When you first start working as a mercenary - you don't belong to a faction. Belonging to a faction is too dangerous because you have enemies right off the bat, so you tend to ignore them and try not to step on anyone's toes as you try to make a living. But when you're established or if you have no options or work, joining a faction is like a miracle. Joining Aria's faction was the best decision I ever made - not just because I would be virtually untouchable because of my position in her organization - although that was a good point.

I joined her faction because the asari was the most interesting person I'd ever met - and I was the daughter of Admiral Hackett and friends of Commanders Shepard and Deacon. But Aria wasn't like them. She was something darker, something much more dangerous. And I was perfectly okay with running into a hellhole for her. Over the next few weeks after I met Liselle, I did jobs for her. Liselle was a great employer - but her mother was the best on the station. The day I joined her faction - the official day - I was given a job.

A job I will never forget as long as I live.

Liselle had made it sound easy. Just be her mother's enforcer for a full twenty-four hours. Lauren stood still as a stone where Aria's other guard, Garka, usually stood. She was keeping a close eye on everyone in the box, painfully aware of the fact that there were watching her as much as she was watching them. Aria was meeting with one of her other guards, Grizz, a turian who oversaw the daily activities of her other agents. It was a very private meeting, meaning that only Aria's agents were in her private box. Liselle was to report next on mercenary activity on the upper levels, and was sitting on the couch a few feet from Aria. Her second-in-command, Anto Korragan, was standing at the far end of the room.

"-It seems that we're not going to get anything from our Eclipse informant anytime soon. He thinks they know he's a spy." Grizz clicked through his datapad. "I told him to keep a low profile and to contact me when he could."

"Good," Aria held out her hand for the datapad, which Grizz promptly handed over. "Liselle-"

Lauren's comm link suddenly came to life in her ear. She pressed her hand over her ear and answered it. "What is it?"

"-Pack mercenaries are on their way up from the lower levels. Blue suns are moving in the same direction. It looks like there's going to be a territory fight on the lower levels by the apartments. The vorcha are carrying heavy weapons."

"Is anyone in the area?" She asked. She knew that everyone was watching her silently, wondering what could be going on.

"Not enough of us are here. If we try to stop the Blood Pack we'll be slaughtered and if we go up against the Blue Suns - I doubt they'll be a lot of us left. What do we do?" the agent sounded frustrated.

Lauren looked at Aria, who was staring at her patiently. Lauren brought a hand up to her ear. "Put yourself where you can watch. Make sure everyone's either locked inside their apartments or off the streets. I want reports every half hour until they're done slaughtering each other. See if you can find out what the fight is actually over."

"What do you mean?"

"Obviously Blue suns and Blood Pack don't use heavy weapons for a territory fight. Something else is going on. Talk to the informants, see if they know anything." Lauren pulled her hand down and went back to standing still.

Aria looked at Liselle. "What have you learned about the mercenaries on the upper level?"

Liselle handed a datapad to her mother. "They're working for an asari named, Dalana. She's using them to help eliminate her competition in the shops on the lower levels. I've sent someone to remind her that this isn't acceptable."

"Good. Anto," Aria looked at her second-in-command. "Look into the dealings between Dalana and her mercenaries. Find out who they are and see if we can get information from them. Make them an offer they can't refuse."

Anto nodded. "I'll start looking into it."

"Blue," Aria looked at Lauren. "Do you have the report from Gavorn?"

Lauren nodded and handed her the datapad she'd recieved from him earlier. "He says that the vorcha aren't attempting to come in Afterlife. He assumes that it's because the Blood Pack is hiring them to replace the ones killed in the violence by the salvage yards and lower levels. He doesn't think that there will be any problems for the next few days."

"And what do you think?" Aria asked.

"I don't trust the vorcha, but Gavorn is right. The patrol I took out must have had fourteen vorcha in it." She leaned back up against the wall. "We might see more arriving on the station in the next two weeks when word gets out of work on Omega for them."

"Your recommendation?" She asked.

Moment of truth. "Get Gavorn a bigger gun and assign another guard to work the doors with him."

Aria looked thoughtful for a second before nodding. "See to it that one of your guards, Grizz, takes that position starting tomorrow." She looked at everyone in the room. "That's all for today."

Almost everyone filed out - Anto remained at his spot by the wall.

"Is it wise to be using this human as your guard?" he asked, motioning to Lauren. "Your only guard for today?"

Lauren didn't like the way he called her human.

Aria frowned. "Are you doubting my decisions Anto?"

The batarian shook his head. "Of course not-"

"Then we have nothing to talk about." Aria gave him a cold stare.

The batarian left without another word. Lauren didn't relax and instead narrowed her eyes at the door. She didn't like Anto. He'd been setting off alarm bells in her head for the past few weeks when she'd had contact with him. Something was off. "What the hell is his problem?"

Aria looked at her, an amused smile on her face. "He thinks I'm going to replace him."

"Are you?" Lauren asked.

Aria leaned back and put her hands in her lap. "No. I've known Anto for too long, and he's rather reliable. But lately his actions are telling me that he's forgotten how to be loyal. Liselle told me that you know about what's going on." She looked at Lauren. "How much do you know?"

Lauren wasn't surprised. According to Liselle her mother was always very blunt with people. She apparently liked to hear other's opinions, but she didn't like them enough that she always wanted to hear them. But she apparently liked honesty and loyalty. As long as Lauren was honest, Aria wouldn't have a reason to kill her. "Enough to know that you're looking into everyone in your organization. I don't know what you've found, but considering that you've asked me to be your guard, it must be something big enough to not trust Anto anymore. Am I getting close?"

Aria chuckled. "The Alliance taught you well."

"It pays to know everything you can before you walk into a trap," Lauren said dully.

"Wise words to live by. And I'm guessing that you didn't get those from an instructor, did you?"

"No. I got them from Commander Shepard back before she was the Hero of Elysium."

Aria looked at her. "I hear some bitterness in your voice."

Lauren looked away. "We have our problems with each other - problems that couldn't be settled with that thick skull of hers."

Aria looked her shoulder at Afterlife, which was starting to fill up with people. Lauren looked too, noticing that patrons were filing in. Dancers were taking their places on the bar and around it. The music in the club was starting to get louder. Aria stood up.

"I hope your ready for anything," The asari said as she moved to the middle of the couch. "Because Omega doesn't sleep and it doesn't stop."

Lauren looked at her. "And how do you know that?" she asked.

The asari smiled mischievously. "I am Omega."