The Blue Suns kept a pretty secure compound in the Gozu District on Omega, but they had a recruiting outpost outside the main gate. If the turian officer there recognized Kaidan, he said nothing.
"You two looking for a little action? You've already got some good armor, it looks like."
"We're looking for someone, actually," Kaidan said. "Human girl. Young."
"Would have brought her own M-92 Mantis," Van Dyne added.
"Hah! That little spitfire. What exactly do you two idiots want with her?"
"We just need to talk," Van Dyne said. Kaidan felt himself tense a little. This was his mission, after all. Van Dyne seemed to notice, as he took a step back to leave Kaidan at the front of their formation.
"I'm going to need more to go off of than that," the recruiting officer said. "I'm not in the habit of just handing over prize recruits."
"My associate here is an old friend of hers," Kaidan said.
"Radio her that Adonis is here," Van Dyne added, pulling up his Omni-tool. "I can make it worth your while."
The officer must have been satisfied by the number of credits transferred to his account, because he called over his comm, "Hey, that little girl with the sniper rifle. She's got a visitor. … Okay, yeah. Roger. You guys are going to head back further into the wards. She's helping take care of some vorcha scum over by the old clinic."
"You guys are still fighting a turf war with the vorcha?" Kaidan asked. "That's been going on since before the Reaper invasion."
"Yeah, since those bastards thought to wipe us out with a plague," the turian said coldly. "We've got them turning tail, though. Your little friend's been helping with that as part of her initiation. Pretty sure they just sent her in there as cannon fodder, but she's holding her own."
It was Van Dyne's turn to look tense at the words "cannon fodder," leaving Kaidan to wonder what exactly there was between the two telepaths.
"Appreciate it," Kaidan said, motioning for Van Dyne and the marines to follow him. "Alright, let's just get in, get Malik, and get out. Everyone try to stay out of conflict. I'm not exactly in the mood to help a merc group one way or another. Speaking of which, what exactly is Malik up to?"
"Hiding in plain sight," Van Dyne said with a shrug. "Pari is one of the best shots I know. She always planned on hiding out with some mercs – at least for a little bit – if things got rough. It would be easy money and easy cover. But, relax, despite what that turian said, I very much doubt she's trying hard at taking out these vorcha."
They walked through the district a ways before the sound of gunfire could be heard in the distance. Kaidan cursed under his breath as they approached and realized they had walked in on the vorcha side of the fight, with the Blue Suns and Malik across a field of bullets. They took cover against a low wall, just outside the fight.
"Tell me you can do that projecting thing," Kaidan said to Van Dyne.
"Projecting … whoa, she can do that? Yeah, no. God damn, her range," Van Dyne said, running a hand through his hair as he apparently assessed Kaidan's knowledge of Kaya's abilities. "I couldn't even feel Pari at this distance, let alone talk to her. So if you've got any bright ideas for getting past these vorcha, now would be the time."
Kaidan pulled up his Omni-tool, looking for any alternate routes around the fighting. He grimaced upon realizing that the path ahead was the only way in or out of this part of the district. "We could maybe send someone through a vent, but it looks like a tight fit. I don't see any maintenance tunnels on these schematics."
Suddenly, Van Dyne jerked his head up. Kaidan followed his gaze to see a black-haired girl in pink and white Phoenix armor running through the vorcha line with a pistol in each hand. She dodged every shot – no doubt knowing where they were aiming seconds before they pulled the trigger – and took out two mercenaries with head shots as she vaulted over to where Kaidan and his squad had been hiding.
"Adonis? Seriously?" she laughed, reloading her sniper rifle. "And, oh yeah, you guys might want to start firing."
"I figured you'd know who it meant," Van Dyne said with a smile, looking over cover to fire a few shots with his assault rifle.
Some of the vorcha had now turned their attention from the Blue Suns at the other end of the tunnel. Kaidan threw a singularity over the wall, picking up two vorcha. The Blue Suns on the other side took them out. At this, the vorcha seemed to realize they had been flanked, and moved to better cover.
"Right," Kaidan said, "Let's sneak back out of here before any reinforcements show up."
"Roger that, Major Alenko," Malik said, throwing her Mantis back over her shoulder. "Took you guys long enough, by the way. I've been here for three days already."
