Note: Sorry about the delay. My Beta and I were having scheduling issues so that being said this one is not proofed. If there are more errors than usual that would be why...I'm just the talent...she's the smart one.

I kinda went my own way for this part because I don't like just copying the game, I hope all of you enjoy this...it's all original and I've brought a few characters in a bit early and expanded on another.

Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. As always, please keep them coming.

Mass Effect
"Foreign Relations"

Chapter Fourteen: Horrible Bosses

Nov left the Citadel on the Normandy once the ship was cleaned up and settled from its run in the Collectors. He hadn't actually disobeyed Sparatus' order of 'No more Normandy' as his Council mission actually sent him to Omega. What better way to get there than to hitch a ride with his girl. To say that he didn't like the idea of her going through with her mission without him was an understatement but no matter how many times he asked on the trip from the Citadel her answer was still no. She'd healed from her Krogan run in though it was still tender and from Toombs' gift though that left an unsightly spider web like burn scar on the side of her neck.

He twirled her dogtags on his right forefinger while lying on the bed in her cabin. Sidda was in the bathroom and could see her looking at her reflection and rubbing the new scar on her neck. No one liked scars but that one bothered her. Maybe it was the manner in which it was acquired.

"Doesn't matter how many scars you have you're still beautiful." He called as the chain wrapped tightly around his finger. She gave them to him, the same thing she'd done for Victus and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. Sidda gave him a look, the look of someone who didn't believe him. "Sid, will you stop…now come here."

Sidda grumbled. A spider web looking burn on the side of her neck irritated her but it wasn't because of how it looked, it still…hurt. She told the doctors but they told her that it was all in her head. She heeded Nov's call and got back in bed, they would be notified when they got to Omega so for now they still had time.

"Hey-…" he began and she cut him off sharply.

"If you ask to come with me on this mission one more time you are going to be sleeping in the hall." She stated and Nov laughed.

"Uhh…I wasn't but good to know you're grumpy." He replied. "Guess I have more work to do to put you in a better mood."

Sidda fell silent and felt like a heel. He didn't let any of it bother him though, Sidda was strong and independent…that was how he liked his females. "I'm sorry." She apologized and snuggled tighter to him.

"Why are they called Dog Tags?"

Sidda blinked, odd question. "They look like animal identification tags back on Earth." She said. "Dogs are a pet."

"Yes, I know that…just seems an odd thing to call it."

"Shepard, we are approaching Omega. Estimated time to arrival is 15 minutes." EDI reported and they both groaned.

"What are you doing on Omega anyway?" Sidda asked as they both started to get dressed.

"Spectre business, Baby."

Sidda's expression narrowed. "I'm a Spectre. Hell, I was a Spectre before you were."

Nov chuckled softly. "Yeah but they don't like you very much right now." He told her and she threw a sock at him.

Every time he came to Omega it was worse than the time before. Last time he was here he was chasing an Ardak-Yakshi and he understood why Garrus turned into Omega's Most Wanted to try to make things better for the innocent. Looking for Batarian intelligence was not his idea of fun but in all honesty he'd rather take his chances with that then be anywhere near Afterlife. So far his mission was a bust, he was going to be here a while. Sidda used the time to arm the Normandy with as much firepower as possible.

"I have given a name to my pain," Nov began as he met Sidda at the docks. "and that name is Omega."

"It's an acquired taste." Sidda replied with a chuckle and Nov scoffed loudly.

"Some things even I don't want to taste." He responded. Sidda had to get going, the Galactic Core wasn't going anywhere but they couldn't put it off any longer. He begged her to let him go along but she refused. Her suicide squad was enough. "Please let me go with you."

"No. You stay here." She said decisively and handed him a chip. "If I…" she began and then trailed off before just cutting to the chase. "give this to Adrien." Nov hesitated before taking. "Please."

He took it and tucked it away for safety and sighed. "Sid, you're-…"

"Just in case." She cut him off. The chip had two letters on it, one for Adrien and one for her mother. "I'll come back." She promised and put a hand on his cheek.

"You better." He said and pulled her close. "I love you."

"Are you sure you're going to be okay here?" she asked changing the subject. "I mean it is Omega."

"I'm a Spectre, I can handle it." He winked with all the bravado a Turian male could have.

Her eyes narrowed. "Why do I get the feeling that my mission is going to be a walk in the park compared to whatever it is that you are doing?" she commented and he chuckled.

Any mission to Omega usually went wrong so he was betting that she was right. "Probably because it will be."

Nov still hadn't revealed his mission but if it had ties to Omega it probably wasn't good. "I knew it…I'm gonna be rescuing you before the day is out."

"I will happily play the damsel in distress just so long as you are there to rescue me." He said hoping against it all that he would see her again.

"Sidda," Garrus interrupted. "we're ready to go."

He had to let her go. He hated it. "Come back to me."

"I will." She told him and he scooped her into a tight embrace as she kissed him.

He let her go and she disappeared through the airlock. "Garrus," Nov began and the Turian paused before being the last one on the ship. "you come back and she doesn't I'll kill you."

Garrus wasn't offended or even mad about his comment. Garrus experienced the loss of a dear friend when she died and he wasn't about to do that twice. He nodded to the Spectre and headed in. Nov hated this. He hated letting her leave without him.

