SSV Passchendaele, Upper Deck

The smell of roast pork filled the mess. It was a nice change from the smell of bleach, old metal and eezo that usually hung around the ship. Ryan and Lily sat themselves down at the long steel table where Lisa had prepared their first official lunch of the mission. As per Lily's instructions, Ryan was given huge portions, enough to satiate his appetite.

The crew had done an excellent job preparing the ship for the task ahead. Ryan had insisted they all dine together aboard the Passchendaele, as a sort of bonding exercise. The crew was happily chatting among themselves, but Lily gave Ryan a worried look.

"Do you know where we're going?" she asked him. They had a ship, a mission and a crew, but they needed fighters. Warriors. As of yet, they had not come up with suitable candidates.

"I'm not sure," Ryan admitted. "I'd rather not recruit any mercs. Anyone who joins us has to do so out of conviction."

"I agree." Lily nodded. "But who? Any of your old N7-buddies who can help us out maybe?"

"I considered that. But Mark is cleaning out pockets of geth along the Veil, Anthony almost lost his arm on his last mission and Mary is still undergoing psych evals after encountering that thresher maw. It didn't go well for her and her team. Julie is handling some biotic maniac who's running a cult. And Mike, Jason and Freddy are chasing some serial killer all over Alliance Space."

Lily chewed on her meat for a bit. She stared at the ceiling, but the faraway look in her eyes made it seem as if she was staring across time and space. When she finally swallowed she looked at Ryan again. "There's always… But no, that wouldn't work," she added, backing out of her statement as soon as she said it.

"Who?"

"Nothing, leave it, you'll never…"

"Come on, spit it out," Ryan interrupted her.

"Well," Lily began, "the ideal candidate is someone who is loyal to humanity, has a considerable skill set and would be willing to join us, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Ryan nodded before taking a sip of sparkling water.

"Well, we know someone exactly like that. Only… We haven't seen him for quite some time, and he…"

Ryan slammed his glass down on the table, cutting Lily off. Drops of water flew all over the place and the crew's chattering halted to a mumble. "I don't like where you're going with this."

"Come on, he'd be perfect," Lily insisted.

"Wilson?" Ryan snorted. "He's a traitor and a junkie and I'd rather rip his head off than let him aboard my ship!" The crew almost jumped out of their seats and cleared out, sensing that their captain was about to enter one of his already notorious bad moods.

"You know what he is capable of! Tell me the truth, have you ever seen a better marksman than him?"

"No," Ryan admitted, "but that won't do him or us much good when he's snorting red sand."

"Maybe he changed?" Lily offered with a slight shrug that was much too casual to be genuine. It seemed like she was saying what she wanted to believe, not what she actually thought.

"Once a junkie, always a junkie. You should know that about him." He slammed his elbow on the table and pointed at her. "You of all people."

"We could at least try and find him," she argued despite the desperation dripping off her face and voice. "If he's still addicted or no longer capable, then we'll know that too!" Lily's sentence ended in a high-pitched tone, which Ryan knew meant she was getting excited. Much too excited.

"I swear to the stars, Lilith, if this is a trick of yours to get back…"

"It isn't!" Lily intervened, cutting Ryan off before he could finish his sentence. He knew she understood what he meant by it, and he was pleased the message was loud and clear.

Ryan got up from the table. He started pacing around the room with his hands clasped behind his back. "I wish you hadn't brought him up. The less that son of a bitch stains my thoughts the better."

"You're the one who told me to 'spit it out'."

Ryan sat himself back down again, sighing deeply. "I don't even know where he is," he said, trying to come up with excuses.

"The Shadow Broker will know. That information shouldn't be hard to come by."

"I don't trust that guy. I dislike doing dealings with the Broker and his agents. No good can ever come of it. He's manipulative and only reveals what he wants to reveal."

"He's a businessman, Captain," Lily reminded him. "Giving out misinformation would be bad for business."

Ryan averted his eyes. He clearly didn't like the idea, but he was struggling to come up with alternatives. "Fine," he finally gave in. "Let's contact the Broker."

XXX_XXX_XXX

SSV Passchendaele, Combat Information Center, Command post

"It's not every day the Alliance contacts the Shadow Broker for help, Earth-clan," Barla Von breathed through the comm channel. Ryan tapped his fingers on the steel plating next to the orange holographic interface. The volus' voice sounded way too intrigued for his liking and it made him nervous and ill-tempered.

