Anya leaned back as she contemplated the navy color of her armored boots. The ship hummed as it soared through the black of space, bringing them closer to Zorya with every second that passed. She tried to focus on the mission but her mind kept returning to Kolyat.
Their goodbye left something to be desired. Kolyat, being as intuitive as he was, had regarded Anya as though he wouldn't see her again. He'd given her a bear-hug and instructed her to come back safely. His request lacked conviction, as though he knew that no matter how fervently he asked, he knew that Anya probably wouldn't be returning. She hadn't bothered to lie to him with false assurances that she was coming back.
In truth, Anya hoped that she wouldn't return from the assignment. She'd left the Citadel intending for this to be her last mission; and if this wasn't the one that did her in she'd regard every mission after as her last. Eventually, she'd be met by a foe strong enough to end her suffering.
It wasn't that she didn't have anything to live for, because she did. Between her parents and Kolyat, she had a surplus of reasons why she shouldn't walk carelessly into battle. The fact of the matter was that none of her reasons to live outweighed her reason to die. She loved Kolyat as though he was family, but she loved his father more.
"If you chew on that lip any harder you're going to bite it off," Zaeed's voice tore her from her thoughts. Anya shook her head, finding her way back into the conversation. A smirk twisted the corner of the old mercenary's mouth. "Which reminds me of the time that I watched a man bite off his own tongue and drown in his blood, bloody mess that one was; all to keep me from finding the pass code to his safe. If only I'd known Kasumi at the time."
Lysithea groaned as she rubbed her eyes. Without looking up to meet Zaeed's amused gaze, she warned, "If you tell another story, old man, I am going to cut out your tongue."
The shit eating grin that stole Zaeed's expression was classic. "This tongue is skilled, sweetheart; wouldn't want to chop it off without experiencing all it has to offer first." Lysithea scoffed and looked away from Zaeed. A bark of laughter sounded from the man when her mandibles flared to hide her turian blush.
Anya smirked at the two of them. Shaking her head she pointed her attention at the freighter's pilot. She'd recruited Zaeed when she remembered he was the reason she'd ever been to Zorya. The old mercenary had agreed to join her when she promised him lots and lots of Blue Suns to kill. It wasn't Vido, that vendetta she wouldn't be able to see settled, but it was enough for him.
Thanks to the idiot running the planet, access to Zorya was limited. So far the only ships allowed through the exosphere were the ones carrying supplies. Out of fear of harming the millions of innocents that resided on the tropical planet, the Council hadn't cut off the resources entirely.
Anya and Lysithea thought it would be a good idea to hitch a ride on one of the medical supply ships sent from the Artimus Tau Cluster. Lysithea had a contact on planet, an ex-girlfriend that desired the thrill of danger, but now that she'd had a taste of it wanted out.
"So give me the run down one more time," Zaeed muttered while he inspected his gear. The milky texture of his bad eye reflected the lights overhead.
Anya pulled herself up from her slouch. Glancing between Lysithea and Zaeed, she reiterated, "The plan is: we make it through customs hidden on this here medical supply freighter," she gently patted the empty space beside her, as if stroking the ship in gratitude.
"When we infiltrate the base we bust out of here, guns blazing, and take down as many Blue Suns as we can. The base has three levels, bursting at the seams with them. So just point and shoot. We want to get to the top level, that's where the big boss is holed up. Once we find him, we give him a one way ticket to see his maker."
"That's not exactly a plan, Shepard," observed Lysithea, her mandibles flapping as she chuckled. "You said you'd come up with one by the time we got there."
"I will," Anya grinned. "And if I don't, we'll just wing it."
Her grin grew at the sound of Zaeed's laugh. "You dragged me through the Collector base, and I came out no worse for wear. I'm not going to bloody doubt you now, Shepard." A playful quirk lifted his brow as he wondered, "Do you still keep count?"
"Of course I do. How else are you supposed to know how much of a better marksman I am than you?"
"Wait," Lysithea muttered as she gave Anya an unsure look. "What was the point system again?"
Before Anya could reply the pilot's voice interrupted them. "We will be arriving in the Faia System ETA fifteen minutes."
"Alright," Anya returned her attention to her turian partner, "The quick version then."
Wide hazel eyes stared up at him as though they would never see one another again. Thane kneeled in front of the boy and held him by the shoulders. "I will return, Mika."
