Hello everyone, I got this out sooner than I expected. Yay for free time. Enjoy!

TW6464: Gracias. Effort was made in great quantities to make it so.

Alpenwolf: Invasion is never a good thing. Especially for Klenon. Bad tines were had by all. Except the pirates of course.

Chapter 24: The Might of Lions

"Four…five…six hundred credits…some Thessian jewelry, family photos, and… a Kessler Pistol," Vactan said as he browsed through the safe he currently sat on. He bent down and deposited the photos back inside. They were reaching the fifth day since the invasion started and he already earned more than one ship raid could ever get him. The turian shut the safe with his heel and counted through the credits again. The human next to him popped open a canteen and took a quick swig of it.

"I know a guy in Noveria that can pawn off that jewelry. He does good work; doesn't leave a trail behind and only keeps a small amount for himself," he said. The turian shook his head and pocketed the jewelry in his armor.

"I'll pass. I can take care of this myself. And after your last brilliant idea, I'm surprised I'm not varren chow," he said. The human whipped out an ugly glare and took another drink.

"I was the one who said we should do this anyway. Haliat may have an ego the size of a dreadnought, but he knows a catch when he sees one," the human replied. Vactan looked over his shoulder at the ruined streets lying beyond the glass doors of the apartment complex they were resting in. The sun had set an hour ago so Vactan had decided to camp out here for the night. It was good place to hide out in, most of the Alliance had been run out of the district and there were still plenty of apartments he had yet to loot.

The batarian that sat opposite of them adjusted the lamp between them and laid back in a makeshift bedding, "You guys see the stuff in 5-B? Must have been an old turian couple living there. They got some pretty genuine looking heirlooms from Palaven."

"No shit? Break down the door?" the human asked. The batarian shook his head.

"Nah, checked the security feed. Too many locks on that damn door so I didn't bother. I'll get to it in the morning," the batarian said.

"Tch, you never put effort into anything anymore," another turian said as he typed something into a datapad. The batarian merely shrugged and lay back while stretching his arms. Vactan sighed and cocked his head to face the human.

"Hey Derek, got any of those smokes left?" he asked. The human rifled through his pockets before producing a white carton from one of them.

"You're getting hooked on this stuff man," Derek remarked as he handed a cigarette to the turian. Vactan took it and grabbed the lighter between them, walking out the front door while he produced a tiny flame.

"I'll be back later," he said. Without waiting for a reply, Vactan pushed the doors open and took a few calm steps outside, breathing in the lit cigarette. A finger of smoke tickled his throat as he took a long drag. His lungs filled with a warm, relaxing sensation. Humans were a very curious race. Even though their 'cancer' problem was taken care of a century ago, it still made him wonder why humans always did stuff that would eventually kill them.

But hey, it's not my problem, Vactan thought with a self-satisfied smirk. The tiny glow of orange at the tip of his cigarette grew in intensity as he took another drag, expelling air from his nose as he did. He took a sweeping view of the street. They were at the fringes of their territory but that only meant there was more stuff for them to claim as theirs. The entire street was quiet, not a peep could be heard. Off in the distance he could hear gunfire, but it didn't concern him any. The Alliance had quickly lost their foothold on the city after their communications facility was destroyed. Kahan didn't even keep the jammers on anymore, diverting their power back to the laser designators in case they came across any annoying Alliance stronghold.

A muffled banging sound caught his attention. In a flash, Vactan brandished his pistol where the noise came from. There was an alley to his right so Vactan flicked the cigarette away and went to investigate. He turned the corner, keeping his pistol leveled. Other than a couple of trashcans and an abandoned skycar, there wasn't anybody hiding.

"Must be another one of those cats humans keep around. I swear, those things bug the hell out of me," Vactan muttered. He took one last look before shrugging and turning back.

Then the sound of glass breaking interrupted the silence, along with Vactan's screams of pain. Jagged pieces of glass pierced his face plates. The wounds began leaking blood as Vactan stumbled down to one knee. The turian tried to see through his one undamaged eye and could barely catch a glimpse of his attacker before being knocked out with a crowbar.

