In Shepard's cabin, she and Six were talking about what had happened with Kasumi and the graybox, "Do you think she'll be fine with this?"

Shepard looked to the fish tank, "She's pretty tough. And I think you did her a favor. With how attached Kasumi was to Keiji…I think she'd lose herself in those memories for days if someone wasn't watching out for her."

Six though was curious, "You're not worried about the potentially damning information Keiji found on the Alliance?"

"It is concerning, but I doubt the information would be easy to track down again. Look at all of the trouble Hock went through to get both grayboxes." Shepard thought for a moment, "Though Kasumi would probably the only other person who might be able to track the information down if she ever got curious enough."

"Which will probably happen after this mess with the Collectors."

"True enough." Shepard knew she couldn't make any of them stay once the mission was complete, and she did have concerns with people like Jack, Zaeed, and Miranda. Though at the moment she had other concerns, "Six…Hitomi, are you sure you're alright? And I don't just mean about deleting Keiji's memories."

Six looked away, "I'll feel better when we put an end to the Collector threat. Then we can focus on the Reapers. But the galaxy is still not doing enough to prepare for them."

Shepard knew the feeling, "After the meeting with the Council, I know what you mean. Maybe we can find evidence in the Collector Base that can convince them to build up our defenses."

Six shock her head, "Even if we do, it probably won't be enough…" mostly speaking from firsthand experience against the Covenant.


Even after returning to the Normandy Kasumi was a bit down for a while, though after some time alone she returned to that perky invisible kleptomaniac that she was when they first met her. Garrus was almost disappointed the he didn't get to go to party. He was in the cockpit with Joker as he half-jokingly asked, "Do you think we could swing back and drop a few bombs off at Hock's before the guests realize their host is dead?"

"We can giftwrap them too and on the card we'll write, 'From Archangel'."

O'Brien added, "Nah, just leave them guessing with 'From your Best Friend'. That way they'll be cursing whoever they think is trying to kill them. Just like what happened with Nassana. Too bad the paranoia couldn't consume them first, like it did her."

Joker laughed, "Well don't forget we're heading to Zorya for your next mission."

Garrus nodded, "Right, We're gonna help Zaeed with his contract of removing the Blue Suns from a refinery."

O'Brien didn't seem concerned, "We're going in with more than enough firepower. We've got three snipers, a fourth that's basically a sniper who could even go stealth mode to kill just about anyone, a wild biotic berserker and a war hero. Or we could always ask the squid-head to be our second stealth assassin and just let the two of them handle the mission as a duet. Hell, it'd be absolute overkill if we got Jorge down there to just mow through the place."

Garrus smirked, "Well I think we're going to be using our scopes more for scouting than actual kills. Then use my knowledge of Blue Suns tactics to take them out nice and quietly."

Joker stabbed at him, "Yeah, and by nice and quiet you mean loud and explosive."

Garrus didn't deny, "You know me so well."


Six brought the shuttle in low, just above the jungle canopy to be harder to detect by the facility's sensors. Even so, scouts or lookouts would be able to notice them just by looking their way. Six found a clearing large enough for the shuttle to land in not too far from the facility.

Zaeed was the first one out. "Tapping into Blue Suns communications. Stay tight, and look out for ambushes."

Garrus was rather impressed, "Where were you when I was Archangel? Could have used someone who could do that so easily."

Zaeed ignored the comment, focused on listening to the tap as order were being given, "Squad Bravo, a shuttle landed near your location. Check it out."

Six didn't want to risk losing the shuttle, so she set the autopilot to send it back to a safe distance until called for pickup. They pressed along the trail where a group of bodies were scattered close together. Jack checked a few of them, "Executed from the back. These two look like they tried running for it."

Zaeed scoffed, "That's definitely Vido's style. Let's push ahead." Zaeed marching off without them.

Cortez's visor was still transparent as he looked to Shepard and Six. Shepard already knew what Cortez had on mind, though she tilted her head to keep moving so they weren't left behind.

More Blue Suns radio chatter filtered through, "Command to Bravo. Take a position. Likely these people are not runaways."

