Afterlife
We arrived at the Afterlife about 15 minutes later, entering it through a side entrance to avoid the crowd. Leading me through bare corridors Grizz took the chance to inspect the security rooms, where three guards watched monitors depicting nearly all areas of the Afterlife. If arguments between guests got too rude or escalated the security would yank them out he explained to me. We reached the backdoor entry emerging directly into the secured area of Aria's booth.
"She seems to be in conversation, let's wait some minutes, you'd like something to drink?"
"If you go and grab it yes, I still have this 'half-of-the-station-is-hunting-you' thing in mind, ya'know."
Grizz mandibles flared. "Guess what, I'm adding waitress to my job description in an instant, just for you."
"You're too courteous, and I am all pins and needles to see you in your dress now." I grinned back at him.
"Point scored, I'm better off for the drinks now, I'm seeing myself already down on my knees, cleaning your boots." He chuckled and went off for the drinks.
I inspected my surroundings, the booth was a large circle about six meters in diameter with a couch-like seating lining the inner wall, enough space to host a small group of guests. The large window covered almost half of it, the view cut in two by an advertisement pillar outside it. "Quite an open invitation for an attack, I wonder if this window is bulletproof enough to withstand a sniper rifle. Given the fact she is the unofficial queen of this station for more than hundred years, it won't be made of simple glass." Attached to the booth were two stairways joining in the middle behind it. On both entries two guards stood sentry, their helmets and armour changing in colour as the whirling light from the club passed over them time and again.
Aria's current guest left the booth and she indicated me to come in. I sat down on the left side of the couch, facing her as she sat in the middle. "Heard you found something interesting, Grizz told me the details and I am inclined to follow his judgement in this."
"He's right in that, it is a little bit to much coincidence to be ignored. He also told me you've got some additional news?"
"Made my homework. Immediately after Grizz informed me about your discovery I activated a couple of agents to have a closer look at this special subject and investigate if we have further information about his recent contacts. They were able to identify another possible partaker of this conspiracy, but nothing's settled yet concerning this.
"What would you like me to do then, move forward or wait until we have more information? If I am going to strike fast, every other partaker is warned and will take cover."
"For now just wait, but you can prepare for the first target, talk to Grizz what you need." Looking around she asked me. "By the way, you happen to know where he is?"
"He wanted to catch a drink for the two of us." I replied looking out of the window trying to get a glimpse of him. As my eyes wandered through the main hall of the Afterlife it was illuminated for a fragment of a second by a flashlight. I caught a glimpse of someone bending above a rifle like form mounted on a rack. Seeing the astonishment in my eyes, Aria raised an eyebrow "What's…". I didn't let her finish the sentence but jumped in her direction, pushing her backwards into the couch. The very same moment the window was hit by a bullet accompanied by the sound of splintering glass. The bullet hit one of the guards standing at the entrance in the breast, piercing through shields and armour, leaving a wet hole as he toppled over.
Aria instantly used her biotics to push me away from her, defending herself out of a reflex. Crashing into the ceiling where just a second before the guard had been standing I landed on his dead body. Most of the impact was absorbed by my armour, but I felt like been hit by a krogan on red sand. She realized her fault a blink of an eye later, gazing in astonishment at the hole in the bullet-proof glass above her head. Regaining her composure quickly she yelled at the guards. "Get that assassin, secure the club, let nobody out!"
Her cutting voice washed away the numbness of the guards, they immediately took cover and secured all entrances. I stood up and quickly went for cover below the window taking a glance at the snipers spot but it was too dark to be sure. "He was over there, first floor, in the corner on the far left side. It's to dark to be sure if he's still there."
In that very moment Grizz entered the booth, his shotgun drawn. "Are you okay? I alarmed the guards at the front entrance, they are sealing the doors currently."
"Finally someone with the brains to take action without being ordered." Aria scoffed with a glance to one of the other guards.
"We should get you out of here immediately, I don't know where the sniper is, and who knows if he's alone." Grizz proposed as he had taken cover beside me.
"Not the best idea to leave the building, I'm pretty sure they prepared a warm welcome in case the sniper failed. Maybe it's better to order reinforcements and sit it out right here." I chipped in.
"Point taken, so we will wait right here and secure the building." Aria nodded.
The guests of the club were in turmoil, most of them trying to leave it, but the sealed doors held them back. As some of the guests had drawn their weapons in self-defence no one paid much attention to a group of three Krogans in full battle-gear. Ten meters away from the stairway to our refugee on the left side they drew their weapons and attacked issuing a battle-cry. The two guards at this side managed to take down one of them with combined fire but had no time to take cover as the remaining Krogans charged in for close combat. Both guards were blown to pieces from shotgun shells on point blank range.
In the booth we heard the onslaught but didn't know exactly what was happening. Grizz ordered the remaining guards to defend the entrance. "I'll chance a look" he stated and ran outside only to be hit by a charging Krogan. The impact sent him flying out of my range of vision.
Aria was shimmering in a blue aura, it seemed her body was issuing massive electrical discharges. "At least we've got something in off the cuff." The two remaining guards at the entrance – a human and a turian - opened fire but were quickly reminded why it is futile to engage a Krogan in close combat. Aria sent a blast of dark energy into the first of their opponents in the moment the second guard literally exploded due to another point blank hit from a shotgun. The biotic wave sent him flying into his companion behind him and both toppled down.
I decided to use the opportunity and activated my cloaking device to quit the booth, quickly moving down a few stairs to get out of sight before the cloak would collapse. "I should get out of here, two of those monsters on point blank range is way too much to handle." Despite my own thoughts I readied my sniper rifle and ran up the stairs again.
The first Krogan came into sight, luckily they had needed a couple of seconds to recover from the biotic attack and were just about to enter the booth again as shots from a pistol could be heard from the inside. The effect seemed to be next to nothing as the first shot from a shotgun could be heard. Both Krogans were concentrated on their prey now, so I closed in to place a shot in the back of the head on point blank range. The effect was devastating but appreciated as the hindmost Krogan went down with a fist sized hole in his head. In the meantime the second Krogan fired his shotgun at Aria again, this time followed by an agonized cry from the inside.
No time for reloading I dropped the Mantis and grabbed for my Phalanx as the last Krogan turned around in an instant, reloading while moving. "Fuck he's fast" Where my last thoughts as the bullet hit me on a distance of two meters, sending my flying backwards, kinetic barriers collapsing but fending off the worst of the damage. As I hit the wall behind me stars clouded my vision, Barely hearing the sound of the shotgun being reloaded. "Here we go, The day my luck has run out, fate has found me finally. I wish you all the best Serena, hope you find your place in life." I closed my eyes anticipating the sound of a shotgun bullet that would end my life, end my grief, end my vain quest for salvation. I closed my eyes and welcomed oblivion.