Notes:
ASAP - As Soon As Possible.
Graal - Krogan double-barreled shotgun-class weapon that shoots large spikes; the oversized flechettes are designed to pierce Thresher Maw hide and create deep wound channels and massive blood loss
Omega - Battle Plan
Mass Relay, Antaeus, Hades Gamma
As Maya Brooks waited impatiently for the Mass Relay to complete its ponderous realignment for her jump to Hercules in the Attican Beta Cluster, she continued to seethe at her ill treatment by the Illusive Man. After I successfully eliminated Donnel Udina… in his own damned cell in the C-Sec headquarters detention block, this is the thanks I get! Only half-way to the fucking end of a four-relay jump to the Grissom System, clean the hell and gone out to the edge of the damned galaxy. He's demoted me, that's what! All the way down to… nothing! No position! No status! I'm nothing more than the Illusive Man's fucking errand girl!
She was being sent to Solcrum to meet with agents of the Blue Suns in order to pick up a package, as he had put it. Maya seriously hoped she'd be able to at least deal with Human members of the organization. I'll be damned if I'm going to talk to Turians or Batarians for this transaction, unless there's simply no other way to get the deal done! How damned important could this package be? She had asked, just so she'd know what to expect on Solcrum, but the Illusive Man had again lived up to his title by refusing to provide any information other than it was infinitely valuable, needed special handling, and was to suffer no damage while en route to her final destination... the coordinates of which she'd receive after she made the jump back to Hercules in Attican Beta.
She had used her Navicomputer to take a look at Hercules as soon as she had the name. That is so fucking wonderful! I won't get my destination coordinates until I'm in a system with no commercial ports of call – one gas giant, two scorching hot rocks and a Level One toxic planet; no wonder there's no fuel depot… who'd want to travel there? So, no recreation, no place to safely land! Shit! Wonder how damned long I'll have to wait around before he tells me the final destination… sure as hell won't be enough time to get to Theseus at the pitiful FTL velocity this ship is capable of. Damn it to Hell! She continued to fume as the mass relay finally signaled it was aligned with the relay in Hercules; her small ship quickly sped along the 15-Km length of the arms and disappeared in a flash of blue-shifted light.
Solcrum, Grissom, Armstrong Cluster
Brooks carefully spun her ship on its axis to point the nose 'out' before setting down in the tiny docking bay near the entrance to the underground research center, now fully repurposed by the Blue Suns. Checking that her M-358 had a full ammo clip, she placed as many spares as she could carry in the storage pockets of her uniform before using the outside view-cams to inspect the docking bay one last time before cycling the hatch; only then did she feel secure enough to step down onto the oily decking. With one last look around, she reclosed the hatch and locked down her ship, ensuring it could only be opened by a coded signal from her omnitool. She had already set up a tampering alarm, ensuring a signal would be quietly sent to her omnitool if anyone else attempted to get inside or screwed with the engines or landing gear. Climbing the stairs to an elevated walkway that surrounded the rear and two sides of the hangar, she made her way to the centrally located air lock, waved her omnitool past the haptic lock to open it and disappeared inside.
Maya moved through the small compartment adjacent to the docking bay, exiting through a door opposite from the air lock. The next compartment was larger, with a sectional couch in one corner flanked by a pair of two-tiered tables holding expensive looking lamps. There was a medium-sized desk across from the main part of the couch, behind which sat a young man working at a terminal. He looked up at her approach, saying, "Ah, you must be Ms Brooks. We were instructed to anticipate your arrival. Please," he indicated the couch behind her, "have a seat. It will only be a few minutes."
The assassin went to the couch and sat as requested, thinking. Sure – just a few minutes. It'd be nice if someone offered me a snack or a beverage – Hell, a meal would be nice. I'm going to have to make do with the dried rations on my ship if I don't get something to eat soon… Her thoughts were interrupted by the entrance of a woman with graying hair arranged in a tidy bun at the back of her head; she was dressed in typical Blue Suns non-combat garb – navy trousers above a pair of sturdy black shoes, a blouse and blue jacket, accessorized with a small pendant on a silver necklace with matching earrings in the oval, Blue Suns emblem. The only thing out of place was her sidearm, a compact pistol worn quick-draw style – that is, handgrip to the front. "Ms Brooks… my pleasure. I'm Ida Liktakno. Please, follow me."