Zaeed stopped, steadying his sniper rifle. Six spotted his target, a Blue Suns merc armed with a rocket launcher. O'Brien grabbed his unarmored left shoulder, "Are you nuts? You shoot now, the entire place goes on the alert."

Six was looking up to the rock formation next to them. "We have enough of us to take positions up here and pick them off without alerting the entire facility."

Zaeed shock O'Brien off his shoulder, "We do that we're gonna have to hunt them down after bunkering up inside. We want to draw them out."

Zaeed took the shot anyway, killing the merc, but putting the rest of her squad on high alert, "Report to base! Armed intruders incoming at the southern checkpoint!"

The ODSTs polarized their visors before the group rushed to engage. Jack of course was all for the full charge attack, tossing a shockwave of biotic energy that knocked a merc out of cover to meet her shotgun. Six and the ODSTs were in sync as Cortez and O'Brien tagged targets together with Six attacking mercs that tried to separate them.

Garrus looked to Shepard, "Are we even needed here?"

Shepard tossed an Overload tech mine at a charging FENRIS mech before firing at its face, "We at least need to make sure the reckless duo over there come back alive."

Garrus shot the tank of the flamethrower before he got in range of Jack, "Just for the record, minus Wrex, I normally don't cover the backs of criminals without putting a hole through their skulls."

Jack yelled, "At least I know what I am, you burnt out cop!"

Garrus shot again, killing a Blue Sun that Jack missed, "And you're welcome."

A FENRIS mech managed to get close to Six, zapping her boot. Her shield flickered, though it wasn't any stronger than a shot or two from a plasma pistol. Before the mech could attack again she crushed it under her boot and still focused her attack on the sniper.

"They're getting torn to shreds out there!"

"Reinforcements incoming. We got your backs!"

A new wave of Blue Suns rushed in, along with one scorcher and three more mechs. O'Brien hit the flamethrower tank with his SMG, managing to get a penetrating shot. Garrus quickly tossed a tech mine to detonate the tank, catching some of the Suns in the blast before they could retreat. Shepard's combat drone was pushing some of the mercs together so Jack could crush them with her biotics.

"All squads! Fall back!"

Jack rushed at the mechs again, blasting them with her biotics and shotgun. Zaeed wouldn't let them escape, gunning as many as he could with Six and Garrus getting the ones he missed. With the area clear for a moment, the team gathered back before heading to a retracted bridge they needed to get across.

As soon as the bridge activated radio chatter picked up big, "This is Commander Santiago. If any of you retreat while the intruders are still alive, I'll kill you myself." Zaeed signaled to Shepard to stop the bridge, "Now, get the hell back out there!"

Zaeed scoffed at the message, "Sounds like he hasn't changed."

Shepard had enough, questioning Zaeed as the others looked to the grizzled bounty hunter, "What's really going on here? Knowledge of Blue Suns comm protocols, and their tactics. You have a past with this Vido, don't you?"

Zaeed couldn't care about this 20 questions session, "I knew he was a sadistic bastard back when we started the Blue Suns. The Suns only got meaner after he staged his little coup twenty years ago. So, yeah. We have a past."

Jack looked Zaeed over, "You're older than you look."

"Never claimed to be young to begin with."

Shepard turned to Six as she openly mentioned, "The dossier said nothing about you founding the Blue Suns."

Zaeed didn't seem at all surprised by that, "Because it's not common knowledge. Vido wiped me out of the records. He ran the books. I led the men. Worked really well for a while. Then Vido decided to start hiring batarians. Cheaper labor, he said. Goddamn terrorists, I said."

O'Brien admitted, "Twenty years sounds like a long time to hold a grudge."

"A grudge?" Zaeed rushed to O'Brien, grabbing the straps of his armor as he got as close as he could with his helmet on, "Vido turned my men against me. He paid six of them to restrain me while he put a gun to my head and pulled the trigger. For twenty years, I've seen that bastard every time I closed my eyes. Every time I sighted down a target. Every time I heard a gunshot. Don't you call that a goddamn 'grudge'." Zaeed threw O'Brien on his ass, and the ODST sniper was half expecting to be spat on at this point. Cortez helped O'Brien to his feet, though Six was fighting to restrain herself from attacking Zaeed on the spot.

