfortable with the fact that she had to walk through the lower wards to get to a cab terminal, but from the sound of it, she had to do it every day. He was about to head back inside when he noticed suspicious movement. A Batarian stepped out of the shadows from the crevice in the wall, watching Alex with too much interest, and when she got a little further, started to follow. Dread weighted his gut. Was it possible that Alex could be in real, mortal danger? She had spoken light heartedly of some of the shady clients her boss worked with, but not anyone that would cause her harm. Coming to a quick decision, he followed her tail.
She had managed to stay most of her journey through the crowds of the Wards and Kaelius had no doubt that the Batarian was following Alex. She was the only constant throughout the travel. To his dismay, Alex turned down a lonesome back alley, lit with only emergency lights. When the Batarian came to the alley himself he waited, and Kaelius had to shift through the crowd across to get a line of sight on Alex once again. He saw that the alley ended and turned off to the left, out of sight of everyone. When she neared it, the Batarian followed, along with another Batarian, a Human, and a Turian. His blood ran cold, she was in serious trouble. He checked his pistol and radioed in for help and took off after the gang.
Kaelius rounded the corner right as the first Batarian grabbed Alex, "C-SEC! FREEZE!"
They spun in surprise, the Human ran but the Turian and the Batarian rushed him. He squeezed off a shot in the Turian's side but the Batarian knocked into him. He slammed into the wall, the Batarian following and slamming his head hard into it. Fighting stars, Kaelius kicked out, making the Batarian stumble back and he took the opportunity to turn and knee the bent over Batarian in his face, and slammed the hilt of his pistol on his temple. The Turian came at him again swinging, he blocked easily and rammed his fist into the bloodied gaping hole that he had torn into him and he slumped over. He turned, raising his pistol to see that the first Batarian had Alex around the middle, knife at her throat. His ugly face was twisted in a scowl; all four eyes squinted angrily at him.
"Leave, or I'll slit her throat."
"I can't let you do that, you came to slit her throat anyways." Kaelius noticed movement beyond and saw two of his allies come in from the far end, they had the Human bound and gagged, "Come on, don't make this any harder than it has to be."
"She needs to be made an example of." He snarled, "Humans acting so high and mighty, thinking they can own anything!"
"We both know she is not calling the shots. If there is anyone who deserves real justice, it's her boss." The Batarian was quiet a moment as he thought about it, mulling it over.
"The Volus, Jinto Din'lak."
Right then one of his agents tripped over debris, noise ricocheting of the walls. The Batarian roared angrily at having been tricked and threw Alex into Kaelius. She stumbled and fell into his waiting arms. The other officers quickly dispatched the Batarian without harm coming to anyone.
"Are you alright?" He asked, helping her to her feet. Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes, and a thin red line, marked her throat.
"Yes, I'm all right." She replied shakily, "I just wish to leave."
000
Alex was sitting wrapped in a blanket at Kaelius' desk when she saw Mr. Quaraka walk in. He spotted her in an instant and made his way over to her, she stood and he embraced her tight, "Alexa," He cooed, "are you alright?"
Alex let out a heavy breath and finally found herself relaxing after the episode, "I'm fine, a little shaken." Quiius did his own inspection of the girl, the angry red mark on her neck wasn't going to go anywhere any time soon, and her bright blue eyes were blood shot. He tried to smooth her mused hair, "Did your son contact you?"
"He did, knowing you and I are close, since there were multiple suspects, and you don't have any emergency contacts on file, he contacted me."
She sniffled, "That was very considerate of him, wonder where he got that from." She finished cheekily
Quiius hummed in reply, "Well, yes. He is going to be awhile and you need some sugar from the shock, perhaps we should go out and grab a bite to eat. You don't need to be here for him to take your statement. How does that sound?" Alex nodded, appreciating his gentle, fatherly attitude, she found it a needed comfort.
He took her to a nearby café, and they sat in relative silence until Kaelius joined them sometime later, "Sorry it took so long; had to over-see the transport of one of the criminals to the hospital and try to interrogate them. How are you Miss Daniels?"
"I'm fine, thank you. You need my statement?"
"Yes." He said, his dark gray body turning every which way as he searched his pockets for his compad, "I apologize, my omni-tool broke in the fight, would you be okay with heading back to the station?"
"Of course."
When they arrived back at the station there was a commotion, one of the harassed looking Turian C-Sec Officer was speaking to an angry human, "I'm sorry, sir, but we can't get ahold of the leading investigator, as I said before- Here he is now."
The man turned and let out a pent up breath , relieved, "There you are!"
"David!" Alex said surprised, she had completely forgotten to call her boyfriend and he looked like a haggard mess. His dirty blond hair sat up in messy spikes from running his hands through it, his dress shirt was rumpled, the sleeves rolled to his elbow haphazardly and his collar undone, he wore no tie.