I'll just bet it's her pleasure! She's not the one traipsing about the galaxy playing errand girl for a megalomaniac. Maya rose and briefly took the hand offered by the woman who was obviously more than a simple receptionist or personal aide.
"Before we transfer the… package… to your custody, I'm to show you to the restrooms and the mess hall, where you can freshen up after your long voyage and have a bite to eat before you set out on the next part of your trip."
"Thank you," Maya replied evenly. "I am rather hungry… it's been a long ride." Yeah, four fucking relays and lots of FTL time in between – something like twelve, fourteen hours since I left the Anadius system!
Liktakno led Maya down a short passageway to a medium-sized mess hall. Motioning to her right, she said, "Here we are, my dear. The restrooms are to the right, and there's plenty of food and beverages here. Send me a note when you're done…," she activated her omnitool, sending an address to Maya's omnitool, "…and I'll return to collect you."
Brooks thanked her once again before heading directly to the mess hall. She had used her personal facilities aboard her ship before disembarking; no way in Hell was she going to use some trashy, mixed-race merc bathrooms. God knows what's crawling around in there!
Maya felt better after having eaten a meal, even if it was simple mess hall chow, but was still extremely cautious, being in the middle of a Blue Suns facility. Ida Liktakno, accompanied by a Blue Suns soldier, had come for her as soon as she sent a text saying she was done eating. She finished her coffee, set the mug down on the table and followed the pair through a different passage. This one was longer than the one she had entered through coming from the hangar, had several doors along each side and ended at an elevator. Liktakno took her leave at this point, saying, "It was very nice to meet you, Ms Brooks. Have a safe journey."
Brooks thanked the woman and turned to her new guide, Sergeant Jerold Manning, a human who silently motioned for her to precede him into the elevator. With the doors now closed, Maya would have said she was being taken to the bowels of Hell, except the increasing level of stench couldn't possibly come from a place that legend said was all fiery brimstone! More like Purgatory, except the stench there would not be so bad.
As the elevator stopped and the doors slid silently open, Brooks' face wrinkled in disgust at the memories the sight and smells brought forth. It had been years since her childhood days of forced servitude in the mines above Themis where she had learned, the hard way, that suppressing her reflex to gag at the smells of filthy bodies and waste products kept her from being hungry all night and being beaten by the guards quite so often. Misinterpreting her expression as nausea, Sergeant Manning silently offered her a small tube. She looked at him, confused, until he squeezed a small amount on the tip of his finger and promptly wiped it across the top of his lip, directly below his nose. She nodded in understanding, realizing what he erroneously believed, and quickly mimicked his actions; even if she didn't actually feel sick, she still welcomed relief from the God-awful smell.
"Not to worry, Ms Brooks… the smell has that effect on most everyone that comes down here. You'll not want to stay in here too long, either; it'll stick to your clothes, your hair, even your skin. After a while, it seems there isn't enough soap and water in the world to get rid of it." He started to walk briskly past the steel doors lining the foul-smelling passageway.
The further she walked, the thicker the air seemed to become and the hair on the back of her neck stood up as a fear suddenly crept up her spine. That bastard better not have sold me down the road! Sergeant Manning will learn quickly that I shall not go gentle into that good night! Brooks' hand brushed gently across her sidearm; simply confirming the weapon was still in her possession quickly calmed her thoughts and settled her mind. "What the hell is this place, Sergeant," Brooks asked softly as she followed the man. "Surely you don't keep people… Humans… down here."
"Afraid we do, Ma'am. Most of the people down here are slaves… and most of those are Batarian. There are a few Humans here, prisoners, waiting for someone to ransom them." He stopped in front of a door near the end of the passage. "There are more like this, below this level. This was originally a Geth outpost until the Alliance Marines cleared it out in '83. Since the Geth didn't return, we took it over about two years ago and did some remodeling." Manning activated and tapped a code into his omnitool to unlock the door; he pulled it open and stood aside for Brooks to take a look. "Your package is inside."
Maya's stomach nearly did revolt at the odors emanating from the pitch black cell, even with the salve under her nose. Her mind leapt back to the C-Sec cell she'd entered clandestinely to kill Donnel Udina; the difference between then and now was day and night. She activated her omnitool and a glow emanated from her arm, illuminating the interior of the cell; she was surprised to see a bit of movement. A person, dressed in what appeared to be rags, was lying on the dirty shelf that passed for a bed. Turning an incredulous eye to the sergeant, she said, "You expect me to put this… person… as is… in my ship for an unknown number of relay jumps?"
