Shepard peeked out the window of the dingy building he and his squad were hiding in, trying to get his mind off the smell of the place. It was futile, however, as the stench of piss and depression reeked everywhere on Omega. Should've worn a damn helmet. he thought dryly, but even then the air filters in a helmet still wouldn't purge the odor completely. He ran a gloved hand over his shaved head, wrinkling his nose in disgust. Part of him just wanted to start the fighting because then he would have to focus on not dying instead of Omega's smell.

Peering up the street he saw a group of nine Batarians talking to one another, seven armed guards and two relatively well dressed men. Accompanying them were two Asari and one Human woman, hands bound together in front of them. Slaves. Shepard growled under his breath at the thought. They were dressed in little more than rags, barely covering enough of their body to be able to go out in public. He saw the way they followed their masters, the way they hung on their every word, saying nothing and tilting their heads to the left when prompted. He even saw one of the Asari get spanked by a guard, only to smile as if she enjoyed it. It made him want to puke.

He leaned away from the window, checking over his assault rifle again, and looked around the room to see his squad doing much the same. He had brought his entire ground team for this mission, even if it would be overkill. This would be their first time all working together, and he wanted to see how well they would do.

"So...'The Ravager'." Zaeed said, the grizzled mercenary forming air quotes. Chuckling, he nudged the Turian next to him with his elbow, "What's with Omega and dramatic titles?"

Garrus chuffed with a shrug, shifting uncomfortably on the floor. "It's not like they have anything better to do. Just look around you, I'm sure you'll find plenty of reasons." he gestured to the room around them with a wave of his hand. Everyone looked around, seemingly agreeing with his logic. Shepard glanced to see Miranda with a perpetual scowl plastered on her face, as if the uncleanliness of the room was a direct insult. He couldn't blame her, as dust hung heavy in the air, rubble was scattered all over the floor, and all the furniture had unidentifiable stains all over them. Needless to say everyone had chosen to sit on the floor.

"How do we even know if the 'Bane of the Slaver is going to show?" Jacob asked with a lopsided grin, lifting an eyebrow at Miranda. Their intel had come from the Illusive Man himself, passed along through her to Shepard. "He'll be here." Miranda replied curtly, staring blankly at him. Jacob grin disappeared and he shrugged, silently saying 'If you say so'.

"Small time slaver ring easy to track," Mordin rattled off, the Salarian calibrating his Omni-tool a thousand miles a minute. "Illusive Man has large, professional information gathering network. Intel is good." Miranda nodded at him in thanks but he didn't notice, too busy trying to increase the power of his tech attacks.

Shepard remained silent, glancing once more out the window. The group was standing under a light, casting an orange hue over them. The two well dressed Batarians were arguing now, probably haggling over a price for the slaves. Shepard focused on the guards, milling about the area lazily. Unfocused, Unprofessional, they don't even have proper armor. Bastards wont know what hit 'em. He wouldn't fire the first shot though, that honor would be saved for "The Ravager". The Ravager's name had crossed his desk weeks ago, one of the many members of the galaxy the Illusive Man thought would make a good addition to the team. Information on him was scarce, some sort of mercenary that liked to hit slave rings, wiping out the slavers and freeing the slaves. He always hid under his helmet and voice synthesizers, making it almost impossible to identify anything about him. Hell, we don't even know if he's a "he". Shepard grimaced at the lack of information, he hated uncertainties.

Suddenly a shot rang out and one of the guards slumped over, a new hole in his head. The other guards spun around, trying to find where the shot had come from, waving their rifles every which way. The two well dressed Batarians and the slaves cowered on the floor, getting as low as possible to avoid getting hit. The slaves clasped their eyes shut and buried their faces in their hands while the slavers darted their eyes in every direction. Another guard fell, blood pouring from a wound in his head, before the others could identify where the shooter was. "Over there!" one yelled, pointing out to something Shepard couldn't see, and soon all the guards began shooting wildly in that direction. Their backs were now turned to Shepard and his squad, and he turned to make sure his squad was ready. They were, standing and poised to strike at a moments notice.

"Remember," he said, "do not hit the slaves at any cost." Everyone nodded and Shepard turned back to the fighting, taking aim with his rifle. "Hit 'em hard, squad!"

Thunder rained down on the guards as the squad opened fire, downing all of them in a matter of seconds. The two slavers they were supposed to be guarding stared at the bodies, watching the blood ooze out of them. The dumbfounded slavers didn't even notice Shepard and his squad as they closed in. Shepard spared a sorrowful gaze at the slaves, still cowering on the floor and flinching they grew near.

"Ravager!" he called out, motioning for his squad to take care of the survivors. Garrus and Zaeed hauled the slavers to their feet and held them in place while Mordin, Miranda and Jacob cared for the slaves. Shepard looked down the street in the direction the guard had pointed, squinting at the shadows for any sign of movement.

"I need your help!"

The street remained quite in stark contrast to the cacophony of the gunfight. Shepard frowned at the silence. Had Ravager already run off? Was he placing Shepard's head in his scope? There were too many unknowns making Shepard uneasy. Just before he gave up though, a gravelly, scratchy voice called out to him.

"And why should I help you, Commander Shepard?"

At least he hasn't shot me yet. Shepard thought. Out loud he said, "I need your help to save innocent lives, something I hear you're into." He gestured toward the bodies of the guards, now laying in big, red pools. Shepard grimaced, he didn't like blood.