His brows furrowed with doubt. "Promise me," Mika demanded, his jaw set with a determination that he'd inherited from both of his parents.
A small reassuring smile lifted Thane's lips as he acquiesced to Mika's command. "As soon as I finish speaking with the Blue Suns, I will come back and we will all go to the Citadel. You have my word." Nodding once, the boy threw his arms around Thane's neck and hugged him tightly.
Thane patted Mika's back as he said, "Your father is going to need your help keeping Ana and your mother safe."
"I'll protect them," murmured Mika as he pulled away from Thane's arms. Looking up at the young turian standing off to the side, he said, "You have to protect Thane."
"I will," Niall bowed his head before muttering, "Not that he'll need my protection."
As Thane stood, Michael returned the omni-bracelet to Niall's possession. While the turian secured it to his wrist, Michael explained, "I hacked the Blue Sun data base and gave you security clearance. You should be able to pick out anything from a shuttle to a cruiser. I'd recommend something that you know how to fly, can fit all of us inside, and won't draw much attention."
"Right," Niall drawled out. After a flick of his mandibles, he admitted, "Flying a starship is kind of out of my league."
There was a tense pause that lasted a second before Cassandra broke it. "It's fine. My father was a pilot. He taught me a thing or two before he passed away. We'll meet you at the hangar. You just have to pick out a ship and I'll get us the hell off this planet."
A breath of relief escaped from Niall, "That I can do." His attention panned to Neelah. Taking a step toward the young batarian woman, he took her hands into his talons and pressed them to his lip-plates. "I won't be long."
"You better not be." She pressed her forehead to his. "Be careful," her gaze moved to Thane when they pulled apart. A small smile lifted her lips as she added, "Both of you."
Thane bowed, "We will."
He and Niall moved toward Niall's sky-car after a few more well wishes. They all needed the plan to work. It was the only way that anyone of them were getting off of Zorya. Settling into the vehicle, Niall turned on some music as they headed towards the Blue Sun base.
Both of them were silent during the ride, contemplating what needed to be done in order to secure their departure from the planet. The plan was fairly simple. Niall was to get Thane into the base under the guise of another medical visitation with Dr. Leao. From there the young turian would meet with Michael and his family at the hanger and select a ship to get them off planet.
There was an entrance to the ventilation system through Dr. Leao's medical office. Once Thane was in the ventilation shafts, it would be easy. Killing Sloan and Neve would be the challenge, of course. Both men were surrounded by no less than six men at all times. Thane had faced more difficult odds many times throughout his career. He wasn't worried about the fight. He was worried about killing the men before the entire base was alerted.
Thane was a skilled assassin, a master in his trade. But the only time he had blown through an entire league of armed enemies was when Anya had led him. Alone, he didn't think that he could face all of the Blue Suns on Zorya and win. If Thane cut off the snake's head then the rest of it would die as well. He was hoping that when Sloan and Neve were dead, the faction would collapse and in the ensuing chaos he would be able to escape.
It wasn't much, but that was his plan.
The sky-car landed in the base's parking lot, humming quietly until Niall killed the ignition. The two men sat in the silence for a moment, a wordless communication passing between them as they prepared for the task at hand.
Niall's subharmonics were softly whirring with his anxiety. Quickly glancing at Thane, he instructed, "The Blue Suns know what you did to Sloan's men. They know your name and they know your face." His mandibles flapped to hide his concern. "Try to stay unseen until you get to the doctor."
Thane bowed his head, grateful for the advice and the concern. "I will be careful."
Holding Niall's gaze he tried to impart the severity of his next words. "If I don't make it to the hangar, do not wait for me, and do not come back for me. You are to take Michael and his family and you are to leave." Niall opened his mouth to protest but Thane cut him off before the argument could be voiced. "I have no intention of dying tonight; but should something happen, I am depending on you to get my family out of here alive."
Amber eyes watched Thane's features for a moment. Niall was deciding whether or not he could agree to those terms. With a curt nod, he assured him, "I'll get them out."
A breath eased out of him, lightened by the young turian's assurances. The sky-car roared back to life as Thane stepped out of it. He turned towards the base but stopped short when Niall shouted after him.
Niall waited until their eyes were locked before he said, "I'll see you at the hangar." It wasn't a question.
Bowing, Thane replied, "Gods willing."
