Mass Effect: Unexpected Revelations
Prologue
The atmosphere was dark and tense, the air thick and heavy with the slight aroma of drunken debauchery as the lights flashed their usual red and yellow pulse in sync to the beat of the loud, Asari techno music that continually blared throughout the dance floor of Afterlife as intoxicated patrons and drunken mercenaries danced to the intoxicating, pulsing rhythm of the beat, all the while being entertained by the slow, sensual performance of the Asari dancers, up above the center section of the club, in the shape of a circular bar, whilst holographic images of Asari flashed across the background. Of course, patrons also had their own booths which they could spend their time drinking their troubles away or relax and enjoy the exotic show of flesh on display. To anyone else, it was simply business as usual on Omega. Red Sand, Eezo, among other things were smuggled across the asteroid space station, credits were made from the usual drunks, dancers entertained the crowds of intoxicated patrons through lust and natural flexibility, mercenaries from all over the Terminus frequented the club for a littl and sell illegal smuggled goods, and her hired compatriots kept the rowdy drunks in line. This was practically Aria T'Loak's personal palace. Here on Omega, she was the default ruler of the lawless space station and the one who ran her own criminal empire with an iron fist, willing to defend her power and position to the death. She was the one that governed Omega, who set the rules for its inhabitants to follow or perish, and controlled the majority of the criminal underworld within the Terminus, outside the laws of the Citadel Council. She was the one who affirmed that she answered to no one and that she feared nothing.
At least, that 's what she herself believed at first.
At the bar, a lone figure clad in the black and yellow armor of the Eclipse, features obscured by his helmet, his body language unreadable as the expression on his face, his eyes narrowed dangerously like those of a predator as they took in every detail of his surroundings through the two yellow eyeholes, sat attentively in his seat, observing the chaotic environment around him and its drunken patrons. The club was packed full of people from every race, most were here for a night of drunken debauchery while others were here simply to attend to certain "core interests" within their organizations. None paid him any mind, they assumed he was simply an Eclipse merc here to get drunk in order to forget about his troubles or someone who was desperate for the company of an Asari dancer for the evening. The bar was mostly unoccupied except for a few stray batarians and the occasional turian but his silence made them pay no attention towards him whatsoever, either too drunk or too engaged in idle conversation to notice.
A smug smirk crossed his lips, under the helmet.
The less, the galaxy knows of my existence, the better. he thought as he propped his elbows upon the bar, to briefly regain his composure.
"So, what'll you have, human?" The turian bartender inquired curtly, breaking him from his musings.
"Nothing right now, pal. I'm just here on business." He replied nonchalantly, his voice slightly distorted by his helmet.
"For who!?" The turian growled angrily, his eyes narrowed dangerously, his mandibles flaring with malice, a hand on the pistol at his side.
Underneath the helmet, he rolled his eyes in annoyance, Aria had never informed her subordinates of her dealings with him, not that he blamed her, it had been a very long time since they had last exchanged any relevant information, he was after all one of her oldest contacts and it was likely she assumed he was long dead. After all, being away from the galaxy for over 290 years, anyone would most likely assume your demise was inevitable.
"Who else do you think, dumbass?" He snapped, clearly annoyed, gesturing with his head over to the back of the club, where Aria sat upon her "throne" in her own private, well guarded, booth. The turian gave him a hard, distrustful glare, obviously not believing that some random Eclipse mercenary would have a audience with the Pirate Queen of Omega.
"How do I know that you aren't full of bullshit, human?" He said in a low growl, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.
"Look, buddy, I didn't come all this way to Omega simply to be turned away by some two-bit bartender who doesn't know who he's talking to. Go over to Anto and have him tell Aria that 'Q' wishes to speak with her. Immediately." He replied in a calm, but firm tone, his low voice obviously leaving no room for argument.
The turian narrowed his eyes in an intimidating manner, the figure returning the glare through the helmet with equal intensity, even if it could not be seen due to the helmet. After a tense moment of silence between the two, the bartender finally gave in, taking his hand off his pistol.
"Fine, human we'll see if he believes your story is full of shit or not." He said aggravatingly, as he jumped over the bar, startling some drunken patrons, and grudgingly made his way through the crowds on the dance floor, towards the back of the club, over to the armed Batarian guard. He moved through the crowds as several people recognized him and immediately stepped out of his way, not out of fear but respect, a sign that this man had earned the proper respect while working for Aria. After what seemed like an eternity, the turian finally reached the Batarian guard, armed with an assault rifle, and began speaking to him in low, hushed, tones. Were it not for the stranger's perfectly sharp sense of hearing, he would've never picked up what was being said over the deafening Asari techno music.
"What the hell is it now?" The Batarian whined in an irritated tone.
"I've got an Eclipse merc over at the bar who says he needs to talk to Aria. Says it's important." The turian bartender replied in an annoyed tone.
"So? If he's making shit up, toss him out on his ass. What's stopping you?" Anto inquired, obviously tired and irritable.
"He said that 'Q' needs to speak with her, immediately. I don't know what the hell he's talking about." He replied using his talons as air quotes.
At this, the Batarian's four black eyes went wide as saucers, his hands held the rifle in a vice-like grip, his breathing became heavier and shallower as his lungs took in great gulps of air as if he were on the verge of a panic attack, his shoulders tensed up immensely, his heart practically jump started with panic.
"What?" The turian asked annoyingly, immediately noticing the Batarian's tense body language.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit! This isn't good at all, she's gonna be pissed when she finds out that she wasn't informed of his arrival beforehand. We'll be lucky if she doesn't kill us all for this. He's not even supposed to be here, he's supposed to be dead! Listen, go and tell him I'm setting up a meeting with her right now. If he asks for drinks, it's on the house but overall treat him with respect. Otherwise, you're gonna bury us all six feet under! He can make life a living hell for all of us if we cross him!" Anto rambled on nervously as he started pacing back and forth.
The turian bartender held up his hands in a gesture of mock surrender.
"All right! All right! Relax! I'll treat the merc like he's one of Aria's associates. Spirits, I swear I've never seen you get this worked up over something like an ordinary, merc before." He replied blusteringly, taken off guard by the Batarian's sudden mood swing, before turning around and working his way through the crowds back towards the bar and the Batarian slowly made his way up the steps, noticing the guards were now more on edge than usual.
Underneath the helmet, a smug grin was fixed upon the stranger's face.
There are those that still fear me even after all this time. Good., He thought smugly to himself as the turian returned to the bar, an expression of agitation upon his avian, humanoid features, which quickly fell in the stranger's presence.
