Salvation: Episode I – The Taking of the Carmenta Illustria

Disclaimer: This fan-fiction is part of an episodic series taking place after Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction, which will lead directly to its sequel, Salvation II: Project Prometheus. These episodes and sequel take place OUTSIDE of the Mass Effect 3 continuity. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

Chapter 7: Engine Lag

"What just happened?!" Captain Arthur Ryback demanded, with a mixture of panic and concern. "Status report!"

He stood overlooking the bridge, trying to steady himself after having nearly been knocked over from the sudden, unexpected impact. A few of the other officers on the bridge weren't so lucky, as they scrambled back to their feet, and to their stations, to give the Captain what he asked for.

"All decks secure, sir!" A turian officer shouted, from his place at his terminal. "No damage sustained."

"Radar scans are clear, Captain!" An asari officer supplemented from a separate terminal. "We're not picking anything up..."

"What?!" Ryback demanded in disbelief, as he approached the asari's station. "What do you mean 'clear'? We were obviously just hit by something! I wanna know what that something was, and why our radar didn't pick it up sooner!"

"I'm trying, sir...!" The asari anxiously replied, as she continued to work her controls. "But our scans aren't picking up anything! No meteors, no ships, no debris of any kind...! Whatever hit us isn't showing up on the imagers..."

Captain Ryback stopped for a moment. He breathed a deep sigh, allowing himself a second to calm down. "Alright..." He continued in a more tranquil tone. "Now, you're sure you ran a full diagnostic on the radar systems?"

"Aye sir. Everything checked out fine..."

"Well, we didn't imagine that impact." He calmly yet stringently affirmed. "There's obviously something wrong with it. Run a complete diagnostic check on all systems – radar, imaging, external sensors, navigation... Everything! And once you're done, run it again..."

"Aye-aye, Captain. Right away."

Ryback gave a firm nod, and turned to walk to another station, leaving the asari officer to her task.

"Mister Kryk." He called out, addressing another officer – a nearby salarian, who by the look of it, seemed fairly spooked as he worked. "Radio the ship's security personnel. Tell them to make sure to keep the passengers calm, and to assist anyone who ma..."

"Uh, Captain Ryback, sir..." The salarian spoke up in an agitated condition, interrupting the Captain's dictation, as he frustratedly worked his station's controls. "...I can't."

"You can't...?" Ryback questioned, perplexed, as he furrowed his brow. "You can't what, Mister Kryk...?"

"I-I can't radio security, sir...!" He affirmed, shaking his head in a panic. "I can't send out any sort of communique whatsoever...!"

The news narrowed Ryback's eyes, and raised the hairs on the back of his neck.

"Something's blocking our radio communications." Kryk continued, as he desperately tried to remedy the problem, finding his attempts futile, however. "All frequencies are dead... We've lost contact with Lycuna, and we're getting nothing but static on all local channels..."

"By the Saints. It's a comm jammer..." Ryback uttered to himself, swallowing back a gulp, as he looked up, with a sinking, churning feeling settling into the pit of his stomach. "We're under attack..."


"Imbeciles!" An irate volus exclaimed in an angry fit, as he picked his stubby, portly self off the floor of the Tregen Class cargo ship's bridge. "I told you dullards to DOCK with the ship, not careen into it!"

A semblance of rage began to brew over the asari pilot's expression, as she straightened herself out in her seat.

"Can't you neanderthals do anything right?!"

"Argh...!" She groaned angrily, through gritted teeth, as she quickly drew her sidearm off her hip, torqued her torso around in her seat, and pressed the barrel firmly against Tarrik's head.

"Huh!? W-Wh-What are yo..."

"That tears it! I've had just about enough of your impish bullshit!" She exclaimed through her teeth, starring the horrified volus down with a terrifying sneer. "I'm a mercenary, you fat little worm! Not a pilot! You're lucky I can fly this thing at all...!"

Just then, a clicking sound came as her finger switched the machine pistol's safety off, illuminating a bright red light on its side, indicating it was ready to be fired.

"W-Wait! Stop!" Tarrik pleaded in a trembling voice, as he put his hands up helplessly. "This was my plan...! I hired you! You still need me!"

The asari's grip around the trigger began to tighten, as a sinister smile grew on her face.

"That'll do, Teshya..." The gruff voice of the towering krogan nearby interjected, moments before the volus' head could be splattered like a melon. "Put it away."

Teshya looked up at the krogan with a disappointed countenance, as she cocked her wrist back and slowly withdrew her gun from Tarrik's forehead.

"Yes sir..." She acknowledged in a disciplined tone, as she holstered her weapon – causing the volus to breath a tremendous sigh of relief.

The asari turned back around towards the front, and began to look over her controls. All the while, despite the brief altercation, her turian co-pilot never flinched, and never once took his attention away from his terminal.

Outside the forward windows, the bright lavender light from the gas giant, Drezaraan, and the nearby sun, gleamed brightly in the distance. Like a giant Remora clinging to the underbelly of an even greater behemoth shark, the small Tregen Class cargo freighter hung off the rear of the Carmenta Illustria's sealed loading bay door, as both ships floated shiftlessly together.

"You had better learn when to hold your tongue, Tarrik..." Kargas declared, as he looked down at the sniveling volus with a sneer of contempt. "I won't stop her next time..."

Tarrik looked up at the towering krogan, releasing a heavy respirator breath. Still shaking, he didn't dare utter a single word. He simply hung his head, nodded, and tried to compose himself.

"Davix, Tesh... What's our status?" Kargas demanded, as he turned back to face his fellow Blood Pack Mercenaries, who were busy fidgeting with the controls.

