Damn mercenaries.
Oktar watched the human and turian go for as long as the security cameras could follow before turning his attention to other matters. His employer would want to know that the captain had been hired, as planned. Unsatisfied, he pulled up their files and glanced over the files he had collected before the Aegis had ever made dock.
Captain, 'Athena'. Human, female. No surname, given name also false; title refers to goddess in an ancient human beliefs, name rarely practiced outside religious sects. Age unknown. Birth place unknown, believed to originate from Terminus systems. Apprenticed to seasoned bounty hunter, turian by the name of 'Neno', having taken over ship since mentor's retirement. Have worked with her before; reliable but not to be underestimated. Responsible for transport during the O'Hara project. Not the average idiot with a gun.
First mate, Junius Marku. Turian, male. Age, fifty-two. Birth place, New Cipritine, Taetrus. Known biotic, very well trained. Discharged from turian military circa 2163 for undocumented reasons, possibly criminal behavior given lack of communication or travel to turian territory since. Files regarding military history appear to have been destroyed entirely.
Pilot, Atropo Drac. Drell, male. Age unknown. Birth place, Rakhana. Documents lacking due to little to no presence of up to date technology on home planet. However, a drell of matching description has been banned entry from forty two casinos, ten pleasure houses, and one Enkindler shrine across the galaxy; unsurprisingly, appears to be in debt to several people.
Engineer, Mannovai Lundo Destahki Tuul Mekko Tyenki. Salarian, female. Age, 11. Birth place, Qunssar, Mannovai. Gender notable; females off of homeworld unusual. Reasons for leaving not yet known, presumably a criminal record. Possibly related to there being no 'Tyenki' listed in Mannovai clan records after 2179.
Medic, Sula Meh'Dayu. Batarian, female. Age, unknown. Birth place, unknown. Believed to have former connections to Blue Suns but unconfirmed. Information to be added as it is recorded.
Hm. Not an impressive bunch.
It did not make him feel any better about them being the ones to go pick up whatever it was the Broker wanted so bad. Better it be one of their own than some pack of lowlife thugs whose only positive traits were that they weren't drug addicts and that they probably weren't stupid enough to try and cheat their employer. They couldn't fathom how valuable their package was in any case. As far as their uneducated little brains knew, they could be hauling anything from stolen weapons to drugs to a crate full of purple pyjaks.
Truth be told, Oktar didn't know what it was himself. Nor did the agent who had sent him the information. The truth was on a need to know basis apparently, and he was not among those privy to it. Oktar didn't usually mind this, but the mystery surrounding the geth and their seemingly unprompted attack on a human colony was already intriguing, and the embargo on learning more was only making him even more curious.
Still. A thought for a later time.
What he had to focus on now was ensuring that the package arrived at all. Despite his doubts about the group having a collective IQ of more than ten, he had been in this business long enough to know to be careful. He would have to keep an eye on them.. And there was only one way to do that without hacking into every single security camera and terminal from here to Eden Prime. And she was due any-
"When do I start?"
Oktar looked up.
An asari stood at the edge of his desk.
Though they had met before, she always caught his attention, the way prey might notice a predator from the corner of their eye. Many asari were considered universally lovely, sure, but there was something different about this one. Her features were sharp and firm, like they would give you bruises if you got too close. The armor she seemed to always wear was uniform dark gray, a stark contrast to the icy blue hue of her skin, but otherwise rather plain; unlike most other mercs for hire, she did not want to stand out from the crowd, something that helped add to her successful track record. Her pose was one of liquid confidence, a woman who had come to know her body decades before Oktar had been born.
He had long since stopped being overwhelmed by Pozedia's presence, daunting as it was. But he still couldn't stop himself from glancing at her pale eyes. Or, rather, eye.
A cybernetic eyepatch filled the empty hollow where her left eye had been. Small scars along the edge were the other evidence of what must have been a painful wound from years ago. But the patch was more than just decoration; it served a very real purpose. Hovering in the center of the socket, a round blue interface swirled and moved constantly, with asari numbers and letters occasionally scrawling alongs its rings, too small for him to read. Even now it fixated on him, staring and unblinking. He wondered if she was using her false eye to monitor his heartbeat, reading him in ways that he couldn't see, much less control.
Oh yes. She was handsome, impressively so, but there were reasons he avoided speaking to her in-person if he could help it.
Answering her, he said, "Immediately."
"You're that worried that she'll cheat you?"
"Hm. Maybe. You can never tell with this sort."
Pozeida's mouth twitched. "She could. But not for what you think."
"Hm?"
"She's not as easily swayed by cash or drugs, otherwise she'd be another gang flunkie by now. So you don't have to worry quite as much about someone else buying her out."
"Well... I suppose that is a relief-"
"I didn't say I was finished." The volus stared as she continued with, "She's a mercenary, and all mercs are greedy at heart. We don't do what we do out of love for community, you know. So even if she doesn't get charmed with a full bank account, that doesn't necessarily mean she doesn't have other ways of being bought."
"And that's why you're here."
Pozeida smiled almost kindly. "That's why I'm here."
Vesta's breaths came in short, ragged gasps. Her eyes darted from face to face, searching for any clue that she'd been recognized. All her impulses were telling her to run as fast as she could, but common sense told her that it was foolish. She had to be calm. She had to focus.
