The Red Moon Collection - 3 - A Hunt and a Kill

Chapter 21

MSV Hyperion, en route to Omega, Sahrabarik System

"Do you think he is to blame?"

Will looked over his shoulder to see Welkinn standing in the doorway of the bunkroom, all four eyes focused on the sedated turian resting in the the bottom right bunk. Will sat in a chair a few feet from him with a rifle propped up against the leg, allowing him to watch over their wounded shipmate.

"I don't know. Tul's looking at his omnitool data right now," he answered.

"What are you expecting to find?" The batarian asked while slowly walking into the room.

Will shook his head and looked back to Ralliston. "Damn it, I don't know, Welk."

The crew had been understandably upset by the prospect of Ralliston's potential betrayal. This had prompted Will to spend the entire return flight to Omega at the turian's bedside, waiting for him to regain consciousness. Apparently, the sedatives he had been given were potent as he was still down and out. Despite the disturbing possibility of Ralliston's disloyalty, the crew was already preparing for the campaign against Cerberus. Eleena and T'lees had spent much of the flight in the cargo bay, honing their biotics. Welkinn had spent the majority of the trip preparing prayers and blessings for everyone; something Will did not exactly buy into, but still appreciated.

"What will be done with him if your suspicions are true?" Welkinn asked, having come to a stop at Will's side.

"That's for the RMC to figure out," he answered. "If he was never part of the crew, as he so adamantly claimed, then I don't want to deal with handing out his punishment."

Welkinn crossed his arms. "Interesting. I would relish the opprotunity to exact retribution."

"Guess that makes us different people. Let's deal with Cerberus first," Will suggested with a small chuckle.

"Of course." The batarian looked down to Will. "Would you like me to oversee him for the remainder of the trip?"

Will gave him a suspicious look.

Welkinn smiled earnestly. "I have no intention of harming him."

"Yeah, okay," Will sighed. "But let me know immediately if he wakes up."

He pulled himself to his feet and stretched his arms and legs as far as they would reach. Will gave the cleric a thankful pat on the back as he turned and walked through the door to the hallway. Into the crew's quarters he could see Tul'Sorrin busy at his terminal as Shansa sat at his side, watching curiously and pointing every so often to inquire about his work. Will smiled weakly and turned aft, making his way to the cargo bay where the low thump of a small and contained biotic field began to dissipate. He stepped in and watched curiously as T'lees and Eleena stood beside one another near the starboard wall talking between one another. A soft, ambient glow surrounded the two of them as their biotics remained heightened and on alert. Eleena caught sight of Will as he entered the room and waved him over.

"I hope you two aren't planning to blow a hole in the side of the ship," he joked with a hint of genuine concern.

"Captain, please," T'lees responded with a small laugh. "Eleena and I are trained biotics. We know our strength well enough to contain it."

Will came to a stop a few feet away. "If you say so. I never see you two actually practice your biotics."

"For a while we didn't need to," Eleena informed him. "But these recent engagements after six months of dwindling combat missions made us both realize that we were starting to get sloppy."

"That, and we were not operating to our full potential," T'lees added with a wicked grin. "Biotic commandos train in pairs or as full groups. This gives them a full understanding of their comrade's capabilities. It also allows them to hone their biotic synergy."

"Meaning...?" Will raised a brow.

"Biotic fields can interact in some pretty fucking deadly ways if you know what you're doing," Eleena explained. "If I locked someone up in a stasis and T'lees decided to hit the poor fucker with a throw, the fields would corrupted and tear apart. Along with whoever was inside."

Will nodded slowly. "I see. Remind me to stay away from you two if you ever get into a fight."

The two asari looked to one another and exchanged grins.

"A friendly duel showcasing biotic prowess actually sounds quite exhilarating," T'lees asserted challengingly.

Eleena laughed. "Oh, Fayneer, I've been waiting for you to say that for months."

"And let's hold onto that idea for after we've wiped out Cerberus," Will quickly interjected.

T'lees smiled pleasantly. "But of course."

