"Now boarding ship AX7-2001, flight to Noveria", a computerized voice rang out through the busy terminal. Hundreds of beings shuffled and pushed their way around each other. The terminal was filled with the squawks and grunts of many species native languages, as standard council translator systems are not required on Omega. Many ships were landing as many more were speeding off into the sky. A small yellow shuttle with the insignia of the Eclipse mercenary group landed on the far left side of the terminal. Four Asari mercenaries in bright yellow armor slowly walked off the shuttle followed by a Salarian commander and finally by a human in white robes. The human looked Formosan or Chinese, but it was hard to tell, as his face was heavily bruised from an interrogation.
The group began to strut through the terminal with the Salarian in front and the human in the middle of a circle of Asari. The crowd in the terminal made room for them to pass with a wide berth. The group made it through the large docking area and passed through a large blast door at the entrance to the area. Once inside many people began staring at them, but they quickly looked away. Life on Omega was fast, hard, and short lived. And the people knew to stay out of Eclipse's way. The mercenaries marched the human through a long hallway and out a door identical from the one they had previously entered.
The group had entered into the Zion district. A large staircase going to the street was laid out before them. Beyond the street was a series of ruddy run down shops and stores. They began walking down the staircase. "So this is Omega. What a shit hole", the Human commented with a smile on his face.
"Who said you could talk", the Asari to his left growled and slammed the butt of her rifle into his stomach. The human winced and dropped to his knees. The Salarian in front stopped "Sciona, the price is for the Doctor Alive. We get nothing for a corpse."
Sciona scrunched her face "got it. Let's turn this in."
The human picked himself up of the ground , "So Trayek, how much am I worth".
The Salarian looked back at him then continued walking ,"You already know that."
"So they're serious? 700,000 credits for one Doctor. I feel honored."
"Shut up", the Salarian growled "you and your team stole 800 units of red sand from an Eclipse ship and killed every hit team we sent after you. We should have just killed you back on Jaria."
The human smiled satisfied with his answer. After a couple blocks the group reached a small warehouse. As they approached the front gate Trayek radioed ahead and the snipers on the roof disappeared. The group opened the gate and a security team came through the entrance to meet them. Trayek and the man shook hands and he dismissed the Asaris "the payment has been transferred to your account. Dismissed". The four Asari started to leave when Trayek spoke again "On second thought, Sciona you caught him. You turn him in."
Sciona looked surprised for a moment the nodded her understanding. She grabbed the human by the arm and forced him to quickly walk up into the building. Inside the building was a large room with several hallways splitting off from it. Golden uniformed Eclipse mercenaries were milling around doing their various jobs. As the two walked by they garnered a glance from everybody they passed. The human was still smiling as they walked down the long hallway at the end of the room. "Ouch, you could have broken my rib", he whispered and kept his head down.
"Anything less and they might get suspicious", Sciona said as quietly as she could.
"Hey!"
Sciona heard someone yell from behind her. A human was approaching them, she couldn't see his face behind his mask. But she could tell stress levels from his voice. "The boss will see you upstairs, he wants to Identify the target personally. "
Sciona saluted and dragged the human back toward the staircase. She went up a floor and down a small well lit hallway to see two heavily armed mechs guarding a door. As she approached the mechs asked for identification. She gave them her service number and told them her purpose in being there. After a moment of processing one of the mech's opened the door to reveal a large well furnished office. White walls and exotic antiques and art showed the immense wealth of this Colonel. In the center of the room was a large human man in his late fifties, who stood upon seeing the man with Sciona.
"Ah, Doctor Tai Ming Chen. It is good to finally meet you in person. I have been waiting to kill you for a long time."
A smile crept across Doctor Chen's face as he heard the threat made by the Eclipse Commander.
"Please inform me of the joke", The Eclipse Commander gritted his teeth.
"No joke"
"Then why are you smiling. You're mine Doctor. Your team is dead. Your base is gone. I am about to kill you. I don't see a goddamned funny thing about this situation."
Doctor Chen stopped smiling "such foul language."
