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In space, every moment is the middle of the night. And every attack is an ambush.

Life on a planet with seas prepared humanity for the idea that ships could be lost to mystery attackers. Space travel meant oceans with no horizons- with potential dangers in every direction. Humanity understood, and prepared.

Among all the ships, the Normandy should have been safe. The most advanced ship of the Alliance, and the vessel of Commander Shepard- the hero of the Citadel.

Normandy carried the hopes of humanity- and more- through the darkness.

But space is still space, and ambush still waits in the middle of the night. Even for the vigilant. The mystery attackers came quickly, striking with surgical precision at the Normandy. Defensive measures turned to crew survival operations, some were lucky enough to escape. Others weren't.

Including Commander Shepard.

For those who survived, and for those who weren't even around when needed most- namely me, the questions amounted to the same voice.

Who did it? And why? Who had access to tremendous, deadly accurate, firepower?

And most of all; why would shadowy and powerful forces take a sudden and perverse interest in obtaining, of all things, Commander Shepard's body?

"Hey, are you listening?"

Miranda snapping at me drove me out of my reverie, and I looked up. We had already arrived at a busy pedestrian crossroad. The Cerberus operative had a hand on her hip, finger tapping impatiently as Liara and I got off her car. "I was saying if you want to find Shepard, the ones who attacked you earlier are the key. The Blue Suns."

"I thought that was dealt with when I blew that krogan's head off." I said.

"And you did an exemplary job of repainting the street too." Miranda said sarcastically, "From our perspective, they're just the big idiot brigade responsible for keeping you from finding the Commander. Which means that the drell may be right, the body's here in Omega and the Suns have it."

She takes a look around, "If the body had left, I would know. They haven't made the final handoff to the Shadow Broker's agent, which means that we still got a chance."

"Do we now?" I say.

"Find the body, bring it here. And we'll pay for your expenses." Miranda hands over a datapad to Liara, getting back into the skycar. For a woman working as the notorious Illusive Man's top agent, she has a lot to do in a day.

"That's not even something worth fighting for." I mutter, knowing that I can hack just about anyone's account no matter how secure and just siphon out of their own credits. But fortunately for me, Cerberus still doesn't know a thing about me, and thus don't know of my kind of person in spite of their involvement with Singularity.

"Like the boss said, Liara, ask the drell. Put your bumpy heads together, and I'm sure you'll come up with something." The door comes down and the skycar engines hum to life, levitating the vehicle and sending it flying up into the streaks of light in Omega's skies.

Right. So I'm working with Cerberus now? Mother will be so ashamed.

Feron begins to think out loud, his words sort of baffling me since the meaning or root is lost upon me. "She's a bigger fool than I thought if she thinks I would help them. And besides, you saw what happened the last time Ied you somewhere. What do you think I can give you?"

Liara glares daggers at the drell, "Quite a lot, I should think-" I notice her stance change, and a warning blares through my consciousness that spelled 'Violence Immenent'. The biotics sheathing her arm did nothing to appease said warning, "-from an agent of the Shadow Broker!" Before I could stop her, her arm flies.

"Wha- Feron yelps as the strike connected with his cheek, some bone breaking even under the tough layer of scale sheathing his face! He sprawls over to the ground, causing several bystanders to look on at the scene played out.

Omega had a lot of instances like these, so the people just took one look and then went about their business.

I restrain the baleful asari, giving her a stern look in an effort to calm her down. "Cool off. We need him."

"You could've killed me!" Feron exclaims as he wiped the blood off of his mouth.

"And those mercs could have killed me, Feron!" Liara shot back, "You were the only person who knew I was coming for Shepard, but they found me anyway! So either they knew exactly what you were up to- or you sold me out!"

"That…actually makes sense." I agree, hand on my guns as the drell got back to his feet.

I wasn't listening to the words he was saying to convince Liara to trust him, I was paying close attention to every subtle detail in his face and heartrate to indicate if he was lying. So far, results were negative. Liara needed his knowledge of things badly, and so reluctantly allowed him to lead on.

I kept my eye on him as we ascended an ellaborately crafted set of stairs lined with many nightclub patrons. It was then that I realized that I was entering Omega's de facto palace, embassy and council chamber all rolled into one- Afterlife!

Low, loud, intimidating and hallucinating techno music played over the speakers. Combined with neon lights and red lighting, poles lined on every corner with many a stripper snaking along for the next big tip, the sight was like a wave of dark and intoxicating concoctions that overwhelmed one's senses- and that was barely past the front door!

I frowned and stuck close to the asari, scared out of my shell that my attention was constantly being drawn to the succulent bared-skinned exotic dancers licking their lips suggestively whilst showing off their bountiful assets…among others I have neither the vocabulary nor the will to mention.

"Kara, stay with me!" Liara called above the noise, "Feron, what is this? This is where we started!"

"Weren't you listening?" He replied, "I was supposed to lead you away." Owing to the convincing argument he made earlier.

"Shepard's here?" I ask, my doubt in his motives showing in my voice.

"Not unless corpses could dance. No, we're here for Aria."

I froze. Shit.

"The Queen of Omega, huh? Some palace." Liara comments.