Klenon panted heavily as he watched the turian, unsure if he killed him or not. The now-broken glass bottle fell to the ground as Klenon got down on one knee to inspect the body. Only some credits and a handful of jewelry were in his pockets.

"Son of a…" he whispered. He was hoping for medical supplies or some omni-gel to fix his damaged visor. His situation had been getting progressively worse. Ever since he woke up again, he had been scraping by, trying his best to stay alive. Once he found a relatively safe location inside a storage room of a tool store, he tried to make contact with his team. It was only then did he realize his radio had been destroyed after the ceiling in the tunnels collapsed on him.

Cut off from his team in the middle of a warzone, his suit still damaged, Klenon had little choice but to be careful about where he went. He hadn't seen any other Alliance soldiers and he didn't want to risk venturing out further. He had been scavenging and sneaking around for the past three days, staying undetected and using his ammo sparingly. Today, he had gotten a little more ambitious than usual. He knew that this pirate camp marked the borders of their territory, even though the whole city was theirs for the taking. Klenon took a gamble coming here in hopes of finding supplies and so far, things weren't looking up for him. Klenon took the pirate's pistol and relieved it of its ammo clip before dropping it.

Klenon took a peek around the alley and found the brick he threw. It had broken in half after he threw it. A combination of distractions and timing were the most important things that kept him safe. He made a mental note to thank basic training for keeping him alive so far. Just as he went to check to see if anyone was still inside the apartment building, his stomach growled loudly.

"Keelah…" he mumbled. Klenon's hand instinctively reached for the pouch where he kept his food tubes, but only brought out a crumpled, empty one. Food was another thing that was quickly becoming a problem. Klenon had eaten his last tube yesterday. He had only ever taken a handful of them with him at any given time. The rest were back at his locker at the Alliance base. He had been hungry for hours now and his biotic power diminished steadily as a result. At this point, he was willing to eat turian food without a helmet if he had to.

Klenon slowly walked with his chest against the wall as he peeked inside the lobby of the building. There were three more pirates inside around a lamp, chatting about something he couldn't hear. Going in through the front door would have been suicide. He had to go around. He turned back and retreated into the alley. A faint glow coming from a window caught his attention.

Klenon took cautious steps up to the window pane and glanced inside. Hanging coats and safe boxes were the only things inside. Klenon wedged his crowbar into the window and pulled with all his might. The lock groaned and snapped in half, taking out a chunk of the window frame with it.

Acting quickly, Klenon opened the window and climbed inside. He crouched down low and double checked that there was no one around. Klenon made a beeline towards the hanging coats and rummaged through them, holding on to the tiniest sliver of hope that something useful was inside. Of course, there was nothing. But Klenon didn't fail to notice the irony that he, a quarian, has completely relied on scavenging in order to survive.

Klenon shook his head and made his way to the door. Pressing his back against the wall, Klenon waved his hand over the green hologram and withdrew his hand. Klenon could hear the faint conversations taking place in the lobby. He took a few quick peeks before silently making his way through the door and behind a nearby pillar. The other pirates were on the other side, still talking amongst themselves.

There was a staircase on the other side of the room that looped around and led upstairs. The reception desk was at the very back of the room and furniture filled the spaces between each pillar. As long as he didn't make any noise, he could probably get there without anybody noticing.

Taking a deep breath, he switched cover and crouched low to the floor. One of the pirates, a turian, set down his datapad and eyed the safe across from him. The human noticed and patted the heavy container, "Vactan already cleaned it out, Taitus. You should have gotten here sooner."

The turian's mandibles flickered in what could be called a bemused expression, "Sounds like him. Reminds me of that raid in Calmar, he was already cleaning out those mercs' storage rooms before we even got done wasting them."