The Eclipse Commander slammed his fist on the table and drew a pistol from a draw in his desk. He approached Doctor Chen and placed the pistol under Doctor Chen's chin. He glanced over at Sciona and growled "leave." She bowed a full bow at the waist and when she raised up she sent a biotic burst into the chest of the Eclipse Commander. The Commander grunted as he flew back and smashed into his office's back wall. His pistol left his hand and landed on the floor in front of Sciona. She rapidly grasped the shotgun on her back and aimed it at the downed merc. Doctor Chen began to laugh and walked over to the Commander, who was struggling to stand. "You'll die for that bitch", the Commander grunted.
"Is it funny now", Doctor Chen offered still laughing.
"Actually yes, my soldiers will have heard that. And they're going to come in here and shoot both of you."
"I guess I better make this fast", Doctor Chen took the shotgun from Sciona's hands and walked over to the Commander, who was now standing. He pulled back and slammed the back of the shotgun into the face of the Commander repeatedly. He continued using the shotgun like a baseball bat until the Commander's face looked like a tomato that had been dropped off a two story building. Doctor Chen handed the shotgun back to Sciona and knelt down beside the bloodied soldier. "Where is my ship", Doctor Chen asked menacingly, his smile completely gone. The Commander spilt blood and coughed "go to hell."
Doctor Chen stepped onto his neck and began to apply pressure, "Where. is. my. Ship!"
"In docking bay 2, through the prisoner holding area. Take it. We will find you. And we will kill you."
"Well it won't be today", retorted and compressed his airway long enough to knock the Commander out. When Doctor Chen was sure he was out cold he turned to Sciona and snatched up the Commander's pistol. A loud banging sound came from behind the door. "Commander Mavik, are you okay sir?". Doctor Chen signaled Sciona and she nodded to indicate her understanding. With one hand she sent a powerful biotic blast though the door. The door exploded outward and hit the two soldiers outside like bullets.
Sciona stumbled backwards and pressed her hand against her fore head. He biotics caused her headaches. "We need to move. Now!", Doctor Chen called, looked the corner, and fired his pistol twice. Sciona composed herself and stepped out into the hallway with her shotgun drawn. A man was attempting to find cover as his shields depleted. She fired and it struck the man directly in the stomach. The man crumpled to the ground and began gushing blood. Doctor Chen followed her out into the hallway and looked around for more threats. They could hear combat boots slamming against the staircase, and they knew they had little time.
"They are bottle necked on the staircase. Can you produce a biotic wave?"
"Yes, I believe I can", Sciona answered and began to focus to build up her power.
Doctor Chen and Sciona cautiously advanced toward the staircase. After only a few seconds they saw the two yellow armored soldiers jumped over the last two stairs and took cover behind some crates on the right side of the hallway. Five other soldiers came up from behind them. They started firing and slowly advancing. Sciona stopped and amassed a wave of energy. She sent it hurdling down the hallway knocking the advancing soldiers back down the stairs, and sending the crates into those hiding behind them.
Doctor Chen took the lead and sprinted down the stairs. As he ran by he took shots and the downed soldiers, and Sciona pumped shells into the ones that were still moving. The two continued sprinting down a hallway to the left of the staircase when they reached the bottom. At the end the door was shut and the holographic lock was turned red. Doctor Chen activated his omni tool and began hacking the door. Sciona stood guard behind him. Doctor Chen heard more gun fire, and the sound of bodies hitting the ground. "I have no shields left. Hurry!", Sciona screamed just as Doctor Chen got the door to open.
The door slid vertically open revealing a long hallway with 30 small containment cells on the right side. On the left was a small guard office that contained the control room. Two guards were in the room watching videos on the extranet. Doctor Chen could hear bits of their conversation as he approached.
"Have you seen the trailer for that Commander Shepard movie. I hear they got that Chinese model to play Shepard. She's going to do an awesome job."
"Really? I have to go see it when it comes out."
Doctor Chen arrived at the door and jumped into the room. The two surprised siting guards reached for their weapons. Doctor Chen fired three shots at the one on the right. At this range his shields did little more than tissue paper would. The guard slumped back in his chair. "Don't move", he growled at the other. The guard froze and held his hands in front of his chest. "Open the door to the hanger", Doctor Chen ordered.
"You will kill me if I don't. And my boss will kill me if I do."
"Then I'm not seeing a lot of options here. Open the damn door."
The guard pressed a few buttons, and a door at the end of the hallway opened.
