BioWare owns all the rights to the media.
I decided to redo this story with a small difference. It's now present tense, which I'm not great at. All the major events will stay the same, there'll just be a few changes.
Chapter One: Just Another Job
Omega, 2183, January 10th 8:38PM
Omega, it's such a piece of shit. Five years of living here and I still don't know why I stay. It smells, the general public is a bunch of assholes, and I'm pretty sure that stupid Turian vendor tried to sell me bad meat this morning.
I mean, it's not all bad. I do make a pretty good living here. Especially when Aria T'Loak herself calls for me. That can only mean one thing, she needs someone to disappear. So I guess you could say I'm not exactly a good person, but that doesn't mean I don't want to be.
'It's just another job,' I tell myself as I adjust the bag on my shoulder. It probably won't even take that long either. Though it has to be pretty urgent for Aria to call me to Afterlife at a time like this.
I can see Afterlife from here, it's the same as any other day. Large neon sign over an Elcor guarded door, the long line of people eagerly waiting outside, blissfully unaware that they'd probably be waiting for hours. I stroll up the stairs, walking past the bouncer. He could try and stop me, but he doesn't seem to care, much to the dismay of the line of people.
The door closes between us, cutting off their complaints. Another neon sign can be seen down the long corridor, the faint sound of music coming from it. There's a group of Batarians about halfway between me and the door. I sigh before starting my walk down the illuminated corridor.
I pull my hood down more in an attempt to not be spotted by the group. I'm pretty sure I'm not in their good books right now. It's probably too much to ask for that they won't recognize me.
"Vex!" One of the members calls out as he parts from the group to approach me.
"Fuck," I mumble under my breath. I know this guy, Sorish, I think his name is. He's part of some lame small-time gang, mostly Batarian members. He probably wants to know about a recently deceased member of his group.
"Going somewhere?" He says as he stops a few feet in front of me with a stupid smirk on his face. What I wouldn't give to wipe it off him.
I glance at the rest of his group, they seem a little on edge. "I don't have time for this," I state.
"Oh? Well, that's too bad. My friends and I would love to talk about Capris." I can tell he's getting annoyed with me already. No patience.
"I'm sure you would." I attempt to walk past him, but he steps in front of me again.
"We know you killed him, he was shot with a sniper that tore right through his kinetic barrier." Yep, definitely getting annoyed with me.
I hold my arms up in mock surrender, "Hey, don't shoot the messenger; it's nothing personal, just a job." Things aren't looking too great right now.
He reaches behind himself and I waste no time taking this opportunity to grab my Carnifex. Suddenly we both hold up our weapons and make eye contact. Well shit, now I have to deal with this.
"It's personal to us." It looks like he's going to pull the trigger. I'm not too worried since I have my barriers up, but this really puts a damper on my night.
"Listen, you shoot me, my kinetic barrier takes the bullet, and then I shoot you. Now, who do you think has the better chance of surviving that?" Not the best way to try and disarm the situation, but I'm planning this out as I go.
He hesitates for a second and just like that I know I've won. He lowers his gun after a few seconds of thought. "Just go."
I smirk and walk through the group as they move out of the way for me. I must be getting soft though since I feel like I should help them out just a little. I stop and sigh before turning around and grabbing their attention. "Sure, I killed him. That doesn't mean I wanted him dead. I won't reveal client information, but maybe you should start by looking at your own gang."
I turn back towards the door and leave them to ponder that information. Yeah, definitely getting soft. That's not a good look, especially not here of all places. Who knows though, maybe that'll generate more business.
The door opens, loud music filling my ears. As expected, the place is packed, like any other day. It's hot, muggy even, from all the people, probably from all the Asari dancers too. Even the bar is filled with people. It's popular, just a little too much for my taste, however.
Aria is probably where she always is, on her platform overlooking the club. It suits her nicely as the self-acclaimed ruler of Omega. At this point she most definitely is, I can't think of anyone that would dare go against her at least.
I make my way across the club, doing my best to avoid all the sweaty people dancing to the fully volumed shitty music. I climb the stairs that lead to Aria, only to be stopped by yet another Batarian.
"Wait, I need to check you for weapons."
I stare at him for a second before looking over his shoulder at Aria who is sitting there on her couch slightly amused. "Hey Aria, a little help?"
She waves the Batarian off and he moves to the side, allowing me to walk over and take the seat beside Aria. "A safety measure," she says, "You never know when someone may hire you to take me out."