Getting off the monorail without attracting attention had been a terrifying experience, but so far no one had tried to stop her. There had been no sort of dramatic 'there she is!' moments like she kept imagining in her mind. But it was a safe bet that she wouldn't remain anonymous for long; even on a world as populated as Illium, a lone drell was a rarity, and coloring and markings made her all the easier to identify. It was like running around with a giant target for a face..
The air began to darken as she followed the crowds out of the plaza, colored orange and purple by the sunset, into the alleyway that lead down into the cooler and darker parts of the city. Most of the people around her seemed to be leaving work for the day, relaxed and ready to have fun. Vesta felt anything but.
One thing for sure, she couldn't get to the police. If they wanted her arrested publicly, they must have some sort of proof, or at least what they thought was proof. Vesta was no science buff and never had been, but she wouldn't put it past Cubozoa to know how to conjure it up. He had always been so smart...
She couldn't go to her the other Zoa family members either, or her own for that matter. Her parents were long dead of age or disease, and she was an only child. All she had were the family she had pledged her Compact to. But of all of them she only knew a handful of them well and now...
And now... one of them was dead.
A sudden bevy of bright lights and sounds invaded her focus and she looked up from her feet to look. Without meaning to, she had been pulled along by the crowd into a strip of businesses far less pristine and professional than what usually appeared on the surface. There was no pretense of looking professional or rich down here, it seemed. Everyone was more intent on spending their hard-earned credits on quick food, good beer, and a seat at the numerous open bars to watch the multiple screens that spilled out news and sports and more.
Pulling away from the throng to stand in a secluded corner, Vesta chewed on her lip to keep her emotions reined in, in case anyone was watching and found her suspicious. There would be time to grieve for Tharizoa later. But without him, she felt lost. The police and her employers were, at least now, against her. Panic threatened to overcome her as she realized that she didn't have any options. If Cubozoa really was out to get her, for whatever slight she'd done against him, then she knew him well enough to know that he would be relentless.
Maybe the reason she couldn't think of where to go was because she had nowhere to go at all.
But like a gift from the Enkindlers, a voice of salvation caught her ears.
"Bartender! Hey! Another one here!"
"Information is still being gathered here on ground zero, Haasim, but it's looking to get even tougher to learn more as the combined Alliance and Council security teams have shut down the area..."
Athena watched the screen above the bar with mild interest and a drink in her hand. It was the only TV covering the colony; the others around it were discussing local politics, the new season of Blasto Unleashed, what new misdemeanor the mayor's daughter had added to her collection, the predicted weather for tomorrow... A human colony wasn't very interesting with with the increasingly known fact that the geth were involved.
Even Athena was struggling to keep herself interested, and she felt a small bit of nagging guilt because of it. She was a born and raised spacer kid, having graduated out of Omega's school of bruises, and she had rarely visited any human-owned planets or stations. Earth, often cited as her homeworld, was more alien to her than any actual alien worlds she'd known. But her parents had come from there, and had been colonists before merc money had tempted them to far off places. If they'd decided to stay... hell, maybe that would've been her smoking ruin of a home on the news.
But in this life, it was just one of a million far off places.
"What a pity," said Junius to her right, sipping at water. "So many people dead."
"That's the risk they took," Athena pointed out. "The Alliance wants to play with the big kids, and sometimes that means getting your nose bloody."
He fixed his beady little bird eyes on her. "Have I ever told you that you are awfully harsh on your people."
"Have I ever told you how annoying it is when you call them 'my people'?"
"Often."
"There's your answer. Human colonies get messed up left and right all the time. You ever hear about Mindoir? Batarians razed the place to the ground, killed or rounded up just about everyone, right down to the kids. I remember the news covering it for about a day. Maybe two. That's it."
She paused to take a drink of her beer before continuing. "This isn't anything new except now it's robots instead of slavers. But they'll forget about it once the week's out."
"Don't be so sure." Junius gestured with his free hand to the news, now discussing the funds being set up for the survivors. "The Council is interested. Something caused the geth to attack, and they want to know why."
Athena snorted. "So they can cover their scaley asses if the flashlights are coming to turn us into paste."
He sighed and shook his head hopelessly. "So cynical."
"So realistic." She held up her empty glass and gave it a wave. "Bartender! Hey! Another one here!"
"They are coming!"
Both turian and human looked up to the news feed where it was focused on the face of a haggard man's distraught face. The camera was jerking and shaking, like there was a struggle going on behind it, as the man continued to shout.
"The machines are coming! No escape! Not mad!" Someone's hands were on his shoulders, trying to jerk him away, but his frantic words only got louder. "I see the future, and the future is the end! The cycle is beginning again! Prepare!" And then finally he was dragged away, with an apologetic reporter replacing him.
Junius, Athena, and the barkeep all stared for a long beat until the captain broke it up with a curt laugh. "Oh yeah, this job's gonna be great, I can already tell. Let's go. Crazy people put me off my beer." She stood up and reached for her credit chit only to realize it was in her other pants. Fabulous. "Junius, can you pay the tab? I'll pay you back..."
Something caught her eye.
"After..."
A face in the crowd. Asari, like most of the ones around her. But this one was staring right back at her with an unblinking, cold stare.
And a grin.