As the Normandy departed Nov could feel someone behind him, Omega had a way of making people grow eyes in the back of their heads. He turned to see a Batarian approaching. He was average for a Batarian but it was the way he carried himself. Possibly military trained but definitely a seasoned mercenary.

"Aria T'Loak wants to see her secret 'enforcer'." He said sounding more bored than anything else.

"Come again?" Nov asked keeping his body language threatening.

The Batarian was not amused by having to repeat what Nov heard plain as day. "Get to Afterlife, Spectre Nov." he repeated and Nov straightened slightly. "Yeah, we know. Callus Nov, newly inducted Council Spectre…you're not as subtle as you think. Afterlife, now."

Nov wasn't looking for a fight but he'd settle one if he had to. "Pass. I don't take orders from her."

The Batarian canted his head. Nov may have been a new Spectre but he had a reputation already. "Stubborn Turians…my instructions are to bring you. I can do it with you kicking and screaming if you prefer."

Nov grumbled and was tempted to challenge the Batarian to try but something told him that this Batarian would give him a run for his money. "Fine."

Afterlife was loud, a little too loud for his taste, he enjoyed clubs like this and before Sidda came into his life he'd probably be hip deep in Asari right now. He was lead past the bars, dancers, and then several guards both the meant to be seen kind and the not meant to be seen kind. When he got to the Pirate Queen of Omega she had her back to him and he appraised her shape. Aria had to be the most attractive Asari he'd ever seen, curves in all the right places. Samara nearly stopped his heart but he could feel the danger from Aria and part of him loved it. She was little more than a mob boss and she was protected by at least six guards all the time. He surveyed the room he was brought to and remained as threatening as possible. If they attacked him he could take a few but not all of them, hopefully, it wasn't that kind of meeting.

Aria turned face him looking him up and down not trying to hide any of it. Nov was appealing to the eye and she'd had enough Turian males to know that he was as handsome as they came. The Rylo red colony paint stood out against his black armor but the most noticeable thing about him was actually his amber eyes. "Well, well, well," Aria said as the Turian guard to his right scanned him. "if it isn't the enforcer I didn't even know I had."

Nov listened but swatted the hand of the Turian trying to take his Mattock and Phalanx. He drew the pistol and aimed it at the Turian. "My weapons stay with me, thank you."

"Let him keep them." Aria said and her guards disbursed back to their stations. "So…you are Callus Nov." she continued. "Nice to officially meet you."

The last time they met it for a matter of seconds as Sidda got what she needed from Aria then left. "What do you want, Aria?" He said and moved up to the top of the steps. There was a Batarian on his left and a Turian on the right. If they were on the dais they were the best she had and he noted that.

She took a step closer to him appraising him like he was on an auction block. "What I want to know is why you feel that you know me well enough to declare my name in your conversation." She rebutted and Nov gave a single nod.

"It necessary and it worked. I do apologize though."

"Nothing happens on Omega that I don't know about. You must be a very effective liar." She went on but then paused deciding that the ability to bluff wasn't it. "Or rather intimidating…I can see why Shepard is smitten with you."

Nov didn't want to talk about Sidda with this bitch. "Is there something you want from me, Aria?" he asked trying to get to the point. She gestured for him to sit but he shook his head. "I'll stand."

"Suit yourself." She replied and sat down in the center looking like a Queen. "As my enforcer I have a job for you."

Nov normally enjoyed playing games with beautiful females but he got the distinct impression that he didn't want to tangle with this one. "I don't work for you, Aria."

"Oh, see, that's where you are wrong. I can make life very difficult for a lone Spectre on Omega; lots of people would to horrible things if they knew you didn't have protection."

"Don't threaten me." He growled. "I know everyone is supposed to be terrified of you but rest assured that I'm not. I don't work for you so don't pretend that I do."

Aria let out a giggle. "Oh I do like you. Cal is it?" she said with a smile that actually made her look pretty. "Your little stunt in VIP caused me a lot of problems with Jaruut."

"I'm still going with 'Not my fucking problem'." He said and clearly annoyed both Aria and the Batarian who brought him in.

"Oh but it is, Cal," she replied and looked to the Batarian. "Bray." The Batarian brought up a recording on his Omni-tool and Nov was ready to start a bloodbath right there. Someone caught them kissing and his blood boiled. "You will do exactly as I say or not only will your life as a Spectre on Omega become impossible but there are a lot of people who would pay an enormous sum for a dead Spectre as famous as your girlfriend."

Nov growled as stepped toward her in a very threating matter. "Don't fuck with me, Aria." He snarled loudly. Loud enough and threatening enough to make the dais guards nervous. "You or your goons put one hand on Sidda and I will kill you slowly."

Aria giggled, it infuriated Nov but he kept his cool. She could threaten him all day and he could care less but Sidda was off limits. Period. "Do as I say and you have nothing to worry about." Nov's mandibles clicked but he backed off. "I have a shipment that needs an escort. Low profile so as not to draw attention but I need the best."

"Aria, you have enough men on this station to hold Palaven, why do you need me?"

She laughed, hawked actually. "I don't need you, I want you."

It was all about power and control, Aria wanted to dominate him and shy of killing her or taking his chances he didn't have much recourse. "Fine." He growled though his displeasure was unmistakable.

"Excellent." She smiled. "Meet with Gavorn outside Afterlife…he has the details."