"Get the hell out of here", Doctor Chen gestured his pistol toward the door he entered from. The guard stood and started running. Sciona and Doctor Chen began jogging past the cells toward the exit. Half way toward the door something caught Doctor Chen's eye. He spotted an unconscious Quarian in one of the holding cells. He stopped running and looked curiously at the panel on the door. "What the hell are you doing? We need to get out of here more guards are coming", Sciona yelled at Doctor Chen.
Doctor Chen kept reading. Sciona raised her gun impatiently. "She's being sold to Batarian slavers."
Doctor Chen began pacing back and forth before declaring "damnit"! Sciona grabbed him by the collar "move now or I swear to god I'm leaving you."
"I can't allow this. Slavery is unacceptable", Doctor Chen declared activating his omni-tool.
Sciona sighed and jogged to the end of the hall. She glanced around the corner and a hail of rifle fire impacted the ground beside her. She returned fire, and began using her biotics. Doctor Chen finally finished hacking the door and the clear wall slid to the side. Doctor Chen began pulling the tubes and wires connected to the Quarian's suit keeping her sedated. The machine she was hooked up to began beeping furiously, and Doctor Chen pulled the Quarian over his shoulders. He carried her to the doorway where Sciona was taking fire. He peeked his head around the corner and saw a huge hanger with five spaceships inside. Ten guards up in the rafters were firing down upon them.
"How the hell are we getting out of here", Sciona yelled over the sound of gunfire.
"Our ship is just over there", Doctor Chen indicated the large Xinxie class ship closest to them.
"But how the hell do we get there"
Doctor Chen thought for a moment before responding " can you put up a biotic shield for just long enough to get to the ship."
Sciona crinkled her face with concentration. "It's worth a shot. We're going to die anyway" She folded the shotgun back up and returned it to the holster on her back. She raised her hands and created a small bubble just big enough for the two of them. They sprinted across the open docking taking gunfire. They reached the ramp to the ship and Sciona collapsed unconscious. Doctor Chen grabbed her hand and slowly dragged her up the ramp, even with the Quarian on his back. Once at the top the ramp started to close and Doctor Chen let go of Sciona and gently placed the Quarian against the wall. He turned left and sprinted through the cargo bay.
"Xin! Get us outta here", he called out.
"Voice identification confirmed. I need a destination Doctor", a sensual voice called back. It was the ship's artificial intelligence.
"Get us the hell out of here! Tuchunka! I don't care", Doctor Chen yelled jumping up the stairs.
"Command confirmed", the voice answered and the ship lurched into movement. The ship tore the docking mechanisms clean off as it ascended and blasted toward space.
The ship's engines blasted at full capacity. The ship barreled toward empty space and the nearest mass effect really. When they traveled far enough away from Omega where he couldn't pick it up on sensors Doctor Chen left the "bridge" and walked through the crew quarters, and down a staircase into the cargo bay. He spotted Sciona and the Quarian lying pretty much where he left them. They had shifted a little during takeoff. Doctor Chen sighed. He had hoped Sciona would be awake at this point. He approached the two unconscious beings. He decided to move the Quarian first, because if she awoke she would be more likely to have questions and cause problems than Sciona would. He grabbed the Quarian's arm and pulled her weight over his shoulders and began walking to the hallway on the right side of the cargo bay that led to med bay.
He reached the entrance to the hallway and the door swooshed open and one by one lights came on and lit the area. Not that there was much to see. It was a long hallway with grey walls with a ceiling light every 10 feet. At the end was a glass observation window with a door next to it that led inside the room. Doctor Chen carried the Quarian to the end of the hall and through that door. Once inside he saw two reclining chairs with restraints. He placed the Quarian in the chair on the left and put the leg and arm restraints on her. He turned around to go check on Sciona, but he she found her standing in the doorway.
"I'm glad to see you're up and moving"
"I'm surprised I am up and moving. I remember blacking out in a firefight. That usually means death or capture."
"Well, I carried you AND the Quarian to safety", Doctor Chen smiled and flexed his arm muscles jokingly.
There was a terminal at the back of the med bay. Doctor Chen sat in the heavy rotating leather chair and spun it around to face Sciona. Sciona smiled and lifted her arm in the air. The chair Doctor Chen was sitting in ascended seven feet in the air. Doctor Chen scowled "Fine. Be that way."
Sciona set him back on the ground "thank you Doctor."
Her gaze shifted to the Quarian, "what should we do with her?"
"Wait until she wakes up I suppose. Then we can decide what to do."