"Docking successful, sir." Teshya announced, however with a hint of concern in her voice. "Umbilical is connected, and pressurized."

"Yeah, but the impact knocked out our navigation..." Davix, the turian co-pilot, added with a shake of his head. "We won't be going anywhere, in this ship, anytime soon..."

"...We won't have to..." The diminutive volus hesitantly offered up, in a timid, almost frightened voice. "Once we take the Illustria's bridge, we won't be needing this ship anymore..."

Kargas nodded his large, reptilian head, as the three mercenaries were silent for a brief, contemplative moment.

"Alright, you two know what to do." The krogan asserted, addressing Davix and Teshya, as the two unfastened their seat restraints, and quickly shot up to their feet. "Arm up and move out."


"What the fuck was that?!" Zdrawkoh beckoned anxiously, as he swiveled his head from side to side, looking all around the loading bay, searching for breaches or other signs of damage – somewhat relieved to find none.

His uniformed human superior and the other two on-duty security officers had already gotten back to their feet, and were in the process of dusting themselves off, and straightening out their uniforms. But they did not seem to share Zee's concern in the slightest. The turian and the salarian officers simply stood by behind Commander Kim, patiently waiting for his instructions. They silently seemed to share a variety of subtle nods, and eye gestures – most of which went completely unnoticed by the wary turian rookie.

"It felt like we hit something..." Zee continued, still in a panic stricken state, as he turned around and examined the hangar sized loading bay door behind him. "Sounded like it came right from the other side of this door..."

"Nah..." Kim confidently rejected, with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, prompting Zee to turn around to face him. "Just felt like a little turbulence to me..." The Security Commander supplemented. "Probably just some engine lag."

"Engine lag...?" Zdrawkoh dubiously retorted, as he furrowed his brow.

"Yeah. Engine lag..." Kim reiterated, a tad more forcibly, and with a bit of a sneer on his face.

"What do you two think?" He questioned, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, as he turned around to face his other two officers - his arms arrogantly spread apart, in an inquisitive fashion. "Didn't that feel like engine lag to you guys?"

The turian and the salarian shared a very brief glance, before turning back toward Kim.

"Yes sir." The salarian acknowledged obediently. "Engine lag if I ever felt it..."

"Yep." The turian concurred. "That's what it felt like to me..."

"See...?" Kim said, with a snide, crooked grin on his face, as he turned back around towards Zdrawkoh. "Engine lag..."

Just then, as Zee continued to look at him with a befuddled raised eyebrow, the Commander brought his hand up to the side of his head, and pressed against a communicator within his right ear canal.

"All teams..." He began in a firm, stoic tone. "This is Commander Kim. There WAS no collision. The impact we felt was just some minor engine lag. But the problem has already been taken care of... Is that understood?"

"Yes sir, understood." "Engine lag, copy that." "Affirmative." The voices relayed their acknowledgment in the Commander's ear, as he lowered his hand, and snidely shrugged at the young rookie.

"Sir...?" Zee began, in an utterly perplexed tone, matching the look in his eyes, as he shook his head slowly. "I... I don't understand... With all due respect, that did NOT feel like engine lag... It felt more like we sustained some sort..."

Suddenly, a loud crackling sound resonated from behind him, interrupting him, and causing him to give a startled jump. The crackle turned into a steady electrical buzz, as Zee rapidly spun himself around, and backed away.

"What the hell...?" Zee uttered in a stunned whisper, as he looked on.

At the base of the massive loading bay door, a flare of fire spat out a flurry of sparks, steadily blazing a red hot, straight line upward. The flare ate through the steel, leaving a small molten mound on either side of the crevice it was creating, as the door was slowly breached from the other side...

"Holy shit..." Commander Kim uttered with a gasp, from his place behind the rookie officer. "I guess you were right Zee..." He affirmed worriedly. "It wasn't engine lag... Looks like we're being boarded... Probably pirates."

"Pirates?!" Zee exclaimed to himself, in a withheld breath. "Oh spirits...!"

"And it had to happen on my first assignment..." He thought to himself, as he watched the torch cutter slice its way up the door. Bolstering his bravery and swallowing back a quick gulp, he reached for the sidearm mounted on his hip, and pulled it out. The small, silver pistol expanded in his grip, as he drew it forward, and aimed it at the door, with a slightly trembling hand. He then brought his left hand around, and wrapped it around his grip, to steady his aim.

Just then, Zee heard the same mechanical sound of another gun expanding behind him, as it was drawn. It gave the young turian an ounce of relief at least to know that whatever sort of menace was attempting to breach the door, he wouldn't be facing it alone. If they wanted to get aboard this ship, they would have to go through this line of the Carmenta Illustria's armed secur...

Wait.. His train of thought was instantly derailed. All of a sudden, he felt something cold and firm pressing against the back of his head, beneath his fringe.

"Put 'em up, kid. Nice and easy..." Kim ordered, as he held his unique, silvery, heavy pistol to the back of Zee's head.

"C-Commander...?" The baffled turian stuttered in a dismally confused voice – his eyes batting back and forth rapidly, as he stood still aiming his pistol at the door slowly being carved out. "What is this, sir? What's going on...?"

"Mmm... Treason... Mutiny, a hijacking. Call it whatever you want." Commander Kim replied, sarcastically, with his weapon pressed firmly against the back of the turian's skull. "Point is we're taking the ship, so put your hands up nice and slowly. I'll not ask again...!"

Zdrawkoh clenched his eyes shut, as he slowly drew his arms back, and raised them besides his head, with his sidearm still clutched in one of his hands, pointed up towards the ceiling.

"Gentlemen... Kindly relieve the rookie of his weapon."


