Mass Effect: Storm Singers

by seleenermparis

Mercenaries for hire are not always up to no good. Sometimes, you just get lucky to find a bunch willing to do what is right. Enter the Storm Singers Mercenary Company, a small mercenary group who prefer doing just that. Originally a tabletop RPG, this is to archive their adventures and share their stories. Posted on AO3 first. Decided to put the separate stories into chapters here

2. Chapter 2

Mass Effect:

Storm Singers

Babylon

By S'Eleene Paris

Image Credit: "Starstruck" by Chimera Arts (I commissioned it)

Medium: Watercolor on multi-media paper

Note: Yes, she is taking commissions. Email her at: chimeraartswild for her prices.

Summery:

Our collective of misfits are back for another adventure! Batarians. They're good at being bad and very ugly. Our favorite mercenaries are sent to Babylon to keep watch over the colonists. Of course, because these are the Storm Singers, things don't exactly go as planned.

Standard Legal crapola:

Standard legal crapola inserted here. I don't own scheiße. Except for the original characters and even I question that. It's probably more like the other way around. See Book one for more details if you want a more indepth disclaimer. Writing one fifty billion times saying that you don't own the copyrights is rather repetitive. Necessary because of legal stuff, but annoying. I doubt I'll ever make any money from my writings. I mostly write as a coping mechanism. For better or worse I suppose.

Notes:

It's posted as Book 2 of the Mass Effect Storm Singers series on AO3. I decided to write these as a single book instead of multiple. I will not be editing these stories. This story IS NOT canon and I fully acknowledge this. Some details will not be accurate according to the game. Several original characters are not originally mine. They've been adopted and now we're one big happy family.

Here is a review of who the Storm Singers are:

LT2 Iocus Tokinthes, 37th Legion (Frumentarii) = leader/ intelligence/ sniper-Turian

Korlec Giro = Battle tank- Krogan

As'Irina Nar Tonbay = Engineer-Quarian

Tellor = Intelligence/ soldier-Salarian

(Sekyah) Rayne Pyxis = Doctor -Asari

James "Hotrod" Rodrigez = Pilot- Human (Puerto Rican)

Dedication:

For Izzy: gone but not forgotten. You were taken too soon from us in too violent of a way. I'll miss you. Until we meet again, my dear friend.

Chapter Two

Babylon

The laughter coming from the ship's bridge drew Rayne towards the doorway. As Iocus was finishing his tale, she entered the room. Once the doors were sealed, she leaned against the closest console. More laughter rang as the punch line of his story was revealed.

It was Irina who noticed the doctor leaning against the wall of the bridge, trying to decide if she was welcome or not. Noticing the males were oblivious to her appearance, the Quarian smiled and waved the Asari over. "Hey, Rayne! Come on over. It'd be nice to have more estrogen over here."

"Hi," She smiled as she walked over tentatively. Almost shy. "Sounds like you're having a good time up here. Anything interesting?"

"Indeed," Iocus nodded in affirmation while checking his messages.

"We're just sharing some stories of our lives before now." Irina added, "Io just finished telling us the story as to why he's no longer a member of the Turian military. To make a long story short, it involved a prank of itching powder, a water supply, and a Quarian delegation."

"Interesting. You might have to fill me in on that one."

"All settled in?" Jim asked politely.

Rayne nodded and added with amusement, "hopefully I'll be able to remember where everything is. It's such a giant ship after all."

"Well, it was nice for our previous contact to pay for some modifications to the ship. I wasn't sure how we were going to fit everyone aboard otherwise." Jim offered as he picked up his dinner and chewed on some of the potato chips. "We're not exactly on a frigate."

"It's kind of out of character for Aria to do something like that. She really must have wanted Nyreen off of Omega." Iocus observed.

"How do you know it was Aria?" Rayne shifted, nervously.

"Considering she was our last contact, who else could it be?" Irina asked her and the doctor shrugged. "Not like some massive benefactor is going to keep an eye on us and provide for all of our needs. Unless you know something we don't."

"No." She shook her head. "Not to my knowledge. She just seems like she's not the sort to do such a thing."

Jim shrugged. "I just think she wanted Nyreen at the station. End of story."

Giro, unsurprisingly, was the one who noticed the red handle at her hip and under her lab coat. "To quote you, "Nice peashooter". You do realize you don't have to actually wear it around here. We don't bite. Well, Iocus might."

"Only upon request though." He offered as he looked over at her. He winked with an impish smile.

"I know, but old habits die hard." Rayne pulled the pistol from it's holster and handed him the Acolyte handle first. Each took a few minutes to give it a once over. "My Father is a commander in the Asari military. A sniper unit. She's a Huntress. She gave this to me the day I joined up for training myself. She always pushed for me to follow in her footsteps. She was never more proud of me the day she gave this to me. I only joined because it's what was expected of me."

"What happened? I assume there is more to the story?" Iocus inquired once he took possession of the weapon.

"Iocus, don't pry. If she doesn't want to tell us..."

"It's alright Irina. You're right, though. There is more. A lot more."

"Well..." Giro urged. "What happened?"

"Giro, don't be rude. If she doesn't want to explain..."

"Seriously, Irina. It's okay." Rayne extended in his defense. "It's due to my lack of biotics which got me thrown out of training. I didn't choose to develop them. I was genetically born without them. A genetic defect they called me. My Father was disgusted with me and we had a massive argument. We haven't really spoken beyond arguments since."

She paused and took several breaths, willing herself not to cry. "I went to college after that. It was a professor of mine who suggested I should go into the medical field. He said with my kind of marks, it would be a "shame to waste" my knowledge."

Iocus handed her the pistol back after he gave the gun and it's owner a thoughtful look-over. She'd been the one who had shot the Blood Pack member and it decapitated him in the process. This reserved, pensive Asari didn't look like she would hurt someone; let alone kill them. He wondered for a moment, if she would often come into the habit of surprising him; it was something which didn't happen very often.

"So where is this place we're going to again? Babylon? I've never been there." Jim yelled over his shoulder to Iocus; the only other person on the bridge. "It's that jungle planet isn't it? Right?"

"Correct. The colonies are mostly settled around the poles. Mostly because the rest of the planet is hot and "ungodly humid" according to Admiral Hackett. A friend of mine went there once, a Human, her curly hair was standing up on it's own and it was way more unruly than normal."

"The contract is for a galactic standard week. It's a bit longer than our normal gigs. Are we going to have enough supplies?"

"Who likes military rations?" Iocus chuckled.

"So said no one in the history of any military." Jim laughed. "Anything you want me to do in the meantime- outside of taking Nyreen back to base."

"Leave the shuttle if you can. We might need it." He frowned, "shame that she didn't want to be a part of this job. We could have really used her."

"I don't think collapsing from exhaustion qualifies as a choice, Io."

"Says who?"

"Our new doc might have a few choice words about it."

"Yea, I bet she would." Iocus muttered under his breath, but Jim heard him anyway.

"What? Not fond of her? I think she's rather nice."

"She and I had a bit of an encounter when she came aboard about the status of med-bay."

"Pissing contest? Got to admit, she probably has more qualifications to run it than you ever did."

"I wouldn't call it a contest."

"Just marking her territory then. Watch out, your ego is a bit bruised."

"Right..." Before he could continue, the bridge doors parted and the rest of the crew emerged. When he turned back, Jim had pulled up the schematics of Babylon on the screen. "So, who runs this planet?"

"The colony consists of a few thousand hardy residents. There's a few industries, a small star port, and several farms. As for who actually runs this planet, I honestly don't know. Might be one of the provincial Earth governments." The pilot grinned impishly. "Hope you all brought novels. You're likely in for a boring time. Good luck down there!"

"Have fun yourself, Jim." Rayne called over his shoulder. "Nyreen is heavily sedated. It shouldn't wear off until you get back to base. She won't wake up until then. Irina tied her vital signs through to your console. I hope you brought a novel and don't kill my patient while you're gone."

"Let me guess, I won't like you when you get angry."

"Exactly."

Iocus landed the shuttle with as much grace as a large cat jumping from one log to another. The cramped, small vehicle was barely larger than the size of a pod and with the crew of five plus luggage, it was a bit of a squeeze.

"Who are we meeting up with again? Rayne asked as she disembarked the shuttle.

"An Alliance specialist named Vega." Iocus offered her a hand, which she took, as she exited through the back hatch.

When Giro and Irina groaned at his name, the Asari inquired, "What's wrong with him?"

Iocus chuckled. "What makes you think there is something wrong with him? Because of these two? You don't trust my character judgement? I did give you the option of joining us."

"You're being rather defensive. Former lover?" She teased as they walked down the path to the meeting point. "Should I be jealous or play chaperone?"

"He's not my type."

"Oh and who is your type out of curiosity?"

