Chapter 2

Chora's den, 10 PM.

As we walk inside the door we get greeted by an angry looking Krogan bouncer. Both me and Kaiden flash our Spectre badges. Immediately the Krogan steps back and wishes us a good evening. We walk through the small tunnel connecting us from the Ward to the club itself. Graffiti and posters are hanging all around us. Posters for the Citadel movie, some band called the Blue Giants and again that strange hand graffiti I saw before when I talked to Luke. Coincidence?
The music gets stronger as we leave the tunnel and get into the club properly. The bass and rapid flashes stir the primal inside me. I see men and women from different races dancing provocatively wearing either skimpy dresses or handsome suits. Kaiden looks above me as several Asari dancers dance around a poll. As one of them takes off her top, the crowd goes wild and goes into a frenzy as she throws it into the mob, like a pack of hungry Varren after a bone.

"Tongue in your mouth, Alenko." I smirk as I notice him stood with his mouth agape.
"Sorry, Shepard." He replies and follows me." I've never been this place before."
"You don't do clubs?" I ask.
"No, not the club kind of guy…unless it's a club sand which. I'm more the guy who prefers sitting at home and watch a Blasto movie."
"I like Blasto." I admit." Something to do after this case maybe?"
"I like where your head's at Commander." He smirks." So how come you aren't phased by all of this?"

My eye wanders to an man sat on a chair with a bald woman sat astride of him, both kissing each other deeply as she rides him. I notice his belt came off and his trousers were lowered as the scantly clad woman rips off her shameful excuse for a top, revealing her bare back to be covered with tattoos. I see a cowboy hat lay on the ground. I don't see much of the man but I swear I saw him before…

"Shepard?" Kaiden asks.
I shake my head." Omega is worse." I reply." With worse I mean bigger. Chora's Den is a starting point for Aria T'loak to come take over the Citadel's underworld. Not our problem, not yet."
"If you say so." The major replies." So, where do you think the Joker is?"
"I already see him." I motion to a man sitting alone in the corner. He has a bushy beard, but his pale complexion and his frail stature say more than enough about his health. To those who don't know him, he is just a human with frail bones. To people who know him, he is the best pilot the Alliance ever had who fell on hard times.

I walk over to him and sit across, Kaiden sitting next to me to cut off the Joker's exit.
"Hello Mr Moreau." I smile at him." Long time no see."
Jeff Moreau AKA The Joker's pale face just got paler." C-Commander." He stammers.
"You know him?" Kaiden asks.
"He was my pilot during the Geth War." I reply honestly." Saved my ass more times than I can count."
"I served with Shepard on the SSV Normandy." Joker says." Best ship I ever flew."
"Good times." I nod.
"They were…didn't stop the Alliance from kicking me off it after the war. The only people who got it easy after it was you, Commander. Me, Pressley, Boone, Chakwas…all discharged for following you and your crazy visions. We're lucky we didn't get a firing squad, Admiral Kahoku's words."
"You know me, Hacket and Anderson did what we could, Jeff…"
"Doing what you wasn't enough Shepard." His face is turning red." I had to turn in my flight license, I cant even fly a skycar anymore!"
I cant say no to him. He is right. I let him down, I let my crew down. I saved the universe, saved the Council…at the cost of the respect of my crew, Jenkins and Williams. I have to resist the urge to pop more pills.

"is that why you are flying as a smuggler?" Kaiden saves me out of the fire.
"Yes I do, Major." Joker glares." I need to fly, I need to pay the bills. I don't want to be just a cripple scrounging of benefits." He stops." Why are you two here anyway?"
I nod at Kaiden while I take my pills to calm down.
"Last night a Asari got killed, Dr Liara Tsoni. She was murdered with a fresh Turian Talon. One you sold." Kaiden frowns.
Joker shakes his head before he takes a large sip from his whiskey." I knew this was going to bite me in the ass sooner or later…"
"Whom did you sell the Talons to, Moreau?" Kaiden frowns.