"Not my problem, Ma'am." Manning powered up his own light and stepped into the fetid compartment. Shaking the person by a leg, he said, "Get up. You're leaving."
The Human… at least, Maya hoped it was a Human… rolled to a sitting position and then stood, revealing, by the barely covered contours under the filthy rags, that it was indeed a Human prisoner... and a female at that. Her arms had a bit of skin showing but her face was completely concealed by a deep hood pulled up over her head. The sergeant motioned for her to leave the cell; Maya stood aside and held her breath as the filthy woman moved past her. Manning had the prisoner move down the passageway towards a hatch at the end, surprising Maya. "We're not going back the same way we came in?"
"No. Have to check her against the database to make sure we're giving you the right package."
Brooks followed along, hoping it wasn't long before she'd be able to breathe filtered air again.
SSV Normandy, Alliance Dry-docks, Citadel
Liara couldn't stand it; she and Shepard had just reconnected... again... when Aria's demand for assistance had come in... and it had irked Liara to no end. Shepard had been gone less than a day before the Asari had returned to the Normandy in frustration, unable to remain in the penthouse apartment surrounded by reminders of Shepard's unexpected departure. It wasn't like walking into their quarters on the Normandy was much better but, at least aboard ship, Liara had the full Broker suite to occupy her mind instead of simply her omnitool and a datapad. It would be at least two more days before the upgrades on the Thanix cannon were complete, so it wasn't like they could take the Normandy and follow the commander to Omega, no matter how much Liara wanted to. She felt hollow without Shepard's thoughts floating through the back of her mind and her heartbeat seemed labored without Samantha's heart beating in rhythm with her own as they lay down to sleep together.
Together. That was what Liara missed most. Even when they weren't physically in one another's presence, they hadn't been a relay jump apart since Liara had arrived on Mars; she didn't realize how accustomed she had become to having Samantha with her once they had fully renewed their bond... and now she missed her presence terribly. Focus, T'Soni. Shepard's successful return may depend on you. That thought jarred her back to the task at hand... to search the databases for someone, anyone, with a power base that Liara could use to tip the balance of power on Omega. She desperately hoped whoever she finally identified would be the lesser of two evils... and once Omega was retaken from Cerberus... Maybe, just maybe, that same power broker can make Aria impotent, at the very least, if not remove the Queen from power... completely.
Liara had ignored Omega since the Normandy had disgorged her Cerberus crew after the Collector War, turning her focus solely on the Reapers. As a result, she had months of surveillance footage and intercepted message traffic from Omega to wade through... and there was no way she could do it all on her own. She knew it was selfish, in a way, but she also knew that Shepard being on the station provided an unprecedented opportunity to locate and evaluate any potential ally they may identify. She quickly sent out a note of explanation to the three Broker vessels, describing specifically what she was looking for, before settling in at the research terminal and beginning her own hunt. While her 'agents' were looking for a potential rival for Aria, Liara planned on slowly hacking through the multiple layers of Cerberus security on Omega that were currently preventing her from accessing her normal video feeds; one way or another, by the time the final battle for Omega was to take place, the Shadow Broker planned to have eyes on target.
Omega, Sahrabarik, Omega Nebula
Aria's submission to Shepard's command stopped at the doorway; as soon as they entered the secret bunker and the blast door was secured, once more the Queen, she turned to the commander. "Shepard. This bunker will provide recon and secret access to much of the station. I need you to look over operations and make sure things are setting up smoothly. If you're missing something you need..." She paused. Aria's expression was more intense than Shepard had ever seen as her eyes locked onto the commander's. "I'm here to win, Shepard; as quickly as possible. You need something, you tell me immediately... and if it's anywhere on this station, you'll get it."
Nyreen turned to her in question. "Aria, I know this place is impenetrable, but I can't help but feel that works two ways, and Petrovsky now has us trapped here."
Shepard nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I'm not used to hiding and I feel like a sitting duck here."