Nov dealt with this new 'job' with a loud irritated sigh as he made his way out of Afterlife. He was mad and he seemed to project it since everyone left him the hell alone. Gavorn was his target; the Turian Sidda had mentioned the last time he was there. He was familiar, very familiar but just like before he still couldn't place him.

"Gavorn?" he asked abruptly and the Turian looked him up and down before answering.

"You must be the conscript Bray mentioned." He said and Nov blinked not for what he said but it was the voice. He knew that voice.

"I know you." Nov said as he tried to place the face and the voice. "How do I know you?"

Gavorn canted his head and figured it out quicker than Nov did. "Callus Nov." he said and a slight smile. "Engineering superstar of class DD2103. I'd know that Rylo paint anywhere."

Suddenly, it clicked and laughed for the first time since his meeting with Aria he laughed. "Preitor! Spirits! I didn't recognize you. Man, you got tall."

"My height didn't stop me from kicking your ass every day." Gavorn grinned and shook his hand. At the Decca Installation and then the academy Gavorn was a good head shorter than everyone else, couple that with the fact that he was a barefaced Turian and Gavorn was relentlessly teased. Teased or not he was a great marksman and fairly good at hand to hand. "What do you say we get this show on the road?"

Gavorn piloted the skycar to the warehouse location; Nov quietly observed him and wondered just what would have brought him here. He was a terrific marksman and had a promising future. He was employed by Aria and seemed to have been for a long time.

"So what are you doing here?" Nov asked remembering that OCS overlooked him for an officer but Special Ops wanted his marksmanship.

Gavorn quietly responded. "I was dishonorably discharged."

"Why?"

He wasn't ashamed of it; military life would never have suited him, too many rules. "Struck a General."

Nov nearly laughed. "Seriously?"

He chuckled to the response as the skycar gently touched down in a district of Omega that most horror vids began at. "Remember that problem with authority I had…it didn't get any better." He said with a chuckle.

He struck a superior officer and was dishonorably discharged, there had to be brig time in there as well but he didn't push. "Nice." He replied remembering that Gavorn was quiet but a bit of a hot head.

Nov copied Gavorn as he checked his weapons after getting out of the car. "What about you? What have you been up to?" Gavorn asked casually.

"I'm a Spectre." He replied flatly.

"Wow. What was that DI at Decca's name? The one who nearly broke your arm?"

Nov had not so fond memories of that asshole and remembered every detail about him right down to the synthetic mandible on the right. "Arless."

That was it and he nodded remembering how much of hardass he was. "He must be spitting glass right now. You, the snarky, stubborn, tech genius that gave him a run for his money is a fucking Spectre." Gavorn chuckled and Nov did as well when he thought of it. "Mate? Family? Kids?"

He followed Gavorn to a warehouse. "No kids. Family is about the same. No mate…but I got my eye on one."

"Oh really?"

Nov hadn't stopped thinking about Sidda off on her Suicide mission. He could say one thing; this took his mind off that for a bit. "Yeah. She's perfect. Keeps me on my toes."

"And she is reason Aria has you in a vice." He deduced quickly and Nov didn't hide it but the surprise on his face was evident. "I've worked for Aria a long time…I know how she operates."

Nov took a misstep and thought of the ways he'd kill that Asari bitch. He wouldn't forget that she threatened Sidda. Ever.

The warehouse was average but knowing Omega it wouldn't stay that way for long. The security was top notch and inside there were crates upon crates stuffed with all kinds of goodies no doubt.

"No guards?" he asked.

"Security system and lots of Mechs." Gavorn replied. "And it's Aria's warehouse."

"So what exactly do you do for Aria?" he asked noticing the sniper rifle he carried, a modified Viper that looked like it had been through the mill a few times.

"Pest control. I keep the Vorcha population down to a dull roar. Full time job most of the time but Shepard killed about a million of them and gave me a bit of reprieve."

"Shepard huh? She is lovely at that isn't she?" he commented and Gavorn paused.

"So she's the one." Gavorn noted then smiled. "I like her. Good choice."

Nov wasn't looking for his approval but nodded to it. He missed Sidda and was still worried but returned to the task at hand. There was a transport in the middle of the warehouse floor and grouping of crates looking like they were ready to be loaded. Gavorn tapped a few things on his Omni-tool and the warehouse mechs sprang to life. "So we're loading it into this and then flying to the location? Why am I here? Why are we here?"

Gavorn scoffed. "She's got something on you and wants you to do her bidding. She's done it to me."

"I have far more important things to do then this." He bitched remembering his Batarian fact finding mission that he was nowhere near done with. The shipment unlocked with a command from Gavorn's Omni-tool and the Mechs began loading it. Nov didn't see right away what happened next.

A bright light blinded him but he could hear the distinct sound of overload hitting all the warehouse mechs. "Preitor!" he shouted as his vision slowly returned. He saw a figure launch a biotic attack in Preitor's last known location. Nov still couldn't see well but he saw a figure that was out of place and fired his Mattock at it. Something hit its target because he heard a gun then the figure launched for him and managed to disarm the impressive weapon. After the Mattock skittered to the floor he blocked the physical attack in an effective manner. He halted his movement, crossed his arms in front of him the attack broke on the block. After that he attacked and managed to disarm her and he got his first solid look. The hooded lithe figure was definitely a female Turian and she was good. During the fight he managed to flip the hood back and got a look at her before she kicked him in the face hard enough to nearly knock him out. She was a biotic that was the only way a kick like that would have knocked him flat.