"Oh I don't know, princesses." A deep growly voice interjects, two strong arms grabbing me and Liara from behind. A maliciously grinning pot-bellied batarian stood a head taller than both of us, "I can find a throne, for both of you."

He turns to the volus climbing off of his seat and waddling over to us, "Move it, we're going to need some room!"

I hear the stout little alien address the drell amidst a pause in inhalation every now and then, "Are the girls for sale, trader?" Okay, now that's crossing the line. Do I look like fucking hooker to you? "The market's overflowing with asari consorts since the attack on the Citadel. But my associate and I can always find a place for excess inventory, especially for this rare human flowe-

Me and Liara are of singular mind. My fist comes up and connects with the tall four-eyed freak, jarring his brain within his skull and sending a dark red mixture of blood and spit high in the air, before having my foot bury itself in that wobbly bulging stomach. Liara just gives the volus a doozy of a slap, hand wrapped in biotics for good measure and sending him flying into the wall beside his downed associate.

"I think I understand why they call this Afterlife." Liara suprises me with a quip of her own. Usually, the young asari would just put a sour pout and stay silent for the remainder of the mission. Now, I'm not so sure.

"You have to tell me how your mother's doing all this time." I say something totally out of the topic.

Liara smiles at my attempt to distract her and dusts off her hands, "Can we move this along, Feron?"

Feron nods, turning to the even larger batarian guarding the Queen's high throne entrances. "If the floor show's done, Anto, we're here to see Aria."

"She's busy. Too busy to deal with a snitch-for-hire like you." Anto rumbles.

I look up, accessing a local cam feed to see a bored looking asari matriarch leaning back casually on her round and comfy black leather throne while gazing in disinterest at the twin asari strippers doing delicious things to each other on a table in front of her.

Busy? Hmph, I'll say…

"Uh-huh. I guess I'll have to find another way to let her know about the business you and I usually do. But then, she probably wouldn't mind knowing that someone on her payroll 's been selling info on who she sees and when." Bold move.

Anto's lip twitches nervously, and lets us in after succumbing to Feron's bluff. He takes us upstairs, where the Queen awaits on her luxuries seat, the strippers having done with their show for tonight and sent away.

Her sultry and dangerously authoritarian voice called out, echoing dramatically in the hall from which we stood, her form silhoutted by pink lights of the neon images outside. "Your friends are better looking than your usual company, Feron. Which means…" She rose from her seat and takes a cat's walk towards me, "She..and her…are not your friends. I liked what I saw, how you dealt with the gentleman downstairs." Her hand slid from my arm to my shoulder, "Tell me, pretty bird. What would be the case this time?"

"He thought I was a whore." I declare matter-of-factly. "I showed him him differently."

The great Aria T'Loak laughs, "That's what I like, a woman who never lets the world define who she is." Then turns her attention to Feron and Liara, "It isn't often that the Shadow Broker sends his minions to me for help. I'll bet it's something big…and juicy." That last part gave me shivers. I'll need to remind myself to take a shower after this is all done.

Liara and I do the smart thing and kept silent, letting our drell 'friend' do the talking.

"Just checking on some merchandise, Aria." Feron answers, "The body of Commander Shepard. I know the Blues Suns are set to deliver it to the Shadow Broker, I need to know where."

"You don't?" Aria raises a brow, "I knew the Broker likes secrecy. But for his own man not to know what he's up to…"

That must've been embarassing for Feron, but even if he was, he certainly did not show it.

"The Shadow Broker is powerful, but Omega is mine. I know everything that happens here. I do know about the transfer, but I need something in return. Why, Feron, is the Broker so interested with Shepard?"

"I-I don't know. That's what we're trying to-

"Bullshit!" Aria smirked as she turned her back, "Of course you know. And if you want to find Shepard, you'll tell me."

Liara took this time to speak up, "Because the Shadow Broker is working with the Collectors! They're the ones who want Shepard's body!"

I look at her dumbfounded. This little bit of info eluded me, and I didn't even ask Liara about her conversation with the Illusive Man! If the Collectors were involved, as shady as they were, then this venture took a turn from exciting to…well, something worse.

Aria reacted as much, "The Collectors!? Nobody said anything about the Collectors!"

Feron started to say, "I thought you knew everything that went on in-

But he was cut off. Aria was livid, something about those insectiod aliens got under her skin, "Out of here! All of you! Anto, get in here! Get them out now!"

Liara wouldn't back down, "Wait! I told you what you wanted to know. Where are they taking Shepard?" Brave girl.

Aria's face was one contorted with rage over being interrupted, but with great restraint, she heaved a sigh. "The lower levels of Omega. Old mining processing plants, the Blue Suns were taking your friend there." She motioned for her guards, "This meeting is over."

I bobbed my head, "Thank you, Aria."

As we were led away, I hear the Queen mutter through my hightened auditory receptors. "First time in five hundred years someone said that to me."

Following an old map of the tunnels in Liara's Omni-tool, the three of us rode elevators, climbed down rusted ladders and descended staircases to the Suns' rendezvouz point. Unlike the Citadel, in its uniform beauty, Omega has been built rebuilt over generations. It became, literally, the station that ate away at the asteroid. Once processed, rich metals inside rose as towers in the exterior.