"As a consolation prize, you can get first dibs on those heirlooms. Vactan'll keep his mouth shut. I'll make sure of it," Derek said. Taitus shrugged, but said nothing otherwise.

Klenon released a shaky breath. He had managed to make it behind the reception desk while they were talking. The stairs were only a few feet away. He could have made it if he made a quick dash for it. Klenon rose slightly and leaned forward, poised to make a run for it at the slightest opportunity.

Quick, short breaths left Klenon's mouth as he mentally prepared. Then he sprang into action. Klenon's entire body rocketed forward, bringing him closer to safety. His feet lightly brushed against the ground, trying to make as little noise as possible. One his feet made contact with the steps, he slowed down and pressed himself against the wall, taking large gulps of air. His hear felt like it was going to burst out his chest at any moment.

Maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all, he mused. Keeping his crowbar at the ready, Klenon warily ascended the staircase. Reaching the top, Klenon looked over the railing. The pirates showed no sign of knowing he was there. With his nerves soothed for the moment, Klenon approached one of the nearest doors and opened it, relieved that it was unlocked.

Klenon pulled out his assault rifle and aimed down the hallway. Family pictures adorned the hallway, interrupted by a door on either side. A living room could clearly be seen at the end of the short hallway, furniture and electronics still very much intact.

Shutting the door behind him, Klenon hooked his crowbar onto a tool belt he took from the tool store and aimed his rifle down range. He moved slowly and quietly, intently listening for any signs of other occupants. His finger wrapped around the trigger, silently hoping it wouldn't come to a confrontation.

Once Klenon reached the end of the hall, he let his rifle fall to his side and crossed the room and checked the window. The streets were empty, the only things on it being the debris from other buildings or damaged parts from a vehicle. Klenon took a step back and entered the kitchen to his left. He opened the fridge and rummaged through its contents. Many of the items inside reminded him of what was in his parents' fridge back home.

"Human food…great," he muttered. Klenon shut the fridge and went down an adjacent hallway that led to the bedroom. The entire rook appeared to have been ransacked. Clothes littered the floor and an empty suitcase was tossed carelessly on the bed, "Looks like someone left in a hurry…I wouldn't blame them."

Opening the closet, Klenon rifled through various articles of clothing before losing interest. Klenon left the bedroom and made one last sweep of the living room before moving on to a door on the other side. The only light source in the room was the moonlight bleeding through the thin curtains.

Like the room from before, this one was a littered with clothing and belongings. Off in the corner was a small open safe. Intrigued, Klenon lightly pushed away the door and peered inside. Most of the contents were already gone except for a couple of credit chits.

Klenon cursed under his breath, but tried to hold onto his resolve. There were still plenty of unchecked apartments. There was bound to be something of use lying around. Klenon circled around the bed and pushed the curtains aside, hoping to at least get an idea of how many pirates were around. A group of people were on the sidewalk, but to his surprise, they weren't pirates nor were they unarmed. They were civilians.

Klenon's eyes widened. They were close to pirate territory and out in the middle of nowhere. Whatever they were planning on doing, it was suicide. Klenon tried opening the window only to find it bolted shut. Pulling out his crowbar, Klenon jammed it under the window and pushed down with all his weight.

The locks snapped and Klenon threw open the window to lean outside. By the time he looked around, the civilians were gone. Shutting the window, Klenon was just about to run out of the building in hopes of finding them when the chilling sound of gunfire erupted in the lobby.

Klenon hooked his crowbar onto his belt and pulled out his rifle before he even left the apartment. The gunfire grew louder as he approached the railing that overlooked the lobby. Just as he aimed down, he spotted a multiple amount of dead pirates with one more hiding behind the reception desk. Klenon peered through his Lancer's scope and dropped the pirate with a single shot to the skull.

"Oh shit, where did that come from?"

Klenon lowered his rifle and turned towards the stairs; he practically jumped down them and holstered his weapon before coming into the civilians' line of sight. One of them, a man who appeared to be in his fifties, noticed him immediately and raised his pistol.