"My apologies, for my earlier behavior, I had no idea who you were. Drinks are on the house if you want them. He's setting up a meeting with Aria right now once she has been informed of your presence." He said apologetically, as he jumped over the bar and resumed attending to the needs of the other drunken patrons.
"Don't mention it, pal." He replied nonchalantly, more interested in what was going on in Aria's booth than booze or idle gossip. Once again, he prided himself on his extremely sharp sense of hearing, allowing him to pick up on conversations that no normal sentient being could in noise polluted environments such as this. People always had secrets to spill, especially incriminating conversations that one could use as evidence for blackmail. He decided now was the best time to tune in to the conversation and hear what would transpire.
"Aria, there's an Eclipse merc at the bar, who wants to talk to you. He says it's important." Anto announced as Aria T'Loak was sitting on her couch, wearing her usual, long, dark leather coat that hid most of her normally on display form, looking over the club through the glass window, which provided her with a perfect view of the entire dance floor. Slowly, she turned to face the Batarian with a cold, calculating, glare as she looked at him with threatening, ice-cold blue eyes. Anto quietly gulped down the lump that had formed in his throat, as he was at the brunt force of her gaze.
"And why exactly are you bothering me with this since he 's simply a low level merc who I shouldn't even bother to waste my time with!?" She hissed angrily through gritted teeth, clearly annoyed at having to deal with a such low level request from a such low level individual, instead of a more well known, respected, criminal. Anto slightly flinched, still under her cold, unfeeling, gaze.
"He said that 'Q' wishes to speak to you immediately. I thought it would be something worth bringing to your attention for...obvious reasons." He replied calmly, all the while trying to keep the fear out of his voice.
Her eyes widened significantly and her mouth fell open by a few centimeters, shock clearly visible in her expression, but only for a moment as she quickly regained her composure, as her eyes narrowed slightly in anger.
"Anto, if this is your idea of a joke..." She warned him in a low, dangerous voice.
Aria, if this was a joke, then you and I would not be speaking, right now. Leave the poor, incompetent, fool alone and let us talk face to face. We have important business to discuss. After all,...it's been a very long time.
Aria froze as the realization of the telepathic message that had pierced through her scalp crests slowly dawned upon her, her normally, hard, ice-cold blue eyes widened to their fullest extent, her breathing became erratic as she quickly breathed air rabidly through her nostrils all the while holding the breath that would normally escape through her mouth, perspiration slowly ran down her brow and most of her cheeks, as she realized that she was sweating, glancing downwards, she noticed that her hands had started trembling immensely, she couldn't stop it, no matter how much she wanted to, her heart started pounding fiercely in her chest as she was suddenly bombarded by an emotion she hadn't experienced since she was a maiden.
Fear.
She slowly placed a trembling hand on her chest, in an attempt to calm her swift beating heart.
She knew that voice. His voice.
But in all of the time she had ever interacted with him, he had never reached out to her telepathically, only through the occasional vid-call or through one of his agents and he never showed his face to anyone.
Then, he had disappeared, never to be seen or heard from ever again, but his network of spies were still thriving and active, acting through his whims as he kept a considerable distance between himself and the rest of the galaxy. Others assumed he was dead and that someone new had taken his place in the shadows and for the most part she agreed with them. Even the Shadow Broker had given up keeping tabs on him, foolishly assuming him dead and that the network would slowly disperse without him as he stupidly pulled the plug on their surveillance, under the false impression that they were no longer a threat to his operations.
Now she knew that a lie. He was alive and now he was back to continue his business for reasons she couldn't even begin to fathom. Instilling proper fear in the rest of the galaxy, perhaps? She shuddered at the thought.
How are you even alive after all this time? Shouldn't you have died centuries ago?
Aria, my dear, you of all people should know that as long as my network continues to exist, then I still continue to exist. Besides, during my absence I discovered certain methods through which one can lengthen one's own lifespan significantly. And I can assure you that neither the galaxy nor the universe will be saying goodbye to me for quite some time. Or perhaps, never really, now that I come to think about it.
Her heartbeat began to quicken its pace as she realized the true implication behind his last, ominous statement.
You mean you're-
Immortal? Perhaps, in a sense. All though, I think the fact that no matter what sort of grave harm I inflict upon myself, my body simply refuses to give out, pretty much proves it as fact. That, and the numerous attempts made on my life have taught me to be cautious around others. You, on the other hand pose no threat to me, whatsoever. If I had wanted toI could have simply killed all of your "elite" guards, before they would have even had the chance to defend themselves and kill you myself, your biotics would have made little difference in the fight. Of course, there are just so many ways one could meet their end. Choking them to death with your bare hands, snapping their spinal cord in half, wringing their necks with a simple twist of the arm, forcing one's heart to suddenly stop beating with your mind, torturing their minds to the very brink of insanity. Oh, just so many ways I could end your life, if I desired to! But, I am a man of practicality and I don't kill those I see who could prove themselves useful to my network. So I shall say this only once: let me through so we can discuss terms or die. The choice is yours, so choose wisely. Oh, and one last thing! Try to get a grip on yourself, I can sense your fear all the way from here.
Her heart practically leapt into her throat at the threat, her eyes growing even wider with fear, as she released the breath she had been holding and began panting heavily, her heartbeat thundering in her chest and the blood in her ears like the force of a mass accelerater as she sank back further into the confines of her couch out of shock. She couldn't suppress the fear any longer, she felt practically terrified of this man, whom she had trusted for years now threatening to kill her if she didn't cooperate with him. Of course, she had been threatened before. Hell, she had even survived assassination attempts by other criminal organizations in their pitiful attempts to overthrow her.
But she had never been reached out to mentally like this before. Usually, she was the person who did that sort of thing in order to torture information out of someone or just to pleasure herself at the end of a very bad day. It was never the other way around and she didn't like it in the slightest. It was very...unnerving, to say the least. How was he even able to do that in the first place? He had never been capable of such power before.
Shit, he's serious. she thought as she placed a hand over her throbbing temples, the trembling subsided slightly.
Of course, I'm serious. I can read your mind and anticipate your every action and counter it before you even had a chance to think otherwise. You think yourself invincible? Your mind is like an open book to me and no matter how hard you try to push me out, I will read its pages intently and with an overwhelming curiosity as well as a burning desire to know you from the inside out. As a matter of fact, I already have. I'm sure losing your beloved Liselle would leave a gaping wound in any mother's heart. I do wonder if I should kill her first, so that wayI could see the expression of utter shock and grief on your face as I slowly and methodically rip her apart before your very eyes as you watch helplessly.A mother's love for her daughter is a wonderful tool of coercion, wouldn't you agree? Now, are you going to cooperate or do you require a demonstration of your daughter's suffering for the penalty of defiance?
