Chapter 3

The Alliance's Finest

"Warning. Environmental breach detected. Please evacuate this area immediately.", repeated the droning voice of the VI for the umpteenth time.

Garrus ignored the warning and finished rigging the explosive. Stepping back to take cover, he looked over at Shepard and Alenko. "Fire in the hole!" he shouted as he slammed down on the detonator, mimicking the human military vids he'd discovered recently and devoured eagerly in his off-time.

The heavy door to Fist's warehouse was blown wide open, sending chunks of metal flying through the air. The three soldiers pushed through the lingering wisps of smoke with military precision, spreading out to take cover behind two heavy lifters parked inside.

The warehouse was large but half empty, crates stacked up at the edges, catwalks and cranes hanging from the tall ceiling above. The guards milling around on the far side had been jostled into action by the sudden explosion, readying their weapons.

"I count 6 hostiles, tight formation, no civilians", reported Garrus, peering over the edge, bullets now whizzing by uncomfortably close.

"Alright. Pick your shots, stick to cover. Alenko, biotics!" Shepard ordered.

The L2 focused and sensed out the space between him and his targets. "Immobilize, then eliminate", he said to himself, steadying his mind, remembering his training. Balling his hand into a fist, he fired off a powerful Lift, yanking two guards in the middle off their feet, dangling them helplessly in mid-air.

On cue, Shepard and Garrus raised their rifles. The N7's aim was confident, instantly sighting in one of the remaining guards who was sloppy in his cover. Shepard fired off five high impact rounds, obliterating the guard's shields, turning the head to mush with the final shot. But as he aimed towards the next guard, the biotic field suddenly detonated with force, throwing the hostiles around like rag dolls, slamming them hard against the walls and knocking them out.

Shepard examined what was left. Seeing no more activity on the ground and nothing on the catwalks above, he cautiously lowered his weapon. The fight had ended as quickly as it had started, with a bang. It was nice when things went right for a change.

Garrus rejoined his squad mates. "Good show Alenko. But next time, maybe you should leave some for me." the Turian chimed with feigned disappointment, clearly impressed.

Kaidan stretched out his hand, his thick eyebrows raising in puzzlement. "That uh... wasn't me.", he replied awkwardly. "Someone else is here."

Shepard snapped back into action, scanning his surroundings. He was not a fan of surprises. When they'd walked into Fist's club, the mercs waiting for them had posed a tough challenge. Fist had known they were coming. When they'd reached the compound behind the club, the environmental alarm that started blaring seemed awfully coincidental, but he chalked it up to luck, seeing as it would mean less civilians to get in the way of their fire. Then again, civilians generally didn't get involved in biotic combat.

Listening closely, he heard what sounded like a hushed argument coming from a warehouse office off to the side, overlooking the floor.

"Come out where we can see you, weapons down!" he ordered, aiming his rifle. Garrus and Kaidan moved in position.

No response.

"10...9...8...7..." Shepard started without hesitation.

"Alright!" someone yelled back.

A lightly armored human male emerged slowly, holding out his pistol in surrender. A heavy set Krogan in full merc gear followed, brandishing a deadly looking shotgun and a mean look to match. Shepard eyed the odd pair, not lowering his guard.

"Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in Fist's warehouse?" he demanded.

"I'm Joren, and this is Wrex." the human offered. "And I suspect we're here for the same reason... Commander Shepard."

Shepard cringed imperceptibly. It bothered him every time someone recognized him right away. It put him at a permanent disadvantage, and it was only getting worse every day. That reporter he'd punched had made sure of that.

"You're going after Fist?" he said incredulously, putting two and two together.

"Well, he is." Joren motioned towards the bulky merc.

Wrex ran a gloved hand over his gun barrel. "I'm going to kill him." he stated, as surely as if it'd already happened. "Courtesy of the Shadow Broker."

Shepard eased off, pondering the mutual interests at play. "And what's your part in all this?" he said, turning back to Joren.

"Let's just say our man Fist owes me. He has something in his safe that I want. And I tend to be good at opening things, if you catch my drift."

"So you two snuck in through the back and tried to empty out the place with a fake emergency? Except it didn't work, the guards were still here. Sounds like a good way to get yourself killed." Shepard lectured self-assuredly.

Joren assessed the man in front of him and went on the offensive. "Perhaps, perhaps not." he mused, folding his arms. "But then, so is barging into a club full of mercs guns blazing. I've been watching you on Fist's security feeds, Commander. That was quite the entrance, though I suspect you weren't expecting the welcoming committee. Should've tried our plan instead, it was pretty quiet until you showed up."

Shepard hated to admit it, but the man had a point. Not that he'd ever say so out loud. "We made it here just fine."

"And then took out the guards with a little help from a friend." Joren added, flashing a grin towards Alenko.

"That detonation was you?" Kaidan piped up. He'd been surprised at the force of the blast, and the audacity of the biotic who'd caused it. Most people ran the other way when Alliance soldiers were on the prowl, especially if someone like Shepard was involved. "Where did y–"

"Enough chatter." Shepard snapped. This non-stand-off was not worth his time. "I'm going to see Fist, and he's going to tell me what I need to know. Beyond that, I don't really care. We're done here." He turned to leave and motioned his team to follow deeper into the compound.

"He's got heavy security installed in his office, Commander. Nasty, nasty turrets." Joren called after him. "Not to mention the second meanest Krogan on the Citadel as his personal bodyguard." he added, throwing a subtle compliment in Wrex's direction. "Are you sure you don't want some more firepower on your side?"

Shepard hesitated and stopped. This Joren character was quickly getting on his nerves. But the Krogan looked like he could do some serious damage with that shotgun, and it never hurt to have somebody else drawing fire. "Fine. But you stay back and follow my orders to the letter. Nobody touches Fist until I say so. Understood?" he stated firmly.

Joren looked over at his Krogan companion for approval, hoping he'd go along with it. "Understood." he repeated obediently. Wrex was clearly still on the fence, but reluctantly joined in. Catching up with the Alliance team, Joren activated his omnitool and started tapping out codes at impressive speed, drawing curious looks from Garrus and Alenko, and an icy glare from the Commander.

"What the hell are you doing now?" demanded Shepard, advancing cautiously through the next hallway, towards the soon-to-be late crime boss' office.

"Loading up the control schematics for those turrets. I can set up an EM scrambler to jam the targeting sensors." Joren smiled. "Fist is about to find out why he should've bought the more expensive ones."