Chapter Two
The target is here. Yes, definitely in this area. Don't lose him now!
Zeldo Kariss, the council's youngest Salarian Spectre agent, strode through the evening streets on yet another crummy world in the Terminus Systems. Known only as "Zeta 24-B," its cities bustled with smugglers, slaver rings, escaped criminals, and prostitutes. Many people referred to worlds like this as an "Omega away from Omega," a twist on the Human phrase "home away from home."
He pitied anyone who called Omega home.
The Salarian swallowed tightly and felt his heart race in his chest. For days, he and his Turian mentor had swept this filthy city, and finally, the human known as Mark Evans had been found, having fled Council space weeks ago. Wanted for repeated offenses of kidnapping and smuggling Red Sand, the council had finally sent Zeldo after him after he tried to hack secure computer systems on the Citadel. Before, the man had been just another scumbag. But now, during the Reaper invasion war, anyone who committed a crime on the Citadel warranted a Spectre's attention. Mark Evans was wanted dead or alive. And Zeldo always liked having multiple options.
And as the rookie Spectre in need of in-field experience, he had been handed the job.
"See him yet?" came a voice on Zeldo's earpiece. It was Davi Cestello, a fellow Turian Spectre, and Zeldo's mentor. He had driven him here and sat parked in the city limits.
He sighed impatiently. "No, not yet. But I'm close. Trust me."
"This is only your second mission, agent Kariss," Davi reminded him sternly. "You haven't even broken your training wheels yet."
"You sure like human phrases, don't you?"
"Yeah. I love them. Now hurry up and get a positive ID."
"Copy that. Agent Kariss out." he rolled his large, dark eyes as he walked further down the city's main street. One of these days, he'll recognize me as a peer and call me Zeldo! Not yet, unfortunately.
All around, he saw crowds of Humans, Turians, Batarians, and Asari, most with a pistol or knife at their belts, and all with a guarded expression. Neon signs advertised strip clubs and drug dens, while wheeled vendors offered hot, sizzling food to passerbys. In the sky, rusty hovercars roared past, and above them, the dark, cloudy sky threatened rain. He could already hear occasional thunder over the city noise.
A large luxury yacht hovered by far overhead, its spotlights sweeping the city at random. No doubt that some rich slimebag was up there, wealthy from all kinds of criminal enterprises. It made his blood boil; in these dark times, how could anyone turn on their fellows for profit? It was the end of days! Reapers scoured the galaxy, and people like this still invested in dirty deeds. Did no one stand for justice anymore? Well, at least Zeldo did!
"Hey, sugar! Looking for a good time?" An Asari prostitute stood at a street corner nearby, waving to Zeldo with a well-practiced smile.
He shook his head as he felt a raindrop hit it. "Sorry. Council business."
The Asari's face fell. "Oh." She shrank back, as though fearing arrest.
You're beneath my notice. Relax, he thought, brushing past the Asari. Back home in Council space, some had considered him fairly attractive, with healthy, frog-green skin and "deep" eyes, as a girl had once described them. But to Zeldo, he considered himself more of a monk, dedicated to justice and order and destroying evil wherever he found it. Some considred him naive; he considered himself part of a dying but noble breed.
The occasional raindrops became a light drizzle, and Zeldo heard another rumble of thunder as nearby people took out their umbrellas. I won't be able to see in heavy rain. Got to hurry. Come on, Mark Evans, where are you?
A chattering crowd of Batarians walked past, and when they cleared, Zeldo spotted him at last. He knew the Human's lean, angular face from the case file, right down to his stud earrings and small tuft of beard. He wore light, cheap armor and chatted with what looked like a bodyguard.
Eagerly, Zeldo crept closer, trying not to draw attention to himself. He wore white, brand-new armor with black highlights and a utility belt (complete with medi-gel packets), but he didn't stand out as much as one would think; plenty of well-armored thugs wandered these streets. The rain slowly grew heavier as he approached, praying that he didn't spook the target.
After a few seconds of talk, Mark Evans and his friend set off toward an unassuming warehouse nearby. Zeldo followed, trying to hide behind larger people whenever possible. He checked his gear as he went, wondering how to do this. At his belt he holstered a high-quality Stinger pistol, two combat knives, and a dart thrower. Once, he had taken out an armored Krogan with a well-placed dart to the neck. The Krogan's heavy shotgun hadn't mattered much when the poison had taken effect.
Today, though, Zeldo thought he'd save the pistol as a last resort. Its noise would attract all kinds of attention that he didn't want, so poison and fists would do for today. Zeldo was no master, but he prided himself in his martial arts training; a combination of Turian CQC (close-quarters combat) and traditional Asari martial stances. Davi Cestello preffered carbines and rifles, but Zeldo liked to keep things simple. Fists didn't run out of ammo.
Just as lightning started to flash overhead, he got what he wanted: Mark Evans and his friend swung open the warehouse's front door and walked in. Maybe to meet someone for a deal? Or maybe review inventory? Let's see. So, Zeldo made sure that no one was watching him, and climbed a stack of crates to reach a window. He hopped inside.
The place was dark and cool, and he smelled rust and oil stains everywhere. Only half the lights were on, creating deep shadows. Well, no matter. He crept past asiles of crates and parked forklifts and followed the sound of the men's voices. It sounded like they were now meeting another person, based on a new deep voice.
Zeldo unclasped his pistol-sized dart thrower and clenched it tightly as he approached the unsuspecting party. He rounded a corner and saw Mark Evans meeting a taller, dark-skinned human with a bald head and an expensive suit. He had two bodyguards armed with pistols. So, a business meeting! Sorry, boys, but the meeting's cancelled today.