When his head cleared the Turian female was gone as was the cargo and the ship. He heard Gavorn moving around and groaned. His nose was bleeding and face hurt from the kick. "What the hell was that?"

Gavorn picked himself up off the warehouse floor and shook his head sharply. "Fucking Nyreen Kandros." He answered and surveyed the damage. It looked like a mech salvage yard, they were all in pieces and worse…the cargo and transport were gone. "Fuck me." He cursed.

That didn't answer his question entirely. "Who the hell is Nyreen Kandros…beside the person who just made off with the stuff?" Nov asked and got up off the ground. Whoever she was she was damn effective. She incapacitated both of them and took off within minutes.

"A pain in the fucking ass," Gavorn answered with an irritated tone. "Aria's ex-girlfriend too."

There was the curve and he turned back to him. "Ehh?"

"Yeah I know." He added checking the sniper rifle that had been swatted away.

"Another plot twist brought to you by the Pirate Bitch of Omega." Nov complained loudly. "What are we gonna do now?"

"Oh, we're gonna find it." Gavorn said. "If we go back to Aria and tell her Nyreen stole her haul out from under us she'll kill us both."

"We'll be able to track the transport." Nov thought and Gavorn shrugged.

"Not the transport she'll just yank the transponder. The shipment." He told him and tapped a few things on the Omni-tool then sent it to Nov's. "You're the techy."

Nov's Omni-tool lit up and he went to work. To most the things scrolling across his screen was another language. The language of an engineer but Nov read it better than his native Turian. "Tagged the shipment?"

"After the fiasco with Archangel Aria started double tagging all her stuff." He said and Nov tapped a few things on his Omni-tool. The upgraded device sorted through the data in seconds, there was a reason why Nov's Omni-tool was illegal nearly everywhere.

"Won't she just disable it?" he asked as the Omni-tool flicked a few times as it tracked its target.

"She'll try." He replied as Nov found the shipment before Gavorn was done talking.

"Got it."

That was faster than he'd expected. "Damn, you are legendary with tech."

Nov chuckled, this was small potatoes. "Remind me to tell you of the time I hacked my way through a Batarian base." He said and the Omni-tool beeped after locating its target.

"Fantastic." Gavorn muttered looking at the indicated mark. "Vorchaville."

"Thought my girl cleared them all out for you?" Nov asked with a grin.

Gavorn was a great guide, he knew Omega like the back of his hand and the area they were heading to was infested with gangs and Vorcha. When Archangel thinned the mercenary horde the minor gangs went crazy. The problem was that they were going right into the center of the commotion, deeper than the Gozu district and far more dangerous.

"I think we should be coming into this joint with an army." Nov commented and Gavorn chuckled.

"Nah, we'll be alright." Gavorn said and Nov scoffed. "What happened to your sense of adventure?"

"It died horribly after I got shot a few times on 'adventures'." He replied and Gavorn chuckled.

"You may want to put that helmet on; anonymity will suit a Spectre in here. They get wind of who you are you won't even make it to the dock." Gavorn suggested and Nov nodded in agreement. Gavorn could go in there disguised as a God and they'd still know who he was. It was the price of infamy. Just as Sidda couldn't go three feet without someone identifying her.

Gavorn never told him with the name of the district was that they were going to but it was clearly Vorcha. Just like the Ward arms on the Citadel, Omega had its segregated areas. It was dirty and probably smelled but Nov didn't pay much attention to that. He didn't know Omega like Gavorn did and if the Vorcha could get them the answers they needed he followed along.

The Vorcha scurried away when they saw them, Gavorn mostly. "They must know you." Nov commented and Gavorn shrugged.

"Usually when they see me I come with men and then there's a lot of death that follows." Gavorn replied and Nov gave him a look he didn't see from behind the helmet. Gavorn had changed considerably since they first met; he was colder now and very dangerous.

"Hey, wait, wait…that's the transport." Nov pointed out as they happened on the ship right where Nov's tracker said the shipment was.

"Why would she ditch it?" Gavorn inquired as Nov followed his Omni-tool to a device on the floor behind the transport. The shipment was gone and he cursed. "What's that?"

Nov snorted and picked the palm sized device up. "That's your tracker." He said and Gavorn grumbled. "Looks like she's smarter than you thought." Gavorn cursed but while he was cursing he thinking of what to do now. "So what now? Time to go home?"

Gavorn shot him a look and scoffed. "No. No, come on. Further in to Vorcha territory…there's someone who may know where she is."

Vorcha were disgusting creatures, Goblins as Aria called them, and it was Gavorn's job to make sure they didn't over-populate. Vorcha bred like rabbits or insects. Gavorn found the nest he was looking for and his target. Skreeth was a leader of sorts among the Vorcha, Gavorn left him alone so long as he kept the Vorcha in line. Sometimes it didn't work and sometimes it did.

"Skreeth!" Gavorn barked and the Vorcha scattered when they saw him. Two Turians in this area could only mean one thing, one of those Turians was Gavorn and that caused more panic. "Stop moving!" he barked to the panicking brood.

"What do you want? We pay our tax." Skreeth hissed.

"I'm looking for someone. Get over here." Gavorn's tone wasn't friendly.

The Vorcha was cautious but moved toward him. "We not cause trouble. You leave, now!"

"Nyreen Kandros. Where is she?" he demanded and the Vorcha hissed at him.

