Author's Note:A longer chapter for you today. Heavy on action, not as far left of canon today. Kelly and crew enjoy an all out assault on Chora's den.
Bioware is the owner off all.
Chapter ten
"Yes Earth-clan." The Volus, Barla Von says. His short stature throws Shepard off, especially given he is standing on a platform behind his desk. "Vakarian can be found in the wards. Word is he is meeting with a doctor in the medical clinic. Another lead would be a krogan mercenary, he was hired by the Shadow Broker to eliminate Fist, the owner of Chora's Den."
"Why would the krogan have information about Saren?" She has never spoken to one before and his respirator is distracting to her.
"It is said that a Quarian came to Fist looking for protection. Said she had information she wanted to sell to the Shadow Broker concerning Spectre Arterius."
"What kind of information? Where can I find her?" Shepard finally feels like they are making progress.
"I do not know. She said she would only give it to the Broker. Fist set up a false meeting, sold the location to the Spectre. The Broker is most displeased. He hired the krogan to dispose of Fist."
"What about the Quarian? Isn't he going to protect her?" Kaidan leans forward anxiously to the volus.
"No one knows when the exchange will take place. Save for Fist, Saren, and the Quarian."
"Thank you." Shepard says to the volus as they turn and leave. "We need to find the Krogan, stop him from killing Fist just yet, then get to Garrus. Hopefully he can tell us how to get to Fist and get this mess straightened out."
They take a lift down to C-sec headquarters. It's not hard to find the krogan, he is conversing with one human c-sec officer while three others stand close by, hands on pistols.
"Come on Wrex. Can't you at least pretend to not be a killer for hire? Just once, it'd be nice to not having standing orders on my desk to detain you every time you step foot on the station."
The krogan, Wrex, chuckles. The sound is like thunder mixed with ocean tides. A deep rasping grunt of a chuckle. More menacing than when he just talks. Shepard is interested to see it's the same krogan that bumped her at Chora's Den. Was he scouting Fist's hideout?
He looks up from the officer, meeting eyes with Shepard, "I'd love to see you try to detain me." He steps past him.
"Oh go on then. Please try not to cause a scene this time." The officer grumbles then walks away, the others disperse.
"Human." He growls, stopping in front of her. "Once is a chance meeting. Twice, that's not. What do you want?" Shepard can see him puff out his chest, and flex his muscles, his crest and back plates rising. He's trying to intimidate her.
She returns his glare, not wavering an inch. "I need to talk to Fist before you kill him. He has info I need to take down Saren."
"Ah, you are that human. Word is going around the station about you." He deflates a bit. Still an imposing hulk of muscle and armor. "I will allow you to speak with Fist. I still get to kill him when you're done."
"Deal. We'll help you get in, then you can kill him. First, we have to stop by the med clinic. There's a Turian in c-sec there who could help us."
Wrex grinds his jaws as he looks at Shepard. "Fine. He better not stop me."
"I'll make sure of it." She extends her hand to him, "Have we a deal? I lead, talk to Fist, and you will work with the turian, and get to kill Fist?"
He clasps forearms with her. "We have a bargain."
Shepard turns to Kaidan and Ashley, "I need one of you guys to go back to the Normandy. Too many of us in a pack will draw attention, and Chora's den will be tight fighting quarters."
"I'll go." Ashley says, "I'd rather not be in a brawl with a krogan and turian at my back." She strides off before Shepard gets a chance to reprimand her.
"I'm sorry." She turns back to look up at Wrex. "She's not normally so, rude."
Wrex smacks his fist into his hand, "Do not bother with me. I've heard worse."
"Right." Shepard walks to the stairs up to the wards. "Come on then."
"Why can't it ever be simple?" Shepard groans as she pinches the bridge of her nose, trying to shake away the headache.
"Why are you complaining?" Wrex laughs, "It was a good fight!"
She looks up and glares at him. "So says the krogan." Garrus has good skill, accounting for two mercs with one sniper shot, in close quarters. She was impressed. She turns to Garrus and the clinic doctor. "Do you know why these men attacked you?" She asks, looking around at the gang they had just slain.
"Fist sent them. Wanted to shut me up."
"What about?" Garrus asks, as Shepard goes to look at the bodies.
"He knew I'd helped the Quarian girl when she came to me. She had gotten roughed up when she first arrived. She told me she needed to get in touch with the Shadow Broker. I guess Fist thought I knew why."