Before he could answer, they stopped on the path in front of a very large Human male reading his omni-tool. He was a very sculpted Human with a black faux-hawk and scruff on his chin. His essence screamed Alliance military. Glancing up at them, he raised an eyebrow questioningly. "I thought the Alliance was sending in support."

"It's only when they care to send the best..." Iocus shrugged then patted his gun. "We could leave this to you, but I think you'd prefer some help."

Tellor's large almond-shaped eyes were fixed on his omni-tool screen. "Maybe. Didn't think the colony was worthy. Not even fifteen hundred. Not worth your own security. No."

"I suppose it doesn't actually matter. The odds of the Batarians actually picking here have got to be...what? A million to one?"

Iocus glared at Giro. "Never tell me the odds. Leave one system unguarded and that'll be the one that gets hit. I know you Terrans prefer a counter attack, but..."

James Vega grumbled, "why do people always say that? Anyway, there are real barracks, but it's on the other side of the planet. We get the luxury of getting to bunk in a cheap hotel instead."

"So we're going to be defending one settlement, then?" Rayne asked, adjusting her medical bag on her shoulder. The worn, black leather messenger style bag had seen better days. The electric blue rod of Asclepius embossment, the universal symbol for healing and the medical arts, was fading and the bag had many spots where the leather had been roughed up.

"Planet's several thousand miles across. Ain't nothing, but jungle in the middle."

"Sure, but we could put a team on either pole and ferry with the shuttle if needed." Iocus said pensively.

"There are actual Barracks there. Basically you are here to prevent anything quick."

"What does that mean exactly?" Iocus swatted a rather large insect away from him. He missed it, but not before taking one of its wings.

"IF there is an actual large-scale invasion, the troops could be mobilized to ensure clean-up." Vega shrugged. "We're more concerned about the small gangs. Those that avoid the sensor net, land, try to take as many people as they can in a short period of time, and get out again."

"If we're supposed to prevent hit-and-runs raids, we should probably have a team on each pole." Iocus insisted.

"You don't understand, Turian. We have a team at each pole."

"You didn't mention that part." Rayne crossed her arms across her chest, pulling her brown, leather motorcycle jacket and white tank top tighter across it.

"I mentioned the barracks at the other pole. I assume you would assume there are troops in them."

"I am assuming you have soldiers doing round-the-clock patrols then." Giro put an emphasis on the word the soldier was throwing around.

"No." He shrugged.

"You didn't mention that part either." Iocus frowned. "Anything else we need to know or are we going to have to drag it out of you?"

"There is a sensor net to get here, but stealth can only get you so far. We'll get at least a ten to fifteen minute warning. No need for patrols."

"Keelah!" Irina was sarcastic, "At least we'll get a warning, I suppose."

"Well, then. Lieutenant Junior Grade Vega. You've obviously got this completely under control" Iocus' words were also dripping with sarcasm. "So why don't we get settled in and you can show us a place to keep our shuttle prepped?"

"Yep! That's what I'm here for. They have local cops here for the record, but I wouldn't want to subject them to a gang war."

"Isn't that what they're here for?" Rayne whispered to Irina which made the two laugh.

The group of six made their way to the edge of the colony with naturally formed pairs of two. Making conversation, Giro inquired. "Lieutenant, how long have you been in the military?"

"Not very."

"Have you ever gone up against the Batarians?"

"No, I haven't. I actually haven't seen much of any real combat."

"Well, then. Consider this your first real lesson: if something is going to go wrong, it will. You Humans call it "Murphy's Law". Second lesson: always be prepared to act at a moments notice." The Krogan offered in a condescending tone. "In other words, unless you want a bunch of civies kidnapped, killed, or both; get your soldiers doing round-the-clock patrols."

Iocus followed behind the duo with Tellor beside him. "set up watches, shift rotations, and the like. You know, like they had you do in basic."

"Is it just me," Rayne whispered to Irina, "or is he just a little thick?"

Irina smiled under her mask. "Seems like it."

Vega narrowed his eyes. "I'm just here to be your contact. This is what they hired you for, Tokinthes."

"If your troops don't mind taking orders from a bunch of mercenaries, we'd be happy to. Are you sure they'd be okay with that?"

"What troops? The ones at the south pole?"

"So you mean they've got all of their watch rotations set up, and you don't think you have one here?"

"...I'm a one person marine. I am not leading troops."

"You're an officer, Lieutenant Vega."

"Listen buddy." Giro stopped and poked at the Human in the chest. "I may just be a merc, but I am personal friends with a Major in the Alliance military. And if this operation goes bad, I will make the rest of your life a living hell!"

"There is no need for that, Giro." Irina scoffed. "Wait until after the shit hits the fan, then threaten."

Tellor glared over the edge of his omni-tool. "Wait. Entire military garrison. Fully trained. Mobilized for attack. Only one side? Of the planet? Not vested much. Not with people's safety. Five mercenaries protect. An entire hemisphere? Anything else not informing?"

"Originally only three." Iocus corrected. "We brought the two more."

"What about the civilians here? Can any of them fight if push comes to shove?" Giro rubbed his forehead to stave off a headache. "How many of them are in this town?"

"It's a typical town. A few thousand."

"How many have experience with a firearm?" The Krogan continued his mental calculations.

Vega shrugged again. "It's the frontier. Probably a reasonable number of them. It's not like the entire Blood Pack is coming. Again, we're not too worried about them bringing an army. We're thinking more like a slavery gang."

Iocus sighed and shook his head. "Is there a shuttle pad near the hotel?"

"That's why it was chosen."

"Alright. Give me a marker frequency and I'll move it and our stuff."

"And is there anything I could get to work on?" Irina asked as they stopped in front of the hotel. "AA guns and other automated defenses? Mechs?"

"There are some." Vega paused for a moment then offered. "It's not military grade, but I'll let you see them."

"I may be able to boost them a little. It'll help give us an edge at least, if something does happen."

"Lieutenant Vega, we should try to get the civilians that know how to use a firearm together. I'll organize and instruct them with the basics. We can just say it's a new Alliance policy for colonies this far out to have a working militia."

"Just call me Vega, and no. I can't do that." It took willpower to not punch the Krogan in the face.

"Fine, then Vega. I'll say I'm offering classes in hunting and protection from large predatory animals."

Exasperated, the Human looked at the others. "Anyone else want something to work on?"

"Once I get the shuttle landed, I think a perimeter walk would be wise. We should all see what we're dealing with." Iocus suggested. The marine nodded.

"What do you have in the way of medical supplies?" Rayne asked as she pulled up one of her medical applications. "There should be a standard kit, but I'm not sure what you have beyond that. The colonies out this far can be rather a mixed bag when it comes to medical professionals."

A flirtatious smile crossed his lips. Then James remembered himself and the situation. "There is a hospital, but I think you're thinking of an emergency trauma center. I'll get you in touch with them."

"Thank you." She nodded her head in approval. "Fortunately, this far out, there really isn't much required in the way of getting patient rights. Doctors have a tendency to be a commodity out here."

Realizing his class idea was ignored, Giro sighed. "I suppose I'll just get a feel for the terrain; where they might attack and where we might need to retreat back to."

"Sure, whatever you say." Vega's eyes never left Rayne even as she turned to go inside. He took a moment to admire her curves then went to open the door. "Ma'am."

"Thank you." Her eyes lit up at the gentleman-like behavior so she could go get the keycodes for their rooms.

"Just be back before dark." Vega waved off Giro absently while continuing to enjoy the sight. "Hmm. hmm. Hmm."

The Krogan growled as he watched the Human follow the doctor into the hotel.

Day One

Rayne was never one for sunbathing, especially with the heightened risk of burn with light colored skin. This included her light steel blue-grey color, but the warmth of the sun felt refreshing and too seducing after months of being Omega. She had been starting to feel like she wasn't ever going to see the sun again. So while she was planetside; she was going to enjoy every moment of it. Even if it required to sit by the poorly maintained pool in order for her to do it while she kept her shift watching the scanners; she was going to.

She leaned back in her lounge chair as she closed her eyes and embraced the light from the bright, yellow star. She moaned lightly, enjoying the feeling of it warming her skin. She long shed her brown leathers in exchange for her usual plain white tank top and a pair of dark-blue, boyfriend shorts. All of it over her white swimming suit, in case she had been tempted to go into the depths of the water.

That decision was made before she saw the status of the pool. While it wasn't unsafe to enter, the pure amount of the acidic, chlorine smell coming from it was overwhelming.

"Irina told me you might be out here." A deep, masculine voice roused her from her quiet meditation. The flanging which followed his words allowed her to conclude who it was before she even opened her eyes.

When she opened them, the bright, blinding light invaded. "OW!"

"Sorry." Iocus sat his towel, which had been wrapped around his neck, and his bottle of purified water down on the table next to her. He opened the sun umbrella, hiding the direct light, before sitting down in a chair at the table. He leaned down and crossed his bird-like legs.