"Hey, hey, hey, back up!" he growled. Klenon came to a stop, holding his hands up in the air.

"Alright…okay…listen, I'm the least of your worries right now. There are pirates all over the place," Klenon said. The man glowered and shook his head.

"You think we don't know that? We've been stuck out here for almost a week now. And how do we know you're not one of them. You certainly look the part," he said. Klenon nodded and backed away slowly.

"Yeah, I know. But I'm not one of them. I've been trying to survive on my own, just like you guys. I'm…" Klenon fell silent. Would it really help his cause if he said he was Alliance? The civilians were obviously at their wit's end. Klenon could tell by their body language that they were still wary about him being a pirate.

"Hey Cole, it's a Quarian. You know, from that fleet that Arely kept moaning about," a younger man said. His dull eyes stared at Klenon with malice under the brim of his black and white cap. Klenon could sense that he was losing their already small amount of friendliness.

"Yes, I'm a Quarian. But I'm not with the pirates. I'm just scavenging so I can get out of-"

"I knew it, he's scavenging. Isn't that what they all do?" the young man said. Cole nodded and took a step closer towards Klenon, his pistol staying leveled.

"Yeah, it is. Guess he figured that he can steal someone's valuables while they were trying to survive or if they were already dead. You're here to loot, aren't you?" Cole demanded. Klenon bit his tongue, his hands rising higher.

Probably shouldn't have said that, he thought. He was fighting an uphill battle. True, he was scavenging from people that were either dead, captured, or hiding, but he had been doing it so that he could survive long enough to rejoin his team. He doubted that would have been an acceptable excuse though.

"Cole, Donnie, forget that already. If he's scavenging, he might have some stuff we can use. We're running dry, anyways. He might be willing to trade," the only woman of the group said.

"Don't tell him that, Christie. We still don't know if he's in with the pirates. Why else would he be in their territory and their building?" Donnie argued.

"But he did shoot that one guy. Shouldn't that be enough? Can't we at least wait until the gunny gets here before we make a decision?" Christie asked. Klenon perked up at her words. If there was another Alliance marine with them, he could have him vouch for his innocence.

"Well…I guess if anyone knows what to do, it'd be him. It's not like this guy is going anywhere anyways, are you?" Donnie asked with an underlying scorn.

"If it means getting out of here without having a gun pointed at me…yeah, I'll stay put," Klenon said. The doors opened as Klenon affirmed he wouldn't run. A lone figure clad in blue armor came towards them, rifle in hand.

"Are you guys alright? No trouble?" he asked.

"None, sir. Just some pirates camping out here for the night. We found him though," Cole said, pointing nonchalantly at Klenon with his pistol. The marine took a few steps toward Klenon, a scrutinizing look on his face. When his weathered eyes fell on the Alliance insignia on Klenon sash, his surprisingly commanding tone grew a little louder.

"You're Alliance? Name and rank?" he asked. Klenon stood up a little straighter and gave the man a crisp salute despite his fatigue.

"Private Klenon'Lehto-Strauss vas Cuervo. Adept class, 10th biotic division," he replied. The marine's expression remained the same, but Klenon didn't blame him. If he were in his position, Klenon probably would have thought it was strange for a Quarian to be in the Alliance too. The marine said nothing, but he returned the salute with a friendly nod.

"At ease, private. Where's the rest of your squad?" he asked. Klenon relaxed his posture and stared down at the ground, a frown growing on his face.

"I don't know, sir. I was at Central Comms before it was wiped off the planet. I woke up in a crater, like this," Klenon displayed his damaged suit. The tears and worn material were clearly evident. The crack on his visor almost covered his entire right eye. The right side of his torso had a layer of padding completely ripped off, exposing the lower layers of the suit, "I looked everywhere for them but…nothing,"

The marine took a step closer and sympathetically patted Klenon on the shoulder, "It must have been tough for you to survive on your own."