"Is everyone alright!?" An asari security officer shouted out, over the commotion of the crowd, in the center of the Casino on the Promenade Deck. "Does anyone need medical attention!?"

Most of the stately dressed patrons were already back on their feet, but it was mostly in a haze of confusion. The room was filled with a collective murmur, as the passengers chattered in disorientation.

"What happened?!" "What was that?!" "Did we crash?" "We hit something!"

Panic was etched on many of their faces, as they worried about their safety. For the most part, none of them seemed to have endure any real physical harm - perhaps a bump on the head, a chipped fringe, a bruised mandible, a scratched tentacle, but nothing serious. Still, on a cruise getaway that is known for perfection, down to the last detail – for many, a turbulent snafu such as this one, was cause for alarm...

"There is no cause for alarm!" The asari guard continued, ushering a silence over the crowd, as she addressed the frightened rabble. "We have verified the problem, and it was nothing more than a minor case of engine lag. Our engineers already have the problem well under control, and we'll be underway shortly! Please, continue as you were. If there's anyone who needs medical attention, you can come to me, or any of the security personnel stationed at the exits, around the casino. We apologize for the inconvenience, and again, there is absolutely nothing to worry about. So please, as you were!"

The passengers seemed to exhale a collective sigh of relief, in unison, as the asari officer finished her comforting address. The instant she was done, the atmosphere changed to one of alleviated joy. The chatter turned to chuckles, and laughs as they went back to their recreation. Many placed their hands over their chests, with wide eyed, nervous enthusiasm, as they explained how scared they were, but now they were suddenly overcome with relief...

"Engine lag...?" Jacob questioned in a low, dubious tone, as he stood in a small circle, with five other familiar faces. "That didn't feel like any damn engine lag to me..."

"This thing may not be the Normandy, but I know a collision when I feel one." Joker tensely concurred. "Something definitely hit us. Felt like it came from the stern of the ship... Maybe a stray asteroid..."

"Yes." Legion added in a metallic, monotonous voice. "Our consensus corroborates Moreau, Helmsman's statement. Minor impact has been sustained. Damage extent, unknown."

"Hmm..." Garrus pondered to himself, as he tapped his finger against his chin."Well, they were sure quick on giving everyone the all clear..."

"What are you thinking?" Jacob queried, worried he was thinking the same thing.

"I'm thinking that something's wrong..." Garrus continued. "And they don't wanna cause a panic. Maybe there's a bigger problem than they're letting on. Extensive damage, or a problem with the life support or something..."

"Oh man...!" Joker cried out, in frustrated anxiety. "I knew it! I knew this would happen! I knew the moment I agreed to go on this damn cruise, it was gonna turn into the Titanic!"

"The what?" Grunt demanded, with a confused look on his face.

"You know. The Titanic!" Joker reiterated.

"Relax, Joker..." Jacob instructed, as she shook his head slightly. "This is not gonna turn into the Titanic..."

"What's the Titanic...?" Garrus queried, sharing in Grunt's befuddlement.

"Nothin'." Jacob declared, waving a dismissive hand in front of him. "It's a human thing."

"Well, probability of potentially life threatening situation, unlikely..." Mordin supplemented, continuing the conversation. "If that were case, procedure dictates all passengers would be led to life pods immediately, in the event of emergency... Still. Claiming impact to be result of engine lag... Peculiar."

"Yeah..." Garrus nodded in agreement. "I still think there's something wrong. What exactly, I don't know, but I got a funny feeling..."

"What do you think we should do?" Jacob asked, with a subtle shrug of his shoulders. "I mean, we're technically civilians on this cruise."

"I say we go camp out near the life pods...!" Joker blurted out anxiously, forcing a crooked smile to indicate he was at least partially kidding. "Screw women and children first! I've got Vrolik Syndrome, damn it!"

"Would you take it easy...!" Jacob demanded with an angry sneer.

"Take it easy?!" Joker exclaimed, in a fit of anxiety. "There aren't enough life pods for everyone on-board, and you want me to take it easy!?"

"What...?!" Garrus beckoned with a furrowed brow, and a dumbfounded gaze. "Who said there aren't enough life pods?"

"There're never enough life pods!"

Garrus raised a perplexed eyebrow at the overly agitated Joker. "What are you tal..." He stopped mid-sentence, and shook his head, before continuing on. "... Ugh, never mind. Look... For now, lets just go on as if nothing happened. It's pointless to get worked up, and start jumping to conclusions... Maybe it really was nothing. But if it turns out that there's some sort of problem or disaster..." He stopped, as he released a heavy sigh, with an unsure shrug of his shoulders. "Well, then we'll just see what we can do to help. In the meantime, let's all just try to relax..."

"Hmph..." Grunt scoffed, with a heavy snort, as a small grin grew on his face. "Maybe we'll finally get some excitement on this trip..."


"This one thanks you, human..." A hanar graciously bestowed, to a tux clad physicist, after he made sure he was well and unharmed.

"No problem..." Gordon replied, though not actually looking at the hanar. His attention was elsewhere, as his narrowed eyes scanned the room. Something wasn't sitting well with him, but he tried to dismiss his concerns, and looked back towards the hanar. "You good?"

"Yes." The hanar assured, in a cordial, almost ethereal voice. "This one is unharmed, but wonders what caused the unexpected turbulence..."

"Yeah, you and me both..." He uttered in a hushed voice, as he turned back towards Miranda.

She held a very similar guise on her face, as she too scanned the room, with look of wary concern. Again, by now most of the patrons were back up, onto their feet, but they were in an uproar of confusion and distress. The music had stopped, the dancing had ceased, and a loud, muddled murmur filled the room.