"It's got nothing to do with official Alliance business," Lily assured him, but the Broker agent let out something that resembled a derisive snort.

"I'm sure," he said in a tone that sounded so mocking that Ryan wished he could reach through the comm channel and rip the little round alien's suit apart. Watching a volus explode was funny, in a morbid way. "But still, I am here to sell information, not question the motives of you or your government. What can I help you with, Captain Zamora?"

Ryan was not at all surprised the volus knew him by name and rank. These people dealt in information, and getting into the database of Alliance personnel was an easy job for a skilled hacker. Still, it unsettled him. But he didn't let it show. "I am looking for… an Earth-clan," Ryan replied, making a mockery of the volus' manner of speech. "A former Alliance soldier and N7-Operative. Goes by the name of Jamie Wilson. We need to know where he is."

"I see," Barla Von hissed through his helmet. "First, let's talk payment. You may choose to pay in credits, or by telling me what you need him for."

"What's to stop me from lying?" Ryan asked.

"I will know. The Earth-clan's faces are like open books," the volus threatened. "Lie to me, and you will never be able to use our services again."

"How many credits?" Lily intervened quickly, trying to keep things businesslike.

"10,000," was Barla Von's short answer. Ryan let out a short laugh.

"Good one, vol-clan. I'm not paying 10,000 creds to find that crackhead." Ryan was about to disconnect when she slapped his wrist like a mother disciplining a greedy child.

"Ryan, I mean Captain… Don't! Sir." She stumbled over her words, realizing that she might have gone a bit too far.

Ryan looked at his sister's hand on his, and pulled away. "If you weren't my sister, that could get you court-martialed. And I'm not, I repeat, not, going to pay 10,000 credits to find him. We don't have that kind of money available. End of discussion."

"Let me pay it," Lily begged. "I have some funds of my own."

Before Ryan could protest, Lily tapped some buttons on her omni-tool. At the other end of the line, Ryan heard a bleeping sound that was barely audible.

"The transaction has been completed," Barla Von revealed.

"Lily, that was a lot of money," Ryan said in hushed voice. "Are you sure you don't need it?"

"We need Jamie. Besides, I have plenty of money. I save my salary, unlike you."

Ryan shook his head, before diverting his attention back to the volus. "Right, you've got the credits. Now cough it up, short stuff. Or are you going to bleed us dry some more?"

"A deal was made," Barla Von stated, not letting Ryan's derogatory remarks get to him. "You will find Jamie Wilson on Omega."

Omega. I should've known. The place where all the scum of the universe floats to the surface.

"Omega is a big place," Ryan answered. "Can you be more specific? And don't ask for more credits, you pot-bellied leech." He heard Lily sigh next to him. She didn't approve of his uncivilized behavior, but Ryan was never one to utter disingenuous assertions.

"According to my sources, he travels around the station quite a bit. He's an employee of Aria T'Loak."

"There you have it, Lilith," Ryan said. "He's working for a criminal warlord. What did I tell you?" Lily didn't reply.

"When you get to Omega, go to Afterlife," Barla Von continued. "Request an audience with Miss T'Loak. She will know the rest. And this bit of information I will give to you for free, Earth-Clan: if you are as rude to her as you were to me, you will not leave that club alive."

"We'll see about that," Ryan replied, closing the comm channel with a press of the button.

He pressed two different buttons on the holo-interface, opening up communications with Navigator Jenkins and Cassidy, the pilot.

"Set course for Omega, Nakata. Jenkins, make sure she doesn't fly the ship into a black hole." After an affirmative answer from his crew, he turned his attention back to his sister. He leaned against the command post, folding his arms over his chest.

"You seem pretty eager to see Wilson again," he remarked. Lily folded her arms over her chest as well.

"How so?" She tried to keep her face as neutral as possible, but Ryan spotted the squint in her eyes.

"First of all I'm surprised you would ever want to see him again, after what he did to us."

"The past is the past."

"Not to me. Don't tell me you have forgiven him?"

"Not really, no. But it has been a long time. Long enough to bury our grudges and focus on helping humanity."

Ryan shook his head and turned away from her. "Dismissed, Lieutenant. Hopefully your naïveté won't cost us."