Klenon stared him in the eyes briefly before looking away, "I was trained for this. I got by. B-But…yeah…some things could be better."

"You can come with us, if you'd like. We're all holed up in a library not far from here. It's got a good defensive position, sturdy doors," the marine said. Klenon took a gander around the lobby and quietly chuckled to himself.

"It's better than here or where I was holed up. Sure, I'll tag along," Klenon said. The marine smiled and held out his hand. A flash of uncertainty passed over his face, but Klenon shook it firmly before he could give any more thought to it, "I…never did get your name."

"Hey, should we go looking for anything of use?" Cole asked, seemingly uninterested in their conversation. The marine nodded. While the others went to scavenge the dead pirate or any open apartments, the marine holstered his rifle. Klenon was about to accuse them of doing the same thing he was but thought it best to keep his mouth shut.

"Gunnery Sergeant Shepard. 2nd Battalion," Shepard said proudly. He motioned for Klenon to follow him as they joined the rest of the group.

"So…where's your squad?" Klenon asked.

"I'm not assigned to one. I came here on shore leave. When the pirates began their assault, I just grabbed the gear I had with me and tried to help however I could. I found a few refugees holding out in their homes and brought them to the library. We've been there ever since," Shepard recalled. He and Klenon bent down around one of the dead pirates and started searching their pockets for anything of use, "What happened with you? How did you survive?"

Klenon picked up a datapad and skimmed the first few words, "Well…Once I got to my feet, I kept moving from place to place. This is actually the first time I've seen anyone that wasn't a pirate. Have…you seen anyone else?"

"No. I've tried ringing up anybody on comms, but…no answer," Shepard said. Klenon tapped the datapad a few times, desperate to try and hide his creeping anxiety.

"I see…"

Klenon pulled up a messages tab on the datapad. A few things ranging from personal to business correspondence were still highlighted. Klenon picked one at random and read through it.

Boss,

I've looked over our provisions and had a chat with Veezan. We both agree that some people grew a conscience and didn't hold up their end of the bargain. These are the captains and ships we've managed to pinpoint that were supposed to bring us more supplies before they ran out on us. Want me to put a bounty on them?

MSV Carrington – Captain Declan Tavish
Dark Talon – Captain Rossa Zexa
Serenity – Captain Malcolm Reynolds
The Kraddack – Captain Nakmor Bern
Bastion – Captain Marra Itellis

"Sounds like they're having trouble with munitions," Klenon said as he handed the datapad to Shepard. After doing a double-check to make sure he found everything, Klenon stood up. Shepard soon followed after he dropped the datapad on the floor.

"They're not as well off as we thought. Looks like we might still have a chance," Shepard said. Klenon arced a brow and crossed his arms.

"A chance? For what?" he asked. Shepard slowly paced in front of him, gathering his thoughts.

"We've been doing some scouting and recon. From what we've gathered, we just might be able to retake Alliance Command," Shepard said. Klenon stared wide-eyed at him, completely baffled.

"Alliance Command? The place that's in pretty much in the center of pirate activity, that's insane," Klenon retorted.

"I know, but it's the best chance we have to get some kind of leverage again. Otherwise, we'll have to continue living like this until help arrives," Shepard reasoned. Klenon stared down at the ground and shrugged.

"I don't know, Shepard. That place is dangerous. They had snipers there shooting anyone that came close. Not even the pirates know what's going on there," he said.

"I understand, it's dangerous and we don't know what's in there. I'm not asking you to come with me. All I'm asking is that your help in keeping them safe while I'm gone," Shepard said, pointing at the civilians who were still scavenging.

"Wait, you're going alone?!" Klenon nearly shouted. His outburst caught the attention of the others. Cole sighed but otherwise said nothing.

"Command is too valuable and I don't want to risk their lives trying to take it back. I'll go on my own," Shepard spoke with a fierce conviction as he fondly glimpsed at the others. Klenon almost believed for a second Shepard could actually pull it off.