"Darn it...! I broke a heel..." Cameron griped to herself, as she leaned against the nearby bar, with her right leg crossed over her left knee in a figure four, examining the sole of one of her sky blue shoes. "Damn, cheap shoes..." She complained, as she yanked at the stiletto heel, hanging off the sole by a thin piece of cloth, tearing it off.

Gordon came to stand beside Miranda, who stood out a few feet away from the bar, looking out towards the crowd, ruminating on something.

"You know..." Gordon began, with a leery voice, and a look of suspicion in his eyes. "This is only the second starship I've ever been on. But judging by the reaction of this crowd, I'd say a tremor like that is fairly uncommon..."

"Well, I'm sure it's not unheard of..." Miranda replied, as she turned to look at him, reflecting the same uneasy glance, although trying hard to subside it. "But these ships tend to stay clear of areas with heavy debris, and they're supposed to be designed with state-of-the-art sensory equipment. They should be capable of detecting and avoiding anything that could cause an impact like that... But accidents will happen, I suppose..." She said with an ambivalent shrug.

"Yeah..." Gordon replied, letting his eyes drift off pensively, as he looked to the side. Just then, he stopped, and turned back towards her.

"You're sure you're okay...?" He questioned worriedly, as he placed his arm around Miranda's back.

"Hmph, yes Gordon, for the third time, I'm fine...!" She affirmed, with a bit of a snickering laugh and a smile, albeit touched by his show of concern. "After everything we've both been through, you should know that it takes a lot more th..."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, can I have you're attention please?" A booming voice echoed loudly throughout the dance club, causing everyone to suddenly turn and devote their full attention towards the stage.

The spotlights shone down on the same salarian announcer, who had been introducing the evening's entertainment, as a drell in a security uniform briskly stepped out of sight, off the stage.

"I've just been informed by security that the tremor we felt was nothing more than a little turbulence as a result of some minor engine lag." The salarian informed the nervous crowd. "But there's nothing to worry about. The problem has already been corrected, and we should be moving again any minute. So lets keep the party goin' and the music flowin'! Hit it!" He turned and shouted to the band on stage, quickly prompting a lively tune to start again.

The house lights dimmed to darkness, and the ceiling flashed with vibrant hues, as the room once again pounded with the fast beat of the music. Reluctantly, the attending guests began to show their relief by returning to dance floor, and to their drinks.

"Well...!" Cameron's voice chimed in, talking over the music, as she came to stand on Gordon's other side. "That's the last time I buy shoes off the Extranet...!" She claimed jokingly, looking down at her former high heeled pumps, now turned flats. She was, however, unsuccessful in achieving any sort of reaction from the physicist, who simply stood staring out at the crowd, with a nagging sensation.

"Strange engine lag..." Miranda said, with a somewhat reluctant shrug of her shoulders. "But I guess it was nothing..."

"Hmm..." Gordon simply stood there, as his eyes scanned the lavish dance hall back and forth, making some sort of silent assessment.

"Oh, well...!" Cameron interjected cheerfully, as she raised her arm, and brought her omni-tool forth. "Whatever it was, at least the problem's been fixed." She said, punching a few keys onto the projection, before she turned and looked up at Gordon. "So... shall we go ahead and begin that interview now...?"

"Yeah, l-later, later..." Gordon replied, showing a mild annoyance, as he raised his hand towards her. "I'm getting that strange feeling again..."

"Feeling?" Cameron queried, in confusion.

"What feeling...?" Miranda beckoned, with a mixture of tenderness and concern in her voice.

Gordon stopped, and looked her, as the hairs on the back of his neck involuntarily stood up, followed by an icy chill.

"...A feeling like something's about to go terribly wrong..." He said, hoping deep down it was nothing more than his own traumatic anxieties getting the better of him. But this nagging sensation was becoming quite overwhelming...

"The same feeling I had the morning of the Resonance Cascade..."


POW! The loud thud of steel slamming onto steel resounded throughout the loading bay, as the thick, heavy, slab cutout of the loading bay door toppled forward, and fell flat. In the gaping hole left, surrounded by molten, seared metal, stood Davix, the armored turian co-pilot, wielding an ignited plasma cutter.

"Knock knock...!" He said, with a sinister grin on his face.

"Hello, Davix..." Kim greeted with a smirk.

"Commander Kim..."

The turian stepped into the loading bay, followed by several others, as Zdrawkoh looked on, with his wrists bound tightly behind him by handcuffs. He had been stripped of his gun belt, and despite the restraints, the rookie was still being well guarded, by his own fellow security officers – one standing at each side, holding his shoulders back. The one thought that continually ran through his head, was probably the same thing that anyone in his situation would be thinking... "What are they gonna do to me...?"

A miniscule volus stepped forth, along with a green headed krogan, and an armor clad asari, wearing a sour expression.

"Kargas..." The Security Commander greeted with a nod.

"Kim..." The krogan mercenary reciprocated, before proceeding forward.

"And Tarrik..." Kim continued, with a frustrated sigh, and a condescending tone, as he looked down at the stubby lifeform in a brown body suit. "You know, for someone who doesn't want any of the passengers to know what's going on, until after we've taken the bridge... You sure as hell did a good job of making your presence known..."

"I wasn't the one flying..." Tarrik uttered with a heavy respirator breath.

"You got a problem with the way I fly, human?" The armored asari pilot demanded, jabbing a stiff index finger into the Security Commander's chest, as she glared an angry hole right through him.

"Oh, so it was you Tesh...?" Kim replied, slyly eying the asari. from top to bottom, with a covetous smirk. "Still trying to hide those feelings you have for me, I see... Sweetheart, if you want me, all you have to do is ask..."

"Ugh..." Teshya sneered in disgust, as she continued on past him. "Human filth..."