He watched as the sky-car pulled up into the open air and left. When Niall's vehicle shrunk into the horizon, Thane made his way into the Blue Sun base. Careful not to be seen by any of the mercenaries, he ghosted past the docking bay, through the stock room, and towards Dr. Leao's medical office.
The asari offered him a weak smile as she ushered him into her office. Shutting and locking the door behind him, she asked, "Did anyone see you come in?"
He shook his head, "No."
"Alright," she sighed before walking over to grate on the far wall. She took a knee and began to loosen the screws securing it in place. "You should probably do whatever it is you're doing quickly. I've been in contact with a Council Spectre. This base is going to be taken down."
She grunted as she moved the grate aside and stepped out of the way. "As soon as you're in the vents I'm out of here."
Thane nodded his understanding. "I appreciate all that you've done for me, Doctor. Stay safe."
"You too," her weak smile returned in time for Thane to catch before ducking into the ventilation shaft.
She replaced the grate and Thane was surrounded by darkness. With a calming breath, he whispered a hushed prayer to Amonkira before scaling the vent into the memorized maze.
The freighter eased into the Blue Sun docking bay. Anya, Lysithea, and Zaeed stood at the exit, guns ready to be unloaded the moment that the doors opened up. Quickly fiddling with her omni-tool, Anya started the stopwatch.
She glanced up at her team and nodded. In her chest, her heart began to excitedly pick up the pace. Finally she was going to fight a real adversary. She was beyond ready to dance with death again. Hopefully this time it would know the steps.
The thunder of gunfire sounded as Thane pulled himself into the second level ventilation. It was safe to assume that the Spectre had arrived. Crawling through the tight space, he turned to his memory to find the quickest way to the next story.
He didn't know why the Spectre was here, or what he wanted. Thane knew that Sloan and Neve needed to die, and it was a task that he would trust to no one else; not even a Spectre.
In the halls below, the Blue Suns were crazed.
The mercenaries were running around, shouting as they prepared to face the force invading their base. Soon the second level would be cleared and Thane could free himself from the tight space in order to find the next. The ventilation shaft he was currently crawling through didn't have an exit on the third level.
When the sounds of shouting and stampeding mercenaries dimmed, Thane kicked off the grate below him and fell from the vent. Landing in a crouch, he took a moment to listen to his surroundings. The Blue Suns were collecting at the bottom level, gathering as greeting for the Spectre. If this Spectre was anything like how Anya had been, the Blue Suns were going to have a bad time.
Dispelling the irrelevant thoughts from his mind, Thane shot back onto his feet and snuck through the shadows. There was another entrance to the ventilation shafts in the common area. As soon as he was returned to the metal maze, Neve would be as good as dead.
Thane cautiously stepped through the halls. His foot falls were soundless as he went to turn the corner. He stopped when a voice alerted him to the incoming Blue Suns. Pressing himself against the wall, he listened to the familiar voice bark orders at his men.
"You three, go to the lower level." Sloan ordered to the men accompanying him. "I need as many men between those three and Neve."
The three men he'd addressed voiced a collective "Yessir" before hurrying to follow their orders. They turned the corner and Thane was gone, hidden in the shadows further down the hall. As the last man passed him, Thane grabbed him by the collar of his armor and pulled him into the darkness. Swiftly snapping the human's neck, he crouched beside his discarded body and collected his weapons and biotic amp.
Sloan addressed the rest of his men, unaware that he was being hunted by a predator determined to see him dead. "The rest of you, go to Neve. You keep him alive or I swear to God, I'll kill you all myself." There was a pause before he shouted, "What are you waiting for? Go!"
His men fled for the stairs that would get them to the third floor, leaving Sloan to face his fate alone. A smirk twitched at the corner of Thane's mouth. This moment was a long time in the making. It was time to retrieve some justice for Dacia, just as he had promised Niall.
Inching in Sloan's direction, Thane stepped out from the shadows when he was certain that the human's men were well out of earshot. Sensing that he wasn't alone, Sloan turned to face the assassin. His expression changed with surprise before a grin expanded across his lips.
"Drell," his voice was nonchalant, as though he didn't expect anything to come from the intrusion. The human's arrogance blinded him to the danger he was in. "Somehow I figured that I hadn't seen the last of you." When Thane didn't reply, Sloan wondered, "So, is this your attack? Did you invite some friends to help you bring down the Blue Suns?"