"No!" Klenon blurted out. He bit his tongue and took a moment to gather his thoughts. He stood up and tapped his foot against the floor. His hand gently moved over his cracked visor, his other hand on his hip, "I…I'm not going to forgive myself if you get killed while I decided to sit back. I'll-I'll go with you."

A flicker of a smile danced across Shepard's features before vanishing. Among all the places in Illyria, Alliance Command was one of the worst choices for a mission. Despite the fact that there was some mystery going on inside, the building itself was a fortress of its own; high windows, walls around the exterior, sentry turrets. The whole complex was built to withstand a siege and it was one of the first places to fall. That didn't exactly mean they'd have the same luck.

"So what's first?" Klenon asked. Shepard motioned for the others to regroup.

"We get back to the library. It's best if we take some time to think up a strategy and rest. We'll move out first thing in the morning," Shepard said. Cole and the others came up behind Shepard with bags over their shoulders.

"Got as much as we could, gunny. Should keep us fed for a few more days if we ration it right," Cole said, obviously pleased with himself. The mention of food got Klenon's stomach growling again. Much to his embarrassment, he wasn't the only one to notice.

"Uh…sorry," he managed the say. Cole's face was a mixture of criticism and annoyance. Shepard's, however, took on one of concern.

"When was the last time you ate something?" he asked.

"Yesterday morning. I always bring a couple of food tubes just in case, but I guess I didn't bring enough this time," Klenon said. Christie adjusted the weight on her shoulders before bumbling into the conversation.

"I-I think I snagged some dextro food while looking around. Cortiss can probably whip you something up if you ask," she said. Klenon tried to ignore the dull pain growing in his stomach, placing a hand over his lower torso.

"Who's Cortiss?" Christie lightly gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Oh right, you're…anyway, he's our designated chef. Used to work at a fancy diner, the way he tells it. Even though he's turian, he can work magic with human food. Just give him a yell when we get back, okay?" she said.

"If that's all, we should start heading back. The sooner we can get back, the sooner we can recuperate and plan out tomorrow," Shepard interjected. Klenon was more than happy to agree. An hour into his scavenging and he was already sick of having the skirt the bounds of pirate territory. Shepard motioned for them to fall in line behind him and led them outside and into the nearby alleys. Not a word was spoken between them. Shepard had his rifle out the entire time, maintaining a constant vigil. The voyage to the library didn't take long. Before Klenon knew it, he was standing at the base of a flight of wide stairs that led to the library. A dirty pond could be seen off to the library's side, no doubt once used by the local fauna for feeding or bathing.

Klenon immediately spotted someone aiming a rifle at them through the darkened windows only for the rifle to retreat back inside. Soon, the front door opened and a salarian poked his head outside.

"Ah, Shepard. Good of you to finally arrive. Everyone was getting antsy. I trust the excavation went well?" the salarian asked in the telltale rapid, high pitched tone.

"We gathered as much as we could. We even found another survivor," Shepard said, turning to face the quarian behind him.

"Good, more muscle. More people to defend our walls. But enough of that, come in before anyone catches us," the salarian said as he moved away. Shepard pushed the door open and ushered the others inside. Klenon began scanning every inch of the building as soon as he was inside. The first thing he noticed was that all of the library's lights were switched off. Only the moonlight and a few sparse lamps kept a handful of areas lit. Off to his left was a visible section of the second floor. He could see a few refugees idly chatting to each other while another leaned against the wooden railing with a cigarette. Bookshelves filled from textbooks to children's stories occupied a majority of space. Klenon was amazed that most of them seemed to be intact after all the time that had passed.

A few feet away was a large table lit by three lamps. A turian hovered over what appeared to be various boxes with food inside. The turian mumbled to himself before grabbing a MRE bag and tearing it open. Klenon felt a hand slap his arm gently.

"That's Cortiss over there. Give him this, see if he can't do anything with this," Christie told him while handing him a decently sized sack. Klenon gingerly took it and made his way to the turian. Cortiss noticed him almost instantly and dropped the MRE in his hand.

