After 30 minutes or something we stumbled upon the bar, it looked a bit better than the last one before it got shot down but that is not saying much, a neon sign in an alien script hung up on the roof and flickered on and off, the building itself had some holes in the walls, likely caused by the many gunfights happening in the slums, two windows were boarded up crudely and as a finishing touch a table with two chairs were out with 2 guys on the chairs, one a human and the other one a salarian that were playing some weird game with some holograms on the table, both of them as every self respecting citizen of Omega were armed.

I turn to my new companion Sherp and raise an eyebrow behind my helmet

"Do all the bars on Omega seem like a bloody warzone?"

He turns at me and shrugs his voice dry.

"Most of them, people like to drink and you know what happens when some of you get drunk."

I remained surprised, did he mean that Vorcha can't get drunk.

"Wait so you can't get drunk, like at all."

He shakes his head

"No our bodies regenerate too fast and this brings as an effect that we can't get drunk because our system is so fast to work."

Like an idiot I go and point the obvious.

"You are awfully smart for a Vorcha."

He just laughs and let me tell you hearing a Vorcha laugh is not a pleasant sound.

"You are not the first to point that out Six, now shall we move towards the bar because from what you told me that Zaeed will not wait forever."

I just wave my hand and start moving toward the entrance when the salarian that was seated before rises up.

He starts speaking with the typical speed and precision that his species is known foe

"No Blood Pack here human so you can go and take your pet out of here."

Sherp just snarls at the salarian

"Who you call pet, you bug eating lizard."

The human that before of this was just watching amused the situation nearly fell over from his rusty chair.

He exclaims fully surprised

"By the void of hells, the thing can string a phrase!"

He glances at the salarian who looks back at him annoyed, the human just shakes his head.

"Jorgan, let them pass, they are not Bloodpack, I am sure of it, first of all they don't have the colours and this Vorcha doesn't seem like a meatshield like the rest of his brethren and pray tell me when the Blood Pack started recruiting humans? "

Jorgan just sighs with exasperation

"Sorry for that I am just on edge the attacks of the Bloodpack have intensified recently since it seems they are in a small war with the local Gutters and they think that we house those guys. You can pass but don't think to cause any trouble."

I just nod at the salarian

"We will not cause trouble don't you worry about that, usually trouble comes to find me by her own."

The human smiles and goes back to his seat and the salarian just looks back at him moving himself to the table and they calmly resume their game.

Moving towards the entrance door I hear Jorgan say

"I don't find it so funny, now it's your turn."

Entering the bar I can only hear the hushed voices of the few patrons around and the sound of some anonymous sounding music in the background. The bar itself was bathed in the same red fucking light that the rest of Omega was bathed in, at least it was somewhat clean and the most drunk of the guys it seemed has passed out in the far right corner of the room a bottle in his hand. Moving towards the bar counter I see that some patrons look at me and at Sherp curiously before moving back to their drinks and conversations. The barmen was a turian that had the characteristic paint on his face signalising his colonic heritage, donning simple but practical clothes he finished pouring a drink to a haggard looking human, that really seemed down on his spirits, before moving towards us and just rising an eye plate at my vorcha companion.

Seeing me looking toward the poor sod he tells

"Breakup, girlfriend cheated on him with some Asari. So what's your poison?"

I just take hold of my helmet and take it off, a slow hiss making it's way out from the helmet as it was released, my green eyes peered back at him and I passed a hand though my buzz cut hair and I just said

"A beer, preferably a cold one."

Sherp also made his order

"Ryncol a small glass."

Before me doing anything he just looks at me and says with a dry voice

"You look uglier than I could have ever imagined."

I just chuckle

"Fuck you too, Sherp."

After finishing our drinks in silence I turn towards the barman that was cleaning a glass with a rag and ask him.

"Have you got a Nelia around here?"

The barman just nods toward a door on the left, near it a table with a Krogan asleep on the chair near the door. The turian just shakes his head and calls, irritation clear in his voice.

"Turen you old fuck, wake up and tell Nelia she got clients."

The krogan blinks with his eyes slowly and smacks his lips as if he was tasting something good, muttering he says

"Hmm, that was a tasty salarian"

Slowly getting up from his seat like an old man would do he moves towards the door and knocks on it with a certain pattern that is hardly discernible. After a few moments the door lock turns green and the krogan lets a satisfied grunt and goes back to his chair and returns to his 'gourmet salarian' dreams.

The barman just sighs and tells us

"You can go but no funny moves."