Shepard was between amazed and skeptical about Zaeed's claim, "You survived a gunshot to the head?"

Zaeed was quick to retort, "Yeah. And you survived your ship being disintegrated. A stubborn enough person can survive just about anything. Rage is a hell of an anesthetic."

Six didn't seem to care about any of this until Zaeed said that, and given her past Shepard knew why. Before things got too awkward for the Spartan, Shepard looked to the bridge, "We'd better get moving."

Cortez turned to Six, "We can keep the element of surprise if Six throws each of us over and—"

Zaeed reactivated the bridge as Vido yelled on the comm, "They're at the southern access. All squads mass at the gatehouse! Now!"

"Or we give up our only advantage for sneaking into the facility."

Zaeed however was fixated on his revenge, ignoring everyone else, "Bring it on, you son of a bitch!"

Jack literally spat at O'Brien's lament, "Why do that when we can go straight through?"

They continued down the path toward the facility. Not wanting to get have this screw up any further than it already has, O'Brien and Cortez moved to flank the gate as Six readied herself and activated her active camo. Opening the gate there was one more gate they had to get past. Unfortunately, the Blue Suns had the high ground with weapons already tracking them. One of them wasn't wearing his helmet as he looked down at them, "Zaeed Massani. You finally tracked me down."

"Vido."

Zaeed was ready to aim his rifle on Vido, stopping as most of the Suns turned their guns on him. Vido was smiling all the while, "Don't be stupid, Zaeed. I have a whole company of bloodthirsty bastards behind me, ready to kill or be killed on my command." Six saw Zaeed's sight shift for a moment. She followed it to see that he was looking at a nearby valve. "Actually, take your shot. Give my men a reason to put you down like the mad dog you are. Again." Zaeed fired, just barely missing Vido's head and hitting a pipe behind him. "What was that? Gone nearsighted, old friend?"

Zaeed ran to the valve he was looking at, "Burn, you son of a bitch," firing at the same pipe behind Vido to cause an explosion that knocked the Suns down.

"You just signed your death warrant, Massani!" Vido was hurt and hobbled away as the remaining Suns started firing. Shepard, Garrus and Jack had gotten to cover, trying to provide cover but the Suns were firing at everyone.

Shepard noticed Zaeed bashing his rifle against the valve even as most of the Suns were focusing their fire on him, "What the hell are you doing?"

Six had already figured it out, deactivating her cloak she got as close as she could to Shepard's position, "Keep down!" activating the drop shield around them. Cortez and O'Brien pulled back behind the gate as the final strike set off a chain reaction of explosions throughout the pipelines, eventually blowing up the balcony where the Suns were. The explosions didn't stop there however, spreading even further into the facility.

Zaeed nonchalantly replied to Shepard's earlier question, "Opening the gate."

Shepard was furious, rushing through the shield, "We don't sacrifice lives for the sake of the mission. There's always a better way."

Zaeed scoffed at her, "Like what? Wandering out in the jungle for hours, looking for another way in? you want to waste time out here, go ahead, I'm going…"

Shepard gave Zaeed a solid right hook to the jaw, "You're endangering lives—and the mission—for your own selfish revenge."

Zaeed check his jaw, shaking the hit off, "You really want to do this, Shepard?"

"I ought to knock you the hell out. But thanks to you, we have a burning refinery to save."

"Let these people burn! Vido dies, whatever the cost!"

Six didn't bother, using her HUD to signal Cortez and O'Brien up as she opened the door. Explosions were still rocking the facility, throwing many off balance. Six used that to her advantage when she found two surviving Blue Suns we were trying to regain composure on the other side of the doors in a failed ambush.

They pushed on following a blood trail toward a door into the facility. Before they continued into the building a voice cried out from above, "Help! We're trapped! We can't get to the gas valves to shut them off! The whole place is going to blow!" The worker waved to them, with no way down.

Zaeed tried to push on, "No time. Vido's probably halfway to the shuttle docks by now."