XXX_XXX_XXX

Omega, transport depot

Ryan had never been good at describing the scenery, but he was pretty pleased with his description of Omega. 'Fucking shithole' was about as close to the reality as you could get. Trying to find your way was basically impossible with all the narrow corridors, odd twists and turns and staircases leading to nowhere. The unpleasant orange hue from the lighting made it look like it was always dawn, and Ryan wasn't exactly a morning person. But what was even worse was the population. Everywhere you turned there were vorcha looking to pick a fight, drunken batarians throwing racist insults, angry krogan whining about the genophage, annoying hanar preaching their crazy religion or elcor swindlers trying to rip you off. Normally Ryan would have welcomed the sight of asari prostitutes, but since he was on duty they were more of a distraction than anything else.

"I'm not at all surprised Wilson chose this place to hide," Ryan remarked, stepping over the limp body of a hanar who had probably overdone it on the mindfish. Lily chose to walk around it. A turian in combat armor holding a Viper sniper rifle walked over and dragged it away, shaking his head in disgust. "You get many of those around here?" Ryan asked the turian. He wasn't sure if he smiled at his question, it was hard to tell with the birds.

"You must be new here," the turian replied. He chucked the hanar's body over the side of the transport depot. Ryan heard Lily gasp next to him, but she had enough sense not to let her distress show. "I'm Gavorn," he continued, extending his hand. Ryan looked at it for a second before shaking it. "I clean up the streets for Aria. This depot leads directly to Afterlife, she doesn't want it clogged with drug addicts."

"Amen to that," Ryan answered. "I'm all for chucking addicts over the side."

"Did you say 'Aria'?" Lily chimed in. This time, the turian chuckled.

"Sure did. Don't tell me you haven't heard of her."

"We have," Lily said with an indignant undertone in her voice. "We are looking for her, in fact. Business matters."

"Is that so?" Gavorn scratched his temple with the barrel of his Viper. "Well, you'll find her in Afterlife. If you get in. And if she'll see you."

"Why would she not?" Lily inquired.

"Look, humans…" Gavorn sighed, but remained friendly. Ryan suspected he was amused by their ignorance. "Unless you are of interest to Aria, she has better things to do. She has a lot of enemies and a lot of people trying to become her friends. That's just the way it is on Omega."

"Well, we won't see her by standing around here," Ryan stated. "Thanks for the help… Gavorn, was it?" Ryan extended his hand this time. The turian did not hesitate to answer the gesture.

"Preitor Gavorn. You two seem okay. Tell Afterlife's bouncer my name, and I'm pretty sure he'll let you in. He owes me a favor or two from when I literally got those vorcha blackmailers off his back. Just remind him of me and my tricks."

"Appreciate it." Ryan gave power to his words with a nod and they moved on.

The entrance to Afterlife turned out to be right around the corner. An elcor bouncer imposingly stood in front of a queue that was contained by red velvet ropes. It was made up of mostly aliens, but there were quite a few humans as well. Mostly boys and girls in their early twenties, looking for a wild night out, looking to forget their everyday lives. Whether it was grinding against the backside of an asari dancer or drinking vorcha mead until you puked your guts out, it was probably a much needed change from the rut of their daily jobs. Ryan wondered what had possessed these people to come to Omega. Were they colony kids whose prospects had faltered? Earthlings who had grown tired of city life? He couldn't imagine anyone would live here voluntarily unless they were xenophiles or criminals.

Having no intention to wait in line, Ryan walked straight past the ropes towards the main entrance which was heavily guarded by batarians. When they saw him approach, they aimed their Eviscerator shotguns at him but didn't say a word. The bayonets under the barrels shimmered in the orange glow. Ryan mock-apologetically held up his arms. Their attempt to hold him back was laughable. Ryan knew he could warp the batarian's armour and unleash a biotic knockback throw to create a biotic explosion without breaking a sweat; but starting a fight on Omega wasn't what he had come for.

"I'm just trying to get in, guys." Behind him, the elcor turned around and slowly walked over to him on his four massive legs.

"Intimidating," the elcor stated in his boring, monotone voice, "the queue starts back there." It swung its head to the side towards the people who were waiting to get in.

"We have business with Aria," Lily tried, but the elcor flapped its nose as if it was laughing.

"Condescendingly: I'm sure you do, human. Mockingly: you and everybody else waiting to get in."