Aria scoffed, her voice condescending. "Nyreen. You know the tunnels and know perfectly well we are far from trapped here. And you should both know I have no intention of sitting around. I'm here to take back Omega, not crawl around in her underbelly like some ineffective resistance force." Her words were accompanied by a scathing glance at Kandros. "You left Omega very angry with me and, somehow, you managed to slip back in without my knowledge." Her gaze wandered to Shepard. "Perhaps at the same time my intelligence net was compromised by an attempted coup in the making." Her eyes refocused pointedly on the Turian and her tone indicated her next words were not a request, but an order. "Explain yourself."
Nyreen huffed. "Your intelligence was weak before the coup attempt, Aria; truth is I never left... a fact your watchers never once discovered in my entire time here."
"I'm not easily duped." Aria's eyes narrowed, but her voice held some respect for the accomplishment. "Well done... but the real question is why? Why did you stay, Nyreen?"
"I just... couldn't leave. Considering all of this, I'm glad I didn't." Her own eyes narrowed in response. "When you abandoned the station, these people no longer had any guidance, no protection. They all would have fallen victim to the whims of Cerberus."
Aria bristled at the accusation and retorted, "I would never abandon Omega! But I had no intention of committing suicide, either. I realized I had to pull back... to regroup. And now I'm here to take back what's mine." She finished with a challenging growl that raised Shepard's eyebrows.
"She's a trained soldier, Aria." The Asari's eyes snapped to her as if she had forgotten the commander was still standing there. Shepard's stare was unyielding and her words steady. "As your ground commander, I want her to stay; I can make excellent use of her skills, expertise and training as a member of the Cabal."
Aria's shoulders stiffened and she clenched her jaw for a brief moment before responding. "So quick to trust, Shepard. Someday, that's going to get you killed, but so be it. If she betrays us..." Aria's eyes shifted to Nyreen momentarily. "Never mind. She won't. She'll act in the best interests of Omega; there isn't a corruptible bone in Nyreen's body and she'd never work for an organization like Cerberus."
Kandros' eyes had lit up when Shepard came to her defense; the Turian realized she had an unexpected ally in Shepard, so spoke quickly. "Commander. This occupation is an illegal action and Cerberus needs to be swept off this station. I'm more than happy to help you do that."
"Goddess help me." Aria made an exaggerated roll of her eyes. "I'm surrounded by delusional idealists." She shook her head quickly. "Fine. She's your responsibility, Shepard. Do your job and keep her in line. I'm going to assess our force strength; I need to know how many survived the landing before I can plan the assault. Join me at the command console when you're ready." Aria turned and walked off, heading to the command center. She paused only once, stopping to speak in a voice low enough that only her intended target heard what she said. "Bray. Keep an eye on Kandros." The Batarian simply nodded and stepped away to do as Aria ordered.
Nyreen looked at Shepard. "What do you need from me, Commander?"
"You've been fighting here since the occupation. I want you to review Aria's weapons caches. Make sure we have the right mods and upgrades we need to fight these bastards." Shepard took a deep breath and her gaze softened. "And I need you to be honest with me regarding what you know about what we're facing. For all of Aria's bluster, she's had no eyes on the inside. We have no idea what we're up against."
Nyreen nodded. "Understood, Commander, but I don't want to have to repeat it a dozen times. When we start talking about the attack plan, I'll tell everyone what I know."
"Alright." Shepard nodded. "Then let's get to it."
Shepard moved quickly, speaking openly and asking questions regarding what, if anything, people were missing to do their jobs. She was surprised at how well prepared the forces actually were and came away with a very short list. One of the systems kept failing due to a faulty power inverter and an engineer needed a replacement... and they did not have one within the supplies that had successfully made it into the bunker from the surviving ships. Nyreen caught up to her and had arrived at the same basic conclusion. "The weapons supplies are good, Shepard, but we're short on heat sinks. Cerberus has plenty... we'll simply have to make it a priority to collect every spare we can pick up as we move through the station. If it's alright by you, I'll go scrounge what I can from my personal caches... and see if I can't scrape up that power inverter."
Shepard pursed her lips for a moment before responding. "I don't think Aria's going to let you do that; it could put the bunker at risk."
Kandros actually chuckled. "If the soldiers who tried to keep us from getting in here weren't enough of a clue, you need to know that Petrovsky already knows exactly where we are... besides, Aria can't stop me. I probably know her tunnels better than she does at this point. She always used them as a convenience. I've used them the past couple of months as a matter of life or death; I know them like the back of my own hand. Probably better."
"Alright. I say go." Shepard paused and then added, "And, not that you wouldn't be, but I have to say it anyway. Be careful."