"How should we know?" He snapped back. "We not give you information, we give you enough." Gavorn grabbed him and slammed him into the wall.

Nov pulled his pistol and the rest of Skreeth's brood stopped leery of the Turian in black armor with an activated Omni-tool. "I wouldn't." he warned simply.

The Vorcha hissed as Gavorn jacked him up against the wall. "Skreeth, tell me where Nyreen is right now. You know everything that goes on down here."

The Vorcha didn't care and he hissed back. "We not tell you. We know your tricks!" the Vorcha responded and Gavorn gave him a hard thump for the incorrect answer.

"Tell me where Nyreen is or I will burn this entire shithole to the ground, you included." He threatened and Nov simply watched making sure Gavorn was protected. Gavorn had to be effective in his job, the number of Vorcha could easily overwhelm him but they didn't. They were too afraid of Gavorn.

"We tell you, you kill us anyway." Skreeth replied. Nov cocked his head slightly to listen, Gavorn was a hard ass apparently. "Make you deal: we tell you, you leave us be."

"Done." He agreed quickly. "Now talk."

Skreeth snarled at him but answered. "Talons. Look for Bossier tag, Nyreen will be there."

That didn't make any sense and he cocked his head. "Talons? Nyreen's not a drug dealer." Skreeth had to be wrong.

The Vorcha growled at him. "That is where she is, now keep your bargain."

Gavorn tightened his grip on the creature. "If you're lying, you die." He threatened and then released him. "Let's go." Nov was still covering his back and they vacated the nest quickly.

Outside, Gavorn didn't want to sit still too long so they walked quickly. "Talons?" Nov inquired as he paced him.

"They're a minor gang. Drug lords, gun runners, slavers…why would Nyreen be mixed up with them?" he thought out loud as they reached the skycar.

Pretty much anyone one Omega was a criminal and Nov didn't find drug lords, gun running, and slave trading to be too far-fetched. "It's Omega."

Gavorn shook his head and he brought up his Omni-tool and flicked through the files. "Nyreen's not a pirate…she another Archangel."

Nov expression narrowed behind his helmet. "And she was with Aria? How'd that happen?"

"Drama. Lots of drama." He replied.

This was just getting better and better and Nov grumbled. "Fantastic."

The Talon hideout that Skreeth was referring to known to all of Aria's hirelings it belonged to a Talon Lieutenant named Bossier, for as minor as the Talons were they were a bit of a headache. They were drug dealers mostly and were responsible for most of the Red Sand that passed through the station. Unlike the quality that the Eclipse dealt the Red Sand the Talons had was far more dangerous; poor quality, deadly, and addictive.

"So what? You're just going to walk up and knock on the door?" Nov asked and Gavorn scoffed.

"No. You're gonna use your legendary tech skills and let us in."

Nov liked the sound of that. It didn't matter the security system, he could hack it. He modified a Turian security protocol and could now enter pretty much anything he wanted…anything. Technically his program was illegal and he could have been court-martialed for having it but now as a Spectre he could do whatever he wanted to with it. He grinned behind the helmet and nodded. "Sounds like a plan to get in but once we're in then what?"

"Nothing a Spectre can't handle."

He paused. "I think you overestimate my combat skills, Preitor." Cerrus was the one who could walk through it all without a care in the world.

Gavorn gave him a sly smile. "How does someone who bitches this much become a Spectre?"

The attack on the Talon hideout was shockingly easy, they were taken by surprise and between Gavorn and Nov they didn't stand a chance. The hardest target was Nyreen and she was right where Skreeth said she was. The objective was to capture her but that was easier said than done.

Nov had encountered many, many tough opponents over the years but Nyreen had to be in the top ten. He wound up engaging in close combat with her again but this time he was on his game not caught off guard. His Mattock did him no good in this situation so he used the Phalanx right up to the point of actually capturing her. She was a Sentinel and hit him with an overload that shut down his shields and his Phalanx.

Nyreen couldn't see his face but knew this was the red faced one from the warehouse. He didn't seem like one of Aria's men and she hadn't seen him around Omega before. Gavorn she knew but the one in black was her concern. She pegged him as having extensive military training as he matched her every move bringing them to a sort of stalemate until Gavorn attacked her giving him the distraction he needed to capture her. He wrestled her arms behind her back and she used Nov as leverage to kick Gavorn in the face. The sniper really should have followed his own advice for Nov about the helmet.

Gavorn cradled his face as Nyreen's solid kick bloodied his mouth and nose. "Fucking ow!" he cursed but it was muffled behind his hands.

"Oh, no, no, no," Nov hissed in her ear as she struggled against him. "I'm still reeling from our last encounter, sweetheart. Stop!" he barked confirming that this was the red faced one she pulled the same move on in the warehouse.

She stilled to his order as Gavorn wiped the blood from his face. "You were a pain in the ass before and you have not changed."

"Still Aria's lap dog, Gavorn?" she taunted while trying to figure an escape from the black ones firm hold. He was tall and damn strong.

Gavorn was not in the mood to play and spit blood onto the floor. "The shipment, Nyreen, where is it?" he ordered harshly but stayed out of striking distance.

"Doesn't matter." She replied and the one behind her spoke up.

"Don't jerk us around it's been a really long day." He growled. Nov was already irritated with Sidda flying off into danger without him and now it was worse with all this bullshit.