NO! No, I don't. Just...just get up here for Goddess's sake. I'll have them let you through.
Very good, and don't even think of trying to pull a weapon on me. You'll be dead before you even realize it.
"Aria?" Anto's concerned voice broke her out the cloud of thoughts brought by her mental battle with him as her senses slowly came back to reality. He look down at her with a expression of confusion as he crossed the assault rifle over his chest, possibly wondering she had been for the past five minutes.
"Anto, let him through, keep your weapons close by, but don't kill him unless he tries to do the same to me. Don't bother to try and scan him in order to verify his identity. Consider it confirmed as far I'm concerned. Try to take his weapons if you can, I don't want to talk to him armed. If he resists, kill him." She said in a cold, emotionless voice, fury that someone would have the gall to threaten her daughter seeping through her veins like ice, her biotics flaring up like the swirling winds before a great maelstrom.
She would see him pay for his audacity, personally.
"Yes, Aria." He said in acknowledgement and began to hastily make his way down to the steps to the
dance floor below.
"Oh, and Anto!" Aria's voice cried out, freezing the batarian halfway in his tracks, as he slowly turned around to face his employer.
Her expression was still deep set in her fury but her eyes reflected his with small sparks of...concern, unbelievably.
"Y-Yes, Aria?" He stuttered, obviously nervous about her sudden mood swings.
"Where is Liselle?" She inquired, her voice unusually laced with concern.
"She's-"
He was cut off as Aria jumped to her feet and lunged at him, grabbing the batarian by the rim of his armor, bringing him mere centimeters away from her face, her expression was one of pure fear and terror.
"SHE'S WHAT!?" She practically screamed in his face, making him visibly flinch at the volume of her voice, a slight panicky edge to it as she looked at him with wide, fearful eyes, one of which twitched slightly, the corners of her mouth stretched and pulled back, her lower lip quivering, it was then he realized that she was physically shaking, her body positivity racked with fear, as she bowed her head in worry for her daughter, her little Liselle. He had never seen her like this and Aria was not a person who was easily scared, something must have really got to her in order to make her react like this. He had honestly no idea what to do in this situation.
Boldly, the batarian bodyguard reached up and placed a comforting hand on the shoulder of the terrified asari, her skin broke out in goosebumps at the contact and suppressed a slight shiver that threatened to escape from her lips. There was something about Anto that always seemed to comfort her, even when she was having a really bad day. Although, she would rather kill anyone who even mentioned this weakness rather than admit it herself. Her trembling subsided, if only for a moment as she slowly lifted her head, icy blue eyes met dark, shadowy orbs as he offered her an expression of reassurance. His black eyes practically shined with concern and worry, even brighter than the pulsating red and yellow lights of the dance floor below them.
"She's still with your sister, on Illium. She's safe for now and if anyone dares lay a hand on her head, I will not hesitate to shoot them in theirs, then blow them out of the airlock for good measure." He said with a strong hint of conviction, reassurance, and at the last part, menace.
She closed her eyes and breathed a relieved sigh. Aetheyta was still looking after her, she had just been too terrified to realize it. She made a mental note to retrieve her once she was done dealing with her recent visitor. Anto always had a way to calm her whenever she was on the edge of completely losing her temper, he was the only male who had done so in a long time. She would never admit it but she did feel a bit of an...attraction to her second in command, despite the alleged repulsiveness of his species. He may have been rough and brutish at times as his role as her second demanded he be, but he had his moments where he showed her, he could be sweet and charming in his own way. She would never say that she loved him, but at the very least he was good enough for casual sex. Something they had been engaging in on quite a regular basis, lately.
She opened her eyes and looked upon his face, once more.
"Thank you, Anto." She said in a tone of sincerity, a tone she rarely used for anyone.
"D-Don't mention it, boss." He stuttered nervously, rubbing his neck embarrassingly, as they both turned away from each other, a light purple blush radiating Aria's cheeks, clearly flustered as if she were a young maiden once again. She would need to stamp out that part of her in the future.
The two alien bodyguards positioned near the stairway, a batarian, Bray and a turian, Grizz merely shook their heads in amusement at the display of the Pirate Queen's flustered behavior.
"Casual relationship, my ass." Grizz muttered under his breath as he casually fiddled with his assault rifle.
"Lucky bastard." Bray muttered quietly under his breath as his attention was suddenly drawn to fiddling with his assault rifle, finding it more interesting than looking out for their guest to approach them.
"What the hell did you two jackasses just say!?" Anto shouted as he knew he had heard them utter something offensive towards his boss but he would let them go with a warning, for now.
"N-nothing, sir." Grizz stammered nervously, straitening himself up immediately, less he face the wrath of Aria's second.
"I-I must have sneezed again, sir. Allergies probably acting up again. Very bad, around this time of year, sir." Bray nervously explained, taking the hint of his friend and immediately straightened himself, standing at attention while he held them both under his fiery gaze.
"That damn well better be the case, maggots!" He shouted like a Alliance drill sergeant, before returning his attention to Aria, an impressed smirk plastered across her blue lips.
"You should shout like that more often, makes you sound more intimidating, and it's fun to watch." Her tone taking on a more sultry edge to it.
"Well, it seems I'll have to work on that, then. I wouldn't want you getting bored now, would I?" He replied, his tone now taking on the same sultry edge as his boss.
"I hate to interrupt this...wonderful moment of young love between the two of you but might I remind you that you have a far more urgent matter to attend to at the moment. Unless of course, you both feel the need to keep going in front of an audience. I certainly wouldn't mind if you did." A familiar deep, accented, slightly distorted voice suddenly spoke from behind the pair.
Their eyes widened significantly in surprise and quickly spun around on their heels towards the source of the familiar distorted voice.
The mysterious Eclipse merc, who had somehow managed to enter Aria's inner sanctum without any of her bodyguards noticing, sat in a small booth across from the dumbstruck couple, mere meters away from them, arms folded together, hands clenched tightly together, black and yellow armor glowing slightly from the ever, pulsating red and yellow lights of the dance floor, the eyeholes in his helmet glowed bright yellow as the male human figure looked upon the couple expectantly, his expressions unreadable, his face unknowable, his position of power only known to a certain few who have recognized the sound of his voice, only for them to die from a mysterious accident hours before a match could ever be made, a cold, calculating, efficient, master information broker, a leader of an army of his own personal assassins, and a rival of the Shadow Broker himself, an aura of uncertainty and mystery surrounding him. The human mercenary, whoever he really was, was an intimidating sight to be behold. He stood at 5'7, easily towering over anyone who did not meet his gaze face to face, it was clear that he was in peak physical condition, his body portraying a figure positively ripped with toned muscle, his five fingered digits being the only possible indication of his race.