"Yeah, don't worry baby..." He called out avariciously, as he turned to watch her walk away. "We'll get some private time later...!"

"Commander Kim." Tarrik interjected sternly, as he watched the enticed, one eyed human lick his lips, before he turned back down towards the volus.

"Are your men in position?"

"My men are ready, and waiting..." Kim affirmed, as he crossed his arms. "They'll move as soon as I give the order. When we take the ship, they'll corral all the passengers into the Casino Deck. The whole floor is basically one big room. Easy to keep an eye on all the exits. Plus, there's a promenade that goes all the way around the deck. We can keep a roving patrol there at all times."

"Excellent, Commander." The appeased Tarrik assured, before turning his attention to the young rookie prisoner. "And who is this...?" He questioned, as he pointed a stubby finger at Zdrawkoh.

"Hehe, this-" Kim began, pulling a silver case out of his pocket, as he walked up to the bound rook, with a conniving grin. "-is 'Officer Zee'. The newest edition to my security force." He continued, as he pulled out a cigarette, and placed it between his lips.

"Unfortunately, since I didn't have time to break him in..." He said in a muddled voice, as he raised a lighter to his cigarette, and ignited it's tip. "He's just gonna be another hostage..." Kim affirmed, before inhaling, and pulling the cigarette out of his lips, only to blow a disparaging cloud of smoke into the turian's face. "Or a casualty if he decides to act up..."

Zee coughed a bit, and cleared his throat, as the smoke enveloped his face. When it cleared, he glared at the human Commander, shaking his head with a look of disillusion, and anger.

"How...? How can you do this...? WHY would you do this?!"

"Hahahaha!" The naive question caused Kim to break out into a condescending cackle. "And you wanna work for C-Sec...? The galaxy's an ugly place kid. Open your eyes..."

"Get him outta here." He ordered, addressing the two restraining guards. "Keep him quiet until we take the ship. Then put him with the others."

"Yes sir." The salarian acknowledged, as he and the other officer pulled the struggling Zee along, dragging him through the loading bay against his will.

"Hmhmhmhm..." Kim laughed under his breath, as he brought his lit cigarette back to his lips. Suddenly, he heard a peculiar sound. Like that of soldiers marching, but it was accompanied by a series of strange, mechanical buzzes. And it was getting louder. It seemed to be coming from the gaping hole leading to the adjoined cargo ship.

"What the hell is that...?" Kim questioned, as he turned and peered into the umbilical sleeve passageway.

Out from within, marched a small squadron of slender, mechanical soldiers. They were mostly white, accented with black and red, standing about the height of an average human, although their figure more closely resembled that of a salarian's. Their helmet shaped heads were marked with two, brightly illuminated, optic scanners, in the shape of two half circles, forming a figure eight. And each one of them clutched a sub-machine gun tightly, across their chests.

"Hey, whoa, what's with the mechs?!" Kim demanded, furrowing his brow in anger, as the mechs continued to march into the room.

As they did, a lone quarian also made his way out, quickly weaving in between them. He carried a small, portable terminal, folded under his left arm, and his right was encased by his omni-tool, as he punched in a plethora of keys – never taking his eyes away from his work.

"My people can handle this job, Tarrik!" Kim asserted, repeatedly pointing his index finger into his own chest. "We don't need any help from no damn mechs...!"

"Relax..." Kargas' deep, gruff voice insisted, as he stepped up to the Security Commander. "The mechs were my idea..."

Kim turned to face the krogan, with a still stoic, although somewhat humbled expression now on his face. Commander Kim may not have been a short man, at six foot, two, but he still knew enough to grant the bigger, heftier krogan his due respect.

"We hit an Exo-Geni cargo freighter a couple of weeks ago..." Kargas continued. "We thought it was hauling eezo and omni-gel. But instead we ended up with a bunch of these. Tarrik's quarian was able to get them up and running." He said, as he pointed towards the burgundy veiled quarian, drawing Leahr's attention away from his work momentarily. "So rather than breaking them down for scrap metal, we decided to make use of 'em."

"Alright..." Kim submitted, raising his eyebrows with a shrug and a sigh. "I won't argue with YOU Kargas. But we'll have to keep them down here until I give the order."

"They're self guiding..." Leahr'Haan assured, with a reserved, lamented tone. "They've been programmed with a complete layout of the ship, and I can deploy them at any time..."

"Good. Then keep 'em here until I tell you otherwise." Kim instructed, before turning back to face Tarrik and Kargas.

"Let's get moving." He ordered, motioning for them to follow. "We've wasted enough time. No doubt Ryback's already figured out something's up. There ain't much he can do with communications down, but still..." He said, as the six proceeded forward, through the loading bay, in the same direction Zee was dragged away. "We'll take the service elevators. Its the fastest way to get up to the bridge, without drawing any attention. "


"Yes, something definitely docked with this ship..." Tali expressed, with conviction and concern, as she paced around the private observation deck anxiously, while Shepard worked his omni-tool. "From the sound and feel of it, I'd say it was a small vessel... A merchant freighter, or a transport shuttle, maybe..."

"It could've been a ship in distress..." She continued, with uncertainty, as she stopped pacing, and turned to face Shepard. "With everything going on back on Earth, and the Citadel, there can't be too many patrols around... Maybe there was nothing closer...?"

The Commander didn't look up at her, as she finished. The room was still bathed in the soft, lavender caress from the star outside. And they were both still dressed for a night of gala enchantment. But his mind had strayed far from where it was a few tender moments ago, from his place on bended knee. Now, he simply studied his omni-tool feverishly, with a growing look of suspicion on his face. Something was definitely wrong...

"John...?"