"Look, friend, we're not here to cause a fuss," Lily continued. "We need to ask her something important."

"Trust me," Ryan continued, "we don't want to enter that stinkhole for our own amusement, pal."

"Dismissive: get lost, then."

"I've been lost for two hours, I have no intention to start again. Besides, Preitor Gavorn told me I could come in. Something about him, you, vorcha and Gavorn's tricks."

The elcor stared at him. It was impossible to guess what he was thinking, but his reply soon erased all doubt. "Reluctantly: fine, you can go in. Warning: just this once, though."

The door hissed open and Ryan and Lily entered much to the dismay of the people still waiting in line. Ignoring the jeers behind them, they walked through the round tunnel where bunches of patrons were lined up against the walls.

"Damn elcor. He should really cut down on the adverbs, it's just plain annoying." Taking a good look around, Ryan noticed Afterlife's patrons. "Lots of aliens here." He saw asari young and old sipping cocktails. Palefaced turians arguing about what was the best way to take down an Armiger Legionnaire. Krogan without clan or kin boasting how many sons they had fathered.

"What did you expect? This isn't Alliance Space," Lily mumbled. Ryan had to lean in to understand her. The music coming from Afterlife's main hall was growing louder and louder. Already he could feel the beat vibrate through his body.

A shady salarian approached Ryan from behind, putting his hand on his shoulder. Years of rigorous combat training kicked in the moment the alien made contact. Ryan snatched the salarian's wrist, twisted it and swept his legs from underneath him with a simple kick. The unknown assailant hit the floor with a muffled thud. Ryan's hands flared up in a blue biotic haze and he held it above the alien's head. Lily was surprised, but held her omni-tool at the ready just the same, to make sure neither her brother or the salarian did something stupid.

"What!?" Ryan shouted. The salarian's eyes grew large and he started panicking. He shook his head from side to side and started talking faster than anything Ryan or Lily had ever heard.

"Please, please, no. Don't hurt me, please. Just wondering, saw you out here. Never seen before, thought you were new customers. Wanted to offer you something, nothing more. Please, meant no harm, please."

"Let him go, Capt… Ryan," Lily said. Her omni-tool faded and she was ready to drop the matter, but her brother would hear none of it.

"What did you want to offer?" he asked.

"Many come here to have a good time, yes. A good time is something I can offer. Wanted to offer you some Hallex. Very costly, but for you I can make an exception. Free sample, as gesture of good will. Please," the salarian rambled, but Ryan wasn't happy with his answer. He took the salarian by the collar and effortlessly lifted him up into the air with one hand before dropping him on his feet.
"Get out of my face before I shove that shit back up through your cloaca," he snarled. Happy to oblige, the salarian made himself scarce. Ryan shook his head. "Damn drug dealers. I should've done what Gavorn did and tossed him into an abyss."

"Omega has no laws or rules like we do, Ryan. I guess he can deal in whatever he wants, as long as he gives Aria a cut of his profits."

"I'm starting to like this plan of yours less and less. These aren't the kind of people I want to deal with."

"I'm guessing we're going to have to deal with a lot worse before this is over." Lily sighed. "Maybe I should talk to Aria?"

"What makes you say that?" Are you implying something, little girl?

"You seem a bit… flammable. Doesn't matter. All I'm saying is I want this to go well. Remember what Barla Von said, you don't want to piss her off."

"Who cared what that pot-bellied swindler thinks?"

"I do." Lily stopped and put her hand on Ryan's shoulder. Unlike the salarian, she didn't end up with her back on the floor, but she looked deep into her brother's eyes. "I just want this to go well. That's all. We've spent too much time, money and effort already to let this go to waste. We have to find Jamie, and only Aria can point us at him." Ryan considered it for a moment, and then shrugged.

"Fine, if that's what you want. Then at least you can't say I sabotaged your plan. You talk to her, but I'm staying with you, in case things go south."

Lily smiled and resumed walking with a noticeable spring in her step. She always liked approval, and Ryan's approval, which he handed out sparingly, meant more to her than anyone else's.