"It has been a very long time, hasn't it, Aria T'Loak? I have been waiting for this day for over 290 years and at last, it has come. Soon, your role in events to come will finally reach its fruition. And I shall be the one to direct its course, this time." He said in a darker, deep, accented, and more mechanically distorted voice than the one that they had heard only moments before now.
They both fearfully took a visible step back at the sound of his more darker, mechanical, voice, it completely chilled them both to the bone, as if he was speaking directly to their very souls.
"W-What happened to you, Q? W-Where have been all this time?" Aria asked, her tone a mix between fear and downright curiosity.
A deep, dark, mechanical chuckle escaped from him before dissolving into full blown maniacal, mechanical, laughter followed by bouts of cackling in between them.
If it were possible for an Asari's skin to turn ashen white, then Aria certainly achieved it that day as she visibly paled at the sound of his dark, mechanically distorted, maniacal laughter, her eyes wider than they ever had been with fear and her heart practically going into overdrive, pumping as fast as it ever had before.
Anto's complexion paled significantly as well, his eyes slightly widened, but quickly tightened his grip on his assault rifle, before aiming the rifle in the Eclipse merc's direction, trigger finger at the ready, if there was any sudden movements, Blay and Grizz quickly following up on his initiative, three itchy trigger fingers now aimed directly at his head, the mercenary at this point had ceased his bout of dark, maniacal laughter and now simply stared them down through the glowing yellow eyeholes, not showing the least bit of fear at his predicament. In fact, his posture indicated that he was more annoyed than anything else.
"I don't know why the hell you're here, Q, or what the fuck you're after, but you better get your ass out of here before I decide to cap it right here and now. And I'll be damned before I let you lay a finger on Liselle's head or my boss!" He bellowed at the confident information broker, his tone reflected that of possessiveness, protectiveness, and outright fury.
Aria at this point, had shook herself out of her fearful stupor, her icy blue eyes now completely narrowed with fury, malice, and hatred at the man before her, her fists clenched to the point where her knuckles were white, her body physically shaking with rage and blood lust, her biotics flared up with the intensity of her fury, biotic energy swirling around like the waves of a mighty hurricane.
This man had threatened her and her daughter, she would not let that go so easily. He had lost the right to live the moment he had fucked with her mind, she would see him suffer in the worst way imaginable for that. Right now, she didn't care about if he was the galaxy's second most powerful information broker, he had humiliated her and made feel her vulnerable in a way that she hadn't felt in centuries and he would die in the worst way that she could possibly think of. Her thoughts centered only on one thing at this moment. KILL THE BASTARD!, her mind positively screamed with murderous glee.
Aggressively, she stomped her way up to her bodyguards and physically shoved them of the way menacingly creeping closer towards the object of her impending fury. She turned to face her bodyguards with an expression that was completely contorted into a mask of rage and anger, her icy blue eyes practically burning with the flames of rage.
"No one kills him but me." She hissed between clenched white teeth, her eyes turning a menacing black in order to emphasize the true depths of her fury at this man who had dared threatened in such a deeply, personal way.
Anto, Blay, and Grizz received the message loud and clear, and reluctantly took up positions behind her, their rifles still pointed at the mysterious, information broker, never breaking their gaze away from them for a single moment.
The enraged asari marched right up to the young merc's table, no longer caring that he was probably the galaxy's second most powerful information broker, whoever he was, he had invaded her mind, violated her in the most personal way that anyone ever could've, and travestied about the place like he owned it, like he owned her.
No one owned Aria T'Loak, she owned them.
She roared in a rare release of anger and slammed her fists down on the mostly empty table hard, the force of the impact nearly breaking the ailing wooden supports underneath in half. Her biotics visibly swarming around like the whirlwind of her emotions, she glared at the man in front of her with an expression of pure, unbridled hatred, complete, utter, disgust, and overwhelming fury.
"WHAT THE HELL GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO COME HERE AND PLAY GOD WITH MY DAUGHTER'S LIFE!? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW FUCKED YOU ARE NOW FOR THREATENING HER, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" She screamed at the top of her lungs so loudly, that her guards visibly flinched at the sound of her shrill, angry voice, only one thought crossing their minds at that moment.
He's fucked., they all thought as she screamed in his face.
How very wrong they were.
The man continued to stare her down intently, his posture unchanged, unflinching at the shrill venting of her frustrations, inwardly drinking in every last drop of her unrelenting emotions. Anger, hatred, fear, fury, and downright bloodlust, these were the kind of emotions he relished in and yearned for, reveling the strength that came from adsorbing such thoughts from the minds of others, it made him even more powerful than he already was.
Now is the time to stop this charade and show her the full unrelenting power of the Dark Side., He thought menacingly as she opened her mouth to continue her verbal assaults.
He cut her off by rising from his seat like a shot, drawing himself up to his full height in an gesture of intimidation, meeting her hatred filled gaze face to face and returning it with every fiber of anger and hatred towards the woman in front of him that he could muster, even if she couldn't see it.
After thirty minutes of tense silence between the two, he finally spoke:
"I believe that this illusion has served its purpose in getting you to lower your guard. Now, I will teach you how to respect your betters like the blue skinned harlot that you are!" He shouted as his mercenary form began to dissipate and change into a form much, more terrifying than any sentient being alive had ever encountered before or since.
A truly evil smile began to make its way across his hidden face, as he saw the flames in her icy blue, eyes were quickly extinguished, her face no longer contorted in rage but in the expression of an emotion so foreign to her for so long, that she hadn't even experienced until this very moment, her angered resolve was now completely gone, as her eyes widened to their fullest extent as the overwhelming fear and terror regarding her current situation started to dawn on her as reality finally began to set in her fearful, panicked, mind.
Oh Goddess, I'm doomed! I'm finally going to die! HOLY SHIT, I'M DEAD! Please forgive me, Liselle, Mommy wasn't strong enough to protect you!, She thought distressingly as his true form finally came into being.