I get up from the chair and transfer the payment from my credit chit to his omnitool

"Thanks and here is a little tip." I say while moving towards the door.

The turian smiles and resumes cleaning the glasses while saying to me

"Much appreciated human."

I just wave my hand over my shoulder

"Just call me Courier."

Passing near the now asleep krogan I enter a dark room, warily taking hold of my gun I look around only to hear the door behind me closing and leaving me and Sherp in the dark.

A voice suddenly comes out from the darkness right in front

"Don't worry human this is just a precaution" saying that a small light comes out from what it seems is a lighter and it briefly illuminates the face of what must be an Asari she takes it and puts it near her mouth lighting a...

"Is that what I think it is?" Fuck Yes my buddy we hit the jackpot

Suddenly a small lamp from overhead lights on and illuminates the table where the asari was staying, on it a variety of goods was displayed, from guns and various implements to various syringes and bags that surely contained some 'fun powder'.

The asari that was wearing a hood with a visor on her left eye looks at us with a small smirk on her face.

"So what's your pick?"

I just put my hand in my coat and put on the table a credit chit and look at her with wide eyes

"A pack of cigars, the same that you are smoking, how much?"

She just looks at me strangely and goes under the table and from under it she comes with a delicious looking wooden box and opens it, inside it there were one of the most wondrous sights in the universe, a bunch of excellently made cuban cigars.

"3000 creds."

I just nod while giving her the required amount

"Deal, now let me look if I still have it."

Looking inside my coat I search for one specific pocket

"Aha still got the bitch!"

Taking a cigar from the box I put it in my mouth and with other hand holding that son of a bitch of Benny lighter I light it up and inhale and exhale it slowly.

"AH Sweet, sweet nicotine, how I missed you...oh yeah."

Nelia was just looking slightly amused

"So I don't think that you and your vorcha friend came here for some cigars, so what do you need."

I look at the merch on the table and back at Nelia

"A rifle, with good punching power and precision and most of all I want it reliable, add to that a personal shield generator that will not fizzle out at the first bullet and also a shotgun for my vorcha friend here."

Nelia looks at me smiling

"Now we are talking, youngsters these day want only the last of the line with all the bling and shit on the rifles and after that they wonder why their gun isn't shooting, mind you that those guns are good but if you don't know how to use it then you are dead. For you I got something special is an old gun of your species but still damn good."

She looks back on the shelf behind her and takes a white rifle from it, putting it on the table I can see that the thing is worn but still it seems that it was taken good care of, in addition I see a small holographic sight and under the barrel another attachment.

"A Mattock, damn good rifle, still used on some outskirts colonies, can punch with one shot through a steel plate no probs, also this one has some nice accessories. "

Nelia points to the sight

"This sight is salarian made and has 2 different modes aside from the normal one, a thermal one and also a electromagnetic one, pretty handy I say, also.." she hefts the rifle up and points at the under barrel "This one is a Mk3 Revik launcher, you can put a grenade inside here, point and boom the guy is dead. "

Putting down the gun she takes from the table a shotgun with a nasty looking bayonet attached to it.

"This one is a Katana shotgun, standard but still a reliable gun, add to it this bayonet and you have a nasty piece for close combat. "

I raise my eyebrow

"Kinda weird to put a blade on a gun, who was the previous owner."

She just shrugs

"A hunter, said that the thing saved him when hunting warren countless times and I decided to keep it, so all of this comes to 20.000 creds and I also add free of charge an Armax shield generator, nothing too fancy but it can hold its own."

I wince a bit when hearing the price but fortunately the ex of Zaeed held on herself a pretty sum but the price still put me on nearly zero, I nod and transfer the sum of money and from the ping of Nelia's omnitool I can see that everything went smoothly.

Our asari merchant clears her throat after we took out weapons

"Well I would also like to interest you in a small courier job, interested? "

I just laugh

"The people don't call me Courier for nothing, so what's the job?"

Nelia just raises an eyebrow

"Interesting name, so you need to deliver a package of red sand on Illium, the pay is 15.000 creds it isn't urgent or anything but there is a possible client there that wants to have a sample."

I just put my helmet on and say, my voice filtered, "No problem."

So lads this is a new chapter of the Courier story, hope you enjoyed it.

Answering to the review left by Mandalore: I have to say that Zaeed being a mercenary will not have any reason to be on the Normandy since he will not gain any pay. In ME 2 we know that he was hired by TIM for a pretty big sum so in that case he has a reason to be on the Normandy, so no unfortunately our gruff mercenary will not be with Shepard and Drake but he will be a sort of colleague for Six during some adventures.