As soon as they entered the main room, they were hit right in the face by the exhilarating deep bass of 'Kickback', the latest hit of Blueball'D J, the turntable biotic. Right in front of them was an enormous pink holographic pillar, around which asari maidens were dancing enthusiastically on an elevated circular platform. They were being watched closely by some of the patrons, who occasionally tipped their favorites with a quick tap on their omni-tool. Dozens of other people were also dancing wildly, carelessly spilling their drinks as their arms flailed about. Many cross-specied lovers could be seen making out on the dance floor, at the tables or even at the bar counter on the right. Much to Ryan's surprise, he saw a female turian and a young human who couldn't be much older than 17 passionately kissing each other, their arms wrapped tightly around their lover. The kid had a huge purple tattoo on his face that matched his girlfriend's.

"Love knows no boundaries, huh?" Lily remarked, noticing how Ryan raised an eyebrow at the spectacle.

"I guess not." It wasn't uncommon for someone to fall in love with an alien, Ryan himself found most asari pleasant to look at, but he had never seen a human with a female bird before. The lingering animosity after First Contact and the turian militaristic lifestyle made relationships between humans and turians a rare sight. And then there was the suspicion that the turians liked to hide their women. You could sometimes travel across the entire Citadel and never see a single one of them.

It wasn't hard to figure out where Aria was, even amongst the chaos. Past the pink column, there were two sets of stairs, guarded by a turian on the left and a batarian on the right. They took the stairs on the left-hand side, which led them to a VIP-area of some sorts. It was heavily guarded by a bunch of turians with Avenger and Vindicator battle rifles. At the top of another short set of stairs sat one of the most beautiful asari matriarchs Ryan had ever seen. She had a body that rivaled that of Athame herself: wide hips, slim waist, long legs and big, round breasts packed tightly in a small white jacket with a high collar. Her skin tone had a slight purple hue and was decorated by subtle, stylish tattoos. She radiated power and authority. She clearly was not a woman to be fucked with. What a shame.

As soon as Ryan and Lily approached, they were swarmed by the turians guarding her. Ryan wanted to grab for the Paladin at his hip, but Lily stopped him. One of the turians took a scan with his omni-tool.

"If this is about weapons," Ryan began, "don't bother. I'm a biotic and could rip you to shreds without having to fire my gun once." Lily shook her head, already regretting taking Ryan along. At the top of the stairs, Aria laughed.

"Standard procedure, human. No scan, no talk." Her voice was surprisingly silent. "But I admire your confidence." Aria T'Loak stood upright, and now Ryan noticed how broad her shoulders were. She took a couple of steps down. "It's not every day we get a visit from an Alliance Captain." She looked into Ryan's eyes, to see what reaction she got out of him. All Ryan did was grin. The turians backed down, letting Ryan and Lily keep their Paladin and Talon.

"News travels fast around here."

"Don't think for a single solitary second that I don't know everything about anyone who sets foot on my station."

"We're not here on Alliance business, I can assure you," Ryan lied with as straight a poker face as he could muster. And it was a good one. Aria seemed almost inclined to believe him.

"Then what are you here for?" She took the stairs back up. Ryan admired her rear as she elegantly took her seat back. She motioned for Ryan and Lily to come and sit to her right. Lily cleared her throat and answered in her brother's stead.

"We came to find someone," Lily truthfully said. "We paid Barla Von and he said we could find him here."

"Barla Von, that little scoundrel?" The asari grinned, apparently amused by the situation. "Of all the Shadow Broker's agents you used that tiny round-bellied buffoon? He's a financial genius, but that's exactly why I wouldn't trust him with a single solitary credit of mine." Aria crossed her legs. Ryan didn't mind having agreed to shut his mouth during the negotiation. It gave him lots of opportunities to admire the view. "Anyway, back to business. Who are you looking for?"

"We were told he's an agent of yours. Jamie Wilson."

"Jamie?" Aria smiled. The devilish twinkle in her eyes suggested they were indeed acquainted. "Sure, I know him. One of my best. If not the best. What do you want with him? You're not here to kill him, I hope."

"We need his help," Lily confessed. Ryan noticed in his sister's body language she was nervous. He didn't blame her, Aria was an intimidating woman.

"With what?"

"A mission."

"I thought your Captain – or should I say brother- said that this wasn't Alliance business?"

"It's not." Aria piled on the pressure but despite Lily's apparent nerves she seemed to be holding her own. She kept her answers short and to the point, not allowing her voice to crack or waiver.