"I found Dr. Cole as soon as I could," Van Dyne said. "Hey, I think everything pretty much followed the plan."
"Major, you better get your ass back here," Joker suddenly interrupted tersely over the comm. "I just got a distress call from Vega."
From Grissom Academy? What the hell?
"Joker, patch him through. Vega! What the hell is going on over there?" Kaidan said over the comm, noticing the worried look that passed between Malik and Van Dyne as they exited the shooting range.
"I don't know who these putas are, but they're after the Indigo kids. We need an evac team now boss!" Malik and Van Dyne were already running back to the Normandy ahead of Kaidan as jogged to follow. "And we've got injured. Make sure the doc's ready to go."
"Joker!" Kaidan said. "How soon can you get us out of here?"
"I'm already disengaged from the dock and waiting for you slackers to get your asses over here," Joker said.
Kaidan could hear the unasked question in Joker's voice as they ran through the Gozu District. Where the hell was Kaya?
On board the Normandy, Vega was radioing in, "They kind of look like that CAT6 crew that ran with Shepard's clone. I've got most of the kids with me, but Jack and Kaya got separated when we made for the shuttle. They're jamming short-range radio, although the quantum communicators seem to be working."
Kaidan felt Joker tense up next to him as he asked, "What's your status, Vega? How close are you to the shuttle bay?"
"There's a small squad between us and it, Major. But I'm the only guy with a gun around here. We need back up, stat."
Where the hell was Kaya?
"Normandy, come in!" It was Jack's voice on the comm this time. "Joker? Kaidan? Come on, somebody give me something here."
"Jack? What's your status?" Kaidan said.
"Headed toward the shuttle bay now with some of the students. Cole gave me her communicator to call in and try to coordinate with Vega. Tell me you guys have heard from that jarhead. I don't have his frequency."
"Yeah, he said he was heading to the shuttle bay, too. He needs backup. Joker, get the Alliance on the line and get them to send in a squad ASAP. What's our ETA?"
"I can have us there in fifteen minutes, Major," Joker said, handing moving methodically over the console. "Alliance HQ, this is the SSV Normandy. We have just received reports of an attack on Grissom Academy. Targets are unknown. We request immediate assistance."
"Roger that, Normandy. We just received a communication from Sanders. We're scrambling a team. ETA twenty minutes."
"Roger. Normandy is heading there now," Joker said. Then, his tone changed dramatically as he turned his attention to Jack. "Hey, bioti-bitch, where the hell is my girlfriend?"
There was a long silence on the other end of the line, before Jack finally said, "She stayed back to put up a barrier, give me time to get the kids out of the way of most of the gunfire. And I don't want to hear it, glass-boy! I tried arguing with her! But, she was right, these kids have a better shot with me at their six. We've already taken out two bands of these assholes."
"You left here there! Alone!"
"There was no time to argue about it. Just get here with some damn backup already!"
The fifteen minutes that followed felt like the longest of Kaidan's life. He was reminded painfully of the moments in the escape pod after the Collectors attacked the SR1, waiting to hear that Joker and Shepard had made it safely off as it exploded in view of the pod. If this time went the same way – no, he would not let himself finish that thought.
Kaidan placed a hand on Joker's shoulder as they flew into the docking bay. The unmarked ships surrounding the Academy apparently didn't pick up on the Normandy with her stealth drive engaged.
"We'll get her back," Kaidan said. He was not sure who was trying to reassure more.
"I think there's some line about promises you can't keep, Major."
James Vega was taking careful shots down the hall, trying to conserve ammo as his thermal clip stores dwindled. He and Jack had holed up with the Indigo students in a classroom. It provided good cover, but it left them as sitting ducks, too. He found himself wondering what the hell was going on with the rest of the students and staff at the school. Grissom had a permanent contingent of Alliance soldiers, but Vega had yet to see any of them.
"Vega? Vega, do you copy?"
"God damn, Major. Took you long enough. I'm still caught here between two squads of these assholes. What's your ETA?"
"We came in on the other side of the station, but we're making our way over to you. I've got squads fanning out through the rest of the school. Jack, have you made it to Vega's position?"