"Thanks. The last thing we need right now is you two roughhousing and putting an eye out." He took a step back as T'lees turned to him and narrowed her eye. "Sorry... bad choice of words."

Kallux sighed heavily as he stepped through the door of his apartment. The space was small and utilitarian, but it provided everything he needed. Faint orange light shone through the blinds over the windows to cast long, misshapen shadows across the floor of his living space. He froze in place. He was certain that he had left the blinds completely shut when he left home hours before. Kallux quietly reached to the holster on his waist and drew his pistol as he took another step into the room and shut the door behind him. The living room and kitchenette appeared empty, but the door to his bedroom and study was shut. He held his aim on the door as he approached, reaching with his off-hand to tap the unlocked control panel. With a soft ping the two halves of the door parted and he stepped through with bared teeth, ready for whatever lay inside. He swung to the left where his bed sat undisturbed: nothing. As Kallux turned to the right his hands guided his pistol to a figure sitting in the chair beside his desk, holding the aim for just a moment.

"Damn it, Hume!" The krogan exclaimed as he dropped the gun to his side. "I could've put a bullet between your eyes."

Will sat with one arm resting casually on the desk as he watched Kallux with an amused smirk. "But you didn't. You wouldn't fire without identifying your target."

Kallux shook his head in exasperation and holstered his weapon. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Great to see you too, buddy," Will chuckled sarcastically as he jumped to his feet. "I didn't want to show up at the Collective's front door and lead Cerberus into our base of operations, so I took the tunnels and sneaked into your building."

"Well, I appreciate the foresight," the krogan admitted. "You left the Citadel early?"

"Not because we wanted to," he answered. "Cerberus caught up to us."

Kallux nodded slowly in understanding and lowered his eyes. "I'm glad you got away safely, then."

"Barely. And it won't be long until they find us on Omega." Will began pacing. "Kallux, I'm guessing you know why I'm here?"

The krogan said nothing.

"It's time we stop avoiding what needs to be done. The crew and I can't keep stringing Cerberus along forever. They're getting closer to us one step at a time, and pretty soon we'll be on the same footing." He stopped and looked to the krogan. "I think it's time we turned the tables on these bastards."

The krogan was still looking down as Will finished speaking. After a few seconds of silence he looked up.

"What are you proposing?" He asked.

Will crossed his arms and raised a brow. "I thought it was kind of obvious... bring the RMC to full combat readiness and fight Cerberus head-on."

It only took a second for Will to see the answer hanging on the krogan's scaled lips, and he knew it wasn't going to be what he needed to hear.

"Hume, we received the rest of the intel from the Shadow Broker," Kallux said carefully. "Cerberus isn't what we were expecting."

Will tried his best to act unfazed. "Meaning?"

"Just the rough estimates we have indicate that Cerberus as a whole outnumbers us at least five to one, and the cell you've pissed off is at least a hundred strong."

"Where is this going, Kallux?" Will's breathing had a hint of strain.

The krogan raised a hand to cover his eyes momentarily. He let out a pained sigh and shook his head as he turned to lean against the wall.

"We don't have the numbers to do this. Even if we could take on the hundred chasing you, the rest of the organization would take notice and intervene." Kallux shrugged helplessly. "We can't become openly opposed to these people."

Will shook his head and stepped forward. "What the fuck am I supposed to do then, Kallux? We can't keep running from them."

Kallux clenched his fists and spoke through gritted teeth. "I don't know! Find a place completely under the radar and stay in the shadows."

"We already did that!" Will shouted angrily, no longer inhibiting his emotions. "We went to Lorek and they found us!"

The krogan grunted. "The only other option I see..." He closed his eyes and sighed. "You could dump the Hyperion. Find some backwater planet, get rid of the ship and fly the Kodiak back here. The Collective can help doctor your identification. We can get you all new names and ID numbers so you can lay low while the RMC continues to gather momentum. I'm certain we'll be at the capacity to take on Cerberus in a few years."