"I've heard stories about you, Commander." Kandros' mandibles twitched and her voice flanged as she replied. "Either you are the best liar I have ever met, or the concern you show for those under your command has not been exaggerated." Shepard raised her eyebrows in question and Nyreen continued, "I choose to believe the latter. Please don't disappoint me." Her gaze flicked to Aria and back. "I've had enough disappointment in my life."
As she finished out her rounds, Shepard wondered about Nyreen's last comment. What's your big secret, Kandros? What brought you to Omega... and what's your relationship with Aria?
As Shepard approached the command console, she heard Aria ask, "Ahz, how are we looking?"
"All systems operational." The Salarian's fingers flew across the interface he was working on. "Full Omega schematics coming online now."
Aria turned and walked toward the central display, seeing the commander's approach as she did. "Shepard. Those force fields we saw? The general has them set up everywhere to control access across the station." Aria leaned forward and focused on the display before them; it was a complete schematic of Omega in various colors.
The station was a violet color, which Shepard thought was suspiciously similar to Aria's skin tone, and it had rings of pink depicting the off-line defenses. Various splashes of orange were scattered around the station. "Is all that orange crap the force fields?"
"Yes," Aria growled. "They could become a serious problem. Ahz, what are these dark areas?"
"Many sections of Omega are powered down. Most likely, their power is being siphoned to run those force fields."
Aria pushed back from the display and looked to Ahz. "Find the source. Priority one."
Shepard nodded in agreement before adding on, "And then I need a full tactical assessment of all Cerberus positions."
"I'll get on it." Ahz didn't hesitate to acknowledge her request before turning away quickly to return to his station and get to work.
"We have work to do, Shepard." Aria sighed. "We lost more ships than I anticipated and we don't have a large enough force remaining to face Cerberus head on."
"Then we need to find allies. Story of my life." Shepard contemplated their options and spoke quickly. "What about that merc group? The Talons?"
Aria's eyes took on an angry gleam. "As much as I hate them, they appear to be our best option at the moment. They are the only organized force resisting the occupation." Her voice dropped with disgust. "Not my first choice, but it seems they're all we've got."
Shepard looked her in the eyes as she spoke. "We need to play nice to get them to help us. They have to recognize we'll have a better chance working together."
"And if whoever leads them doesn't see the benefits..." Aria's scowl turned to a predatory smile as she continued, "... then you'll do what you did with Kreete and simply... replace... him."
Before Shepard could raise an objection, Bray walked up. "Sorry to interrupt..."
Aria scowled at him in annoyance. "What is it?"
"Kandros." Bray scratched his head nervously. "I turned away for a second to offload supplies. When I looked back..."
"You lost her," Aria growled. "Damn it, Bray!"
"Relax." Shepard cut in before Aria could get up steam for a good rant. "I sent her out to scavenge supplies. She's got caches all over the station and we're short on heat sinks. She's also on the hunt for a Kehri power inverter we need."
"What gave you the right?" Aria spun on her. "I told you if you needed anything, to tell me, not send someone out of the bunker!"
"Don't test me, Aria." Shepard's jaw tightened and she stood to her full height, glaring at the Asari. "You told me I was in charge of the ground war and I'm taking you at your word. If we don't get more heat sinks, we won't have a war, we'll be committing suicide... and it was my understanding that was not your intent."
Aria didn't back off and she met Shepard's glare with one of equal intensity. "Then let me make myself perfectly clear, Commander. You are in charge of the ground war... In my world, that means while we are actually fighting. At no other time do you have the authority to override my instructions. Is that understood, Shepard?"
Shepard's lip twitched into a sneer. "Perfectly... But also completely unacceptable."
Silence instantly fell. Everyone stopped talking, hands stopped working, and eyes lit with apprehension as the two stood nose-to-nose, staring into one another's eyes. Shepard shattered the quiet without hesitation. "I will not execute a battle plan that I do not have a part in formulating. I will do what I feel is necessary to prepare for said battle and I will do so as I see fit. In my world, that's what 'being in command' means." Shepard stepped back without breaking eye contact and held her arms at her sides; she flexed her fingers, every muscle in her body tense and ready to spring into action. "Take it or leave it, Aria. That's what being partners means... that you trust me to do my job. Am I commanding this ground war for you... or not?"