"So he sends the goon squad for you, and an assassination ambush for the Quarian." Shepard stands up from one body, he was just a kid. Probly no more than fifteen. It twists her gut, the waste of it. "This Fist is a fool. He's got more enemies than he knows, and digging himself a deeper grave."
"If we're done coddling the doctor, can we get on with it?" Wrex growls, "Time is money, and we're wasting both."
"Alright." Shepard looks at the impatient krogan then at Garrus, "Care to join our merry band? We could use a man of your talents. I'll be honest, I couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with a sniper."
"I can thread a needle to compensate for you then." His face lights with a smile. "I'd be happy to tag along."
"Wonderful. Let's go. I'm tired of dancing around, I need to shoot something." This startles a laugh from both Garrus and Wrex. Kaidan just shakes his head.
The trip to Chora's Den is a short one. Shepard momentarily regrets not having her armor on and hopes that these thugs have just as bad aim as the last batch. She looks to Kaidan and sees him raise a biotic barrier as a shield. She gives him a sarcastic scowl. Both Wrex and Garrus have armor on. Had she been thinking she would have at least put on a vest or something. Not just her uniform. If only her head didn't hurt so much, she might be thinking more clearly. Nothing to be done about it now.
They fan out around the door into the club. "We've got contacts on motion tracker, Commander." Kaidan reports. "Four at ten o'clock, one at twelve, and three at two."
She nods curtly, "Wrex, you've got two o'clock. Garrus, twelve. Kaidan and I will take the rest. Let's go!"
She hacks the door's locks, as they snap open they all duck, roll and, in Wrex's case, charges in. The battle is short, and according to Wrex, glorious. Shepard just glowers at him as she fastens a makeshift bandage to her left arm. A lucky shot had grazed the outside of her arm, level with her heart. She tries not to think about it. Instead calling herself all manner of stupid for neglecting armor, and continuing to curse the ache that plagues her head.
"How bad is it Commander?" Kaidan asks as he steps close to look.
"It's fine. Just a graze. Come on, Fist is through that door." She looks to Wrex and raises one eyebrow, "Are we going to have problems here?"
"I respect our deal Shepard. You may ask your questions first." He hefts his shotgun lightly in his hands. Garrus ships his sniper and switches to an assault rifle.
He nods at Shepard as she ties off the bandage. "Alright there?" He asks.
"Fine." She crouches in front of the door. Hacking this lock is a little more difficult, but nowhere near being out of her skill level. It pops open. As they flood into the room, two heavy turrets come to life and rain fire down on them.
"You've gotta be kidding me." She growls, the barrage and noise causing her already aching head to pulse with white hot pain. As Garrus claims one turret, Wrex and Kaidan account for the other.
Shepard stands and walks toward the pathetic man sprawled on the ground in front of her. "You have a lot of people very angry with you. Tell me what I need to know, and I might spare you."
He glares at her, then his face pales when he sees Wrex. "Aw come on. Why all this fuss over one lowly Quarian. It's not like anyone is going to miss her. And Saren paid me three times what the Shadow Broker does."
"Where is the meeting taking place, when?"
"Come on, why would I tell you that? Could be my only saving grace." Fist comments as he stands brushing himself off.
"I doubt it. Start talking or I start shooting." Shepard shows no remorse or doubt about what she is prepared to do.
"You don't intimidate me!" He cries out, "I have powerful friends!"
"Who've all already deserted you. Give it up asshole."
His lips lock tightly shut. She rolls her eyes in exasperation. Then lowers her pistol and fires into his kneecap.
"Fuck!" He swears, dropping to a kneel, holding the wounded knee. "What the hell? You said you'd spare me."
"Doesn't mean I can't hurt ya, just not kill you. Talk." He clamps his mouth shut again. "Very well then." She lowers her pistol to point at his other knee.
"Wait, please. The meeting is in the access corridor to the Wards' apartments, it'll happen in five minutes. Go left at the transit, you can't miss it."
"See that wasn't so hard." She turns and steps away from him. Nodding to Wrex as she passes.
"Wait." He cries out. "You said you'd spare me!" His complaints are swallowed by a shotgun blast and his own gurgle as he dies.
Shepard turns and looks back at him. "I did spare you. You idiotic fool." They all leave the office to return to the bar room. And walk straight into another barrage from more goons.
"Gods bless it." She grumbles. "Never goes smooth. How come it never goes smooth?"