She had to do a double take to make sure she was seeing what he lacked in clothing. At first, she had thought he had come down naked, but upon her eyes adjusting to the light, she realized he was wearing a pair of silver colored swimming trunks. "Ah! For a moment, there I thought you came down here in nothing, but you were blessed with at birth."

"Were you hoping?"

"Well, I can't say I wouldn't have minded much. I'd bet I'd get a pretty nice view, but I figured not everyone would want to see that."

"I see." He chuckled as he pulled at the legs to loosen the areas where it was snug against. "I was curious as to how things were going."

"Well, in this case, no news is good news." She frowned, "although Babylon's extranet connection is being a bit flakey.

"Irina is working on boosting the signal to fix the problem. They have her a bit busy around here. Not that she minds, mind you."

"Good. I was working on reading something earlier. The signal kept dropping."

"Anything interesting?"

She impishly smiled, "if I told you it was a trashy romance novel, you'd believe me I bet."

"Not after a comment like that." He cocked his head, "so really. What are you working on?"

"A letter."

"From whom? Boyfriend? Girlfriend?"

"My little sister. She was telling me about her recent survivalist trip. Basically she only took a knife with her and was dropped into the woods for a few days."

"Military?"

"No." She shook her head. "Just crazy."

"I see. I thought you and your family were estranged."

"Just my father and I."

"How many siblings do you have?"

"Just the one. My mother died not too soon after my sister was born. My father didn't remarry. Do you have any?"

"Only child. Both parents are deceased."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"They've been gone for a while." He shrugged.

"Were you close?"

"My mother and I were." When he didn't elaborate, an awkward wall of silence occurred. After a few minutes, he stood up. "I'll see you later. Going to do a few laps then do my perimeter check. See you at dinner?"

She nodded an affirmative, and then he was off. He stepped into the water. Turians weren't known to be the best swimmers, mostly because they didn't float very well. However, the cool water would feel good against the heat. Palaven may be a scorching place and it's inhabitants were used to hotter temperatures, but that didn't mean the humidity made it unbearable.

Before getting back to her letter, she took a moment to admire the scenery and it wasn't the vegetation she was looking at.

Day Two

"...because I'm wanted! Dead or alive!" The Krogan enthusiastically sang into the microphone, very much off key.

"Remind me, why did we come to do this?" Irina groaned and covered where the speakers of her headset were located as if she were covering her ears. "It's bad enough we do this at our base, but do we really have to do it in public?"

"It's called being supportive. Unfortunately, we really do if we want to be a team." Iocus frowned as the self called musician sang another sour note. "If you had a quirky hobby, we'd be supportive too."

Rayne cringed at Giro's attempt at a high note. "That had to hurt."

"OW!" Irina cringed. "After he goes to bed, that device is mysteriously going to break."

"Good plan." Iocus took a sip of his dextro beer.

"Do either of you get the feeling he's singing this way on purpose?" Dr. Pyxis pondered aloud then took a drink of her wine.

"Like it's not really bad?" Tellor asked as he took a bite from his creamy mashed potatoes.

"Yea, like this is just some act he's putting on to have a tongue in cheek laugh."

"No." The other two said in unison.

"Just wait until he serenades you at six in the morning while he's singing show tunes in the shower. His personal favorite is One Day More from a Human play. The Miserable or something like that."

"Don't remind me. I still have nightmares." The Turian took a bite out of his dextro-meal then took a sip of his whiskey. "Which reminds me to remind you to soundproof the bathrooms a bit more when we get back to base."

"Play about being miserable? Humans are quite odd." Tellor swallowed.

"A musical no less." Iocus scoffed

"What is a musical?"

"It's a play that has music in it. Usually it involves expressing an emotion." Rayne offered. "As opposed to an opera or an operetta which basically the whole dialogue is music."

"Are you a musician, Rayne?" Giro asked as he claimed his seat once he was done with his set. "We could do a duet! How about a rendition of Summer Nights from Grease!"

"That would be a definite no. I'm not great at it, but I do dabble."

"This bar was a nice find." Io tried to change the topic. "It's hard to find anyone who can cook a decent dextro meal off the Citadel or Palavan."

"Agreed. " Irina took a sip of her meal through her access port. "Help stave away the boredom. This is beginning to feel like Jim was right about this mission was going to be easy credits. Keelah! I just tempted fate didn't I?"

"Great." Rayne sighed. "I was hoping my first real mission with you guys wasn't going to be a baptism by hell fire."

Day Three

Tellor reread the message for the fourth time in hopes he was seeing things. He wasn't. A broadcast was sent a few minutes ago to the news networks in the system. He frowned, sighed, then commed Iocus. "Iocus. Something popped up. Might want to look."

"Where are you?"

"In my room."

"I'm on my way." A little while later, there was a knock on the door. Iocus entered after the Salarian answered and came over to the table where Tellor was seated. "What's going on?"

"That was rather quick. Normally on perimeter check?"

"Giro and Irina went instead. I was coming here for an update and got side tracked helping Rayne."

It wasn't a lie. He did get side-tracked by their new doctor. She needed a hand with her omni-tool. Irina wasn't around but he had been passing by her roomand her door had been opened when she called out to him. He knew how to fix it, so he did. They just got to talking and the small project turned into a visit.

Getting close to her like he was, stirred something inside of him. Something he hadn't felt in a long time. It had been so long since he had felt that way, he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

"I see." Tellor smiled knowingly. Then he turned to the situation at hand. He pulled up the broadcast on his omni-tool. All Iocus really needed was to read the bold headline.

Breaking News Alert

Batarian raid on colony.

It was mere moments ago that a Batarian raid hit on a local colony. Local authorities are scrambling to contain the fires and damage caused by the raid. The death count is in the hundreds and equally are the amount of people still missing. Those official numbers are expected to climb as communications systems were knocked out prior to the attack and the communications specialists are trying to re-establish links. A spokesperson for the Systems' Alliance highly advised colonies in the surrounding systems to go on high alert for a possible raid, especially those within the same system. Details and more information will be brought to you as the information is passed to us on this active situation.

"Where?"

"Not far from here. A day or two. At most." Tellor pursed his lips. "Gather team for briefing?"

"We should wait until dinner. We'll order something and meet here to brainstorm."

"Make sure defenses work."

"Absolutely. We have to assume they're going to stop here next."

"Agreed."

Day Four

Giro decided the best use of this elevated alert was to make sure his guns were polished, cleaned, and were in working order. His companion on the other hand. "You know, Irina, you could at least pretend you're getting ready incase something happens."

"I am doing something." She chuckled as she picked up Alice from the table where he was sitting, knowing it would annoy him. "Annoying you."

"Don't touch her!" He grabbed his favorite gun and ripped it away from her. He rolled his eyes. "I meant something productive."

"I can't really do much until something happens."

"What about the big AA gun?"

"We have to wait for it to dry out a bit. It's a side effect of living in and near a rainforest: rain. Rain and electricity aren't exactly friendly with one another. Not to mention I'm waiting on a part that's being made at the repair shop." She awkwardly chuckled. "I am sure our new doc is good, but I doubt she really wants to start her experience with us treating me with preventable electrocution."

"Oh, I am sure." His tone was sarcastic. "Where did she put up her diplomas? I didn't see them when I was down there last. Mind you that was right when we picked her up. How do we really know she's really a doctor? Did anyone check her credentials?"

"Io said he saw her mount her diplomas and certifications on the wall in the medbay. Jim checked her out. She's legit."

"Well, lucky us. Although, this begs to ask what is a legit doctor doing all the way out here? There really isn't much in the way of a good hospital all the way out in that neck of the woods. Or at least one I haven't heard of. Makes you wonder what she's running from."

"What makes you think she's running from something? She's still a maiden Asari. She could still have a bit of a wandering foot."

He scratched his chin, despite not having a beard. "She did say her father and her aren't exactly on the best of terms."

"I think that's putting it mildly, Giro." Irina frowned under her opaque mask. The engineer fiddled with one of Alice's heat sinks. "She really hasn't opened up about too much of her past and if it's something she mentioned like she did, it has to be bad. I could only imagine what it's like for someone having that big of a wedge between a parent and yourself. It would be awful."

"I don't really have a family now to worry about it." He frowned. "Rift or not, I wish I could have them back."

She laid a hand on his arm. "I know you do. Your whole clan is gone. I can't imagine that either."

"They didn't just leave, Iri. They were killed. You don't have to play the niceties for me." He snorted. "Funnily enough, you're probably the only one in our crew that actually has a decent relationship with your parents and you're out voluntarily on your pilgrimage."

Turning the conversation back away from her, "Not sure why someone would want to exaggerate something like that. You're being obsessively curious about her. Thinking about trying for it?"

"Well, what can I say? I'm a chick magnet! The ladies just flock to me." He was thoughtful for a moment. "I'm not sure. Io seems to have a possible interest."

"Ugh. I doubt it. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've actually seen him date before. Male or female."

