August 1st 2184 CE 21:01

Given that his team wasn't comprised of battle-hardened soldiers, Garrus had most of the men change their sleep schedules gradually so they'd be alert and ready for their 3 a.m. raid. Considering Ripper and Krul's past experience, the two were allowed to switch up at their own discretion. The rest were put on a strict itinerary. And more than once, Butler grumbled about how ludicrous it was that he had a 'bed time.'

He reviewed the casino's new intel multiple times since his and Krul's disagreement. There was no way around it, that joint would have non-combatants lingering after-hours. Employees. If the batarian wanted to strike before they vetted the entire staff he'd have to play by his rules. One could only hope that the man had calmed down after a solid rest.

After summoning Krul to the kitchen, Garrus began with a weary sigh. "I've put a great deal of thought into this. And here's what's going to happen tomorrow. Thralog will die by your hand, in whichever way you deem necessary. Anyone who doesn't surrender immediately or fails to hand over weapons, will be killed."

"But you will be accepting surrenders?"

"Unless they give me reason not to, yes. Your other options are to either tell me what's really going on or to wait. We can hold off on the raid until I've vetted the employees. If they're aware of Thralog's business deals and are there of their own free will, I won't have any issues putting them down."

Krul hissed as he absorbed the information. "But Thralog is mine? I'm warning you now, what I do to that bastard isn't gonna be pretty."

"All yours."

"I need to know one more thing."

"Alright."

"If this thing goes to hell, and I wind up dead. I need to know you'll finish the job. And you can't just put a bullet in his head. I need Thralog blinded before death. It's some batarian religious shit. However he dies, it has to be through his eyes."

"You're religious?" The entire notion seemed ludicrous.

"I don't believe in that shit. The gods are dead and we killed 'em. But Thralog believes it. That's what matters."

"I'm not going to ask. But you have my word. Anyhow, we need to gather the rest of the team and go over our plan of attack. Now I know it pains you, but given that this will be Weaver and Mierin's first big job. Could you at least try to be decently behaved?"

"No promises but I'll put in an effort if that makes you happy."

"Still haven't had the Jane talk with them yet. So, we'll hold the debrief at the hotel. After you run your anti-listening device of course."

"If you want, leave it to me. I'll be sure to emphasize the punishment for laying a hand on her – disembowelment. Ripper would be another good choice. He can really put the fear of god into a man."

"I'm slightly insulted Krul. Think I can't get that point across?"

"You may be spiky kid. But your insides are warm and fuzzy."

"Kid huh? How old are you exactly?"

"Older than you."

"So charming. Well, let's get moving. We only have a few hours to fine tune our plan with the whole squad."

As Garrus loaded up the necessary guns and grenades, he couldn't help but feel as though an enormous weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Given how hell-bent Krul had been on annihilating the casino, and every soul within, he half expected the batarian to storm off on a suicide mission when he broke the news about accepting surrenders. At least he saw reason in the end.


Once the team, newbies included, was assembled at Hotel Denure, Garrus addressed the room. "Today, we are bringing down one one nasty SOB. He goes by the name Thralog Mirki'it. He's a red sand manufacturer, slaver, and runs one shady ass casino here on Omega. That said, Krul will be debriefing us. This is a personal mission of his and he is most familiar with Thralog's tactics."

Garrus could practically taste the anticipation in the air. The look on Krul's face as he addressed them was ravenous. "Alright, first thing to know about this bastard is that he likes his poison. Everyone is supplied with breathers aside from the turians. Since you two are dextro and naturally more resilient against this type of attack, you have little to worry about. But keep your helmets close just in case. Don't go charging into a cloud of this shit without protection. The rest of us, especially you Sensat, are vulnerable." Grundan quickly panned to the casino blue-prints. "The powder he uses is a mixture of red sand and organophosphates. It's designed to relax the user and send him into a euphoria. By the time victims realize something's wrong, it has 'em by the balls. So, if anyone starts feeling like they can conquer the galaxy in their birthday suit, speak the fuck up. While our breathers protect us from inhalation exposure, our eyes are still susceptible."

"We suspect Thralog will use these custom grenades to slow down our progress while they try and reinforce their position." Garrus interjected. "So, we hit them hard and fast. They can't set off clouds of toxic gas …."

"It's a powder." Krul interrupted.

"Does it matter?"

"Nah. But it's a lot easier to see."

"Anyway, as I was saying, they can't set these off in close proximity to themselves. We should expect close quarters combat. Mierin, Krul, and I will be the spearhead of this attack. The rest of you will bring up the rear. We'll be keeping the gassers off you while you mop up the rest. If our groups are separated at any point, Ripper is in charge of the rear guard. Also, I snagged goggles for the non-dextros in the group." Garrus tossed a handful of gaudy eye pieces onto the table.

"Aw boss." Ripper moaned. "You's really gots us wearin' this crap? I'll look like a bug-eyed poodle in this"

"I'd pay to see that." Weaver snorted.

"Shut it pig."

"Don't start." Garrus cut the men short. "And I'm going out on a limb here Ripper, but I assumed the notion of bleeding out of your eyes, or whatever happens with this crap, would be motivation enough."

"Yeah yeah."