There in place of the human mercenary, stood a being whose very appearance, let alone its very aura, struck terror in her heart for his coming surely must have meant her impending doom. Towering over her was a figure clad entirely in a massive suit of blackened, midnight, metallic, armor, a dark, black cape bellowing in the wind behind him. His shadowy, helmet resembled what could only be described as the twisted form of some unholy demon, small, white, silvery slits made in the section where the eyes normally would be, were the only form of vision for any wearer of the armor, the chainmail looked to be completely clean as if it were just polished since she could practically see her terrified expression in its void less reflection, its steel plating as black as darkness itself, striking fear into the hearts of many, dark, midnight shoulder clasps adorned with several, small sharp spikes supported the dark cape that was currently still bellowing in the direction of the wind not to mention spikes that ran across a vast majority of the rest of the armor, a metal-plated military style utility belt adorned around his waist, a very long metallic cylindrical hilt clipped to the side of it, along with what looked like basic survival supplies, dark, midnight, metallic gauntlets and darker, raven, metallic leggings and boots, adorned his five digited limbs.
He looked every bit like a fearful symbol of death itself, and the hellish consequences that come to those who embrace the dark nature of true evil. The intense aura of malevolence and slight uneasiness constantly projected by the armor only added to enhance this effect in the eyes of both Force Sensitives and Non- Force Sensitives.
As the fearful asari continued to gawk at him, she was unaware of the arrogant smirk that had graced his hidden features, inwardly laughing at her own fearful expression without any attempts from her to suppress it in the least.
She has no idea that she is practically playing into my hands. Time to really get the fear out of her., He thought wickedly as he contemplated his next move.
"I believe a more...proper introduction is in order," He spoke again in his deep mechanical voice, although this time it was more clearly discernible without the use of his disguise, carrying with it a slight tone of amusement and irritation. "You see 'Q' is the alias many in this galaxy have come to know me by, but tell me, do you know what title they have come to bestow upon me in another?" He finished with a tone of dark, sinister intent evident in his mechanical voice, sending shivers down the spines of everyone else in the private booth.
The petrified asari didn't even dignify him with a response as she continued to stare fearfully into the white, silverly, slits of his helmet, which were now narrowed dangerously towards the recipient of their now slowly burning fury, her heart now practically pounding rabidly through her chest like the bass of a wild drum, as she quickly realized that for the first time in a millennium that she had no control over the current situation and knew better than try to push her luck, lucky that she was even still alive and breathing, but somehow she knew that it wasn't meant to last for much long.
"Allow me to answer that unspoken question for you, since you're all far too terrified to even ask it," He said, his voice now low and dangerous, the mechanical voice only made the effect even more intimidating and terror inducing than it normally should have been. "I...am Darth Malvious, the true Dark Lord of the Sith, and the one responsible for your demise should you dare refuse to cooperate and defy me in any way, whatsoever. Now, to prove my point..." His right arm suddenly lit up with the bright, orange display of an omni tool, then quickly pressed a few buttons to open up a com channel of unknown origin, as it happened so fast that he did so without giving the chance for any of them to respond.
"GUARDS! SEIZE THE PRIMARY TARGETS NOW! STORM THE BASE, THIS INSTANT! TERMINATE ANY HOSTILE MERCENARY FORCES! SPARE THE CIVILIANS AND ANY WHO SURRENDER!" He shouted in a strong, authoritative, voice that would've made any Alliance drill sergeant proud.
"Acknowledged." A low, growling, guttural, robotic voice replied in obedience.
Aria's three, bumbling guards who had been standing there completely dumbfound, watching the entire event unfold before them quickly cocked their guns in Malvious's direction, the desire to kill burning brightly in their eyes.
Little did they know, it would soon be extinguished.
With a flick of his wrist, the assault rifles were torn away from the hands of the three bewildered men, only for them to be crushed as he balled his hand into a fist, broken components and mass accelerator slugs now positively littered the floor as all of what remained of their weapons now lay scattered at their feet.
Aria then attempted to reach for the pistol at her side, but it was quickly pulled from her reach by the same unknown power possessed by the armored being before her, the pistol now within the grasp of his raised left hand.
"Perhaps, I shall keep this as a souvenir of our encounter." He mused darkly to himself, disregarding the wide eyed, fearful stare of the asari in front of him.
The four sentient beings now simply stared at him, wide eyed and now fearful for their own lives. Even the dancers had noticed his display of power now stood there in a trance, gaping open mouthed at him, disbelief clearly written in their expressions. But the rowdy crowd of patrons were too absorbed in the music, to even notice this startling pace of events.
Time to set an example for attempting to kill a Darth, He thought with malicious glee as the true horror was about to begin.
He did not have to wait long as two metallic figures came hurtling down from the ceiling above them, landing with a silent thud.
Malvious smiled at the all too familiar sound of crackling static charge at the activation of electrostaffs.
Aria's eyes now widened even further, her mouth now agape, an expression mixed between utter astonishment and complete terror at the mechanical machinations that now stood before her.
Standing before were two mechanical humanoid figures, each standing at over two meters tall, their silver gray, partly plated Duranium armor over slightly exposed durasteel exoskeletons glistened in the red-yellow lights of the bustling night club, each were armed with a staff that positively crackled with electricity, each wore white, cloaks behind their backs and head wraps of the same color, glowing mechanical red eyes glared at her and Anto intently sending shivers of fear down their spines.
"Restrain both of them. Now." He snarled menacingly, his silvery gray eyes now glaring at her with pure hatred.
"As you command, Master." His robotic tone reflecting pure and utter obedience towards their Master.
With a flick of his wrist, Malvious flung the frightened asari out of her seat and flying towards the adjacent wall, her body impacting the structure with a sickening thud as a white flash of pain was sent through her back and legs.
An involuntary hiss escaped through her clenched teeth as the pain washed over her. Her back felt like it was on fire from the impact and she found that she could barely move her legs through the intensity of the pain. For a moment, she wondered if her spine had been broken by the impact of the cold, metal wall against flesh.
She was quickly pulled up to her feet and restrained by the menacing machine, the electrostaff now held at her throat, forcing her to stand on her own two feet, pain wracking through her legs as she stood as she had been ordered to do so but refused to give into it. She would not give him that satisfaction, not from her, not from anyone.
Anto meanwhile was restrained by the second Magnaguard in the same manner, all the while, shouting obscenities at Malivious in his own native language, for his ruthless treatment of her, silently thanking him for defending her, even through she was perfectly capable of doing it herself.
Malvious simply glared at him and responded with disdain in the same language, "Stop defending her, fool. She is getting what she rightful deserves. Were you not so blinded by her methods of seduction, you would see that, Korragan. But clearly, you lack vision."
Anto simply stared, eyes wide, mouth agape, shocked that he even spoke in the Batarian's own tongue, few outsiders rarely possessed that knowledge, only those that had ventured to the homeworld of Khar'Shan before they shut themselves away from the Council knew their native tongue.