"Well, he's not dead, so it's possible. "

"OY! Is that all it takes?"

"Have you seen her? That backside alone..."

"Nope! Not having that conversation."

"Come on, Iri."

"Nope."

Day Five

The smell of the nightly, twilight oncoming thunderstorm wafted heavily in the air. It always made Rayne smile. Rain was her favorite type of weather and not for the obvious reasoning of it sharing the same name as herself. No, so many memories at her childhood home surrounded rainfall. Splashing in the puddles on the patio in her swimsuit at three. Cuddling against her mother and watching a vid while eating popcorn when she was five. Getting caught in a torrential downpour of rain, at thirteen, and receiving her first real kiss as she waited with her crush under the large willow tree in the back garden.

She inhaled deeply then opted to change into her pajamas while she continued to monitor the news channels. It was sticky and hot. The environmental controls in her room were broken and she was having to keep her doors and windows open to keep cool. Irina had gone to a store to purchase a fan to allow airflow in her room while she tried to fix them, but thus far she was not having any real luck with the AA gun to have enough time to fix something trivial. They only had two more days there and Rayne decided she could put up with the heat for that long. The airflow and her showers kept her cool enough.

Once she was only in her light grey tank top and a pair of purple loose fitting shorts, she flopped back down onto her bed to continue to monitor the stations. There had been no news so far that day and the silence was nerve wracking. Like often in her field, it was the unknown which was scary. She was so deep into them, the sudden knock on her door made her jump. When she saw it was Iocus, she blushed as she stood up and met him at the door. "Hi."

"Hello." He noticed her attire and fidgeted. "I didn't realize you were sleeping. I thought I heard some chatter."

"I wasn't. It's just hot and I didn't want to put on my sweaty clothes again. I just showered."

"Oh. Good." Then he realized she wasn't using the cooling system in her room. He cocked an eyebrow. "Why don't you just turn on the environmental controls?"

"They're broken. Irina mentioned something about fixing it, but she's been busy with that AA gun. That's why she's not the one monitoring. She had asked me to listen in case she was running late."

"She's still having trouble with it?"

Rayne nodded and then leaned against the door frame. "Don't let Giro tease her too much about it. She's legitimately frustrated."

Even with the dimming light outside, she could see his eyes smile. He nodded in an affirmative. "I will do my best. I can't promise anything."

"Thanks." She smiled then began to fiddle with her necklace, unconsciously. The silver chain held a pendant in the shape of the head of a rose.

Boldly, he reached out his right talon and very gently lifted it up so he could see it better. "That's lovely."

"Thank you. My grandmother gave it to me. A long, long time ago."

"I'm actually mildly confused about that. You said "father" earlier back on the Corvette and then said "she"."

"I'm Asari."

"I can see that."

"The person who didn't give birth is often called "father" to ease the confusion of which parent gave birth."

"I see. So you're half something else."

"Actually," her face went downcast. "I'm a pureblood. Both of my parents are Asari."

"Hey," He frowned as he lifted her head gently with his left talon. "That's not a bad thing."

"In our society, it's considered wasteful."

"I wouldn't put too much stock in what others say. It's not like you can help your genetics. You can't help who you fall in love with."

"I know, but it's difficult to fight a society's stigma."

"Well, know that to me it doesn't matter." He smiled down at her. He let go of her necklace, but continued to hold his stare into her eyes nor did his talon leave her face. She didn't drop hers either. She couldn't. Later when she thought back on this interlude she would swear he had begun to lean down towards her.

"Rayne?" Irina's voice came over the coms. "I need you at the AA gun. Giro was stupid and decided to try to fix it himself. Instead the gun, in its infinite wisdom, according to him, bit him."

"Hey! Now!" They could hear the injured Krogan over the coms.

"I'm on my way." She continued to stare at him for a moment, as he dropped his hand from her face. Rayne turned to get her bag, feeling his touch already ghosting against her cheek.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you to it, then." Iocus offered a hint of disappointment in his tone. "I'll see you later?"

The doctor nodded and slowly shut the door behind her as she left her room. He watched her leave and his eyes followed her down to the elevator, not entirely sure what just happened.

Day Six

The doctor wound her way through the path to the AA gun where it was still getting fixed. It wasn't exactly a pathed path, but it was a little more than a deer path considering the cobblestone. Irina was determined to fix it in case of unfriendlies, especially once their stint was over. Yet, another twilight was descending and the distant flashes of lightning indicated the thunderstorm, again, heading their way and Irina missed dinner.

Rayne decided if the Quarian wasn't going to come to dinner; dinner was going to come to her. As she approached, the engineer was stopping to hydrate herself. The Quarians were able to have environmental controls inside her suit and couldn't feel the heat and the humidity. At that particular moment, the Asari was jealous.

"You didn't have to bring me dinner, Dr. Pyxis. I was planning to come around seven."

"Please, it's Rayne. And it's eight-thirty."

"Seriously?"

"Time passes quickly when you're having fun." The Asari nodded, while the engineer wiped her gloved hands on a cloth. Rayne handed her the Quarian approved food pouch. "Hungry?"

"Famished." She opened it and began preparations for her to consume it. "At the rate this is going, we're not going to see any Batarians."

"Thanks for jinxing us again. How is the fix on the AA gun going?"

"I'm about ready to just give up. This thing is just too old."

"That's bad? Is it working?"

"It's working. Sort of."

Interrupting their conversation, Irina and Rayne heard the alert on the com. "A Batarian ship-cruiser sized- has penetrated the upper atmosphere. This is not a drill!"

It repeated and the duo blinked in disbelief. About a minute later, three smaller shuttles began to descend on the Northern colony. The skip radio made the announcement again, but added, "The Alliance Military has seen the situation and are sending reinforcements."

"I'll bet they're scrambling." Irina watched as the invasion began. "They've never really were great about last minute fights."

A ship appeared in visual range. Battle worn, it was littered with scorch marks, scratches, and hull dents.

"Ugh! This always happens after I..." Rayne didn't finish her train of thought, but glanced briefly down at her newly painted nails. She looked at the AA gun then back at her companion. "How well is your aim?"

Irina shook her head. "Pretty bad. You?"

"Combat training, remember? Also, we're going to have to fix that."

Irina did a quick system's check. "Looks like we might actually be able to fire this thing. Well, that's handy! There is a targeting system!"

The doctor took the controls and the Mass Effect fired a shot and went off rapidly, powerfully, and produced an acrid smell. The engineer concluded she had over charged something by accident. The effect was tremendous as it sheared off the back of the transport. It spun the ship around like a top to the outskirts of town with a thunderous and earthshaking crash.

The lounge, in front of the hotel, sprawled out to a patio. Iocus claimed one of the lounge chairs in the shade. Despite the humidity, a slight breeze made the temperature somewhat bearable. Amaranthine, his home planet, was a cold planet, and he once would have sweltered in any heat such as the one he was in. The locals of the Galatana Colony, would have just called their -178 degree celsius surface temperature "chilly".

He opened his omni-tool; bookmarked to where he was last reading his ebook. Unlike most males of various species, survival techniques were a hobby, but one still needed to eat well. He was currently in search for an excellent, wild blueberry cobbler recipe for his next trip. Interrupting him, the sirens for an air raid screamed. This would be the first alarm. The second was one of the ships colliding into the ground. He grumbled and closed his e-reader on his data pad. "Time to go!"

Tellor snapped to his feet from the outdoor patio couch he was reclining on. He wasn't shaking, but he did get his attention spiked from the sudden adrenaline rush. He grabbed his side arm. "Batarians?"

"If it's not, I have a few words for whoever made that much noise without cause and without letting us in on the fun!" He looked back at Tellor, over his shoulder. The duo weaved through the doors and pounded on the rooms where Vega and Giro were sleeping. "Wake up! The fun is starting!"

The Turian activated the com channel. "Iocus here. Tellor and I are up and moving. We've alerted Vega and Giro. Report?"

It was Irina's voice which came over the com. "One ship down. Got a few smaller shuttles coming in. We may have upset them by blowing off the back of their ship."

"I take it Doctor Pyxis is with you?"

Another voice came over the com-link. "It's Rayne."

Iocus gave himself the private luxury of a knowing smile. Such a shame for the Batarians to be upset. "Thanks for leaving some for us, though. I'm heading to a building with a view and I'm taking my rifle. Got a direction or coordinates?"

Iocus' question was not answered via the com system. The ships began to land. Not in the heart of town, where the hotel was located, but in the residential areas. They were slightly bigger than a standard shuttle and there were three left incoming.

Instead of joining Iocus on the roof, Tellor headed to the bottom level. "Iocus, you need a spotter. Humans and Batarians are similar. Shape is 75%. Mistakes can happen. Kill civilians by accident. Will mark each ship. It's an offer. For you.``

"Perfect. Thankfully, this is the tallest building in the area. It's like it was planned for something like this or something. I'll feed you movements, you feed me targets. Hopefully, the civies keep their damn heads down."