Aria grinned. "Oh, I get it. Unofficial Alliance business, huh?"

"I can't say anything about that."

"It's all right, sugarpops. I understand. But the way I see it, you come into my house, asking me to do you a favor. What's in it for me?"

"We would both owe you a great personal debt of gratitude."

"Hmm," Aria pondered. The flicker in her eyes was a sign of greed. Ryan knew it all too well. Clearly she was seeing the benefits of an Alliance Captain and Lieutenant owing her a favor. "Mardo," she called out at the turian who had scanned Ryan and Lily earlier, "summon Jamie. Tell him I need him." The turian started pressing holo-buttons on his omni-tool and Aria shifted her focus back to her human visitors.

"Now, tell me where you know him from."

"We went to school together when we were kids," Lily replied. It wasn't a lie. Ryan didn't like Lily handing out private details from their past, but he had agreed to keep his mouth shut. "Astrodome Military School, one of the finest schools on Earth. Graduation means enlisting with the Alliance, basically. The better your results, the higher the rank you start with. Jamie and Ryan both entered as Gunnery Chiefs, the highest possible at that age. He also served for the N7's with my brother."

"Yes, he told me about that. He also told me he got kicked out, but never told me why."

"He screwed up," Lily revealed. "Big time. He got his entire squad killed, except for Ryan."

"What happened?" Aria asked out of interest. Whether it was genuine or not, Ryan couldn't tell. He wouldn't mind laying out the details for Aria, so she could see the kind of men she employed, but Ryan wasn't sure if she'd care one way or the other.

"You needed me, Aria?" a familiar voice said, dripping with its typical Cockney accent. Ryan's heart skipped a beat when he recognized him, and judging by his sister's reaction, hers skipped several. He had changed a lot over the years, though, but his twinkling blue eyes were unmistakable. His hair was longer and combed back so tightly his head looked like a brown snooker ball. He had grown a rather large, carefully groomed beard that hid most of his lower face. It was hard to see the smooth-skinned, baby-faced N7 with a buzzcut underneath all that hair, but he looked a lot more mature and a lot better built than back in the day. But what was most important to Ryan: he looked clean.

"These people claim to know you," the asari matriarch said, waving at Ryan and Lily. Ryan felt his fist clench tight as his anger resurfaced. He wanted to do nothing more than slap a singularity on Wilson's ass, but much to his surprise he managed to contain himself. It got worse when Jamie recognized them. A slight smile crept up the man's face. To Ryan's surprise he looked pleased to see them. The feeling wasn't mutual. The urge to punch him in the face and wipe away that stupid grin was getting stronger and stronger with every passing second.

"I sure do," Jamie replied. "It's wonderful seeing you again, Lily. And… Ryan."

"Charmed," Ryan snarled. Lily was at a loss for words. She was just staring at him, in his black and red Colossus armor. Her schoolgirl behavior was awkward and pitiful. He couldn't begin to guess what she was thinking right now; and for some reason, he didn't really want to know.

"Seems like they need your help," Aria continued.

"Oh?" Jamie answered, sounding intrigued. Ryan noticed the enormous sniper rifle bound to Jamie's back. One of Wilson's own design, no doubt. He always liked modifying and building his own guns. Jamie walked up the stairs that led to Aria's couch. He took the giant rifle off of his back. Ryan instinctively wanted to flare up his biotics, but realized that Wilson couldn't sit down with that thing strapped to him. Jamie sat himself down, in between Aria and Lily. And he did not like the kind of looks his sister was throwing the former N7.

I hope I'm just imagining this…

"Well, let's hear it, then." . Aria grinned as Jamie was seated. "I understand it's some kind of… unofficial mission for the Alliance?"

"I told you I can't…" Lily began, but Aria cut her off.

"Look, sweet cheeks. You come on my station, taking up my time, trying to steal one of my top employees. I want full disclosure and if you disagree, you can fuck right off. Am I making myself clear?" Aria's voice grew more forceful with every word and Ryan had to bite his tongue to stop himself from answering.

"I… I… But… You said you understood I couldn't talk about it… and… you…" Lily stammered.

"I changed my mind," was Aria's simple explanation.