"Tali... Check your omni-tool..." He softly requested, as he looked up, and put his away. "See if you can make any calls or open a comm link of any sort."

Tali's head reeled back a bit, surprised by his request, as an addled expression grew on her face beneath her mask. But without questioning it, she brought up her omni-tool, and began manipulating it. Shepard crossed one arm over the breast of his tuxedo jacket, and clasped his chin, and lower lip pensively, with his other hand, as he watched her – waiting to hear a result, and hoping his suspicions would not prove true.

"Wait... Th-This is strange..." Tali remarked, in a voice growing heavy with worry, and confusion. "I... I can't get any sort of signal. Every channel is either dead, or completely blocked by interference... Keelah..." She uttered, raising her head to look back up at John, as she suddenly came to a realization. "...I don't think it was any merchant freighter that docked with us..."

"Communications are being jammed, aren't they?" The Commander questioned, with a rigid nod, and a scowl on his face, as he crossed both arms.

"Yes..." Tali acknowledged, with a lamented sigh, drawing her attention back down to her omni-tool. "And from the look of it, very thoroughly... Every channel's been completely disabled. If there are any communications, it's being done over an encrypted frequency..."

"Pirates, you think?"

"Doubtful..." She refuted, shaking her head with conviction. "I've never heard of pirates using anything this sophisticated. Mercenaries maybe, but not pi..."

"Anyone in here?" A male voice suddenly called out, as the door to the observation room unexpectedly slid open. John and Tali immediately turned towards the door, with a jerk, and primed their stances for combat.

"Whoa, easy there...!" The armed security officer nervously exclaimed, at the couple that looked ready to charge him, before they noticed his uniform.

"Doug Strenners. Illustria Security." The human identified himself, as he walked further in, towards the couple obscured by the shadows in the room. "Sorry folks, didn't mean to startle y-y-y-yo..." He suddenly stopped and sputtered nonsensically, pointing a finger up at the broad build of the man who stepped into the light before him. "Y-y-y-you're... C-Commander Shepard...!"

"Good, security..." John acknowledged, with a tinge of relief, as he stepped towards the babbling officer. "What can you tell me about the situation? What do you know?"

"S...situation...?" Strenners replied with a hiss, batting his eyes around somewhat nervously. "There's no situation, sir... I... I just came to make sure everyone was alright, and see if anyone needed any help..."

"He doesn't know..." Tali uttered in a soft, surprised voice.

"Listen to me carefully, Doug..." Shepard began again, taking a serious expression, and a dire demeanor, as he stepped closer to the security officer. "We may have a very serious problem on our hands. That impact we felt a moment ago? We've got reason to believe that the ship may have been docked with by a hostile vessel..."

"H-hostile vessel?" Strenners returned, forcing a nervous smile and a tone of blissful ignorance, as he shook his head. "No, no, sir. You've got it all wrong. It was just a bit of harmless engine lag... Believe me, everything's fine...! There's nothing to worry about here..."

"Engine lag...?" Tali replied questioningly, as she stepped up beside Shepard. "No. Trust me, that was no engine lag. I should know."

"Listen, we don't got a lot of time." The Commander informed, with a shake of his head. "I don't know what exactly's going on yet, but there's definitely something amiss. Check your radio. Communications are being jammed..."

"Uh..." Strenners turned away nervously, bringing two fingers up to his communicator, although not actually pressing it, as beads of sweat began to condense on his forehead.

"I need you to come with us." Shepard ordered resolutely, as he stepped past the security officer, towards the door. "We're gonna find my team, find any other security personnel, and get to the bottom of this..."

Tali stepped around the officer, and walked over towards Shepard, already by the observation deck entrance, leaving Strenners behind, nervously fidgeting with his hands; rubbing them around like a person lathering soap.

"Officer!" Shepard yelled out, when he noticed Strenners frozen in place. "I need you to come with us! You know this ship better than we do, we may need your help."

"Uhm... I..." Strenners stuttered with a gulp, as he closed his eyes, and drew a deep breath, trying to find the nerve for what he was about to do.

"I-I can't let you do that, sir..." He asserted, doing his best to hide the shakiness in his voice, as he turned around, pulled his sidearm off his belt, and aimed it at Shepard's head. "I'm sorry..."

"What the hell..." John uttered, sounding more frustrated than anything else.

"He's part of it...!" Tali supplemented, with a mixture of surprise and disdain.

"I'm gonna have to ask you to come with me, sir..." Strenners boldly demanded, with a bolstered resolve, despite the pistol trembling in his grip. "Please don't resist. I don't wanna have to shoot you..."

Shepard glanced over at Tali, and ever so slightly motioned an unspoken instruction with his eyes, to which Tali acknowledged with the slightest of nods.

"Now put your hands up!"

"Okay..." The Commander obediently acknowledged, as he and Tali raised their arms up.

"Turn around! Hands on your head!" Strenners barked.

"No problem..." Shepard assured submissively, as he and Tali slowly turned around, and locked their hands behind their heads. "Just take it easy... We're unarmed, and we don't wanna get hurt... We'll do whatever you say."

The human guard lowered his pistol a bit, breathing a sigh of relief at how smoothly this was going, as he pulled a pair of silver handcuffs out of a compartment on the rear of his belt.

Commander Shepard held his breath for a moment – not wanting the sounds of his own respiration to interfere. He poignantly tuned his hearing, as he listened to the clicking of handcuffs, followed by the light patter of Strenners' footsteps approaching on the carpet. The only breathing he could hear, was the guards – just what he wanted.

"No sudden moves now..."