"Colonists are always looking to prove. Deserve their own protection. No looking for chances. Don't get trigger happy."

Iocus chuckled, "wrong team member. I'm the cold sniper, remember? You should be warning the blood knight with the named weapon. Who is probably angrier about being woken up than the attack itself."

The Salarian slithered silently between the structures, until he reached the landing site. He painted a large target for Iocus through his targeting scanner. He was tempted to mark it with a universal obscene gesture , but decided it was more important to dodge the weapon fire by ducking back behind the wall of the nearest building.

The Batarian, which had been marked first, struggled as he staggered to the wall where Tellor was located. Once Iocus shot him, the shield the enemy wore saved his life.

Biting off a curse, Iocus cycled around. "Finish him off if you have a shot. They're gonna be heading for cover as fast as possible. At the very least, he'll be much more cautious. The Batarians are more interested in keeping it slow."

"Turians are excellent snipers." Tellor whispered as loudly as he dared into the com link. He carried a tone of playful annoyance. "Try to finish him. You'll cover me."

Between the two shots, the Batarian dropped to the ground with a comedic thump. Tellor knew he didn't have time to meditate on it. He needed to change positions if he didn't want to get caught in the inevitable swarm. He knew he had done something important: funneled the enemy so they could be picked off. One by one.

He backed out of the brush, as silent as he could to discourage the Batarians from honing in on his location without him leading them into an ambush. He couldn't help but smirk as he reached out to Iocus over the com again. " 's how you infiltrate."

"Yeah, yeah," Iocus rolled his eyes, "but you only have two eyes. You've got one coming in behind you. Heads up."

From his first floor hotel room, Korlec Giro was roused by the red alert or the distant sound of Panthera in the background. He wasn't sure which. Instinctively, he grabbed Alice. "Blood Pack!"

He quickly realized, once he woke up further, where he was and what was going on. He turned to Vega, who was sleeping in the other bed. "Wake up!"

Vega responded only by releasing a bear-like growl. He dimly woke and looked up for the reason he was disturbed. "What?"

"Get moving! The Batarians are here and we're missing the welcoming party!" Giro began adhering his armor to his chest.

The marine growled as he began to layer his clothing with his armor. "I've always been a fan of direct action. You?"

"Yes I am, but school is out Vega. First we need to coordinate with the team and make sure the civilians make it to safety." Then his voice turned angry and bloodthirsty. "Then, we'll beat every last Batarian down."

The Krogan turned on his com system as he turned away from the Human locked the door behind them. "Status?"

"One ship got kissed by an anti-aircraft gun. Three more shuttles are dirt side. We've engaged them and they're heading for cover. I suggest you go for a ground sweep. I'll try to direct their movement." Iocus relayed.

"...School's out?" James Vega shouldered his carbine and moved out to the street. He turned on his com piece. "Never mind, let's go."

"What are the civilians doing?"

"Keeping their damn heads down, if they know what is good for them." Iocus' loud weapon's gun fire blasted through the com.

"Alright. Me and Vega will try to coordinate the civilians to get someplace safe and hunker down while we clear their way. Not going to let you have all the fun, Turian."

"That sounds good." Vega asked as the duo dodged weapons fire aimed at the doorway. "Which way do we head, eagle eye?"

"Saw some hide. Brush to your three. Small group there. Didn't make it inside. Not before they hit." Tellor called. "Get them inside the hotel. Probably the safest immediate area."

"Acknowledged."

"There is one batch of Batarians. The one to the North, your far three, has developed a sudden case of thanatophobia after Tellor and I drilled one of them in the head. They're going to be moving slow. Get them out of there now."

"Acknowledged." In between weapons fire strikes, they found the group and found it rather easy to move those inside. Once back inside the hotel, Giro asked in his com. "What's next?"

"The group to the South started breaking into and invading people's homes. They're raiding and capturing. I suggest, Giro, that you, Alice, and Vega go and discourage that while Irina and Rayne take care of the ones to the West. Not sure what the Batarians are planning, but there is another A.A. gun closer to the ladies. Hopefully Iri was able to get it fixed. Tellor and I will keep these morons here busy."

"...okay. We should be able to do that." Irina hoped her voice didn't convey her nervousness.

"Alright. We will head south then. Everyone try to direct any other civilians you find to the hotel."

"There is a word, Giro, for this situation, I think." Vega offered.

"I think I know which one." The Krogan smiled wickedly. The Krogan rushed out the door and headed south with Vega right behind.

Simultaneously, they yelled, "CHARGE!"

The duo raced to meet their targets. The Batarians noticed their movements. They organized and positioned themselves anywhere they could: behind doors and windows, hidden among the well-manicured landscaping, and behind the just-made-makeshift barricade of personal travel vehicles. It reminded Giro of a Human western film he saw once.

Giro and Vega quickly found their own cover behind a chest high, cafe patio wall. Over the weapons fire, the Krogan yelled. "Vega, lay down suppression fire. I will try to flank them from the left. Once I surprise and blast them, you charge the front while I keep them busy!"

Rayne pointed at one of the nearby buildings. "You know if we could sniper a couple of them down. Do you have any training?"

The doctor looked over at the Quarian's lack of long range weapons. "Never mind."

"If you can, go for it.I don't think I'll be able to do anything from up there. Now one of the lower windows..." The engineer opened her omni-tool.

"Wait," Rayne noticed another A.A. gun. How she had forgotten about it she hadn't a clue. "Did you ever get that A.A. over there fixed?"

"No, the one by the hotel was giving me way too much trouble."

The doctor pondered for a moment. "You know, WE know that the A.A. is out of commission as it is, but do they?"

"How so? What are you thinking, Rayne?"

"I bet a good thousand credits they're a ground team which was sent to disable it or use it. Whichever." A wicked smile crossed her face, "you think you could get enough power to trigger some explosion? I'd do it, but you're the tech expert. I bet it would make them high tail out of there if nothing else."

She thought for a moment. "You know if they are heading to the A.A. gun, and we get there first, I might be able to fix something to discourage them."

The duo raced to the large gun. Against the urban landscape, the matte silver gun looked more like a sculpture rather than a defensive weapon. Luckily, the Batarians hadn't appeared. Yet.

"Give me a lab, I'm more comfortable there. I missed the course on large weaponry."

"Noted. If I get hurt and I start hallucinating, I know who to call."

They had the distinct advantage over the Batarians: they knew exactly where it was. The scorch marks, from previous attempts from the locals to fix it, were still there even after the twice daily rain showers.

Irina studied the panel for a moment thinking. She jumped to her job once she made her decision."I think if I can cross a couple of these circuits, it'd route the power back through. If a Batarian comes up and tries to make repairs, it should explode."

She looked back up at the doctor. "It'll take me a few minutes. Do we know how far ahead of them we are?"

"They really weren't too far behind."

"Think we have enough time?" The engineer's hands were already in a fury, trying to quicken the pace of the procedure. "I'll work as fast as I can but that may not be able to finish before they get here."

"I think I can distract them a bit." Rayne pulled her side arm from it's holster.

The horde spread and fanned rather than sending out a spotter. Without knowing where they were or where the gun was, they couldn't risk sending anyone in alone. Especially after the first ship had been shot down. One of the Batarians, not so brightly, popped in the doctor's sight. The Asari took a breath, aimed, and pulled the trigger. The shot went sailing over his head, not hurting him. She didn't want to kill him. That took way too much paperwork; however, what it did do was force him to stop where he was and seek shelter.

Rayne was able to hear him yelling into his com system, giving his position to his team over her next two shots. She turned to Irina once he started to fire back, using the gun as a blockade from his reciprocating shots. "How are things coming?"

A crackle over their com came through, interrupting them. It bore the deep, reverberating voice of their Turian companion. "We got military support in ten. Just a little longer."

"I think I'm done. I'm going to get off here before I touch something I shouldn't." Irina dropped off the platform and found cover facing the direction of the gunshots, waiting to hear back or see a Batarian.

With the Batarian's undercover call, Rayne suspected they would soon no longer be in the company of a single Batarian. "We should probably get out of here. Head back to base?"

"Sounds good to me. I don't want to be anywhere near here when this goes off." The engineer checked to make sure the coast was clear and quickly started back for their base.

As Rayne began to retreat, she called over the com, "Iocus, are you there?"

"Perpetually," the sound of his Mantis bolt working filtered over the communications channel. "Little busy at the moment. How are you and Irina doing with your raiders?"

A small, teenager-like thrill crossed Rayne's face, but it was Irina who responded several feet in front of the doctor. "We set a pretty nice trap at the AA gun. Trying to head back now."

There was a long pause, then he hesitantly asked, "a trap? What kind of trap?"

"The kind that happens to explode when they try to repair it."

There was another pause, you could hear his impish smile over the channel. "Make sure the Alliance folks know about that. But not Vega. Someone a little more...sane."