Will laughed indignantly. "Dump my ship and tell the crew to assume new identities?" He gave Kallux a bewildered stare. "And then what? Wait a 'few years' until you think you're ready? How long is a few, Kallux?"

He muttered quietly. "Given the recent growth rates... five years? Maybe seven?"

"I'm not a krogan, Kallux; I don't have five years to just throw away!" Will turned and stomped to the other side of the room angrily. "You're really going to do this?" He looked back over his shoulder. "You're going to fuck over all of us?"

"This isn't about you or the others!" Kallux roared defiantly. "This is about what we have built! I can't throw it all away, Hume. Not because you had to shoot up that facility on Garvug when I told you explicitly to provide reconnaissance!"

Will pointed an accusatory finger and Kallux for a long moment before shaking his fist and stepping back, dropping his hand to his side.

"I've had your back since the fucking moment you stepped aboard my ship," he managed to say, his tone soaked in disbelief. "I thought you had mine."

"You think this is easy? That this is what I want to tell you? There is nothing else I can do, Hume," Kallux grumbled through gravelly words. "I've already looked into some people on the black market who can handle your ID numbers-"

"Fuck that," Will interrupted firmly. "We'll deal with this shit on our own. We handled Sommesh just fine, we can handle Cerberus."

Kallux stared him down. "Hume... Will, please don't-"

As he spoke, Will stepped past him and through the door. Kallux watched helplessly as Will exited the apartment and shut the door behind him. Kallux dropped into his desk chair and placed put his head in his palms, staring down to the floor.

Will glanced over his shoulder briefly as he held up his omnitool to the security scanner. It beeped approvingly, allowing the door to the Hyperion's docking bay to open with a soft hiss. Convinced that no one was watching him, Will turned to the door and passed into the docking facility to see Shansa and Tul'Sorrin standing at the cargo door with a large container being held between them.

"Need a hand?" Will asked as he hurried toward them.

Shansa nodded as she and Tul walked the crate into the open cargo airlock. "Could you get the door for us?"

"Sure." Will answered as he stepped into the decontamination chamber with them.

He closed the outer airlock door and began the entry sequence before turning to face them.

"Ralliston is at the med center," Tul informed him immediately. "He still hasn't regained consciousness."

Will only nodded in acknowledgment. "Okay."

Shansa furrowed her brow. "What's wrong, Will?"

The decontaminating mist finished filtering as the inner airlock door began to slide open. Will motioned the others forward. Shansa and Tul carried the crate inside and dropped it with grunts of exertion before turning to face him, waiting for an answer. Will anxiously ran his fingers through his hair and shrugged.

"We're on our own," he finally answered.

Shansa's eyes widened slightly. "What?"

"The RMC can't get involved," Will elaborated. "Cerberus is too much for them. Kallux is leaving us to fend for ourselves."

"Kallux? That's... he wouldn't," Tul objected as he stepped forward.

"He suggested we fall off the radar. Ditch the ship and get new IDs so we can live out of sight until maybe the RMC has the manpower to confront Cerberus." Will gave them a spiteful look. "Only five or so years, Kallux says."

Shansa's hands found each other and began fidgeting nervously. "We can't just sit and hide for five years," she protested weakly.

"That's what I told him," Will replied. "But, as he claims, it's out of his hands. We're on our own."

Tul crossed his arms and tapped his foot nervously. "What are we going to do?"

Will set his jaw bravely. "We're going to take down Cerberus by ourselves."

"Will..." Shansa shook her head. "You can't be serious."

"Dead serious," Will snapped. "Kallux said the cell we're dealing with is only about a hundred people. That's practically the size of Project Sommesh and we destroyed them on our own. All we need is a plan. An attack they won't expect."

Tul shrugged. "How are we going to formulate a plan against someone we know nothing about?"

Will's expression finally changed to something of confidence. "We're not in the dark anymore." He activated his omnitool. "The Collective purchased over a million credits worth of intel on them. I snagged all of it off of the RMC's data center on my way here." Will transferred the information to Tul and gave him a nod. "We'll find their weakness and exploit it."

"Is this really our only option?" Tul asked apprehensively.