Thane was silent, refusing to indulge conversation when the Spectre was getting closer with each shot fired. He had one target in his crosshairs, and another just out of reach. He wouldn't waste time explaining himself to a dead man.
"I wasn't expecting you to be so talented last time. Now I know what you're capable of." He raised a fist, blue fire swirled around his knuckles as he summoned his biotics.
Thane didn't hide the smirk that coiled his lips. He replied, "You have no idea," before he was moving. His racing feet hardly made a sound as he cut the distance between him and Sloan. The human moved as well, his fist poised to unleash an attack on Thane.
Thane leaped to the side when Sloan sent a shockwave tearing through the ground, ripping the flooring apart as it sent a current of raw blue energy blasting in his direction. Beckoning his own biotics, Thane threw Sloan across the room, hoping to rip the human's feet out from under him.
Laughter sounded from Sloan as Thane's attack made contact. He used the force of the ball of energy to bounce off the wall and push him back into the fight. Storming toward Thane, his arrogant grin grew just before he warped Thane's defenses.
Tilting his body to the side, Thane allowed the charging human to sprint past him. He retaliated with a warp, also weakening Sloan's defenses. The difference was that Sloan would need them. When Sloan skidded to a halt and twisted back around, his face made direct contact with Thane's fist.
The human fell back, momentarily stunned by the suddenness of Thane's appearance. Before Sloan could recover Thane was unleashing a flurry of attacks. Hitting pressure points, and striking nerves, he would have Sloan completely immobilized in a matter of seconds.
Sloan recovered before that could happen. He raised his arm and intercepted Thane's attack. Throwing Thane off of him with urgent force, he was slowly realizing that he couldn't beat Thane in close quarter combat. Keeping some distance between them, Sloan unhooked a handful of cluster grenades from his belt and threw them at Thane.
Leaping back, Thane felt the heat of the explosions on his scales as he dodged them. Throwing over a table, he ducked into cover just as Sloan opened fire. Thane peaked over the edge of the table long enough to locate Sloan before hunching back down before the human could land a shot.
He sucked in a steadying breath before throwing another biotic ball at Sloan and rolling out of cover. Sloan's weapon followed Thane's every step a second too slow, every shot fired only just missing its target. Thane leaped across a counter top and rolled behind a sofa. Without pausing, he propelled himself back up and rounded the room.
He had made a full circle around Sloan, counting each shot fired as the human continued to try and gun Thane down. When he counted up to twenty four discharged shots, Thane changed the direction of his charge towards Sloan, knowing that the human was out of heat-sinks. Sloan muttered a curse as he tried to reload his weapon. Too late, he realized that he didn't have enough time.
Thane was already on top of him, kicking his feet out from under him as he elbowed Sloan in the throat. The human landed with a thump, his eyes wide as he tried to suck oxygen back into his lungs. Kneeling beside Sloan, Thane looked into his dark colored eyes and found fear where arrogance had once been. Good, Sloan had finally realized his imminent death.
"Please," Sloan coughed. His hands weakly wrapped around Thane's that were tightening around the human's neck.
A scowl darkened Thane's face as he glared down at the human. How many times had Sloan's victims pleaded with him? How many families begged for him to stop destroying their homes, their livelihoods, or their families only to receive Sloan's wicked grin in return? Too many.
Leaning closer to the human lying limply on the ground, Thane growled, "May Kalahira show your soul mercy, human." He tightened his hold a bit more, "Because I will not." With a quick jerking motion Thane displaced a bone in Sloan's spinal cord, killing him instantly.
He stayed perched over Sloan's lifeless body for a moment, taking the time to say the necessary prayers before moving on in search of the entry into ventilation shafts. Quietly moving aside some overturned furniture, Thane found the grate. He removed it from the wall before climbing in and replacing the cover.
Enough time had been wasted on Sloan. The Spectre was closing in on his position with each cry of death. Almost the entirety of the Blue Sun base had gathered on the ground level as greeting, and Thane could easily guess that none had survived the confrontation. Already the Spectre was making his way up the stairs that would lead him to the men waiting at the second level.
If Thane wanted to beat the Spectre to Neve then he would need to hurry. Whoever this Specter was they weren't stopping for anything.