"Hopefully, the group of Batarians who were heading our way will set it off and take care of it." Irina darkly chuckled, "anyway could you glance over and see where the west group is headed?"

"I'll take a look." He paused as she looked through his scope. "They're heading towards your position. Probably about a dozen or so. You might want to find some cover or really book it back here. They're coming in hot."

"Thanks," Irina ducked into a small alleyway.

Rayne followed after her after checking to make sure it was clear. She claimed the space behind a large, standing garbage disposal unit. Once settled, she quickly regretted it as she willed herself not to vomit as the smell from the bin was overwhelmingly and immensely wretched.

A thunderous gunshot echoed far above as Irina dove into a small, empty wine cask. It bordered on the fine line between cliche and convenient that the wood barrel had a knothole for her to peep out of.

"Gotcha!" Iocus exclaimed over the com system. "One less you ladies have to worry about. It should slow them down."

A few Batarians appeared from the previous blocks checking the square where the A.A. gun was located, carefully. Even though they were far back into the alley, Rayne peered around the corner of the container briefly and grumbled at the weapons around their waist. "Damn it!"

Irina's suit fogged up, she tried not to say anything as she made attempts to regulate her suit's humidity. "Lovely, I don't see what they're distributing around the gun, but I'm pretty sure those aren't Easter Eggs."

"They're military grade grenades!"

Despite not being able to see out of her helmet, Iri fumbled with her omni-tool, entering the sequence to detonate the trap.

BOOM!

As the AA gun itself exploded, the shrapnel chain-reacted with the other explosives. If any of those Batarians were still alive, they weren't going to move very quickly. Or at all. After only hearing the astonishingly loud explosion, Iri said only one thing. "...Oops!"

"I hope like hell you weren't caught in that. I think the Alliance is going to be cleaning that up for a while." Iocus' concerned voice called over the com.

"That was much larger than I intended." Irina responded.

"That was much louder than expected!" Rayne practically yelled into the mic.

"That's what I just said, Rayne."

Iocus chuckled after a moment once he realized what happened. "She probably has a little case of Tinnitus after that. We should get her a better com system if that's the case."

"Guys, you're going to have to speak up! I'm pretty sure I have a case of Tinnitus!" Rayne yelled again. "I've been meaning to get a better headset!"

All the others on the channel laughed. Io yelled into the mic. "Sounds like a great idea! Do that as soon as we get back to base!"

Tellor interrupted. "Alliance military inbound. Time to clear out!"

"No kidding!" Rayne yelled into her com.

"Good to hear." The pun was not lost on Irina. "Let's hope they don't make us pay for the gun you just blew up. Did you see if they had extra explosives?"

"Military grade."

"Keelah."

"Lovely." Iocus called over standard military frequencies. "Alliance military, you have Batarian forces at these locations. Sending coordinates to you now. They've taken casualties and are largely taking cover."

"Copy that. Over. We're going to make sure they have nowhere to run to."

"I think we'd all prefer it if they were neutralized. I'll keep an eye on movement from up here until you've got them rounded up. Would you like our ground teams to move to any particular position? The Turian continued.

"No, clear the area. We have coordinated teams."

A snapping sound then a scream of pain came from over the com. "Damn! So the fun's all over then?"

"Copy that, Alliance." Iocus rolled his eyes at his comrade's comment. "Our teams are returning to the hotel. Just let us know if you need anything further."

Within minutes the Storm Singers with the rescued civilians, filed into the hotel. The doctor unconsciously began forming a triage order in head as she scanned the crowd. Noting none of them were life threatening, she headed over to a patient with a compound fracture.

When Giro walked in, the radio chatter flooded their coms. Outside the thunderous rounds of weapons fire almost canceled it out.

"What are we going to do with the ship?"

"They may have slaves aboard from their other raid. Disable the engines."

"Acknowledged. Then we'll try to get a team on board."

"How are we going to pull that off? We don't have any assault shuttles."

"Pardon the interruption," Iocus interjected, "but we do have a shuttle handy? Capable of orbital travel. Can we be of assistance?"

"Not going to be as easy as ringing a doorbell. Unless you have a way to get through the airlock."

"Er," Irina, who had not so casually stood a bit behind Giro, raised her hand like a schoolgirl. "I saw this on an old Human vid, once, but there're Batarian shuttles out there. Couldn't we borrow one of them and just pretend to be one returning to the ship? I know the west group isn't using theirs anymore for a fact."

"Hrm." Iocus pondered. "Trojan shuttle? Worth a try, but didn't we have trouble flying a Batarian shuttle before? With their wonky four-eyed interface?"

Acknowledgement came from the com system chatter, again.

"Not a bad idea. We'll get some people over there and see if it'll work. You want to go with?"

"They might be suspicious if they see an entirely Human crew. A little diversity never hurts. Particularly, when the diversity has guns. And tech. And training."

"Right."

There was a brief pause, then another voice cut in. "I think the engines are offline. Better hurry in case they decide to scuttle the ship."

"You heard the man! Get going!"

Iocus grabbed his weapon. "We're on our way. Rayne! Time to go!"

"Time for round two!" The Krogan exclaimed, pleased with the idea.

Rayne flipped her messenger style medical bag over her shoulder. "Let's go."

The five minute run was guided by Irina's omni-tool. Once they arrived, Vega asked with no preamble. "What happened to the AA gun? For fuck's sake, guys."

"There was an...accident. We'll explain when we get back." Iocus shut off his mic as he helped Rayne into the shuttle after Irina slithered into the seat in the back of the shuttle. Iocus turned to his team and quietly mentioned. "We may want to come up with a really good story. Just how many explosive charges did you use?"

"I didn't use any. I rerouted a few of the power systems and rigged them to trip. I was only trying to make the console explode if they were trying to fix it. I swear!"

"Likely." Iocus chuckled at her sarcasm.

Five Alliance soldiers approached the shuttle. The officer in charge took point and approached the mercenaries. The Turian went to greet him on the loading ramp. "Glad you could make it. Ready to invade?"

"You'll forgive me if I skip the dramatic weapon readying noise...but yes. We're ready." Iocus nodded.

"Alright then. Let's go." The red haired officer signaled to his team to enter the shuttle. He then turned and nodded to the Turian. "Lieutenant Major Alex Summers, by the way."

"Iocus Tokinthes, Storm Singers Mercenary Company." He shook the Human's hand then boarded the shuttle. Once back inside, he introduced his team and pointed at the corresponding person. "Meet Korlec Giro, As'Irina Nar Tonbay, Doctor Rayne Pyxis, and Tellor...you know, I don't think I actually got your last name."

"You didn't." He didn't offer the information he was seeking.

"Right. "

"Mike was supposed to be installing a bypass into the control system. With any luck." The familiar sound of the ship's engines firing impeded the conversation. "Looks like the old man still has a few tricks after all. I don't suppose anyone here speaks Batarian. I was hoping the ship's pilot had survived, but apparently he was with the rest of the raid party when the AA gun exploded. What happened to it anyway?"

Irina took a very sudden and very intense interest in her omni-tool. Rayne shook her head in response to the Human's question. "Old Earth Latin and a few words of other various languages. None of which are Batarian."

"Figures. Any suggestions on handling the situation. They'll ask for clearance, that is a guarantee."

"Could claim a Communications system failure. That worked once." Iocus offered as he took a vacant seat and strapped in.

Irina nodded as she finished strapping herself into her seat for liftoff. "We could try it again. In the explosion, the com could have become damaged. I am sure they know about it by now."

"OR! We could just say that the guy who was supposed to do it got shot." Giro rolled his eyes. "If you're gonna be all cloak and dagger about it, keep the lies simple."

"Let's see." Summers pulled up his omni-tool. "Translations into Batarian via omni-tool. Well, better than they should be considering their propaganda stance."

"This is either going to be a spectacular success or a dismal failure." The Turian notated the smooth docking. He stood up after he unbuckled his harness.

"Either way, it's going to be a lot of fun!" Giro grinned as his friend checked his grip on his new SMG. He pulled out his other shotgun and handed it to Tali."I'd suggest someone get some flash-bangs or smoke grenades ready."

"At this juncture, I'd like to share some wisdom from one of my former commanding officers. The captain always told us subtle tactics were wonderful. They give you many opportunities to deal with things that come to you, in due time. However there are times when they're simply not an option. In such a situation he recommended the following: go in guns blazing to surprise the living shit out of your opponents. They'll be too confused to react, and if you hit them hard enough; they'll never recover." Tokinthes such a fresh heat sink into his weapon, making a delicious dramatic noise. "Let's rock!"

"Yea, we got company." Mike called from the bridge. "I think you made them upset."

"I think we're about to make them a lot more upset."

Irina readied her shotgun. "Definitely more upset."

"Feargach." Rayne nodded.

Iocus raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Was that a bunch of gibberish?" Giro scratched his head.