"Yeah, I'm here," Jack said, throwing a stasis field that caught a couple of the mercs. James took them out. "Better haul ass, though. Your buddy here is running out of thermal clips, and there's too many of these bastards for me to take out on my own."
"We're moving as fast as we can, Jack," Kaidan said over the comm. "I've got Malik and Van Dyne keeping an ear to the ground for Kaya."
"Tell Pari to remember to keep an eye on her six," Jack shot back. "Stupid little shit will let those bastards sneak up right behind her."
"Roger that, ma'am," a young woman's voice said over the comm. James thought he saw Jack smiling out of the corner of his eye.
James could hear gunfire on the other end of the line. One of the students in the classroom managed to produce a defense drone that went flying past out the doorway. It brought down the shields of a merc leaning around the corner and James took the shot. He fell, and the drone drew the fire of another merc.
"Damn it, they just keep coming. Where the hell is our backup?" James groaned under his breath. And then it hit him. "Joker, do a check on the encryption of the signal you got back from HQ."
"What are you – oh, God damn it! Hold on … shit!"
"You two are not saying what I think you're saying," Jack growled.
"Somebody get me on a secure channel! Now!" Joker barked. "Alliance HQ! Alliance HQ, this is the SSV Normandy, do you copy? … Damn it. Your communications have been compromised. I repeat, communications have been compromised. We have a band of mercs currently attacking Grissom Academy, and they've been intercepting Alliance chatter. Requesting immediate assistance. I repeat, we are requesting immediate assistance at Grissom Academy."
James reloaded as the student sent out another drone. Damn it. They had known the Alliance was compromised from within, but intercepting signals from the Normandy – and fooling its crew, no less – showed a level of sophistication James was hoping this faction didn't have. He fired at a merc coming down the hall, just as Jack pulled away the bastard's shield.
"We've got Kaya!" Kaidan suddenly called over the comm. "Heading to your position now!"
"Tell me she's okay, Major," James called out, as Joker made a strange, strangled sound of relief on the other end.
"Patch me – I'm fine, Vega. Just focus on shooting some of these sons of bitches," Kaya said.
There was definitely pain in her voice, but, hell, at least she was alive. Vega had not let himself dwell too much on it in the heat of the battle. Now, he realized he had been assuming the worst.
"Damn, Cole, I didn't think you had it in you," Jack said. James noticed she was sporting a particularly wide grin as she threw a shockwave down the hall.
"Yeah, thanks for the vote of confidence, asshole," Kaya said. "Unfortunately, I got a bit banged up. Looks like you slackers are going to have to fight without my awesome skills."
"We can head back out to the Normandy the way we came," Alenko said. "Just hold until we can get there. Get ready for a full retreat."
"I'm getting word in from Lieutenant Sanders," Joker said. "The other students have been evacuated with an Alliance escort. Looks like they were just going after Indigo full force. I'm revving up the engines, so get your asses back here."
"We're right behind you," Alenko said. "Providing some cover fire. Now!"
"Go, go, go!" Jack shouted, motioning for the students to head out the door. "Get your asses moving! On the double, Jones!"
The kids streamed through into the hallway, visibly shaken as gunfire sounded out all around them. But, miraculously, as they retreated around the corner, none of the students were shot. At least, they weren't shot again. A couple of the students had been hit some shrapnel during the initial attack, but it was nothing life threatening. One of the mercs fired an incinerate blast, knocking out James's shield as he followed around the corner, but the crew started running for it in earnest before more damage could be done.
As they reached the ship, Alenko was barking orders left and right. He told a protesting Kaya to get down to the med bay immediately, and James noted that she was particularly pale. He ordered some crew members to help the students below deck, and he eventually decided against making contact again with the Alliance. As they tore away from the station, Joker informed them that the enemy ships were at least unable to get a fix on their position. They made it to the relay and jumped through, and Joker reported no one following them.
"Well, at least something's going right," Alenko snapped. "Joker, see if you can flag down Sanders. Make sure they're still okay. Everyone else, get to the conference room. As far as we know, it's not bugged, and we need to figure out our next move."
As Vega headed toward the war room, he could hear Joker and Kaidan beginning a heated conversation that ended with a curt "I gave you an order, Lieutenant."