"It's either this or we live the next five to ten years of our lives hiding," Will answered.

The quarian opened his omnitool to retrieve the data. As he stared down at the file summaries he nodded in defeated agreement.

"We should get started on this right away," Tul decided. "I suggest we circle the system in FTL until we've got something, only exiting to discharge our static buildup."

"Flying in circles," Shansa said with a sigh. "My favorite."

"As soon as Eleena, T'lees and Welkinn get back from the market I'll give them the rundown and we can leave." Will set off for the forward hall.

As Shansa and Tul fell in behind him a buzz rang out from the security program on Tul's omnitool.

"Captain," he said slowly.

Will looked over his shoulder as they passed into the hallway. "Listening."

"There's someone outside," the quarian finished. "Someone not on the approved access list."

The three of them came to a halt in front of the passenger airlock. Will's eyes were the first to fall on the door. For safety, he and Shansa were already dressed in their combat gear, giving him no reservations against opening the door and stepping inside.

"Weapons ready," he ordered.

Shansa and Tul were one step ahead of him. Both had their weapons drawn and pointed at the outer airlock door as they stepped inside. Will grabbed his rifle from his back and reached over to open the door. He drew in a calming breath as the airlock opened. Will stared ahead to see a man standing at the center of the room in black pants and a plain, blue shirt. He was tall and athletically built with olive skin, jet-black hair and piercing brown eyes. Will pointed his rifle at the man out of caution and stepped out of the airlock and into the private dock.

"Who are you?" He demanded immediately.

The man stood motionless with his arms at his sides. "Name's Lieutenant Yussef Prior. I'm part of the team that's hunting you, Captain Hume."

Will exhaled sharply and steadied his aim. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to offer you some advice. Something that might help you out of this," the lieutenant informed them.

"Why should we trust you?" Shansa asked.

"You don't even know what I'm here to say and you're already doubting my trustworthiness?" He asked, almost offended.

Will rolled his eyes. "Fine. Make your offer."

"I haven't been on this project for long," Prior informed them. "But I already know this isn't a place I can operate. Hephaestus has gone too far in many aspects." He crossed his arms. "I've put in my request to be transferred to a different division of Cerberus."

"Hold on. You've seen what your people are doing to aliens and you're still going to stay with them?" Tul'Sorrin asked.

The lieutenant nodded. "Of course. No one else is doing what Cerberus is. Their tactics may be extreme and in rare cases, cruel, but humanity deserves better than the hand it was dealt. Cerberus is our chance to change that."

"Humanity has been dealt a pretty damn good hand," Will argued intently. "And what does humanity have to do with this? Is this part of the logic you use to justify torturing aliens?"

Prior seemed to pause briefly before responding, perhaps adjusting his argument to their apparent knowledge of Cerberus. "You're old enough to remember what First Contact was like. The turians treated us like animals and still do. The batarians see our colonies as free labor waiting to be snatched up. Have you never even thought about how aliens treat us?"

"My father was murdered by turian and batarian slavers," Will spat. "But I would never use that as some kind of justification for your sick experiments."

"I can't object to that," the lieutenant admitted. "Hephaestus is poorly organized and misguided. Our commanding officer, Commander Stafford, has wasted a ridiculous amount of time and money looking for you. Frankly, removing Doctor Stafford from the picture could have given us the chance to redirect our research toward something useful. Something that humanity can actually use. Instead, she became the catalyst for his mad thirst for revenge. At this point, I've lost what little faith I had in the project."

"Okay, I get it, you want to transfer out of your shitty department," Will said irritably, his finger dancing near the trigger of his rifle. "You still haven't told me how you're going to help us."

Prior shook his head. "Not 'us.' Only one of you needs help. Stafford is after you, Captain." He looked to Will and smirked. "And he's going to get to you eventually."

"He's practically here already," Shansa pointed out bitterly.

"I want nothing to do with Stafford," the lieutenant said plainly. "The man's a magnet for career missteps. He abuses his power as an officer and I hope I made that clear in my transfer request. With any luck he'll be replaced and his project shut down. God knows nothing useful is coming out of it now."