Malivious then teared his gaze away from Anto to Blay and Grizz, fear radiating off of the two mercenaries, who started trembling under his hawk-like gaze, too frightened to move even an inch for fear of bodily harm.
"As for you two..." He said simply as he looked in between the two observantly. "I have no need for cowards." He snarled in disgust and disdain.
The two mercenaries attempted to flee but were stopped as they felt an invisible hand grabbing them by the throat and both were suddenly lifted into the air, grasping their throats for air.
Their eyes went wide and began to bulge from lack of oxygen as they stared in disbelief at the sight of Malvious holding his hand out, tightly squeezing the life of them through some unnatural means of power.
The invisible hand around their throats began to tighten as he slowly began to once again ball it into a fist, darkness encompassing the edges of their vision.
Malvious smiled at the look of disbelief in their dying eyes as he finally closed his hand and with a sickening snap, their necks were broken, inwardly laughing at the deaths he had caused, as he let their limp bodies fall to the floor, terror clearly written in their last expressions.
Aria merely stood there, observing the event in disbelief, shocked both at the display of his abilities and the death of her own bodyguards, both of whom she considered one of her best. How could someone possess such power so easily? It was at this time that fear and terror began to tear its claws into Aria as she truly believed that this was the end. So she did something that she had not done since she was a maiden.
She screamed at the top of her lungs in terror. Something which she only did when one had truly broken the will of Aria T'Loak.
She was quickly silenced by the force of a metallic gauntlet slapping her roughly across the cheek. She looked back up to see the dark form of Malvious towering above her, glaring at her in annoyance.
"Shut it, you blue whore!" He yelled at her in a tone torn between anger and absolute annoyance.
He was interrupted by the sudden beeping of his omni-tool, turning away from her to answer his commanding Magnaguard.
"Are you in position?" He asked the Magnaguard as it came into view on the holographic interface of his omni-tool.
"We are, My Lord, we will commence the attack on your command." It responded in a robotic tone of regal formality.
"Then do so, now, but do not forget your orders." He replied in a firm, no nonsense tone.
"Of course, My Lord." It replied in finality and promptly closed the connection.
Turning his attention back to Aria, he glared at her menacingly, as tears began to silently run down her cheeks, as he came right up to her ear and whispered in the most cold, vicious, tone possible, "I want you to witness as everything you've ever built and loved is slowly but utterly destroyed right before your very eyes."
She simply whimpered in terror and began sobbing intensely as the true horror of the situation finally began to dawn on her.
This was retribution for her crimes.
The scene in Afterlife quickly turned to one of chaos as the equivalent of over sixty Magnaguards, some of them armed with glowing, Phrik laced, electrostaffs, others armed with Bulldog RLR's and RD-4 Rocket Launchers, stormed in through the front door, immediately freezing every patron, mercenary, and dancer within the club dead in their tracks, all of them overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of the mechanical army in front of them. Even the turian bartender had his mandible on the floor in shock, even dropping a glass of Serrice Ice Brandy he had poured for another patron which shattered into shards of broken glass upon impact with the cold, hard floor. Their mood suddenly changed to one of confusion and fear as the Asari-Techno music was abruptly cut off, plunging the room into total silence.
This only lasted a moment as the Magnaguard commander at the front of the group took a step forward towards the stunned crowd.
"ALL OF YOU ARE HERBY ORDERED TO VACATE THESE PREMISES IMMEDIATELY BY THE AUTHORITY OF LORD MALIVIOUS, DARK LORD OF THE SITH! THOSE OF YOU THAT DON'T RESIST WILL NOT BE HARMED AND THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE MERE CIVILIANS, WE WILL NOT PERCIEVE YOU AS A THREAT UNLESS YOU DECIDE TO MAKE YOURSELF A THREAT! THAT GOES DOUBLE FOR ANY OF YOU MERCENARIES, FIGHT US AND YOU WILL DIE! IF ANY OF YOU VALUE YOUR LIVES, LEAVE NOW!" It shouted in a commanding, authoritative, robotic tone that was impressive even for a droid.
Those that were smart quickly ran out the front door of the club, intent on never returning there ever again, those that had stayed behind mainly some of the remaining brave mercenaries took up defensive positions around the room, upturning tables and taking cover behind the nearby bar, in a last desperate attempt to defend themselves and their boss. A few desperate souls even attempted to take refuge in the lower levels of Afterlife, making a defensive barricade out of several overturned tables. Several squads of Blue Suns, Eclipse, even hardened Blood Pack veterans fought with everything they had against the machines. It was thanks both to their built in advanced combat learning programs and the lightsaber combat training provided by their previous owner that the mercenaries did not last long against them. Some were quickly blown to piles of bloody body parts and brain matter by the rocket and grenade launchers, while others were electrocuted to death by being hit repeatedly with the blunt end of their electrostaffs, having been optimized to kill their targets rather than just incapacitate them. The few that remained simply ran out of the club as fast as their legs could carry them, fear for their own lives now overcame their need to defend their "Queen." In short, the battle had been a bloodbath, as the cold, metallic floors were streaked with the blood of various alien colors, random body parts were strewn across the club here and there in random piles, brain matter painted across the metallic walls in reminiscent horror of the massacre that had taken place there mere moments ago. Of course, it was nothing compared to the absolute mess that was left in the lower levels of the club, a scene so gruesome and horrifying that it was virtually indescribable.
Malvious smirked underneath his dark helmet as he took in the carnage of the scene before him and reveled in Aria's misery that was positively radiating off her in waves, her grief, her inner rage, her inner lust for vengeance, her sadness, but most importantly her fear. She was bound, broken, and now his to command as he saw fit.
Now there was only the matter of obedience, and he knew just the way to ensure it.
Turning back to face his Magnaguards, paying no mind to the now sobbing asari and the now dead silent batarian, he began to enact the plan to permanently ensure her loyalty.
"Do you have the slave collar that I specifically requested for the asari?" Malvious timidly asked the Magnaguard who restrained her.
Upon hearing this, Aria's tear stricken icy blue eyes widened significantly in fear and looked very close to the point of fainting from shock while Anto looked absolutely enraged, gnashed his teeth together, exposing his sharp, pointed teeth to the Dark Lord, all the while snarling at him.
"Of course, My Lord." It replied obediently, holding out a metallic, slave collar adorned with shock panels designed to ensure maximum pain to the disobedient recipient.
"Apply it to the primary target, now." He snarled dangerously under his breath.