Anya shot a turian in the eye as she grabbed the closest enemy and used him as a temporary shield from the storm of gunfire. With a laugh she threw the dead body aside and rolled behind a crate. Now this was a battle; not that simulated bullshit she and Lysithea had fought through for weeks during training.
Not too far from her position she heard her turian partner's laugh sound within the chaos. "I've met vorcha with prettier faces than you sons of bitches," she discharged some well aimed shots. "Don't worry; it's nothing a shot to the face won't cure!"
The Blue Suns were inching up the stairs one by one. Most of their comrades were already dead, the blues and reds of their blood painting the ground around them. From here it would be a literal uphill battle. The stairwell was going to serve as a funnel and it was going to be very easy for the Blue Suns to just pick the three of them off.
If they'd had any brains they would have used the stairwell in the first place. The three of them had already decimated almost all of the Blue Sun's men and were pushing to destroy the rest.
Anya threw herself over the crate and let out a fierce roar. Lifting her gun she shouted as she shot her way up the stairs. Shocked, the mercenaries reacted a second too late. She'd already killed another four men and was more than halfway up the steps.
The remaining men shot down her shields, only to lose her as she activated her tactical cloak. Firing at the empty space she'd been, they missed every shot. Anya snuck through their line and reappeared behind them.
"Boo," she shouted before incinerating one man and shooting the others.
Zaeed and Lysithea climbed the stairs as the men collapsed to their deaths. Staring down at the men she'd taken down without them, they glanced at each other before shaking their heads.
"When Garrus said that you fight like you've gotta bloody death wish, he wasn't joking," commented Zaeed as he stepped over a lifeless batarian and pushed them forward.
Lysithea inspected Anya's handy work as she inquired, "You mean she hasn't always fought like this."
The old mercenary laughed at the question. Glancing back at his female companions, a large grin stole his lips. "Shepard's always been as bad as a krogan battlemaster." Moving to the side he gestured for Anya to retake the lead and his grin turned shit eating as she passed him. "You just used to let us catch up before running into the gunfire."
With a shrug she rebutted, "You're getting slow, old man." Anya coughed out a laugh at the sight of the displeased look that took his face. "I don't have time to wait for you and your walker."
Lysithea also laughed as she followed behind Anya, leaving Zaeed staring after the two women. "Perhaps we should bring the scooter next time," she suggested.
"Keep at it, Spectre," grumbled Zaeed as he trailed behind them. "I can show you a thing or two this old man has learned over the years." He chuckled when Lysithea's body became rigid with his implications.
Shaking her head, Anya ignored the old mercenary and his forwardness. Lysithea could handle herself and if she didn't like the attention Zaeed was giving her she would have said something already. The only reason that Zaeed was even pushing the flirtation was because of how the turian Spectre responded to it. Banter and repartee made battle fun, Anya wasn't about to stop good natured teasing.
Their focus sharpened when Anya stumbled upon a body. A Blue Sun was lying in the shadows, his head twisted in an unnatural position. Kneeling beside the corpse, Anya inspected his body and immediately recognized that his neck had been snapped. Curious, she stood back up and readied her weapon.
"What is it, Shepard?" wondered Lysithea with a whisper.
She and Zaeed followed wordlessly behind her as Anya led them further into the second level. The three of them would separate to make sure that every room was empty, occasionally shooting a hiding Blue Sun before rejoining the group.
They paused at the entrance of what Anya assumed had once been the common area. It had been reduced to a battle zone, and she'd only just stepped foot in it. As much as Anya would love to claim being the sole destroyer of the Blue Sun base, it appeared that someone had beaten her to this room.
Anya stepped into the room, noticing another man lying amidst the destruction. He didn't appear to have any outer wounds. She studied their surroundings. Judging by the bullet holes in walls and furniture, all the shots fired appeared to be from him. His neck too, had been snapped.
As Anya stood, Zaeed observed, "You ran off without us further than I thought."
"This wasn't me," Anya rebuked with a shake of her head. Peering down the hall that would lead them to the stairs to the third level, she said, "I think we have a party crasher."
"Well hopefully they'll put up a better fight than this band of cannon fodder," replied Lysithea.
Nodding her head she gestured for them to get moving. The Blue Sun base was almost cleared out but they still had fighting to do. Anya knew that more men would be waiting for them at the top of the stairs. Hopefully they were ready for them, because she was less than impressed by the men that they'd plowed through up until now.