For just a moment, Zeldo hesitated. The bigger human might be Mark Evans' boss, or a middle man for an even greater crime lord. Should he be captured? Then again, that would be tricky, and so many criminals lived here, it would make little difference in the long run. Mark was who mattered right now. It was decided.
With one bold move, Zeldo stepped into the open, lined up his crosshairs, and fired. With a click, a dart flashed through the air, but Mark Evans moved at the last possible second. One of the three bodyguards flinched as the dart hit his shoulder, and a second later, he collapsed, unconscious.
Zeldo hastily loaded a new dart, heart hammering in his chest. Missed!
"Get him!" Mark shouted, pointing. He and the other Humans drew their pistols and fired.
Pow! Pow! Pow! Light flashed from the pistols' muzzles and deafening booms bounced off the walls' confines. He winced and shrank behind cover, and he heard the pistol rounds punch through a metal crate. He'd have to find another way around to get a good position, but where? His eyes drifted to a dark corner, and he hurried over.
"He's over here!" Mark called. He, and apparently the other three men followed Zeldo's footsteps and rounded the corner, while the Salarian crouched in the dark corner. Zeldo's dart thrower had been holstered, and he now held a knife in his left hand.
Warily, the bodyguards led the party, their eyes scanning the whole place. Then, Zeldo sprang from cover and swiped his knife through the air. Red blood spurted as the blade sliced into the first Human's exposed neck.
Yes! He shoved the bleeding man aside and quickly delivered a heavy punch to the other bodyguard. Air whooshed from the man's lungs and he was helpless as Zeldo knocked him out with a blow to the temple.
Then, he whirled to face Mark Evans and his tall business partner. Quickly, he darted side to side and snapped out a kick, knocking Mark's pistol from his hands.
"Bad idea, friend." With surprising speed, Mark's fist collided with Zeldo's temple in a vicious uppercut, and Zeldo stumbled back, stunned.
The bigger Human leveled his pistol and fired another deafening shot, but the shot went wide and Zeldo dropped into a crouch to lower his center of gravity. With a cry, he pounced and threw two quick punches, aiming right for Mark's face.
Mark blocked one blow and knocked the other aside, countering with a quick jab. Zeldo spun around to dodge, then swept his foot at Mark's shin. It worked; the Human toppled, but not before he seized Zeldo's arm and tugged.
He wrenched his arm free, but not before the taller Human took his chance to fire again. Pain exploded in his chest as the shot punched through his armor and dented a rib, and a ringing filled his ears. Got... to... focus...
Mark was back on his feet and caught Zeldo with another punch to the face, and he saw his vision flicker. He heard his knife clatter to the floor, dropped from his pain-numbed fingers. Damn it! He's tougher than I expected.
Sheer adrenaline flooded Zeldo's brain as he dimly saw Mark drew back his fist for another blow. His Spectre training kicking in, the Salarian launched himself at Mark and swung his right fist upward. His knuckles smashed into Mark's jaw and the Human jerked back, stunned. His fist lowered for just a second.
Zeldo heard the Humans shouting to each other, but in his haze of pain and rage, he didn't take in a word. Instead, he bared his teeth and threw another punch. This time, Mark bashed the fist aside with an aggressive block and swung at Zeldo's face again.
Just in time, he ducked the punch and connected with a heavy blow to the stomach. Mark grunted, then seized Zeldo and grappled with him, trying to expose him to the other Human for a killing shot. Desperate, his booted feet scuffing on the floor, he placed Mark between him and the other Human, then shoved with all his might. Mark fell back for just a second, colliding with his fellow.
Now! He swooped down and picked up the fallen bodyguard's pistol, then aimed and fired. The shot slammed into the taller Human's shoulder, and the man shrieked and dropped his gun.
There was no helping it; Zeldo knew that killing the men was his only chance to get out of here alive, at the cost of a chance to question them. Grimly, Zeldo snapped off a few more shots, riddling both men with micro-bullets. Mark and the bigger man convulsed, blood seeping from their chests. Then, they finally went limp.
Zeldo double-checked that the men were dead, then collected his fallen knife and wearily sat on a small crate. He trembled in his armor and blinked a few times to clear his vision. With a shaking hand, Zeldo radioed in to Davi. "Target neutralized. Killed a business partner of his, and all their guards. Sustained bullet wound to the chest."
Zeldo heard a hiss as Davi sighed into the comm. "Damn it, agent Kariss. You can't take on one petty criminal without taking a shot? Mark Evans was near the bottom of the council's wanted list, you know. I trained you for better."
"I'll patch myself up. Anyway, he's dead, so mission complete," Zeldo bristled. It seemed like Davi would never be impressed.
"Fine. Get to the public spaceport and I'll pick you up. Interesting timing; a new mission came up for you. Higher priority than your current op." His voice grew colder. "Try not to get yourself killed in this next one, okay?"
Zeldo rolled his eyes, still huffing from exhaustion. "Yeah? What is it?"
"Council's looking for loose talent to round up for the Reaper war," Davi said flatly. "Techs, mercenaries, spies, computer experts, everything. Spectres are out looking for them now, and you've been assigned to find a Quarian rogue. Expert on mechanics and salvage."
"Really. This Quarian have a name?"
"Sure does. Frema'Zeeg, and she's a spunky one, according to the dossier. Talk her into joining the council's talent pool."
Zeldo huffed. "I go from man-hunts to recruitment? How does that happen?"
"Don't ask me. It's above my pay grade."
"Wonderful."
"Her most recent activity included a scuffle at a Volus' dockyard on Illium. She's believed to be flying to Omega on a stolen ship."
"Omega?"
"Got a problem with that, agent Kariss?"
"I was just wondering when I'd finally get to visit a pleasant world."
"There ain't any out here in the Terminus Systems, kid. See you soon."
Zeldo made a face. "Copy that. Agent Kariss out."