"As you wish, My Lord." It replied without hesitation.
The asari offered little resistance as the collar was placed roughly upon her elegant neck, as the chains clamped down into precise places around her neck, knowing that this Dark Lord now held all power over her, including the balance between life and death, and would gladly dispose of her should she prove herself a problem, so she resolved as to having no other choice but to simply obey him in order to ensure her own survival, as well as that of her lover.
No one would be coming to her aid any time soon, not after this humiliation.
"And the controller?" He inquired in a low, menacing mechanical tone.
The Magnaguard restraining Anto tossed the Dark Lord a small, black container which he caught expertly in his right hand, all the while Aria's heart rate began to skyrocket erratically.
"Good, you fear this," a hand menacingly indicating the black controller, "you would do well to fear the pain, slave. Allow me to grant you a demonstration."
He then pressed down hard on the black controller, sending bright electric arches dancing across the asari's flesh as she began to scream from the overwhelming amount of white hot pain. Sweat began to pour from her lithe form as Malvious shocked her again and again, without any break in between the brutal punishment.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Good, good, you are finally beginning to understand the pain of disloyalty." He said joyfully as he finally ceased his torture of the young, broken asari who looked well on the brink of collapsing from the amount of pain she was currently in.
A well placed slap from a black, metallic gauntlet across the face quickly brought her out of her painfully induced stupor.
"Now, now, my dear, I can't have you passing out on me just yet. We haven't even established the terms of your new employment and there is still much more for you to experience before I decide to end our current...meeting." He said cryptically as he lifted his thumb underneath her chin in order to draw her gaze toward his white, silvery eyes, now narrowed dangerously into slits, daring her to defy his wishes just once, so that he may dispose of her in the most gruesome ways imaginable.
At this point, she was now panting from the pain caused by the electrical shocks, so she simply replied weakly, "What...the hell...do you...want...,My Lord?"
"Good, you ask like a good, well behaved slave, but from now on you shall either refer to me as 'My Lord' or 'Master' and you shall ask for my permission before you speak. And do not even bother to attempt to remove the collar, it is set to explode if you even dare to do so improperly as well as short out your biotics every time you attempt to use them. Do I make myself perfectly clear, slave?" He said with a deep tone that positively reeked of arrogance and superiority.
Aria slowly felt her anger rising but quickly forced it back down. She had no power to act in this situation. She was completely and utterly at the mercy of Darth Malvious and there was nothing she could do to resist him. All she could do was obey him, all the while screaming for freedom on the inside.
"Yes,...Master." She replied in a defeated tone, trying her hardest to spit out the word while feeling the need to rinse her mouth out with soap.
"Good, now that your loyalty is permanently established, let me tell you where things now stand between the two of us. As of this very moment, you are no longer the 'ruler' of Omega, from now on that title belongs to me. Of course, I have no intention of ruling from this slum of a station so I shall have a 'puppet' to enforce my will on this trash compactor of a settlement and since the people know you quite well, you shall be the one to carry out my bidding in my absence. You shall be able to unofficially keep your status as the "Pirate Queen" of Omega but you no longer hold any power that you once did. No, now you answer directly to me and far as you're concerned you can consider me the fucking "King" of Omega. As for the Krogan Warlord that you patronizingly named 'Patriarch', well, you can consider him my voice when I cannot speak to you directly, he will relay to you my instructions and you are to carry them out to the letter, you're to show him the same level of respect and tolerance that you would me. And don't think for a second, he won't hesitate to punish you as I would because he won't. You are nothing but a pawn to be used to do my bidding and the only reason you continue to draw breath is because I allow it. From now on, everything regarding your criminal enterprise now belongs to me and my network, all of the ezzo, all of the intel, all of the red sand shipments, all of your spies, all of your hired muscle, everything. You, Aria T'Loak, own nothing but the clothes on your back, your filthy batarian lover, and your pureblood daughter. The same goes for you too, Korragan, perhaps you'll have more time to keep her...entertained then you usually do, I certainly would were our roles reversed. Dare to even think of overthrowing me or ignoring my commands, and I promise that you, your lover, your beloved Liselle, and even your sister, Matriarch Aethyta, both of whom I know for a fact are sheltered safely on Illium at this very moment will suffer the consequences for your disobedience. The same consequences go for your family and friends, as well, Korragan. I know of each of your brothers and sisters quite well enough to know how to target them should you prove disobedient like your lover. So, you are both to tell no one of this arrangement outside of this club because I promise you the moment I find out, you will pay the price in blood. Do we understand each other, slaves?" He finished in a low, biting tone, clearly irritated and not in the mood for any further discussion on the matter.
Both sentient beings glared hatefully at the Dark Lord, inwardly cursing him and his name for their now forced life of eternal servitude towards the new 'ruler' of Omega, wanting nothing more than to slit his throat for this twist of fortune but now powerless to do so. The two lovers now bonded to a life of slavery towards a being who held power far beyond their comprehension could do nothing but suffer through it together.
All they could do now to survive was submit.
"Yes, My Lord." They both replied defeatedly in unison, their will utterly broken, their resistance slowly fading, their suffering now apparent for all to see.
"Perfect, now, apply the second slave collar to the second primary target and give me his controller, immediately." He hissed in a low, irritable tone to the Magnaguard currently restraining the batarian.
"Of course, My Lord." It replied in an obedient tone, as any specialized droid should when speaking to their master.
Anto offered next to no resistance, as the shock collar was placed around his neck in the same manner as his beloved, he had given up resisting the Dark Lord the moment their friends and family had been threatened, he knew that whatever power they had once held in this situation was now second to none. He had simply accepted his fate for what it was, now all he could do was hope to obey their master, keep his beloved alive, and prevent the potential death of their friends and family.
It's not like things can get any worse at this point, he thought despairingly as the shock collar was finally placed around his neck by the Magnaguard.
Little did he know the Dark Lord had picked up on those thoughts and things were about to take a turn for the worse for the poor batarian.
In a flash of movement, Malvious was now right in his face, staring him down menacingly with those white, silverly eyes, narrowed threateningly into slits.
"Oh, I assure you, slave, things are about to get much, much, worse for you than you could have ever imagined possible." He snarled in a low, threatening, mechanical tone that indicated that his need for blood lust was far from over.
"Hold out his arms, now. This slave needs to learn how to endure true pain." He gleefully instructed the Magnaguard, clearly intent on teaching this 'slave' a lesson in manners.