Strenners buried his pistol's barrel between the Commander's shoulder blades, as he reached out towards John's wrist, with an open pair of jingling cuffs in hand. Suddenly! "UMPH!" A blur of motion! A sharp pain! In a matter of milliseconds, Shepard spun himself around counter-clockwise, using the broad of his shoulder to force the weapon safely to the side. He immediately locked the armed appendage beneath his, spun Strenners to the floor, slamming him, and pinning him down hard, as he disarmed his hand - twisting the pistol out of his grip, and torqing the arm behind his back in a way it shouldn't bend.

"AARGH!" Strenners cried out in agony, with his eyes clenched tightly, and his right cheek mashed down against the carpeted floor. "AHH! LET ME GO!"

"Tali..." John calmly handed the pistol to his satin dressed lover, keeping Strenners pinned under his weight, and maintaining his arm locked back painfully. "Just keep that right on him..." He said, with a mildly devious grin, as she took the pistol and calmly aimed it down at the futilely struggling officer.

"Oh please...!" He pleaded in a pained voice, breathing rapidly, with his eyes clenched tightly. "Argh! Please, don't kill me!"

"Shut up!" Shepard barked angrily. "Now here's how we're gonna do this. I'm gonna ask you some questions... For every question you don't answer, or for every answer I get that I don't like – your arm bends a little... Like this."

"MMPH! ARGH! AHHH!" Strenners cried out in anguish, pounding his free fist on the floor, with a tormented look on his face, as Shepard briefly torqued his arm back further, before loosening the pressure again. It got the point across.

"And I'll keep bending it until it snaps..." The Commander affirmed, with a sinister tone, inflicting the necessary intimidation. "Then we'll start with the other arm. Do you understand...?"

The officer didn't respond. He simply breathed rapidly, keeping the side of his face planted on the plush, carpeted floor.

"I'll take that as a no..." Shepard stated, as he worked the arm back further, once more.

"Ahh! AHH! Yes, I understand! I UNDERSTAND!"

"Good..." John snidely acknowledged, as he loosened his grip. "Then we can begin. Now... What's going on?"

"I don't know..." Strenners replied brashly, under his labored breaths.

"Wrong answer."

"Ahh! Ahh! Hi-hija-hijack! The ship's being hijacked!" The officer immediately screeched, as the unbearable twang of pain shot through his arm and shoulder.

"Hijacked?" Shepard questioned, briefly looking up at Tali, as he eased the tension, bringing Strenners another moment of relief. "By who? Pirates? Slavers?" He demanded, looking back down at the squirming guard.

"I don't know..." Strenners uttered in a gasping, pleading voice.

"You've got a real problem with comprehension, don't you Doug?"

"Ahh! Ahh-I-I I don't know!" He cried out, slamming his open palm down on the carpet – his forehead soaked in perspiration, as his arm was bent back forcibly. "Seriously, I don't know! Uhh-I-I swear! I don't know the whole plan, I just know my job! Ahh! Please...!"

Believing his pleas, at least for now, the Commander eased the pressure.

"Ugh... Oh, thank you..." The captive muttered gratefully, in a shaky voice, with his face half buried on the floor. "...Like I said, I don't know the whole plan." He continued. "All I know, is I was supposed to clear the observation deck... When Commander Kim gives the order, all the passengers are gonna be gathered up in the Casino, on the Promenade Deck... And they're gonna take 'em for everything their worth..."

"Commander Kim...?" Shepard said to himself, in a whisper, with a furrowed brow. There was something about that name he wanted to recognize, something familiar, but he couldn't figure it out.

"Who docked with the ship?" Tali queried, still aiming the pistol down at the officer's head.

"I don't know..." Strenners quickly answered, with a hefty breath. "I've heard mention of the Blood Pack. A krogan, and a volus... But I don't really know who they are..."

"The Blood Pack are mostly thugs..." Tali stated, as she glanced up at John, keeping her pistol keenly aimed however. "I doubt they'd use such a sophisticated comm jammer. Eclipse, or the Blue Suns maybe. But not the Blood Pack..."

"They wouldn't..." Shepard declared, still keeping Strenners tightly pinned. "The Blood Pack would just fire on the ship from the outside, board, and come in shooting. They wouldn't waste time with comm jammers. And they wouldn't run with a volus, unless they had something to gain from it. Chances are he's the one master minding this."

The Commander turned his attention back down to his restrained victim, whom he held in complete submission. "So what's your involvement in all this?"

"We just take our orders from Commander Kim..." Strenners weakly replied, sounding completely out of breath. "We've all got our jobs... Mine was to clear the top observation decks, and wait for the Commander's order..."

"Wait, 'we'?!" John demanded in shock. "You mean besides you and this Commander Kim, there are other members of security in on this...? How many?"

"..."

"How many?!"

"AHH! Okay! Okay! All of us!" He cringed in pain, as Shepard put the squeeze on again. "We're all in on it...! About forty guys or so. All except the new kid, I don't think he knows..."

"The ship's entire security outfit..." John uttered with a mix of concern and disbelief in his voice, and on his expression, as he looked up at Tali, shaking his head. "How the hell does an entire security team go rogue...?"

"I dunno, man..." Strenners stated in a pleading, trembling voice, sounding almost in tears. "I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time... And Commander Kim made it sound so easy... So worth it... It just made sense, you know? You get so sick of earning a meager living to protect the richest people in the galaxy. Watching 'em live it up and stuff their faces while the rest of us have to scrape by... It just didn't seem fair..."

"Whether you think it's fair or not, it was your job to protect them, not betray them!" Shepard snapped in a rage, torquing the officer's arm back a little harder, causing him to writhe around agonizingly. "You don't like it, find a job somewhere else!"