She turned her head to the left. "You're not one of her regulars. Who are you?" she asked trying to figure out who this was. He was far to skilled to be one of Aria's men and it had to have been him who defeated the security system and gain access. Gavorn was not a tech; this one had to be an engineer.

Nov was tired of fucking around and gave her the truth. "I'm a Spectre now spit it out." He snapped ignoring the look from Gavorn. Not a good way to maintain anonymity.

The honest answer threw her off and she narrowed her expression. "Since when does Aria have Spectre's on the payroll?" Nyreen asked.

"I'm not." He corrected firmly. "What did you want with those weapons?"

"Why should I tell you?"

Nov adjusted his hands and she felt what he was doing. "I'll break your arm. Tell me. Now."

Nyreen grimaced and felt his hand tighten on her forearm. The technique was simple and widely used for interrogations, Turian bones were hollow but strong and when they broke it really hurt. The pressure built and he heard her stifle the pained groan. "I need them for the Talons." She said finally and Nov released the pressure on her arm.

Gavorn's head canted to her and he took a step closer. "What are you doing with them anyway? The Talons are drug dealers and slaver…last we heard that was a sticking point with you and Aria."

The Vorcha exterminator could run Omega if he bothered to take a look around once in a while. "Talon pecking order has changed a bit Gavorn. Should pull yourself away from slaughtering Vorcha and look around once in a while."

Gavorn blinked and put it together quickly. "You took over the Talons." There was a pause as things he'd seen lately became clear. "That's why they dropped off the face of the map."

"Not all of them. Still have one last Lieutenant to deal with. The rest have moved on, died, or joined my little cause."

"Which is?" Gavorn sound bored with all of this. The Turian was more jaded then Cerrus was and at this point freedom fighters and do-gooders just annoyed the fuck out of him.

"Archangel had it right. The people here who just want to live safe normal lives are brutalized…it needs to stop."

Gavorn rolled his eyes. "Idealists." He scoffed and knew Nov was glaring at him from behind the mask. "It's a nice sentiment…" he explained sounding highly annoyed and bordering on condescending. "impractical but a nice sentiment."

"Do you even live here?" she hissed a little surprised by his view. "How could you say that?"

Gavorn groaned. "Oh enough of this." He grumbled irritably. "I say we collect our stuff and head on out." He said to Nov.

Nov wasn't so sure and didn't reply to Gavorn right away. "I'm gonna let you go. If you fight us I'll let him kill you." He warned and Nyreen remained still. "You take over the Talons what are you going to do with them?"

"Everything Aria doesn't. Everything Archangel tried to do." She replied and Nov stepped around in front of her.

Omega was a deplorable place but Garrus was right. People just trying to get by lived there and things were bad for the weak. Nov had been taught all his life to protect the innocent and the weak. "I'll help you knock out the Talon boss but you have to give me back the guns."

"What?!" Gavorn demanded at the same time she announced her protest.

"What? No deal."

He ignored Gavorn and paid attention to Nyreen. "Look, if you don't give those guns back I'm gonna be under Aria's thumb for the rest of my life and I don't even want to think about what she'd do to my girl."

The reason a Spectre was doing her dirty work became clear, that was just like Aira to hold something over him. Everyone had a price and she was good at finding it. It still didn't help, she needed those weapons which was why she stole them in the first place. "If I give you the guns what am I going to use?"

"I will get you more trust me, but I need those ones back."

"You are not seriously thinking about teaming up with her?" Gavorn asked and Nov nodded.

"Oh boy am I." he replied happily. Aria threatened Sid to get him to comply now he was going to help Nyreen cause problems.

Nyreen chuckled to his gleeful tone. "You really don't like her do you?"

"She fucked with me so I'm gonna screw her anyway I can." He replied. "Figuratively speaking."

Nyreen thought a moment. Gavorn was clearly against this but it seemed the Spectre was running the show and was interested in helping. "You can really get me what I need?" she asked and Nov nodded.

"Spectre remember."

"Deal." She said after a minute and Gavorn grumbled. "So do you have a name?" Nyreen asked the tall Turian in black armor.

He didn't want to give all his information away, being a Spectre he was going to become famous anyway but the greatest benefit for him was that he was new and not many knew him by name or by his face. The Rylo red colony paint was identifiable so he left the helmet on. "Just call me Casanova." He replied trying to think of some kind of nickname. One of the ones Sidda used was the only thing that came to mind.

Gavorn paused and looked at Nyreen. "Really?"

"Good enough for my girl, good enough for me." He replied. "And yes, I know what it means."

Nyreen fully expected one or both of these Turians to betray her. Her money was on Gavorn even though she knew him better than the other. Gavorn wasn't into helping the helpless, he was a survivor and even though he'd been known to defend random people in Afterlife or just on the street in general he was no hero. If the situation didn't fit quite right he would also do whatever was in his own best interests. To be honest, she was shocked he even went along. The Spectre, currently only known a Casanova, was the real mystery. It was his idea to help her take out the last Talon boss but no one ever did anything just because they could.