"You're making her nervous, Aria," Jamie intervened. "Mardo," he motioned, addressing the turian head of security, "take your men and go. We can take care of ourselves for a minute. And clear out the VIP." Mardo waited for a slight nod from Aria before executing their orders. Jamie commanding her security showed he had some measure of authority, but Aria was still very much in control. The team of turians and batarians cleared out, but not before telling the guests seated at the tables at the bottom of the stairs to get out. When it was just the four of them, Jamie started talking again. "Whatever you've got to say will stay between the four of us," he assured. "Aria has no quarrel with the Alliance and she's great at keeping secrets. Right, Aria?"

"Oh, absolutely." She grinned, making Ryan doubt whether she was mocking them or not. "I have no interest in starting a galactic war, humans. I'm not that bored. Omega is my life, I don't care much about the rest of the galaxy."

"Then why this full disclosure bullshit?" Ryan answered, unable to keep his mouth shut any longer.

"You never know when this intel might come in handy. And I hate it when people talk behind my back."

Fair enough, Ryan thought. He didn't like it, but he understood her logic. In her position, he would want the same. And now was not the time to have a stick up one's ass. "All right. Tell them, Lily." His sister nodded and started explaining.

"We're tracking down some batarians who have been attacking human colonies," Lily elaborated without giving away too much information. "Pirate and slaver activity have increased drastically and we have to find out why and put a stop to it."

"I see." Aria nodded, agreeing with Lily's statement. "It's true that the batarians are rowdier than usual. My guess is you want to keep this hidden to protect the already volatile peace between the Alliance and Hegemony right?" She looked at Lily and smiled. "It's okay, you don't have to answer that. It's probably true. So you're going to hunt down space pirates, are you? How exciting." Her tone was mocking, but to Ryan's surprise not unsympathetic. "And you want my best operative to accompany you?"

"We need a team, we can't do it on our own," Lily admitted. "We know what Jamie is capable of and because of our shared history he seemed like a logical choice."

"I see." Aria nodded once again.

"There is one thing, though," Ryan intervened, breaking silence. "How do we know you're clean, Wilson?" Ryan sat up straight, letting his piercing gaze fall over Jamie. He didn't respond, but stared at the ground, avoiding Ryan's stare. It was shame, the captain realized, which pleased him. Seeing that he didn't answer for himself, Aria replied on Jamie's behalf.

"Do I look like the kind of asari who employs drug addicts, Captain Zamora?" Aria said. The mention of Ryan's rank and title made Jamie look up again. That's right, you son of a bitch. Captain Zamora. Something you'll never be. "Whatever Jamie might have done in the past, he is rid of it now, I can assure you. I dislike drug addicts."

"Fancy that, coming from the foremost drug pusher in the Terminus Systems."

"Why, Captain," Aria replied, "flattering me isn't going to make this negotiation go any easier." She grinned, and Ryan had trouble containing a smile of his own. For a warlord, she was all right. "It's true, I take advantage of them. Why shouldn't I? They're weak, and their weakness is my wealth. That doesn't mean I respect them. I do respect Jamie however, that is out of the question."

Ryan pondered the matter. Earning Aria T'Loak's respect didn't seem like an easy feat.

"And because I respect Jamie," Aria continued, I will allow him to make this decision for himself."

All eyes went out to the bearded operative. Jamie looked at his right pectoral, where once the N7 emblem had proudly shimmered. He softly stroked his hairy left cheek with his index finger as he pondered the issue. Taking a deep breath, he stood up from the couch and grabbed his rifle.

"I can shoot the cock off a pyjak from miles off," Jamie said, looking through his scope. "It always came natural to me… Like second nature."

"Shooting cocks off pyjaks is like second nature to you?" Ryan intervened, his eyebrows rising while making fun of Jamie's statement. Lily jabbed her elbow into his side. "Hey, everybody needs a hobby." Ryan smiled, but Jamie went on as if nothing had happened.

"I've always been proud of my abilities. But I can't say that I've lived a life without regrets." Jamie lowered his rifle and stared at the Afterlife dance floor down below through the glass wall behind the couch. "My discharge from the Alliance has always haunted me. I know I can never get it all back, but… I would be honoured to fight for humanity once more." He swung the rifle over his back where it attached itself to the magnetic holders. "You've got me and my gun if you want it, Ryan. Lily. For whatever it's worth."