"Okay man, okay!" Strenners pleaded through clenched teeth, sweating profusely, and taking breaths in droves. "I'm sorry! Please, just let me go Commander! I told you everything I know, I swear! Please, please don't kill me! Just let me go, Shepard. Please...!"

"I should kill you!" The Commander exclaimed angrily, still holding his arm back, but slowly easing the tension. "But I'm not going to..."

"Oh god, thank you... Thank you so much, Commander..." His prisoner uttered under his breath, while exhaling a deep sigh of palpable relief.

"Stand up. Slowly..." Shepard ordered, still keeping a keen grip on the officer's twisted arm, as he pulled his weight off him, and got to his feet.

With his body liberated, the rogue officer rose to his knees – the markings of pain still etched on his face. He drew one foot forward, planted it on the carpet, and pushed himself to his feet. Tali took a step back, relinquishing her aim on officer, as she drew back her arm, pointing the pistol upward in a idle position.

"Alright..." Shepard began, still holding Strenners arm locked behind his back, as he batted his eyes around nervously, hoping any moment he'd be set free. "Now this is gonna hurt for a bit..."

"What?! Gaugh!" Strenners gagged, and wrestled ferociously, as Shepard released his hold on the guard's arm, and wrapped his thick upper arm around his neck – all in a single, blistering motion. The rogue security officer coughed, gasped, and gagged, as he feverishly tried working his fingers between his neck, and Shepard's arm to pry it off, but it was no use... He kicked, and struggled, and writhed, and squirmed, until his violent thrashing slowly faded – the fight slowly being sucked out of him, as his blood flow was restricted. With one final gasp, Strenners' eyes closed, and his arms fell limp at his sides.

With his culprit subdued, Shepard loosened his grip, and gently lowered the motionless Strenners to the ground, lightly laying him down.

"Whew..." Shepard wiped his brow a bit as he stood back up.

"Is he dead?" Tali questioned, as she walked around the peaceful looking officer, towards John, looking down at his handiwork.

"No..." He assured, with a confident shake of his head, as he started to look around the room. "Just unconscious."

Just then, a silver gleam from the floor caught Shepard's eye. He bent down, to pick up the sturdy pair of handcuffs, originally meant for him, and moved over towards the incapacitated guard. He reached out, taking hold of Strenners' right arm, locking one of the restraints around his wrist. Holding on to the cuffs, the Commander took another quick glance around the room. It wasn't long before he spotted something suitable. He pulled at Strenners' arm, dragging him along towards the front of the observation room, and the long metal railing running along the panoramic window. Shepard sat the unconscious officer up, with his back towards the window, and locked both his wrists up over his head, securely fastening him to the rail with the handcuffs.

"He should come to in about half an hour, but he's not going anywhere..." The Commander declared, as he stood back up.

He turned to face Tali, shaking his head, as he placed his hands on his hips. "And we've still got a problem..."

Suddenly, a faint, muffled chatter drew their attention back down to the unconscious man before them. It was the buzzing of a tiny, imperceptible voice resonating from the motionless officer's ear.

With a look of uncertainty on his face, John bent down, and plucked the communicator out of the security guard's ear canal. Standing back up, he looked to Tali and raised his eyebrows nervously, as he affixed the communicator to his ear. Knowing full well that he couldn't convincingly mimic Strenners' voice, he decided to try something else.

"Hello? Strenners, come in. Do you copy?" A male voice beckoned from the other end. "Strenners are you there? What's going on? Come in!"

"Argh... Ahem... Uh, yeah, Strenners here!" John declared in a coarse, throaty voice, doing his best to imitate what the blacked out guard would sound like with an irritated throat. "I read you."

"Doug...? What's going on?" The other voice suspiciously inquired. "Why didn't you answer? And what the hell's wrong with your voice?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing... Ahem..." Shepard began again, lightly coughing and clearing his throat, with the same grizzled voice. "Just stopped to have a quick drink. Turned out to be Ryncol. Got to me a little."

"Oh..." The male voice submitted, sounding convinced and at ease. "Well stop screwin' around, we got work to do. Are the observation decks cleared?"

"Uh, yeah... Yeah, check, we're all clear here." The impersonating Commander replied. "All observation decks secure."

"Okay, good." The voice in his ear replied. "Well, get ready to round everyone up then. Commander Kim'll probably give the order any minute."

"Roger that. Ahem. Strenners' out."

Shepard pulled his finger away from his ear, as a small crooked grin grew on his face.

"That actually worked!?" Tali beckoned, with a heavy sense of disbelief.

"Yeah, I can't believe it either, heh..." Shepard replied, with a mildly sarcastic chuckle.

"So what do we do now?"

"We have to get word out to either the Alliance, or the Citadel, somehow..." He answered. "Let 'em know what's happening, and get 'em to send help."

"Hmm..." Tali uttered pensively, as she bowed her head, and placed a curved finger over her helmet's mouthpiece. "Well whatever's disrupting communications is probably on the ship that docked with us. If we can reach it, I should be able to hack into it, and open up a secondary frequency... But I'll need my tools for that. And I left them back in our Stateroom..."

"You actually brought your tools along...?" The Commander queried, laughing a little under his breath.

"John, I'm a quarian... We don't go anywhere without some sort of tools." She added, crossing her arms over her dress, and leaning a bit to her right. "We might need to make basic suit repairs at anytime. But I didn't bring everything... I left most of my defense and combat mods back on the Normandy..."

"Well, we don't have much choice..." He replied, wearily. "We have to get that distress call out."

Commander Shepard stopped and exhaled a long, frustrated sigh, as he bowed and shook his head. He gazed up at Tali, clenching his lips tightly, with a remorseful look in his eyes.

"So much for a nice, relaxing vacation..."