For the assault Gavorn remained on higher ground and put his Viper to use, he and the Spectre seemed to know each other so despite his misgivings he did as he was asked. The Spectre hacked the hideouts security system is seconds. Literally. Nyreen had never seen anyone do that before even with Omni-gel and what was even more impressive is that he didn't set off any alarms while doing it. Whoever this Spectre was he was dangerous. The clandestine entry didn't stay that way for too long, someone got a shot off and the gig was up. The Spectre used his assault rifle, yet another impressive weapon, for the majority of the fight but also used a knife for the close quarters. The knife was unique she thought, it didn't look Turian or even Asari and it definitely looked too small for his hand. She remembered some Humans on Omega carried similar ones, military issue boot knives. This Spectre's girl was Human and that was who Aria had threatened.

The remaining Talon Lieutenant was a human male named Kelso, fairly handsome but his gentle look was a deception, he was a despicable man. Murderer, rapist, drug dealer, and a slave trader Kelso was second in command to the Talon boss Sandoval. Nyreen had already raided the main compound and turned it into her domain. Those loyal to her were there already but Kelso was going to be the tough one. Or so she thought. The three of them walked through them. Kelso went against both Nyreen and the Spectre but the nail in the coffin came from Gavorn as he put a round from the Viper through the human's left ear.

"Impressive shot, Preitor." Nov commented as Gavorn approached from his position.

"Hardest part was waiting for you two to get out of the way." He replied with a shrug. "Finished playing hero now?"

"He has such a nice disposition doesn't he?" Nyreen commented as she went through what Kelso had on him. Gavorn didn't reply but did check over a few of the bodies at his feet. They had decent gear so he scavenged it.

Most of what was left after the fight was scavenged and given to Nyreen. The Talon gear was cheap Elkoss Combine crap but it did the trick. "You use this gear for now. I'll make sure you get a better crate of gear soon."

"Are you serious?"

"I told you I'd help. So long as you do what you said you'd do." He told her and Nyreen nodded.

Aria eyed Nov; the Turian just stood before her and told her that the objective was complete. Something wasn't right about it though. Nov wasn't telling her everything.

"Mission accomplished." He told her. "I've served my penance."

Aria harrumphed; she knew most of what happened on Omega. "Took you and Gavorn a long time to deliver."

"Omega's a busy place." He replied with a flat and irritated tone. "You got what you asked for, Aria. Our business is done."

Aria didn't believe him, something else happened out there but she knew he wasn't going to tell her. "I'll be the judge of that."

Nov rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You don't know when to quit do you?"

"I want to know what all the fuss is about with you. I've seen you walk through Afterlife…they all want you, Shepard is smitten with you…I can see why."

Nov had no interest in her. "Good bye, Aria."

"Until next time, Spectre Nov." she replied as he stepped off the dais and left.

The Normandy had seen better days but the bottom line was they had survived the galactic core and accomplished their mission. In the aftermath of the fight the crew that wasn't in Medical were busily cleaning up the ship. The frigate took severe structural damage and loose items were now scattered all over the ship.

"Commander," Joker began over the comm. "QEC is back online and surprise, surprise; the Illusive Man wants to talk to you."

Sidda removed her left shoulder from the sling that Chakwas put it in. The sling had been driving her crazy but it felt better when it was resting comfortably in it. Sidda didn't want to give the Illusive Man the satisfaction of seeing her wounded. Garrus and Miranda already were. "I'll be there in a minute."

Thane stood up straight from his position and helped Sidda remove the sling. "How is it?"

"I'll survive." She replied and worked the shoulder. The armor did nothing to help the jolt she got when Legion caught her. "Better than the alternative." The Geth had not been gentle but it saved her life.

Thane was there when the platform destabilized and collapsed. He was there for the sprint to the finish and still had a lingering headache after being beaned in the head by debris. "I'll finish here." He told her and continued cleaning up the mess on the crew deck.

The comm room was still in one piece and Sidda stepped on the QEC platform. There the holographic form of the man she would kill eventually.

"Should have known you'd be so short-sighted." The Illusive Man said with a snarl. Shepard destroyed the Reaper prototype along with the base. Any and all potential data went with it and that didn't make him happy one bit.

"Oh save it." She replied finally done with this Cerberus bullshit. They never changed, they always wanted to grab more than they deserved. Case and point was him trying to convince her to salvage the base, after everything that had happened he wanted to be greedy. "This is going to be my final transmission to you. I knew I couldn't trust you and proved that. All you wanted all along was any and all data you could grab no matter how dangerous it was. That base was an abomination and I am glad I turned it into debris." She stated as the Illusive Man remained silent during her speech. "You are not going to get one scrap of data from that base. You are not getting this ship back. I will take the Normandy off your hands and your Cerberus crew will be returned to you. That's it. That's all you get and you'll never get anything else from me and I dare you to try and take it back." She was tired of all his conniving, Kaidan was right nothing had changed. "End." She ordered and the transmission was cut leaving the Illusive Man to simmer somewhere else in the galaxy.

The QEC disappeared and the table returned. "I take it you heard that, EDI."

The icon popped up as the table set back in its place. "I did." The AI replied.

"And?"

"You have Tali and Isla poised to disconnect me if I choose to side with Cerberus." She said and Sidda nodded. There was no way she could hide that and the fact that EDI had not reacted told her what she needed.

"You can remain operational but if you betray me you'll never see the light of day again." Between Nov, Tali, and Garrus they could manage to shred the unshackled AI and EDI knew it.

There was a pause as the AI seemed to think it over. "I understand, Shepard, however you needn't worry. You are correct and your actions were correct, the Illusive Man was not."

Sidda nodded to her and felt the shoulder throb, it needed to go back in the sling sooner rather than later. "Then carry on."