But deep beneath the snarl of structures built by later occupants, the mining levels remain, their hangar bays making them more accessible from the outside, by ship, rather from the labyrinth within.

Here, a convenient for smugglers and slavers to export their more illicit merchandises. Those including the heavy weapons platforms that dot Omega's defenses by warring factions.

"That's them alright." Feron whispered as we crouched behind several metal containers. Each corner and catwalk had about five Blue Suns mercs guarding the place, the security hightened due to our involvement. The Shadow Broker is cautious, and won't hesitate to double the guard when most convenient for him.

"Looks like we even got here first. Smooth and easy. Did I tell you Aria knows her station?"

I shake my head a bit, "The popular places anyway…"

He shushed me, pointing out a sleek and salarian crafted vessel approaching the docking area. As the engines died down, a muscular and heavily armed salarian walked out. From Feron's expression, I could tell the guy wasn't someone he'd expect to walk in on the show. "Damn, did I say easy? Forget it…"

"Don't tell me you're backing out now just because of the salarian!" I hiss.

He looked at me incredulously, "That salarian is the Broker's one and only hitman! His name's Tazzik, and the Broker sends him only in the rare occasion when he wants something- or someone- badly. These mercs are hired muscle, Taz is who he calls when he wants results."

I prime my Hoplites, "Oh trust me, there will definitely be results."

A small man-sized capsule was brought in. My eyes widened when I realized what it was, and the asari archeologist did too.

"That's it! That's Shepard!" She sprang up, biotics at the ready. Feron lunged and tackled her back into the floor, hissing while covering her mouth.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?! It's too risky!"

Liara threw him aside, "Let me go! I've crossed half the galaxy for this, Feron! I'm not giving you time to change your mind!"

"You're afraid I'm going to run?" The drell raised a brow.

"Pretty much, yeah." I said, eyeing him suspiciously.

"I'm more afraid you'll switch sides again." Liara agrees, "I haven't let you out of my sight for fear you'll get a better offer!" Really? How much did you pay him?

"Hmm. No, I have a better idea." Feron pointed at some old defense turrets, "One shot will disable Tazzik's ship before they can go anywhere."

I glanced at the mercenaried making the exchange, the Broker's enforcer has just paid the credits due and was now guiding the capsule to his ship, "Better make it fast, our window's closing."

Liara and I went down the stairs together, Feron sneaking off to man the gun while we got close to Tazzik. The salarian was barking harshly at the mercenaries, arguing that the way they were handling the capsule was inadequate to say the least.

"What's the problem? It's not like the body's going to be damaged any more than it already is!" The merc captain shot back.

Tazzik growled, "Yeah? If it does, it's you who gets damaged! I'll take it from here!"

Liara's eyes and arms glowed bright blue, and I aimed both my guns at the salarian. I would've gotten a nice clean shot at them, my targeting matrix surpassing even the best marksman in the galaxy. Unfortunately, a little bit of distractiong mixed with an outside element, such as say…a shockwave from a resulting explosion.

The crates beside Tazzik's ship erupted in ball of fire, the pulsation jarring my vision and causing glitches to appear, impending my aim and causing the shots to miss altogether!

"Dammit, he missed!" I growled, both annoyed at Feron's lack at marksmanship and my inability to compensate when it mattered most. "Go!" I yell to Liara as she recovered from her recoil.

The mercenaries were surprised by this turn of events, hefting their weapons and spraying our position. Liara and I made on our separate ways, her biotics cracking bone and armor, my Hoplites chewing through barriers and burrowing through flesh.

Another explosion, this time coming from the gun that Feron had been operating, blown apart by Tazzik's grenade launcher. The drell ducked behind a pile of construction materials, vaulting out to dish some damage.

"Now I remember why I work alone." I heard Tazzik mutter, hefting that launcher and sending two screaming salvos, not at all caring that it was his own men he was firing on! Liara and Feron were knocked back, body parts of dead mercenaries cluttered here and there, leaving a fire-filled and smoky ruin.

The salarian calmly walked towards his ship, dragging Shepard's capsule behind him. I scrambled back to my feet and raced after him.

"Oh no you don't!" Another krogan made a charge, this time I was able to somersault above him as he barreled past. My hand was outstretched, and I caught my fingers under the ridges of his skull plate. The weight of my body combined with momentum caused him to jerk backwards, and he landed with a loud thud against the metal platform. There was a sizable dent where he lay, and I applied one good left hook just at the chin that broke his lower jaw in two.

I glanced up, dismayed as Tazzik's ship made for open space and headed for the Mass Relay. "No!"

The krogan beneath me cackled amidst the blood pouring from his lips, "Hehe, looks like its- what was it you humans say- game over? Hahahaha-

I take one look at him, reach down and grab the top of his plate. With one swift motion, I wrench the plate free from the krogan's head, bringing along the top of his eyes and snout. Blood drips from the gory piece of meat, and I thrust it aside, walking back to Liara as she gives Feron a smackdown of her own.

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