The Magnaguard simply nodded in understanding and locked both of the batarian's arms in a vice-like grip, holding out his arms as the batarian attempted to wiggle his way of the Magnaguard's grasp, but to no avail. There was the distinct hum that Anto had never heard before signaling the activation of something, perhaps some type of energy weapon? He did not have to wait long for his answer as his gaze fell upon Malvious and the true horror of his situation began to unveil itself.
In a fluid motion, Malvious activated the very long, metallic hilt of his lightsaber, red plasma erupting from the hilt of the blade as it began to manifest its full, elongated form and now raised the blade with both hands right above where Anto's own hands were as the Magnaguard held out his arms in its vice-like grip, a truly, maniacal grin spread across his hidden features as he turned to face the now wide eyed asari.
"Remember this moment, the next time you dare think to defy me or my commands, remember the pain it caused you to watch as your lover was dismembered by your master, remember the emotional anguish it caused you the very moment you dare think of freedom for you will find that there is none, remember the fear you experienced the moment you witnessed your lover's punishment, as you slowly but surely imagine your own dismemberment, remember that I own you, your criminal empire, and everything you have ever loved." He snarled in a low, threatening, almost patronizing tone, as if he were discipling a disobedient child, which in a twisted manner, he actually was.
Without any further hesitation, the Dark Lord swiftly brought down the elongated, red plasma saber upon the hands of the trapped batarian, severing them entirely from his form of flesh and blood, leaving nothing but stubs of gaping bone, severed nerves, and gushes of red, flowing blood. The batarian screamed at the top of his lungs in utter agony of the intensity of the ensuing pain, nothing but white hot, fiery pain as his body attempted to make use of nerve endings which were now completely severed. What the Dark Lord did next, showed the full extent of his cruelty and utter disregard for criminals.
"NOW YOU WILL KNOW WHAT TRUE PAIN IS, SLAVE!" He shouted with all his might, before pressing down on the black controller with overwhelming force.
The batarian was engulfed by even more overwhelming pain courtesy of the electricity now coursing through his body, causing the poor being to scream even louder from the intensity of the pain brought on by both sensations. The pain only intensified as Malvious continued to shock Anto again and again, all the while Aria begging him to stop inflicting the agonizing pain upon her lover, her pleas falling entirely on deaf ears.
Eventually, the now dismembered batarian collapsed upon the cold, metallic floor with a sickening thud from a combination of the burning pain caused by the electric shocks and blood loss as the Magnaguard released him from its iron clad embrace.
"Release her, she will no longer fight us, she knows the consequences if she does." He aggressively instructed the Magnaguard restraining the asari, immediately complying with the order as the emotionally wrecked asari was released and quickly ran over to her lover's side to ensure he was still alive. The batarian's breathing was shallow and labored, his pulse while still warm was extremely weak, indicating that if he was to survive he would need to get to a med center immediately. There was no way to restore his organic hands, so he would obviously require prosthetics for the rest of his life. His heart rate was normal but it was considerably growing weaker the longer he went without treatment, obviously as a result of their master's recently enveloped torture.
Malvious looked over the two lovers with cold, unfeeling eyes, silently longing for the bond that he himself had once felt long ago before...before the Geth ruined everything.
Shaking his head to clear such melancholic thoughts from his mind, he turned his attention back towards the situation at hand.
"Escort them both to my contacts inside of Dr. Solus's clinic in the Gozu District. Ensure the batarian receives treatment for his injuries as well as prosthetics. Do the same for the asari but make sure that both of them keep silent as to how they received such injuries and no questions regarding their condition are to be asked by anyone. If any word regarding their condition leaks to the media, you have my full authority to hunt down those responsible for it. Make their visit quick, discreet, and quiet and get them back here as soon as possible. Now move out!" He sharply ordered the two magnaguards, before deactivating his lightsaber and clipping it back on to his utility belt.
The droids obeyed his commands without complaint as they forced the emotionally scarred asari on her feet, her dismembered batarian lover now lay peacefully in her arms, and without any further delay, escorted the former 'Queen' of Omega towards the front entrance of the club and out into the smog polluted atmosphere of Omega.
Darth Malvious then turned to the rest of his Magnaguards who had now gathered on the main floor of Afterlife, eagerly awaiting their master's next commands, hands now clasped behind his back.
"The rest of you will stay here and guard this base with your lives until I instruct you to do otherwise. You are to ensure that our guests maintain their silence and that order within the area is maintained, anyone who causes problems is to be either peacefully reasoned with or killed, depending on the severity of the situation. Four of you will come with me to act as bodyguards in my absence, the rest will stay here for now. Now get to it!" He ordered harshly, clearly irritated with the situation and wishing for it to end quickly.
Without sparing a second glance towards his Magnaguards, he plopped himself down upon Aria's couch and once again brought up the bright orange display of his omnitool, setting up the final part of his plan.
If this doesn't get Shepard's attention, then perhaps a straight forward private message will do just the trick., He thought musingly as he mulled over the details of the message in his mind, he needed to say something that would catch the Commander's eye.
Finally, he came up with the solution to his predicament as he began to type out his message.
From: (Messenger Blocked)
Commander:
No doubt, you've heard of the chaos I've raised on Omega from your 'Illusive Man' as he likes to call himself now a days and that you seek to recruit me for your mission against the Collectors. And that is precisely what I intend to do, after all I needed to do something in order to capture your attention. I shall be completely up front with you when I say I know of the Lazarus Project and your resurrection at the hands of Cerberus. After all, I was the one who loaned the Illusive Man the credits over the two years of your absence to finance the entire Project, someone needs to put a permanent end to the Reapers and I cannot do so alone. We both know the truth of the situation no matter what the damned Council claims otherwise, the Reapers are coming and they need to be stopped soon, as we only have a year left before they arrive from dark space, taking down the Collectors will only serve delay their arrival, not halt it. Trust me, when I say that I despise and distrust Cerberus just as much as you do, Commander. Hell, I only contributed a fraction of my wealth to them in order to revive you, which I knew would be successful in the long run. Allow me to cut right to the chase, should you choose to recruit me, I can provide you with intel, credits, resources, skills, weapons, and even potential allies that makes whatever Cerberus can provide for you, look tame in comparison. Should you wish to meet me, I shall be waiting for you at the front entrance to Afterlife, I do not expect you to come alone, as a matter of fact, I would suggest you bring those that you can trust, as long as they are not Operative Lawson or Operative Taylor, like you I do not trust anyone who is Cerberus affiliated. Unlike the Illusive Man, I do not intend to betray you in the end, I am loyal to you and only you.
A friend
Smiling gleefully to himself behind the dark helmet, he finally pressed the 'Send' button on his omnitool.