Aria seethed in anger, but didn't say a word as she contemplated her options. Since taking over Omega, she had never backed down from anyone... but she was smart as well as desperate, and a fight with Shepard now would put everything she had ever worked for into jeopardy. She flexed her shoulders and forced a smile to her face. "I guess we should have discussed all this a bit more in depth before throwing ourselves into the fire, Shepard."
"Yeah." Shepard's glare did not soften. "Perhaps we should have."
"Fine. We'll play by your rules, but if you lose this fight you won't have to worry about Cerberus or the Reapers. I'll kill you myself." Aria turned away dismissively. "Meet me at the Armory exit when you're ready to go meet the Talons. Don't keep me waiting."
"Not a valid threat, Aria. If I lose this fight, it's because I'm already dead." Shepard turned to follow her. "And I'm always ready, Aria. Lead the way."
Aria led Shepard through the tunnels flawlessly and without hesitation; it made the commander think Kandros' assumption that she knew the tunnels better than Aria herself was incorrect, but in the end it didn't really matter so long as they reached their objective. As they moved along through the dim passages, Shepard queried, "What's your history with this gang?"
Aria gave a quick glance over her shoulder and kept walking. "Not much. After you ransacked the Blood Pack, Blue Suns and Eclipse in your hunt for Archangel, you left a power vacuum behind. The Talons stepped up to fill it. Since then? Some mutually beneficial dealings and some occasional... violence... when they didn't play by the rules."
They passed through a small hatch and stepped outside, Shepard once more able to take in Omega's artificial skyline. "I'm surprised you didn't squash them."
Aria huffed with derision, "Better the enemy you know. They were no threat... and as long as I didn't catch them running more Red Sand than they were reporting and paying taxes on, I didn't really care."
"No threat?" Shepard paused. "So are we recruiting them because they are a threat now and can actually fight, or are we simply using them for fodder?"
Aria rolled her eyes before turning away and starting up a ladder. "The latter; we need numbers and they're the only game in town. We don't have the luxury of being picky."
"You going to let them know that?" Once Aria was up a ways, Shepard began her climb.
"Relax, Shepard. This is how it works on Omega. I know how Derius thinks and we've negotiated before. Just let me do the talking and..."
Ahz suddenly squawked across the comm unit. "Commander! Cerberus forces are scrambling! Looks like an attack on the Talons."
His chatter was interrupted as three Cerberus shuttles screamed by overhead. Shepard picked up speed and quickly closed on the Asari above her. "Shit! Move it, T'Loak, or we may not have a merc group to recruit!"
Ahz continued, unaware of where Aria and the commander were or what they were seeing. "Judging from the comm chatter, their priority target is in the area. Could be the Talon leader!"
Aria climbed faster, a grin playing on her lips and her voice was equally light as she spoke. "Looks like Derius might not be the leader very long. Perhaps we'll be just in time to fill the void in leadership."
"Don't sound so happy about it." Shepard kept up easily as they cleared the top of the ladder and Aria plunged into yet another secret entrance to her tunnel system. "Looks like we'll be fighting our way through Cerberus to get to them."
Aria turned with a smile. "I know. All the more reason for them to be grateful to us."
They picked up speed, moving as fast as they could without dropping their guard, slowing only at blind corners in order to check the next passageway before bolting through or across it. They passed stocks of Red Sand that had Aria curious. "Why would they leave crates of this simply lying around?"
Shepard chuckled as they pressed forward. "I imagine it's a bit tough to move with the occupation. I doubt Cerberus soldiers make very good customers; they'd probably take the Sand and kill the Talons trying to move it."
"I suppose you're right." Aria paused. "Though, I'm still surprised. Profit is the only thing that matters to the Derius I know. He'd let anything... everything else burn."
While Shepard had made her rounds back at the bunker, one of the surveillance system technicians had asked for a favor and her voice suddenly came over the comms. "Commander. I'm pinging a terminal near your location. If you can enter the hack code I provided, it will extend the range of my monitoring capability."
She glanced quickly around and zeroed in on a red flashing beacon. She keyed the terminal and was immediately rewarded by a green light and a happy voice on the comm. "The terminal is now active. Thank you, Commander!"
They pressed onward through the tunnels and it wasn't long before Ahz was back on the line. "Thanks, Commander. That terminal got us into the Cerberus system and I've hacked into their comms. Patching you in now."