"How dramatic!" Aria exclaimed, clapping her hands. "That settles the matter, then. I'll be sad to see you go, Jamie. But I'm sure you'll be back when this is all over." Aria spawned her omni-tool and shouted a few orders. Within seconds, the place was crawling with security again, guaranteeing her safety. Ryan and Lily got up from the couch.

"Report to Docking Bay 48 Delta ASAP," Ryan commanded when Jamie approached him. "One footlocker of gear, plus any arms and armor you will require for shooting penises off primates. Clear?"

"Crystal, sir." Jamie saluted with a sense of pride, as if he was happy to serve under an Alliance Officer again.

"Don't salute, Wilson," Ryan reprimanded him. "You're not Alliance. Never will be again."

"Aye aye, sir."

"And don't call me sir."

"What should I call you, then?"

"Preferably, just don't talk to me. Lily, go with him, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid or run to his dealer for a re-up. I'll be aboard the Passchendaele."

"Understood, Captain," his sister answered. She seemed embarrassed by Ryan's bluntness, but there was nothing she could do. She knew that was one of the prices she had to pay for squeezing herself into this mission. Ryan walked away, giving the asari dancers near the holographic pillar another look before exiting Afterlife.

XXX_XXX_XXX

Omega, Docking Bay 48 Delta

Afterlife's music was still ringing in Ryan's ears when Lily and Jamie finally approached. It seemed like they were arguing about something. Ryan regretted leaving Lily alone with Jamie the second he walked out of the club. Not because he was worried; he didn't think Jamie would hurt Lily, and she could hold her own in a scrap. No, it wasn't that. The two of them had… a history. One he didn't want to see repeated.

"What took you so long?" Ryan asked the moment they were in earshot.

"Jamie insisted on… Well, just show him already." Lily sighed and Jamie put down his footlocker. Underneath his other arm, he held a small cage.

"What's that?"

"My cat," Jamie answered, showing Ryan the inside of the steel box. A ginger-white cat was softly purring, trying to get some sleep despite being rocked all over the place.

"It scratched me when we tried to catch it," Lily added, showing her brother her forearm. It wasn't exactly a nasty wound, but bigger than you'd expect from a small animal such as this.

"I can see it's a cat," Ryan replied. "What are you gonna do with it?"

"Take it with me, of course."

Ryan snorted derisively. "An attempt at humor, I presume?"

Jamie sighed and put the cage down. "Look, Ryan," he began, "Aria won't take it. And I'm not gonna have some batarian or krogan bodyguard watch over it. It'll probably be eaten before the day is out. And most turians are allergic to cats. Cats and birds, they just don't mix, you know?"

"I don't give a shit. That thing isn't coming aboard my ship."

"That's what I tried telling you," Lily intervened. "It's an Alliance frigate, Jamie. No place for pets."

"I need it. It's my anchor, Ryan. This cat was my responsibility project after rehab."

"Your what now?" Ryan asked, trying to resist the urge to bury his head in his hands and unleash a biotic throw on the fool. Another blood stain on the floor of the rusty Omega docks wouldn't matter much.

" I was given a wee kitten when I was trying to get clean. Present from my coach. This little bugger travelled all the way across the galaxy with me. It was my job to keep it alive, and in return it was supposed to give me responsibility over a living thing so I wouldn't get into my habit again."

"Wait, wait, wait," Ryan interrupted. "So you're telling me that in order to stay off the drugs, you need to take care of a cat?"

"That's how it works," Jamie nodded. "It was er… 'experimental' therapy. But it worked. At least so far."

This is beyond ridiculous. But if it'll help him stay clean… "That thing stays in the crew cabin, understood? If it sets one foot… paw, whatever,… in the CIC, I will personally kick it out of the airlock. And you along with it." Despite Ryan's harsh words, Jamie's expression lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Cheers. I appreciate it. It won't bother you, I guarantee it." Jamie picked up the cage and his footlocker and proceeded into the ship.

"Jenkins, our chief navigator will give you a tour," Ryan said as he followed him into the airlock. The door hissed as they stepped into the CIC.

"Splendid," Jamie answered. "I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of the crew."

"Don't disturb them when they're busy," Ryan warned him. "There'll be plenty of time to make smalltalk later. Oh, and one more thing."

"What's that?"

"Shave. And get a haircut. You look like an ape. Wouldn't want you to shoot your own cock off."

"Me neither," Lily agreed, before blushing when she saw Ryan's angry look.