"I have been worried senseless about you, I heard about the attack…"He grabbed her up in a tight hug and refused to let go, "By the stars I was so scared. Why didn't you call?"
Alex allowed herself to be enveloped by his warm familiarity, "I'm sorry, I-"
"Well it doesn't really matter so long as you are safe." Now knowing his immediate worry was seen to, he turned on Kaelius, "Is there a reason you couldn't answer a damn call? We have been-"
"David." Alex scolded, no one could really call it a scold, she wasn't quite aggressive enough for any to be cowed by her, but he stopped to listen, "His omni-tool broke when he was trying to save me."
David let out an angry huff and held onto Alex a little tighter, "My apologies, sometimes I can get carried away when it comes to Alexa."
Kaelius nodded in understanding, "It's all right, David, you have been under a great deal of stress, I understand. I won't take too much of your time, but I do need her statement." David nodded and released Alex for her hand.
"Very well, then."
When Alex had just finished writing her report back at Kaelius's desk, her boss had stormed into the precinct making quite the fuss, "Not someone I really wanted to see." She muttered, but Kaelius had heard her and looked to see the Volus marching over.
"Miss Daniels- what is- the meaning-of this!" He asked through raged gasps, his ventilators only allowing him to speak so quickly, "Can't hire any-one to do-the job properly!"
Kaelius got angry on Alex's behalf, he shoved the small, portly Volus, "This is your fault, Mr. Din'lak. If you weren't such a greedy, self-absorbed, ammonia sucking, weasel, her life wouldn't have been in jeopardy to begin with. You play a dangerous game with your business, if I see that your business is continuing to place an unnecessary danger to those under your authority, I will see to it your business and repute go under for negligence and aiding and abetting, do you understand?!"
The precinct had gone quiet and watched the scene play out between them, the Volus started to sputter, never having been spoken to with such abrasiveness, "This is- harassment!" He finally cried out, "Guard!"
Alex's jaw dropped at the Volus' audacity to spit out those words then try and hide behind his Krogan mercenary. The old Krogan Battle Master snarled at the Volus, "True Krogan clans take care of their own, especially their females. You nearly get yours killed, you told me she was fine, does she look fine to you? I can smell the fear on her from all the way over here, you worthless pyjak. Hire somebody else!"
"I already paid you!" Din'lak objected.
"Read the fine print, no refunds!"
"You don't get to-"
The Krogan roared in Din'lak's face and he squealed, running away out of the precinct. The old Battle master let out an angry snort before he gave a throaty laugh, "That'll teach him not to lie to a Krogan." He turned his blood red eyes on Alex and he stomped over to her and knelt, peering at her with a bright orb of a red eye. He was the biggest Krogan she had ever seen, and she had met a fair few. His hump was large, and his frontal plate was well grown in, indicating he was much older, and it was red in its center and turned burgundy the further it got from his face. He had long claw marks running down the right side of his face. She reached out and touched his leathery face.
"Thanks, I don't think I have ever seen anyone stand up to him like that, and I got to see it twice in one day, no less."
The Krogan harrumphed, "That pyjak needs to grow a quad. Credits does not always mean power, lesser Krogan wouldn't have cared but I remember my roots. He paid me, and I don't leave my jobs half done, girl. I'll carry out my contract looking out after you until he gets his systems up and running as they should. If he can afford me, he can afford a proper system." He stood then and held out a large hand, she took it, "The name is Wrex, Urdnot Wrex. You got a good grip there, for a squishy, stick female. You give me the details of your day, and I'll take care of the rest." Leaving it at that, the Krogan lumbered his way outside to wait for her there.
She looked over at Kaelius, Quiius and David in affirmation, unbelieving if she really had a Krogan mercenary as a body guard. David shrugged unsure what to make of it. Kaelius and Quiius looked worried, "I have heard of this Wrex." Quiius said, "His word is his bond, you'll be safe with him."
Alex sat back in her chair, it had been an eventful day, all she wanted to do was go home.
"Quaraka, the suspects just committed suicide, poison." An officer called from the holding cells.
Kaelius swore vehemently, "call the hospital, make sure he's on suicide watch! I'm not letting all of them get off the hook easy! VAKARIAN!"
Another Turian came out of an office and trotted over, "Intel says they were hired by a shadow broker agent." Kaelius swore again.
"If the Shadow-Broker is involved, I need you to set up a twenty-four hour protection for her, see to it right away, I need to take care of the mess in the holding cells." Alex watched, now wide-eyed as Kaelius took off.
Terror turned her blood to ice, why would the Shadow-Broker want her dead?