Almost immediately, Shepard and Aria could hear Cerberus chatter in the background. Team Omega heard the calls for additional support... along with coordinates... and Aria grinned. "Perfect. We're not too late... and I know exactly where they are. Follow me!"
Once she had a firm destination, Aria moved even faster than she had been. They emerged once more into the open air, just in time to see a pair of gunships launch a missile attack. Aria pointed at the gunships' target. "That tower is the Talon outpost we're heading for."
As she spoke, a hail of gunfire erupted from a mid-level balcony, accompanied by heavy-weapons fire that blasted one of the gunships out of the sky. Shepard smirked with satisfaction, "Looks like the Talons are giving as good as they get."
Shepard pushed the pace and they moved rapidly, quickly closing on the rear of the Cerberus positions. Being hacked into their comms provided a significant advantage; Shepard and Aria were alerted whenever they approached a Cerberus choke point and worked their way easily through multiple layers of Cerberus defenses. They found themselves at the Talon outpost faster than they ever anticipated and as the hatch slid open before them, they took in the view. Two Cerberus Engineers and no fewer than three or four Assault Troopers held two Talons prisoner.
One of the troopers alerted the remaining Cerberus to their presence. The lead Combat Engineer put a pistol to the head of one of the prisoners. "Back off!"
Shepard sneered, "I don't think so."
The Engineer quickly shifted his aim to put a bullet in the prisoner's knee and returned the muzzle of his pistol to the prisoner's temple. "Last chance!" They were the last words the Engineer would ever utter.
Kandros, from a concealed position in the upper supports, put a round cleanly through the gap between the Engineer's helmet and his chest plate, severing his spinal column. His finger didn't even twitch as he fell away from the Talon soldier. Shepard and Aria immediately jumped into the fray and the battle was over almost before it had really begun.
Nyreen dropped from her position in the rafters, utilizing her biotics to land softly on the deck. She proficiently docked her assault rifle on a hardpoint on her back, directly behind her right shoulder, as one of the Talon members stood in respect and looked at her silently. It was soon evident he was awaiting a command as she ordered, "Take care of the wounded and scavenge what you can. I want us out of here ASAP."
Shepard stifled a grin when she saw the expression on Aria's face as the soldier replied, "You got it, Ma'am." He then turned to the Talon members who were emerging out of their cover locations. "You heard the boss. Move it!"
Shepard bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at the look of consternation on Aria's face before whispering, "Well. Looks like we found the Talon leader."
Aria shook her head in disgust as she walked toward the Turian. "My, my. Nyreen, aren't you full of surprises.
The Talon leader started stripping heat sinks and medigel supplies from a dead Trooper, not even looking at the Queen as she spoke. "Aria. The deception was necessary. I needed to figure out what your plans were." She stood and turned, giving Shepard a glance before addressing Aria directly. "The people of Omega depend on us. I couldn't risk compromising our operation."
Shepard nodded her head. "Goes a long way to explaining why the Talons don't follow the standard procedures normally associated with a street gang."
Nyreen's focus instantly shifted to the commander. Unlike Aria, who had burned her bridges, for some inexplicable reason Nyreen felt she owed the commander an explanation. "When Cerberus invaded, the Talons were a mess. Their leadership was killed, so I stepped in and brought... new direction." Nyreen walked as she talked, continue to salvage useable gear from the downed soldiers. "The general's been hunting us ever since. Right now, he's attacking one of our other outposts. That's where I need to be."
The Talon Nyreen had spoken to earlier returned. "We're done here, Boss."
Nyreen abruptly stood and spun to focus on Aria and Shepard. "I know why you're here and the answer's no. Kindly escort yourselves off Talon territory."
Aria's eyes lit in anger, but Shepard stepped forward and blocked Aria off. "We're coming with you. You get our help now... no strings, no commitments. All I ask for is your word that you'll hear us out later."
Nyreen was looking at the commander, but Shepard saw her eyes flick to Aria and back before she spoke. "Generous offer, but will my word still be good when my answer remains no?"
Nyreen's irreverence reminded her of Lee Riley; Shepard grinned and shook her head, looking at the deck for a moment before responding. "Yes it will, but your answer won't be 'no.' We both know we need to work together to boot Cerberus off of Omega."
As Shepard's head came back up, Nyreen met her eyes once more. "Fine. I don't have time to argue and we can use the extra guns. Let's go."