I scoff at that. As if I would take a job like that. I'm not suicidal. "I'm not stupid, you're my biggest client. Plus I know not to fuck with Aria." She smirks at that, playing to her ego was always the best way to get on her good side.
She passes me a datapad. I look down to see a picture of a Turian I don't recognize. "Turian by the name of Sermus Alril. He stole a lot of credits from me and somehow he's vanished. I don't particularly care about the credits; I want him to pay for daring to cross me." Yep, I'm never crossing Aria.
I scan the datapad onto my omni-tool. I have his face, name, and address. It's not a lot to go on, but I can make it work. "Okay, let's talk price."
I smile as she opens her omni-tool. "The usual rate?" She asks, unfazed.
I run a simple business. You give me forty thousand credits and I kill whoever you want in a week. I fail, you get seventy-five percent back guaranteed. The target goes off-world, you owe me an extra forty thousand and an extra three weeks to catch them.
"Yeah, usual rate." I watch the credits transfer to my omni-tool before standing up. "A pleasure doing business with you, Aria. You know the drill if I fail, but when have I ever failed?"
"Don't be so cocky, Vex. There's a first time for everything." She smirks again and gives me a warning, "However, I would prefer that you don't fail."
"I don't plan on it." I turn towards the stairs and start walking, "See you around, Aria." I wave dismissively over my shoulder, satisfied to have another job. This should be fun.
Omega, 2183, January 10th 9:11PM
A newscast plays on the monitor in the lobby of Sermus Alril's apartment building. Commander Riley Shepard, the one and only, became the first human Spectre. She's sure moved up in the world from being a lowly gang member back on Earth.
She knew my older brother, all three of us were in the Tenth Street Reds. Back when we were a bunch of stupid kids. Sometimes I wonder if the gang is still operating and then I wonder what it'll take to wipe them off the face of the Earth if they are. Not that I've ever actually checked up on them.
My time reminiscing about the past gets cut short as the elevator doors open. I step into the elevator and bring up the file on my omni-tool. Apartment 206. What are the chances that this job will be as easy as him being at home?
The doors open shortly after to reveal a door with a '201' above it. I close the file and exit the elevator, making my way towards 206. The hallway is completely empty, not a single noise or anything. It can't be this easy.
I finally reach his dull, grey door. A scraped-up datapad sits firmly on the wall beside the door and a quick tap to it confirms that his door is indeed locked. I give the hallway another quick glance to make sure I'm really alone and open my hacking program.
It doesn't take long for the datapad to turn green and his door to open up with a satisfying swoosh. Much to my dismay, the apartment is utterly tossed, meaning he's most likely packed up and gone. A quick survey of the room confirms that even more. I mean, there's not even a single photo in here, just empty frames.
I open up some drawers in the bedroom when my omni-tool lights up. A picture of a Salarian appears in front of me. He's a pale green-yellow-ish colour and dressed in Eclipse garb. Nulan, one of the tech experts for Eclipse and best friend to yours truly.
I answer the call as I continue to look for any clue on where Sermus went to. "Nulan, what's up?"
"Hey Vex. I just wanted to see what you were up to." He answers smoothly.
"I'm on a job, but it seems he knows I'm onto him." I explain before checking under each drawer and moving onto the closet. "He's gone off-grid, he even took all his photos. Probably didn't want someone finding the people he cares about."
"Give me his name and twenty percent of the reward and I'll find him."
I gave the hologram on Nulan a dirty look, "Ten and I'll even treat you to an evening at Afterlife. Deal?"
"Alright, you better plan something fun," he says with a big smile on his face.
"Always do. His name is Sermus Alril, I'll send you all the data I have on him." He nods and hangs up. I send the data immediately and start heading out of the apartment, fully confident in Nulan's ability to find me the information I need.
Omega, 2183, January 10th 9:23PM
I barely make my way out of the apartment building before Nulan calls me again. I waste no time answering the call. "Do you have a location?" I ask before transferring the call to my earpiece.
Nulan hums a confirmation before adding, "Yeah, he paid for a ship off-world that leaves in the morning. At least you know he isn't going anywhere tonight."
"Great, now we just need to find out where he's hiding for the night. I'd rather not camp all night by the port."
"I may actually have an idea on that. He only has one living relative on Omega. His mother. She lives in an apartment building outside of Afterlife." Nulan is the fucking best.