"Angry. It's an old Human language called Irish. Confuses the hell out of people when I use it. Great for sending coded messages." Rayne frowned then shrugged. "I'm going to live for at least a thousand years. Might well make myself interesting by learning odd, not readily used languages."

"I'd stand clear of the door." Summers suggested, drawing their attention to the task at hand.

"I've heard you Terran have a gesture known as "mooning". I wanted to give them a proper greeting, but if I must, I'll take cover when we open the hatch." Iocus frowned.

"Thunder or smoke?" Giro asked.

"We don't have IR visors, so thunder." Iocus gave Rayne a sly smile which was teasing. "And cover our ears."

"You're funny." Then under her breath she growled. "Bastaird."

"Hey, I happen to know for sure my parents were bonded when I was born." Iocus flicked the selective fire switch on his SMG to "full auto."

Promptly five galactic standard seconds later, the shuttle door opened. Giro tossed the flash-bang, assuming everyone took Iocus' warning seriously; it was only deafening to those outside.

Eight Batarians cringed in pain and disorientation. All of them were heavily armed with not only pistols, but with very large and heavy assault rifles. Giro's eyes widened in delight. "Ooo! Nice!"

"Giro, you exit left, I'll go right. Engage the flankers with a shot guns and get them down or running. Everyone else, give us some covering fire. Get out of the shuttle and into cover as fast as possible. Once we're out of the shuttle and in cover, focus fire on the closest target. Any tech or biotic abilities, use them. Hit them hard and hit them fast."

"You'd know all about hard and fast, wouldn't you?" The doctor's voice dripped suggestive content, as she tested her com link, was hard to miss.

But before the Turian could retort, Irina asked. "Anyone in particular want to have a non-functioning gun?"

"The medium range rifle-users if you don't mind."

Iocus gripped his SMG in his right hand and held up three fingers. He nodded at Giro. Two fingers. One finger then a clenched fist. Smoke from the grenade still lingered, creating a haze to mask their movements concisely. "Charge!"

Loose cargo containers and consoles were sprawled across the room; making easy accessible cover for the raid. Tellor commented. "Thought taking military hostage. Not seeing slaves."

Iocus shifted to get a better grip on his SMG, popped out the hatch, and headed right. he unloaded an entire magazine in the general direction of the Batarians on his chosen blew through his shield, leaving him tottering.

Giro jetted to the left and fired two rounds from his favorite shotgun into the nearby enemy. The unlucky Batarian crumbled.

When she saw Tellor's shot barely missed his target, the Quarian focused her attention on one of the mid-ranged Batarians. With a touch of a dozen commands from her dancing fingers, she set her omni-tool to overload his weapon. Her target shrieked as his rifle began to smoke.

The doctor took her acolyte out of it's holster and readied herself behind a stack of crates. She aimed carefully at Iocus' target. She muttered to herself. "Let's see if I can send you to hell."

She took her shot and her target fell to the ground. She smiled. "There is no kill quite like overkill!"

"Watch the hair!" Iocus chuckled over his shoulder. The two Batarians with pistols fired at the exposed Turian. He winced as both of the shots hit and burned through his shield. He was going to have welts when all this was said and done.

Giro yelled a string of profane words in his native tongue once one of their rivals hit him with a shot from their carbine. Then took another hit from another Batarian raider. He ducked behind a console to examine the damage. On his way, he fired a few shots at one of the riflemen. A moderate wound, but definitely did some damage.

Rayne winced as she watched the Krogan inside vision. The shot was to the abdomen. He was definitely in serious pain. "Ouch!"

Quarian provided covering fire for the Turian while he dropped his heat sink out of his SMG as he ran for cover. Her reward was damage to her suit. She bit her tongue to stop a groan, and began making sure her enviro-suit was sealed correctly. She thought, "hopefully, our doc brought antibiotics with her."

"Here goes nothing." Tellor took a shot at one of the pistoleers. When his shot hit his heart, he scoffed, "That's something anyway."

"Good shot!" Irina yelled from behind her blind. She was still rather shocked at actually being shot, but tried to focus on the other rifleman. Once her suit was secured, she tapped a few more buttons on her omni-tool Time to overload her attacker's weapon too.

More smoke emerged from the rifler's post. This made Iocus have a chance for an evil grin.

The Asari aimed her weapon at Irina's rifleman target with the now busted weapon. When it wasn't enough to penetrate his shield, but it did hit, she popped back down behind her blind. She allowed her pistol to charge. She mumbled. "It's better than nothing."

Summers unloaded his own weapon. The M-8 assault rifle sprayed a clip of ammunition at the remaining pistoleers, hitting one in the arm and the hand. The other received similar wounds.

The two riflemen repaired their assault rifles as Iocus and Giro peppered them with pistols. Iocus winced a bit at the second shot heading his way, but called out. "You know, a nice, long jail sentence is better than washing your bullet ridden bodies out of what is left of this ship. We'll give you one chance to surrender before we break out the hoses."

The Turian flipped the SMG over to a three-round burst and took aim at one of the carbine-wielders. The dramatic long pause was cut when the Batarians weapons clattered to the floor. "Good choice."

"I hear the Alliance Military Prison food isn't half bad." Giro called as he cringed in pain. "You're really not worth killing."

Irina hissed as she sank to the floor. She checked the seals on her suit, including the new tare. "Oh, Keelah."

Alex called over the com. "Mike, have you got in yet?"

"Yes, I think there are a few loose on the ship."

There was a pound on the console. "Son of a...! There are still hostages still aboard. I think they're going to space the ship. I think I can flood their system and slow it down, but can your tech expert give me a hand?"

"On my way." She pulled herself off the floor and headed to the cockpit.

"Rayne, I think Giro might need a hand with..." Iocus hissed and bit off the end of this sentence with a rather nasty swear word. He covered his wounds with his hand. "After that, I think I could use some of your attention."

The doctor nodded at Iocus then raced over to where Giro reclined. "As my grandfather always says, "What did you go and do that for?"."

"Because I wanted to see how good you were."

"Oh, I'm good. Top ten percent of my class." She scanned his wound, looked at the test results, then repaired the damage. The Asari made healing the complex injury appear as easy as healing a cut. When she was done, she winked an eye at him as she stood up. "You can thank me later."

"That's dangerous." Iocus mumbled under his breath.

"Heh, I'll be sure to." The doctor helped him stand up. "Your aim with your pistol could use a little work and I can give you a few pointers."

"Oh, I bet you could." A sly smile crossed her face. "In all fairness, I'm not the one who got seriously injured. I'll bet I got a few things that you could learn from me."

Cutting in on their flirting, Iocus turned to the assembled marines. "Let's get these Batarians secured. If their comrades were willing to spare them, I suspect they'll cooperate so long as we keep them with us."

"I've uploaded the map onto your omni-tools." Michael Stevens called over the coms, again. We need to get to the computer core and the brig too."

"If they're willing to do this, they'd probably think a bunch of hostages are the next best thing." Giro offered.

"Tellor, let's secure the computer room. Giro, would you take your new best friend and secure the brig?" There was an annoyance in his voice and subvocals. He secured his hardsuit and topped off his SMG. "Right, let's get going. I have a decent amount of computer experience."

Upon overhearing his last comment, Irina asked. "Need me or should I just keep making sure they don't space us."

"The latter please. No sense in taking our chances with our lives. Or our lungs. Or our backups in Giro's case." Iocus nodded.

The pilot exclaimed over the com, "Holy cow! Did you just have a virus on stand-by just for this sort of thing?"

"Possibly." Irina shrugged, leaving a mysterious air in the wake of her comment.

Iocus turned to the Marines. "Can you handle our friends here?"

"We can."

"Good. Let's go." The Turian gestured to the door. The corridor at the end of the hallway split and required the two pairings to go their divided ways.

***

The term cruiser was a misnomer. The Krogan contemplated it may have been a repurposed cargo ship? Perhaps a small carrier designated for local system fighters. Or a small hospital ship? Regardless of what it once was, it wasn't well maintained. Giro took point subconsciously and crept down the corridor cautiously. In his opinion there were few things creepier than an empty ship. Perhaps a hospital ship. An empty and run down hospital ship with exposed wires and things thrown about haphazardly.

Perhaps clowns? Yes. Clowns. They were creepier.

Rayne followed behind Giro. Unlike him, her actions were more agile. With her light armor, she was going to let him be her shield. "I'm not seeing any live Batarians in the corridor."

"Shhh!" Giro stopped. "Do you hear that?"

She paused and listened for several moments. First she heard nothing, then there was the muffled sound of banging. "Is that what I think it is?"

The duo headed toward the door at the end of the corridor. The banging and shouting grew louder and louder as they continued their route to the sound. The shouting climaxed at the door. Rayne asked. "Is it locked?"

"I guess we should try it and see."