Shepard grabbed him, pulling him back, "You're willing to watch these people die?"

"Damn right I am. We stop to help these people, and Vido gets away. And if he gets away, I'm blaming you."

Six walked over to Shepard, "Ma'am, we could do both."

Shepard knew what she was thinking, and as much as she should advocate against this, there wasn't much time for it. "Six, take Jack and Zaeed and go after Vido. Garrus, Cortez, O'Brien, with me. We're putting out this fire."

Jack looked to Six, "You really going to let us go after that bastard?"

Shepard nodded to Six, "Just try not to do more damage to this place than what's already been done. And I expect you both to listen to her," pointing to Six.

Zaeed pressed onward, "So long as I'm the one who puts Vido down, I don't care."

Garrus half-jokingly added, "Fewer enemies while they get to deal with all of the flack? Who said firefighting was difficult?"

Shepard waved to the worker to signal they would help as Cortez jumped down to the lower level where the fire suppressant system was. Six's group pressed on through the facility after Vido and the Suns. Cortez knew Six could handle herself, as Shepard and the rest of their team joined him, he asked, "You sure those two will work with her?"

"If they don't she'll do it." Shepard stopped the team at a door, opening it up and saw what few Suns were there running off into another corridor. "Looks like Vido's focus is completely on them now. Let's hurry and find the fire suppression system before we lose the facility and the workers."


Vido was sending just about every Blue Sun in the facility at them in an effort to slow them down. But with Jack biotics, Six's sharpshooting and Zaeed's ferocity, the mercs stood no chance at stopping this trio. Vido had been taunting Zaeed over the comm as they slaughtered the Suns nearly effortlessly.

Zaeed bashed the faceplate of a Suns' helmet. "Vido! Stop hiding behind these men and come fight me!"

Six shot down another Sun while Jack destroyed the tanks from a flamethrower. Six pushed forward, "Don't let him anger you."

"Who said that was angering me!" Zaeed gunned another Blue Sun, "He's a dead man!"

Before they moved on to the next room the facility's sprinkler system activated as the fires were quickly extinguished. "The Girl Scout did her job."

Six wasn't sure how this might help Vido, but she was pushing even harder now to get them through the facility. The next room had plenty of cover and space, and more Blue Suns trying to stop them.

Zaeed spotted the hobbling Vido trying to escape. He took a few more shots at his former partner, only to end up killing another Blue Sun who got in his way. Zaeed took cover to reload where he spotted a moving crane with a tank hanging there, "That fuel tank's coming loose. Shoot it! Bring it down on top of 'em!"

Jack was still going nuts killing a few of the Suns trying to get into the room when Six looked to the path that the crane was moving back and forth. There weren't many Suns who'd get crushed or burned if they did. That was until the Suns activated a YMIR mech.

Six and Zaeed focused their fire on the crane arms as the crane moved toward the mech. The timing was almost too perfect as the fuel tank fell on top of the mech just as it was climbing over cover. There wasn't much else between them and Vido, a chance Zaeed took. There were still a few Suns trying to stop them, but Six opened his path and keeping any other Sun from attacking him, leaving Jack to deal with the rest.

Zaeed found Vido still limping his way toward the shuttle as though he was going to make it. But Zaeed fired a warning shot just past Vido's leg. "Zaeed. Please. You know it was nothing personal. Just business. I swear." The next shot was in his thigh as Vido collapsed, unable to get away. Zaeed slowly moved to Vido as he continued be beg like a coward, "It was twenty years ago! Look at you. I did you a favor! Zaeed, please! I'm gonna did here, man! Do something!"

Zaeed just watched Vido squirm, covering himself in flammable liquid. "Fry, you son of a bitch." Zaeed turned away and popped the thermal clip from his pistol. Vido watched in horror as the small overheated clip land in the fuel, igniting it as the fires quickly spread to him, burning Vido alive. Zaeed didn't even bother to look back as Vido screamed in agony until the fires spread back to the tank, causing an explosion that incinerated Vido to ashes.

Six said nothing as she watched the Blue Suns co-founder reduced to smoldering remains. "Dot, send the shuttle down. We're ready for pickup."