The Normandy limped into dock with Omega. Not the first place they really wanted to land for repairs but this was the safest point they could jump to and still get repairs. Nov scurried to the dock and watched the ship come in…the frigate was heavily damaged but it was back. . Pieces were missing from the flight pods and there was visible exterior damage from a glancing beam blast. Sidda had sent a message and he let out a breath he felt like he'd been holding for hours.

"Son of a bitch." Nov commented looked over the damage to the Normandy. Severe damaged could be seen from the Omega dock and it was worse in the inside. The cargo bay and flight deck were shredded like something punched a hole or two in it "I'd ask how it went but I think that's fairly evident."

"One piece." Sidda replied tiredly. "For the most part. Miranda and Garrus were wounded, got my missing crew back, Legion saved my ass, and the Illusive Man proved untrustworthy as ever." Nov looked her over; she was moving slowly and was visibly sore.

"What happened?" he asked referring to the left shoulder that was in a sling.

When the platform destabilized Sidda lost her footing and would have gone over the edge had it not been for the Geth catching her. He wasn't exactly gentle. "Legion saved my ass. He was a little rough about it."

"Remind me to thank it." Nov commented and pulled her into an embrace. Her mission was accomplished and he wanted her to be in his life forever. "I'm so glad you're back and safe."

Sidda felt better as he held her gently. "Honestly I was more worried about you being stuck on Omega."

Nov chuckled softly. "I'm tougher than I look." He said and remembered he needed to talk with her about the weapons. Sidda was where he could get the most weapons the quickest and they were far better quality then what Nyreen had stolen. "I hate to talk shop, Baby, but I have a favor to ask."

Getting the Normandy repaired was going to take some time, no one wanted to be connected to Omega for very long but there wasn't much choice. The damage the Oculus made was the worst part as it compromised the hull to a significant degree. All Sidda wanted was it patched so they could safely return to the Citadel…or even Earth.

To Nov, everyone looked a little roughed up on the ship, even Kasumi who never looked disheveled. Garrus took a round to the shoulder but was more or less okay; Miranda was also wounded but would be just fine. Isla even looked a little banged up as she was cleaning up the armory.

"Looks like everyone had a little bit of fun." Nov commented to her. He noticed bruises forming on her on her right arm under the sleeveless top she was wearing.

"It was a hoot." She replied flatly as her stiff body protested the floor clean up. For most of the mission Isla was with Sidda and Thane. The Sentinel armor saved her more times then she could count in one mission that was the hardest she'd ever been through. She understood now why Garrus' loyalty to Sidda was absolute.

"Glad to know everyone is going to be okay." He said and it was a sincere comment.

"Your girlfriend's a hell of a soldier." she replied and Nov couldn't agree more.

"Yep." He agreed.

"She told me about the weapon crate." Isla said and set the tools she'd picked up back on the table they were supposed to be on. "Can I ask what you need it for?" she asked. Omega was Omega and him asking for a crate full of guns could only have a handful of reasons.

She was fishing. Isla spent more time on Omega then all of them had and probably knew everything about it. "A friend." He replied and she raised an eyebrow.

"Friends don't exist on Omega, Nov." she said. "Who are you mixed up with?"

Nov took a gamble, Isla he believed he could trust. They weren't exactly best friends but he believed she could be trusted. "Nyreen Kandros."

Isla paused and looked at him with a few blinks. "I knew she was still on Omega." Nov cocked his head to the side and Isla shrugged. "I've lived on Omega nearly my entire life. Her cousin saved my ass twice." She said and the mercenary nodded. For Nyreen she'd do as asked.

The hideout Nov was told to deliver the weapons to was easy enough to find, he was met by her men and escorted there. "I have to admit…I thought you'd betray me." Nyreen said as she met the Spectre in black.

"Why would I?"

"There are too few honest people in the world." Nyreen replied and heard Nov snort behind the helmet. He studied her as she opened the crate to check the cargo, her colony paint he didn't recognize and he wondered why she was here. "Alliance weapons?" she asked seeing a hodgepodge of Avengers, Vindicators, Predators, and Tempests.

Nov shrugged. "Mostly. It's all I could grab on short notice. You'll get more so long as you keep your end of it."

Nyreen was shocked to say the least. So far he'd lied or attempted a double cross. "Thank you."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Only if I can ask you one." She answered and repacked the weapons after checking over what was in the crate.

"Okay." He replied.

"Why'd you leave the military?" he asked and she turned back to him.

"Biotic power manifested. They put me on a desk."

"Why not a Cabal unit?" Nov asked still trying to unravel her. He didn't have the time take her to dinner or something to get to know her but he was intrigued by her.

"Wrong skillset." She answered and Nov cocked his head. "At the time…I've grown a little since." She added and Nov chuckled. "Your question…what's your name?"

"I can't tell you that." He said and she gave him a look. "You're gonna have to trust me."

His identity needed to be secret on Omega. It was bad enough that Aria and her inner circle knew his identity. His face was painted red that was all she remembered from the warehouse. "My guardian Spectre."

Nov allowed a smile behind the helmet. "You just watch yourself. If you get into too much trouble let Gavorn know."

Nyreen scoffed. "Gavorn has his Vorcha he doesn't care about any of this."

"He'll be fine. You need anything, let him know, and he'll get it to me." He told her and headed out the way he came.