One hit. Two hits. A billion hits. Nothing would stop her, ever. She was determined to succeed. Her family's honor depended on it. When the ship would hit the landing zone, her mission would begin.

FIRST LIGHT

Though the trip had been rather short and pleasant - by her standards, at least, Phoebe was still deeply relieved to hear the ship boarding at the station, releasing blots of dust as it hit the dry ground of Tuchanka. She didn't like traveling. She'd become homesick quite quickly ; she'd start missing her parents, and the influence of her reputation as a hotheaded little thug would decrease the farther away she traveled from Invictus.

Quickly, she jumped off the front door, summoning her omni-tool and signing off her registration to the trading ship's passenger list. Immediately, the first thing she noticed was the smell. It stunk of tar and burnt steel, a mix between the stench of long forgotten krogan sewers, full of dirt, unclean water and bodily dejections, and the nose-wrinkling reek of a burning ship, or vehicle of any sort. That, she knew, would be a scent she'd remember for a long time.

It followed her even when she walked further down into the first krogan structure she found ; it seemed slightly less prominent now, most likely because of some vents here and there into the building. But this stench wasn't the only thing that walked in her shadow, though this new presence didn't reek as much, but she could feel eyes, everywhere, gazing down at her thin figure like a varren would eye a prey hungrily. Krogans surrounding her, scouting her every movements. When she went through the first corridor into the building, she heard three of them lowering their voices and discreetly throwing glances at her. When she turned to the right, another krogan wrinkled his nose and spat at her feet. This rude and coarse act made her raise her eyes immediately. She locked her golden pupils right into the Krogan's crimson orbs, and her fist, now clenched tightly, trembled as she wondered how bad the repercussions would be if she were to kill someone not even two minutes into her visit to an enemy planet. This thought quickly dissipated, and Phoebe moved her burning gaze away from this krogan, resolving to turn her back and stop minding his presence, or else she would really end up blasting him with her biotics.

A beam of light went through a hole in the concrete ceiling, lighting up her path towards the exit. The stench had seemingly toned down, though Phoebe could still smell the bitter scent of burnt tar when she exited the building again. More krogans would surround her. Most would turn their heads immediately at the sight of her, clenching their teeth, calling their friends to look at the peculiar visitor. Perhaps even plot her murder in the next twenty minutes. She didn't feel welcomed at all, and that was a certainty. But of course. She didn't expect anything else ; nor could she predict her guide would chicken out at the last second and leave her alone in this hellhole. Turians and Krogans had the worst history of rivalry in the whole Milky Way. And, sometimes, she could understand why her native brothers and sisters hated those rude bastards, with their stupid laws and their stupid codes. Today, she would ensure that her family's name would not be betrayed again in favor of those rules.

"Leave." A loud, low-pitched voice echoed. Phoebe didn't even have time to turn back and see who was talking to her before a huge hand gripped her shoulder and threw her aside. She stood firmly on her feet, avoiding falling down. Probably one of the hugest, largest krogans she'd ever seen stood in front of her, barring her path.

"I am here- on a business visit." She bitterly replied, trying her best to cool down and avoid going on a killing spree right away. This could end in a bloodbath, for all she knew. But she was ready to defend herself - and she didn't plan on losing, at all. For now though, it was best to remain calm and collected.

"I said, leave. Filth." The huge krogan immediately answered back, cracking his knuckles and walking closer to her. So close, one step further again, and soon his chest would almost touch hers, his face looking down at her, and his reeking breath almost giving her nausea, again.

She didn't break eye contact. Her mouth trembled, and signs of her biotic charges started to glow from her digits ; but, still, still she tried her very best to remain calm. Breathe. Focus on the mission. Focus on her goals. Nothing. Else. Mattered.

"And I said, I am here on-" A punch right into her jaw cut her mid-sentence. She crumbled on the ground, the blow being too hard to roll with. She brought a hand to her face, touching her plated cheek ; it would soon swell up, for sure. If she were to start taking time to analyze the whole situation, nothing was logical. Krogans were brutal, yes, but they wouldn't attack someone on sight, even a Turian, especially if said Turian told them the reason of her visit - business. The pieces didn't add up.

Though she wanted to, Phoebe didn't have time to react. As soon as the first punch hit her face, a panacea of blows followed ; kicks, headbutts, slaps, and more and more punches. She tried to sit up and throw a biotic shot, but she was overwhelmed, and greatly outnumbered, of course. After a few seconds, at least six or seven Krogans were at her throat, beating her up mercilessly.

"Enough, boys. We're done here." An echo came to her ears, and after what seemed to have been an eternity, the beat up stopped. Her vision was blurry and blood would pour from her plated lips. She felt rough hands lifting her up like a bag of meat, thrown over some Krogan's shoulder. She blinked a few times and saw the ground moving rapidly ; said Krogan was walking away with her, followed by his mates. They were bantering and laughing like if nothing happened. They entered the building she came from, and after a few minutes, a blinding light pierced her vision again. The sun was horribly hot and bright today - if she hadn't been half-dead, she'd even wonder if it was like that everyday on Tuchanka. But right now, this was the very last of her concerns.

Her body was soon moved again as the Krogan who carried her gripped her again, and threw her violently onto what seemed to be a steeled deck. She heard a door closing immediately after, followed by the distinct sound of an engine being started up. Great. After using her as a punching-ball, they had apparently decided to ship her away to who-knows-which galaxy.

Quite rapidly, the ship started and flew off Tuchanka. She could feel the roars of the engine under her stomach, shaking her up and down on what she assumed to be the floor of the cargo trunk of the ship. Pained groans would escape her mouth as she tried to sit up, but found herself unable to move a single muscle without sending waves of striking pain into her whole body.

This mission was off to a good start.