"What If she's psychotic or dangerous? What if we release a war criminal", Sciona wondered aloud crossing her arms.
Again Doctor Chen scowled, "must you suck the fun out of every heroic thing I do?"
"Yes"
Doctor Chen mockingly threw his hands up in the air, "I quit I cannot work under these conditions. I will just blow the ship up."
A soft and friendly female voice came over the intercom "command accepted Doctor Chen. Activating self destruct".
He jumped to his feet. Both he and Sciona were screaming "abort order abort order" desperately.
"That was a joke Doctor", Xin said in her metallic voice.
Doctor Chen sat back in his chair and let his heart beat go back to normal. "I think I need new pants", he was on the verge of laughing or crying. He wasn't quite sure yet. Sciona had composed herself and was mumbling Asari swear words away from her translator. "I'm going to the training simulator", she announced and left the room with loud footsteps. Doctor Chen began laughing "you got her to storm off this time. You really got her Xin".
"High five", Xin announced.
"High five", Doctor Chen agreed.
A few hours passed and Doctor Chen resorted to playing computer games on his terminal. Finally he heard a "uuuuuuhhhhhhhghgggggggg" sound coming from the Quarian's direction. Doctor Chen deactivated the computer and stood up. He walked over and stood beside the Quarian's chair. She groaned a few more times then she began to move her head. She attempted to lift her arms, but the restraints stopped her. "Where th-….where am I".
"You are aboard the Nantou. A warship. A compatriot of mine and I rescued you from an Eclipse facility."
"Why am I restrained", her words came easier and sounded less influenced by the haze of drugs.
"I couldn't be sure what Eclipse had put in your system. Or even who you were. Your file only said that you were being sold as slave labor to the Batarians".
"And that was enough for you to risk your life for me", the Quarian wondered.
"I was-…..you were…..", Doctor Chen did something that resembled a blush.
He coughed and managed a deeper voice, "I am a Doctor. I am held to a strict code of ethics."
Doctor Chen swore he heard a faint giggle.
"Well Paragon, now that you see I will not harm you will you undo these restraints?"
"I don't even know your name?"
"You risk your life to get me out of my cell and bring me here. That is enough reason to trust you, and be grateful. I promise I have just had enough of damned restraints to last a lifetime."
Doctor Chen prided himself on being a human lie detector, and he could find no trace of deception in the Quarian's words. He nodded and began taking off the restraints. When he was finished the Quarian stood and stretched. She then looked at him and extended her hand "Tara'val Nar Tonbay". Doctor Chen shook her hand.
"On your pilgrimage eh", Doctor Chen inquired.
"How did you know", she seemed genuinely surprised he had guessed it.
"Your name has nar in it. You didn't say vas Tonbay. That means you aren't an adult by migrant fleet standards, right?"
Tara'val again was impressed. Few outside the fleet knew or cared about such things.
Doctor Chen folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the glass behind him "so how did you end up with Eclipse."
Doctor Chen couldn't see the extreme embarrassment on her face.
"I was stupid. I came to Omega thinking I could fix a junk ship and bring it back to the fleet. I planned on staying a month at the most. Thieves and Mercs took my money almost as soon as my foot hit the ground. I got a job fixing engines, but the Eclipse in the area kept charging a living fee. There was no way I was going to have enough income to buy parts for a ship. I tried to go off world but the mercs stopped me. I guess I was just another pay check to them. They tried to bring me back and I killed one. I guess I am lucky to still be alive."
Doctor Chen mulled her story over before deciding it made sense. Xin interrupted their conversation "We are approaching Citadel."
Doctor Chen looked up at the speaker her voice came out of "where the hell are we."
Xin played him a recording of him earlier saying get us the hell out of here. Anywhere I don't care "the Citadel fits those parameters.
Doctor Chen sighed "well at least we can do some business. We have two crates of ryncol in the cargo bay. I'm sure Dark star or Purgatory will take it."
Doctor Chen returned his gaze to the Tara'val "you are free to leave, but we do need a mechanic and I can pay you. Plus in our line of work we come across mountains of tech. You can send things back to the fleet."
Tara'val remained silent for a few awkward moments. Doctor Chen was beginning to thing she was going to decline his offer when she answered "where can I put my things".
"I can guide you", said Xin helpfully.
"Get a taxi when we arrive Xin, we're going to Purgatory."