"Salutations Quarian. Cortiss Kavanar at your service, critically acclaimed chef and master of levo and dextro cuisine alike," the turian said with his arms stretched out and a humble bow, "I saw you come up here with the gunny. You're lucky Shepard was there with you, Dustin over there has been getting trigger happy ever since we had a couple of pirates make a few new holes in our walls."

Klenon didn't even bother to be subtle as he dropped the dextro food on the table. Cortiss' mandibles flared. He pulled the bag over to him and untied it, "Ah, I see Christie came through. Certainly a responsible one for such a young age. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Quarian. This'll feed us turians for a good while.

"Well I…"

Cortiss redirected his gaze at Klenon, his eyes narrowed. Then they widened as realization dawned on him, "Oh my apologies. I tend to forget that Quarians and Turians have the blessing of tasting the same food. So, by the starved look in your eyes, I'm guessing you'd like something to fill your stomach?"

"Yes, please," Klenon uttered in a low tone. Cortiss chuckled and held up a knife.

"Good manners, kid. Even during times like these, it helps to be courteous to one another. You never know when you might need their help," Cortiss grabbed another knife and scraped the two blades together, emitting a harsh scratching noise, "So what'll it be? Fried Palaven Xellian? Stuffed Rain Fish? Or my personal recommendation, Mino Spiced Steak?"

"I'm not picky. I'll eat anything edible at this point," Klenon said. Cortiss laughed louder and pointed the knife at him.

"I like you. You're not picky like some of my other customers used to be. I'll get something whipped up in no time. And I'll make sure that you can eat it without getting sick while I'm at it," Cortiss said. The chef turned his eyes downward and pulled out multiple ingredients, quietly mumbling to himself as his knives cut through vegetables and meat. Klenon bowed slightly in thanks and rejoined with Shepard further down the main hall. He and the salarian were looking at an expansive sheet of paper that took up three tables. When Shepard noticed him, he gestured towards the salarian.

"This is Delen. He's a contractor for the city. He's the one that supplied us with theses maps of the city," Shepard said. The red-skinned salarian ran two fingers over the map of the city, his black eyes trembling restlessly.

"Yes, city is expansive almost to the point of flaw. Many exits and entrances for every building. Sewers, windows, front doors. Alliance base no different," Delen said. The salarian picked up a marker and circled the Alliance base on the map, "Snipers watching the streets. Shoot anyone that comes close, pirate or not. Very unusual. Willing to bet that something important is in play there, either for this conflict or another."

The salarian shook his head and drew an 'X' on the base and a larger circle around the building, "But I digress. Back to the matter at hand. Recon suggests most auto defenses are offline. Snipers are the biggest concern. Neutralize them and then gaining access to the base should decrease in difficulty. Best option right now is killing a sniper with another sniper."

"Counter snipers. Sounds like the best plan right now," Shepard agreed.

"Once done there, air ducts will be your main point of entry. Expansive, reach every room. Perfect opportunity to scout with minimal risk of detection," Delen said. Shepard rubbed his chin and grabbed a marker of his own, highlighting a small street to the west of the base.

"When I give the all-clear, we'll have a small group of refugees come through here and I'll lead them inside. If everything goes according to plan, we should be in a much better position than we are in now," he said. He turned to Klenon and pointed towards the stairs that led to the second floor, "Go on and get some rest. We're moving out early in the morning."

"Rest recommended. Pirates, mercs, or otherwise likely inhabit the base. Definitely well trained if lack of Intel to them suggests anything. Managed to eliminate all threats to them in a timely manner. Be prepared, outlaws are notorious for their penchant for impulsiveness," Delen added.

Klenon needed no further encouragement. With a quick salute, Klenon went upstairs to wait until morning. It would take every bit of fight left in him to survive another day, but he was thankful for finding someone else amidst the carnage.

He was beginning to think that he might survive through this invasion after all.