Will groaned and pointed his rifle angrily. "Get to the fucking point."

Prior raised his hands. "Easy, Captain." He crossed his arms over his chest once again. "Stafford may be misguided and incompetent, but his team is not. They will find you, eventually, and they will kill you. But that'd be a waste, in my opinion. From my observations, you're a smart and capable leader, so much so that I was convinced you had some kind of military training or organized merc background. Unless your records have been doctored, that's not the case." The lieutenant eyed Will closely and pointed a finger to him confidently. "Have you ever considered enlisting with Cerberus?"

After a brief, stunned silence, Will let out a laugh. "Are you serious? You are joking, right?" He looked to either side where Shansa and Tul stood. "Listen, Yussef, putting aside the fact that I wouldn't join your disgusting private military if my life depended on it, you've got some seriously flawed perceptions of my capabilities. I'm just an ordinary guy. Without these two and the rest of my crew... I'm nothing."

"Don't sell yourself short," Prior argued. "You made all the right moves. If it hadn't been for some unfortunate circumstances, well unfortunate for you, I'm fairly certain you would have been able to shake us off your trail. And believe me, that's not an easy accomplishment."

"Do you really think I'm the dictator of my crew, making every decision for them?" Will shook his head. "Listen, buddy, I don't know how else to break it to you, but I'm not interested."

The Cerberus officer shrugged. "I hear you. I just thought you showed some potential and wanted to offer the suggestion." He smiled diplomatically. "I don't mean this as an insult, but I didn't exactly come here with my fingers crossed hoping that you would say yes. Just some professional courtesy, really."

"Thanks for the consideration," Will answered sarcastically.

Prior smirked, but nodded understandingly. "Suit yourself. You know, loyalty has screwed over a lot of powerful men."

Will glanced once again to Shansa and Tul. "I'm willing to bet it's been the saving grace of just as many more. I'll take my chances with those odds."

"You may be right. I'll be on by way then," the lieutenant said in closing, turning toward the door.

"Actually, you're not going anywhere," Will corrected him, taking a few steps forward.

The man stopped and looked over his shoulder with his omnitool visible at his side. His finger hovered over a button at the center.

"Commander Stafford will probably find you in a few hours. If I press this button, it will be a few minutes."

Will let out a defeated sigh and lowered his gun. Tul and Shansa did the same, allowing Lieutenant Prior to continue on toward the door and tap the controls to exit. All three stared after him as the Cerberus officer slipped into the street and, just like that, was gone.

"Oh my god," Shansa finally said.

"It sounds like Stafford is crazy even by Cerberus standards," Tul'Sorrin theorized.

The three of them looked up in surprise as the door began to slide apart once again. They whipped their rifles to attention on to see T'lees raise her hands and jump backward through the door frame.

"Goddess!" She shouted.

Will immediately lowered his weapon upon seeing T'lees as well as Eleena and Welkinn behind her. "Sorry! Just... a little on edge."

"Well... you did not fire, which is enough for me," the asari said with a tired laugh.

She stepped through the door with Eleena and Welk in tow, carrying a large crate between the two of them. As the door shut behind them, Eleena motioned over her shoulder before looking to Will.

"Who was that?"

Will raised a brow.

"We saw someone walk out of here when we were getting close," Eleena clarified.

"Oh." Will closed his eyes and sighed. "I'll explain in a minute. I've got more important news." He turned and began walking back toward the airlock. "Let's get on board and prepare for departure."

"Departure?" Welkinn inquired. "Were we not here to seek the aid of your Collective?"

"Like I said," Will repeated. "More important news."

Eleena gave him a concerned look and hurried to his side. "Will, what's going on?"

He looked to her with tired eyes. "Did you get what I asked for?"

She nodded once and reached into her tool bag, pulling from it a used, but well-kept Carnifex pistol. Eleena held it out to him offeringly.

Will took the weapon his hand and smiled. "Thank you. We're going to need every gun we can get our hands on."