A rustling sound caught his attention, and out of the shadows of a nearby building emerged a silhouette. Shepard quickly realized that this must be ravager, and he now understood how he hid so well. His armor was pitch black with no distinguishing marks and it seemed to consume light instead of reflect it. His squad raised their weapons at the new figure, but Shepard quickly waved them down. Smiling, he said, "You're quite the sight."

"Ironic since I try so hard not to be seen." Ravager replied, walking to within arms length of Shepard. He stood still and said nothing else, radiating with a sense of calm despite the fact he was outnumbered by six heavily armed strangers. Shepard found his helmet slightly off-putting as he couldn't find any indication of a viewport, resorting to guessing where Ravager's eyes were.

"I'm going against the Collectors, and I need the best at my side." Shepard said after a moment of silence, trying to read Ravager's reaction. Ravager merely shrugged, as if apologetic.

"An important mission I'm sure, but I'm on a mission of my own." Ravager said with a tone of finality, but Shepard wouldn't let him go that easily.

"Then lets make a deal. You help me with my mission and we'll help you with yours." Shepard stepped aside briefly so that Ravager could get a good look at his squad, but he didn't seem to notice. Instead his head followed the Commander, as if the others were unimportant.

"And what happens if I die on your mission?"

"You'll have the best team in the galaxy with you." Shepard said without missing a beat. It was a question he was prepared for and his answer was important. He had to sell the team aspect to Ravager, otherwise he might not be convinced to join them. "We'll cover each others backs no matter what, and we'll always be there for one another." Shepard knew he was gambling, making such promises like this. He hadn't gathered his entire team yet, and he still wasn't sure how well everyone he already had would work together. Still, he had hope and it was the only card he really had left anyway.

"Plus, a good team will make your mission that much easier." Shepard believed his team would work well with one another, but it didn't really matter what he thought, only what Ravager thought. Ravager stood stock still, giving no indication on what he thought about the offer. Shepard soon began growing restless, not wanting to stay here any longer than he needed to. There was no telling what sort of shady characters would come to investigate the gunfight, lowlifes hoping to steal from the dead or any number of option. Miranda soon chimed in to try to sway Ravagers mind.

"You'll be well rewarded for you assistance."

Ravager waved his hand at that. "No need for that, my mind's made up." He extended his arm towards Shepard, who smiled and clapped hands with him.

"Welcome to the crew then. Follow us back to my ship and I'll give you the full details there."

"There's just one more thing I need to take care of..." Ravager said. Quckly whipping out his pistol before anyone knew what was happening he pulled the trigger twice. The slavers slumped in Garrus' and Zeed's arms as they were shot in the head, looks of surprised fear frozen on their faces. Garrus and Zaeed let them slide out of their hands and to the floor as they pulled out their weapons, aiming for their new squad mate, followed closely by everyone except Shepard. Shepard whirled onto Ravager and jabbed a finger into his chest.

"What the hell was that?" he growled.

"They didn't deserve to continue breathing, even if it was in this foul air." Ravager replied coldly. Shepard jabbed his finger into him again.

"We don't shoot unarmed civilians!"

"I'd hardly call slavers 'civilians'." Ravager deadpanned.

Shepard grunted and took a more relaxed posture. "Doesn't matter. What I say goes, is that clear?" Shepard asked sternly, scowling at the man before him. In lieu of a response Ravager gave him a mock salute. Shepard huffed and turned to walk back to the Normandy. "Squad, fall in."

"What about the slaves?" Miranda asked, trying to coax the Human woman to stand though she was trying to squirm out of Miranda's grip.

"Bring them to the Normandy and we'll figure out what to do from there. I trust Doctor Chakwas more than any doctor from Omega." There was a soft cough behind, and Shepard looked to see Mordin looking coy. "You know what I meant." he said with a grin.

The squad, now including Ravager soon fell into step behind Shepard, though Mordin, Miranda, and Jacob were having some difficulty getting the former slaves to walk with them. But soon enough the weak women gave up and resigned themselves to being led down the streets of Omega. Shepard frowned again as he saw scars and welts on their exposed skin, knowing that they had been beaten into submission and that they would have a hard time adapting to being free again.

"Sickening, isn't it?" a voice said beside him. It sounded familiar but he couldn't place a name on it until he glanced over. He was shocked to see a Batarian walking with him until he realized that said Batarian was wearing the pitch black armor and holding the helmet of Ravager. His four eyes stared ahead blankly as if he was trying to avoid looking at the slaves.

"You're a Batarian?" Shepard asked in bewilderment, trying to mask the surprise in his voice.

"Not all Batarians like slavery, Commander."

He said it so simply that Shepard almost laughed. Never in a million years would he have dreamed that Ravager, the "Bane of the Slaver" was a Batarian. He wouldn't have said it out loud, but he honestly thought that all Batarians at least accepted slavery. All that talk about it being an "important part of their culture" had gotten to him, influenced his perception of all Batarians. He prided himself on not being racist but here he caught himself thinking the worst about an entire species, and he hated himself for it.

He didn't reply to the Batarian, nodding absently to himself. Ravager didn't feel like saying anything else, it seemed, and they continued walking next to each other in silence.


Here's a new story idea I have, let me know what you think. Please and thank you.