The doctor reached for the door release and the door creaked open. In the brig, ten Human slaves were angry and terrified; shouting at the door. The Asari and the Krogan were visible from the doorway, and a wave of silence passed over the room. She scanned the room, "is everyone alright?"

One of the closest male Humans stare was wild. He pointed a finger at them. "They're mercenaries! They've come to buy us!"

"Mercenaries, yes. Going to buy you, no. We're here to let you out."

"Calm down!" Giro yelled at the assembled. The assembled group silenced immediately. "If we were here to buy you, then why isn't a Batarian with us?"

"That's what happens! That's a damn Krogan!"

"They're going to kill us!" One of the more stout women screamed as she clutched an infant to her chest.

"Shut up and grow a spine!" Giro yelled back. "I know you've all been through some shit, but that doesn't give you the excuse to act like a bunch of cowardly vorcha!"

"I mean, we can go and leave you here if you like. Might run out of food after a while since we're holding your captors captive. Not to mention, this sorry excuse for a ship might space all of us if our team can't shut it down. We've actually been set by the Alliance to help you. Assuming you're willing to actually think for a minute and calm down."

Rayne's comment made him raise his eyebrow ridge. He whispered. "Going renegade, I see."

The majority of the prisoners accepted this, but the lanky male, who greeted them originally. He was willing to rant for a while. The man whispered his tirade to himself, making the impression this was the first chance of a prison scene for him and a possible mental health issue.

Rayne had to suppress the urge to pull out a tranquilizer from her bag. And not to use it on herself.

The other pair raced down the corridor to computer control. Iocus took the lead, proceeding at a moderate pace; his weapon ready but not raised. Tellor kept up, but he made sure to crouch a bit more defensively behind Iocus. He wasn't going to let anyone ambush him. "Computer core experience?"

"I've had a fair amount of training. Besides shooting, computer work was one of the first things that the Turian Special Operations teams were trained in. Strangely enough, sentient beings rely on them a great deal-so knowing how to get into them is a rather useful trick when you are doing covert work."

He nodded despite Iocus not being able to see it. "Glad the see the Turian are at least attempting to keep up with the Strategic Task Group. Two thousand, one hundred, and fifty seven more successful missions and you may be tied with us!"

"But who's counting." Iocus chuckled.

Alex Summer's voice came over the coms. "You're kidding, Mike. What do you mean there is a ship powering up on the other side?"

"A small craft? Someone is trying to get away." The pilot guessed.

Iocus reactivated the mic on his communications unit. "We're nearing the main computer. We can probably override the launch protocols. We can try, at least."

"Belay that!" Summers ordered. "Whatever's infected the life support system has priority. Take care of that first."

"I've got it, Io." Irina commented. "And don't worry, that virus should be working or at least another five minutes or so.

"Think you can do it remotely? If we run out of air, we're in for a quick bug-out. The civilians aren't on board yet."

"Giro and Rayne found some then?" Iocus asked.

"Yes, unfortunately they're having issues convincing one of them to leave with them. If they can't get him to leave in the next minute or two, Rayne said she's going to sedate him."

"Renegade much?" Tellor blinked. "Krogan more likely."

Iocus gave a private smile at the thought. He opened the door and cautiously made a quick check of the room, weapon raised. "No pressure or anything. Well, actually, I'd prefer atmospheric pressure, if it's just the same to you."

There was a nervous chuckle from the Quarian, "you're so picky, Iocus."

"Hey, I brought my helmet with me. We want to get the civvies out of here safely."

"True enough. Don't worry, I'll make sure we keep atmo."

The large computer room was empty in save for the large, ancient computer system. The large, unfamiliar panels were covered with characters and symbols which made up the Batarian language. The tool clamped down on the critical control panel reminded the Turian of an Omni-tool. He holstered his weapon and headed over to it.

The Salarian intercepted and pushed Iocus away. He took a closer look at the device. "Never fought Batarian terrorists? They trap anything. Allow me."

"I wasn't going to just pull it out." Iocus said with a slight whine, but allowed Tellor to take the lead.

Tellor eyed the entire device but he didn't touch it. Nodding confidently, he tried a few combinations in an attempt to turn it off before picking it up. "That's what I thought. It's a trap. Repeating code. Connected to the computer. Need to turn it off. Before I can deactivate."

"What happens if it goes off?"

"I don't know. Any number of things. Connected to the computer. May destroy the entire core."

"Right. Need a hand or do you want to do it?"

Tellor fidgeted nervously, "Dismantle the entire system. If I wanted to. Chance for yourself. Shut down security. Just need to turn off."

Iocus nodded, "Tell you shut off the trap and I'll see if I can't null-route any signal it sends to the computer core."

He nodded quickly and tried to keep a steady hand as he operated on the device. "On my count...one..."

Flexing his fingers, Iocus readied himself.

"Two...three!"

The Turian began a fury of typing on the main console. The command codes he was taught in training were coming back to him. It had been too long since he had to use them. Several minutes of silence and hurried typing.

Mike Steven's voice came over their coms. "What?! BALAK was on this ship?"

There were the beginnings of some Human foul language before his com push to talk abruptly cut out. Summer's voice cut in. "Looks like you did it. Life support is back to normal."

"Aye. Let me take a quick check at launch control here." Iocus tapped a few more commands in the prompt. "It's gone. The slave should be safe, though. Which was the main goal and we even took some prisoners."

"Strikes me as a job reasonably done. The Captain is still grumpy though." Mike scoffed, "he'll get over it."

"Considering that the prisoners were at risk of being spaced, if you treat them well; they'll probably be willing to give you some intel in return for better prison accommodations."

The general snickering came from the coms, but there wasn't an actual response. The Turian smiled impishly then asked to no one in particular, "now where do they keep those fire hoses?"

The first thing the doctor wanted to do, after they arrived back at the Storm Singer's home base and she had her debrief, was a shower. Her debrief got in the way of it happening the moment she arrived on site. A fact she wasn't exactly thrilled with. Getting the layers upon layers of sweat, blood, and dirt off of her body was critical. Mandatory even. When she arrived in her quarters, she discovered white, fluffy spa towels. A large smile crossed her face. There was a note which had been placed on top of them. Curious, she picked it up.

Rayne,

The standard issue bath towels I am sure suck. You can blame Iocus for that. He's practical over everything else. I don't need these, as you know, but I got them by mistake. I thought you'd enjoy them. -Irina

She chuckled and went into the bathroom to turn on the shower. The siren song of the geothermal heated water was beckoning. She stripped off her clothing and entered the shower. The naturally heated water relaxed her muscles like magic as the massage head on her shower pounded on her back. She breathed in the thick humid air and all was well again.

She picked up her loofah when the door chime to her apartment rang. She groaned as she turned off the water. "What now!?"

The chime rang again as the doctor wrapped a towel around her. Then she walked to the door.

When they opened, Iocus blushed. Or at least what passed for blushing for a Turian. He coughed and shifted nervously, trying to cover his awkwardness. "You know, the next time I knock on your door, you won't be wearing anything at this rate."

"You sound appalled at the idea." She cocked her head to one side. A flirtatious smile crossed her face when his blushed deepened.

"No. Not appalled." He shifted again, and hissed; reminding him of the real reason why he was seeking her out. "I meant to see you sooner..."

"Goddess, Athame! Get in here." She escorted him into her room. "Why are you just coming to see me? I could have looked at this hours ago."

"Been a little busy."

"Bull..."

"Alright," he hissed as he sat down on the couch with her help. "You should probably take a look."

She turned to head back to her bedroom. "Strip."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Your shirt. Take it off." The doctor called as she went into her bedroom. After a few minutes, she returned with her medical bag. She had changed into the same pajamas she had worn in their previous adventure. She sat down next to him on the couch and pulled out her scanner. "If it's still bothering you enough to come and see me now, and not wait until the morning; i'd better perform a scan."

She fumbled with the scanner, a fact which made the former special operations officer smile to himself. He didn't say anything while she scanned.

She'd been in this close proximity to him before, but never without his shirt. She dared not to look up at him, in fear it would give away. She bit her lip, trying to keep her thoughts being anything except professional. Needless to say, it was quickly proving difficult. She prayed a thank you to Athame when the scans were complete. "Looks like you bruised a few ribs. I'm not seeing any fractures."

"Anything that can help?"

"Mostly rest and pain killers." She already began to rummage through her bag. "I'll give you an anti-inflammatory too. It might take a while before we can do another mission anyway. Giro needs some rest. With the way the majority of us were injured..."

"Everyone, but you."

"I did too! Tinnitus."

"How are your ears, by the way? Still ringing?"

She chuckled. "My new headset is due to arrive in a few days."

"Good." He allowed himself a moment to look her in the eye. His sub-vocals softened. "Our doctor needs to be able to hear."

"So I can endure the trauma of Giro's singing with you?" She chuckled and her eyes sparkled. "Is it really that bad? It didn't seem that bad when we were Babylon."

"You have no idea."