"It's a little cocky of him to sit right under Aria's nose, but maybe that's why it's perfect." I start picking up the pace so I can set up and watch his mother's apartment for a few hours. "Keep an eye out Nulan, I'm going to run a little surveillance on the mother's place."
"Understood." Nulan hangs up, leaving me to pick up the pace even more.
Omega, 2183, January 10th 9:47PM
Lucky for me, his mother lives across from an abandoned apartment building, so easy access to visuals. However, on the other hand, the elevator is down.
"Are you fucking serious?" I curse, dreading the long trek up the many flights of stairs that awaits me. I take a breath before securing my bag on my shoulder and sprinting towards the stairwell.
It's hard to skip two stairs at a time while carrying a heavy bag, especially when you're in a rush. At least this is basically my week's worth of exercise.
I hack my way into an apartment that should be directly across from Mrs Alril's. It's empty, only a countertop in view with a few doors to what I can only assume is the bedroom and bathroom.
I shimmy my bag off my shoulder onto the countertop and make my way over to the window. A clear view of what appears to be her living room and kitchen. Almost perfect, but I can't see anyone inside from here.
I turn to my bag, revealing the love of my life. My M-92 Mantis, high-velocity barrel to make quick work of kinetic barriers, and made from ultralight material for mobility. This sniper and I have been through a lot so far and we've racked up quite a kill count.
A smile spreads across my face, "Hello friend, I hope you're ready to get to work." I pull the sniper from the bag, along with the stand and a folded chair. I set everything up by the window and place my sniper onto the stand.
I sit in the chair, aiming down my scope at the apartment. Definitely no one inside, this was shaping up to be a long night.
Omega, 2183, January 10th 10:34PM
Almost an hour and no sign of life in the apartment. I'm starting to get a little bored. Patience was never my strong suit, Riley was always the patient one, it's funny to think about her again after years of her not even crossing my mind. At least she made it, she always said she wanted to be more.
My thoughts get interrupted by the sound of my omni-tool. I answer with a sigh. "Yeah?"
"Did you get him?" Nulan asks.
"Evidently not, since I'm still sitting in this boring ass apartment." Maybe that was a little too hostile, it's not Nulan's fault.
He starts typing away rapidly, "I was sure she lived there, maybe they're both asleep already?"
"I really wanted to use my sniper," I say, moving my head away from the scope, "I may just have to sneak in and check for myself, I can't risk waiting here all night." Having to get close and personal could end up going wrong really fast.
"Well, I can check again. Maybe I missed-" Nulan continues, but I'm no longer listening because a light just flickered on in the apartment across the street.
"Hold on," I demand, looking back down the scope. I can't hear Nulan anymore, so I assume he listened to me. Which is good, because a Turian just exited a room and walked into view, and it's definitely the same Turian whose photo I've looked at about thirty times tonight. I chuckle to myself a little, probably due to relief.
"I'll take that as my queue to leave." I hear the call disconnect, leaving me to the one thing I'm really good at.
I watch as the Turian walks over to the window to shut the blinds, his face is burned into my mind at this point, there's no doubt it's him. I take a deep breath, aim for his head, and squeeze the trigger. Not even a second passes as the bullet smashes through the window and across the street into a second window. It slams into his barrier, shattering it. He falls back, presumably dead.
Omega, 2183, January 10th 11:01PM
Sermus Alril's mother apparently rushed to her son's aid after hearing the thud of his body hitting the floor. She called for help, but it was too late, he was already dead. I already got my confirmation from a friend at the medical center.
I was already gone by the time anyone cared to look for a shooter, which brings me to Afterlife again, where I'm currently walking up to a certain Batarian bodyguard.
"You're back," he says, standing in my way again.
"Yeah, I come bearing good news. Can I pass?"
He looks back at Aria, who just waves at him dismissively. He moves aside for me to pass, I take the opportunity immediately.
"So, you're bearing good news I hear?" Aria says, barely looking at me.
"Sermus Alril is dead and his mother needs a new window."
Aria smirks, she probably finds that rather amusing. "You never seem to disappoint."
"Well, I wouldn't want to disappoint you. See you around Aria." She gives me the dismissive wave this time and I turn to leave. Another successful job, now it's time Nulan and I celebrate.
I don't know if this is as good as the original was. I'm trying to get back into writing and I figured this was a good fanfic to start with since I always wanted to finish it.