My omni tool flashes, I open it up and see a message was send to me just now. The sender is called "Legion", but the IP address doesn't make any sense. He could've send it from here to Earth to Kar'shan. I open it after checking it for viruses, there are none. It says "Shepard-Commander, you are in danger. The Cult of the Old Machine should be considered hostile and demand termination."
Cult of the Old Machine? Never heard of them before….

"I sold them to two people. One of them was a drell, another…" Joker pauses." Promise me I'll get protection?"
"Someone higher up the food chain then." Kaiden nods." Sure, you will have C-Sec protection."
Joker grumbles, but knows he has no choice." I sold the other to a representative of Harold Boone."
Harold Boone, CEO of Boone Industries. Makes everything from House cleaning tools to war mechs. Recently also got in the cybernetic enhancment department. He is also Luke's older half brother and one of the most powerful men on the Citadel. And also the owner of the apartment building Dr Tsoni was staying and a collector of Ancient relics, both Human and xeno. His Vice President is a woman called Miranda Lawson who according to Alliance intel has ties to Cerberus. Except no evidence is ever found. He will be a though nut to crack.
"Who is the other, the Drell?" Kaiden asks.
"I don't know…my boss has the names. I just sit here and wait for the buyers to show up. I only know that other guy because he had the logo on his shirt." Joker replies.
"Who is your boss, Jeff?" I ask.
"Skaarnik the weapon of fire." Jeff replies.
"Skaarnik?" I ask.
"Batarian terrorist." Kaiden says." He has blown up over fifteen Hegomoney stations and killed three hundred thousand people. All of them Hegomoney soldiers or sponsored pirates. Alliance never knew how he financed his resources or his troops and ships. Until now. He's a weapon's dealer."
"So he might know the killer then…" I look at Jeff." Where is he?"
"Omega, he-" he stops talking as the music falls still. The sighs and moans turn to gasps of fear as I hear guns being pulled of their holsters. I throw the table over to us and jump behind it before the first bullet is fired. Kaiden jumps after me and pulls his gun out. Panic and screams of horror sound through the club as everyone seems to be fleeing or pulling their own guns.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit…I knew this was going to happen, shit!" I hear Joker complain." I should've done moonshine, but no!"
I pop my head over the table as I take a shot at who is firing at us.

A group of men from different races, wearing dark hoods fire at us. But not with guns. I cant see much because of the panic but I think they…use their own limbs?
"Shepard, they are using their own hands! Cyborgs!" Kaiden shouts at me over the gunfire.
Cyborgs, another invention of Boone Industries. I never thought they got into weapons so soon though.
Several others of the patrons join us in our fight, including the bald woman and her lover. I cant see much but for a moment I thought I saw Luke in this man. Must be the hat.
I see the Krogan bouncer go down, covered in blood as the bartender meets a similar fate. I see a few Alliance marines making a text book stand maneuver, I hope out of everyone they make it out. One of the few drugged out folks stands up, confused. He didn't stand a chance as they cut him down. I feel something wet on my cheek and guess it's blood. Kaiden is shouting at me, his face looks worried. I tell him I'm fine and continue firing as the adrenaline kicks in.
I hear the bald woman shouting but it goes lost in the chaos, something about destroy. But even with her biotics, which are off the maps compared to Kaiden's, the cyborgs are nearly unstoppable. I push Joker's head down, promising him I wont let him get killed. No-one dies. Not again, not on my watch.

I pop my head over the table again but duck down just in time as a bullet nearly takes my head off. "We cant hold on much longer!" Kaiden shouts as he reloads. My omni-tool flashes again, the message opening itself. It reads "Reinforcements inbound, standby." Signed by… Legion.
The ceiling breaks open as C-Sec storms in and takes out the Cyborgs. I see Garrus in his Gunship, making headshots like no others and even Luke firing away old west style. How did they both know I was here? We take out the last one. The world moves slower now and I feel cold. I go for my cigarette and lit it up. I feel cold now, shaking.
Garrus walks over, asking me if I'm alright. I don't know how to reply.
A moment later he is gone and there is a note someone slipped in my hand.
Tomorrow, Boone industries HQ. 10 AM sharp. Signed by Harold Boone.
Somehow I don't think this is a simple murder case anymore.

TBC