April 22nd 05:39 2184 CE
"Just to be sure I gots this right, you's goin' in alone?" Ripper asked incredulously. His unkempt curls hung over his eyes.
"Yes. This is a stealth mission. The Yu'Char shouldn't have more than a dozen men. While we could easily take them out, it wouldn't serve our purposes." Garrus responded as if he were talking about what he was ordering for lunch.
"They get so much as a whiff of an alien on-board, they'll run a thorough sweep and our bug will be detected." Krul stated bluntly.
"Your job is to watch my back." Garrus interjected, taking control of the conversation. "I want all three of you perched in prime sniper locations around the docking area. Anyone tries to board behind me, take them out quick and quiet. Be sure to dispose of the bodies so no one's the wiser. If any targets turn out to be crewmen, don't panic. Most likely, their disappearance will be blamed on the rough streets of Omega. But do not, I repeat do not fire on the captain. We need him alive. Krul is familiar with The Hegemony's uniform and will be able to identify ranks."
"Oh goodie." Frank groaned.
"You have something to add Butler?"
"Uh, no sir!"
"So what's we gonna do if the captain himself shows his ugly mug?" Ripper asked.
"Signal me then let him pass. I'll just have to figure out a way to slip past him when I disembark." Garrus added casually. "This should be a pretty simple mission. I sneak onboard, plant the transponder, and leave before anyone's the wiser. Ripper?"
"Yeah?"
"You're in command while I'm onboard. I want no heroics from any of you understood?"
The docks by the eezo mines were a dirty, disheveled mess. Pathetic looking indentured servants labored away below their perch in the rafters. Once his team was situated high above the docking bay, Garrus descended and crept into the airlock of the Yu'Char.
When the doors hissed open, he immediately found himself in a long, narrow hallway lined with sleeper pods. According to Krul, small-time scouting ships like this one should be single decked. The simple, compact design would make navigating the unfamiliar halls easy. Yet, it offered little opportunity to hide should he stumble into an enemy. As he passed through the sleeping area, a blood curdling scream nearly stopped him in his tracks. Glancing down one of the side passageways, he spotted a naked human woman on her knees while a batarian with a long, nasty looking whip laid into her. Her dark, disheveled hair swayed with each crack. She was covered in sweat and blood. Garrus could hear the sickening squelch of skin ripping open, interrupted only by her wracked sobs. Instinctually, his trigger hand reached for the rifle strapped to his back, yet before he fully unholstered the weapon he went still as a statue. If I rescue this woman, every scouting vessel in The Hegemony will be on alert. Krul's bug will be discovered and we'll never reach Jane. But what if Krul is right? What if rescuing her is pointless and he sacrifices this woman for nothing? Every batarian-owned human slave he'd come across so far was shaved bald. This woman could be new and un-chipped. Could he turn his back on her? Could he live with himself?
Spirits damn you Shepard. I can't believe I'm doing this. As much as it pained him, Garrus turned and continued his search for the cockpit. When this was over, he vowed Omega's streets would run red with slaver blood. The war he planned on waging would be brutal, merciless, and strike fear in the hearts of slavers for generations to come. He clenched his trembling hand to his side, the woman's cries grew fainter with every step. Eventually, he reached a circular room housing flight controls and dual seats for the pilot and co-pilot. He quickly attached the small transponder beneath the pilot's chair and turned to leave.
"Uh, boss?" Ripper whispered over the com.
"What is it?" Garrus hissed, his voice a low rumble. The turian version of whispering.
"Captain incoming. He has a couple friends too."
"Thanks for the heads-up."
Garrus raced back to the hallway and slipped behind a sleeper-pod. The fit was tight and his cowl protested against the pressure as he squeezed between the pod and wall. One hard glance in the wrong direction and he'd be detected.
It appeared two lower ranking batarians were arguing with each other as they trailed a third who was storming ahead. "I just said…."
"Oh fuck you and yours!"
"Men! That's enough of your shit. Go clean the fucking latrines. You cost me my shore leave." A batarian Garrus guessed was the captain bellowed.
"Sir! Yes Sir."
"And if you two lose your tempers on my watch again, do me a fucking favor and space yourselves. OH FOR FUCKS SAKE. Private!? The fuck is this!?"
Garrus could hear someone stumbling around in the other room, clearly caught off guard.
"I..I..I..I uh.."
"Whatever. Hose her down and go scrub the latrines with your moron compatriots. I don't wanna see your willy ever again understand!?"
"Sir yes sir." The private grabbed a bald woman and dragged her down the passageway. On the back of her head, Garrus could see a jagged scar extending from ear to ear.
"Fucking kids rutting like roth-dashi. I don't get paid enough for this shit." The captain muttered to himself, unaware of his turian guest capable of hearing every word.
Much to Garrus's dismay, the captain didn't seem to have plans to vacate the passageway between himself and freedom. Instead, the batarian restlessly paced up and down the hall calling several different contacts and hollering at them for various transgressions. After half an hour, his legs were growing numb yet the blasted batarian continued to blather away.
"Boss?" his com crackled to life.
Unable to answer, he merely tapped the comm twice, signaling for radio silence.
"You think I give a shit if you're short on creds?" The captain took a long drag from his cigarette. "I'm stuck on the ass-end of Omega until these idiots deliver. Get it done dipshit."
The rapist private, having finished with his latrine-scrubbing duty approached the captain. "Orders sir?"
"Go get us a couple more slaves."
"Uhm where?"
"Don't care."
"How?"
"Do I look like you're mommy private? Figure it the fuck out."
"Yes of course. I..."
"Women only. You know the drill."
"No vorcha? We could use some firepower on..."
"Are you fucking deaf private?!"
"No sir!"
"Then go. Now. Two women. Human. I don't want to bother with biotic inhibitors so pass on Asari."
After the private skittered off, Garrus found himself wedged between the pod and wall for yet another hour. All feeling had left his legs but he was too concerned about discovery to shake them back to life. Well this is just great. Worst case scenario I can shoot my way out but then this whole operation is a bust and I left that woman to these scum for nothing.
Suddenly, as if summoned by the spirits themselves, a massive explosion rocked the entire ship. The captain bolted upright, completely forgetting about whomever he was chewing out on the other end of his com and raced for the airlock. The blast must have originated from the space station, a ship this small would be eviscerated by an explosion like that. Garrus swore under his breath, and rushed towards the exit. At the last second, he spun around and headed back to where he last saw the dark haired slave. He found her chained to the floor, alone and shivering. Her damp hair clung to her face, her body curled on the cold, hard floor. "Hey there."
She startled and for a moment simply stared at him. "Who are you?"
"Someone who's here to help. Can you walk?"
"I… yes I think so. Not gonna ask what a turian is doing on a batarian ship if you get me out of here."
"Crap. I need something to smash that lock. But I have to use… ah! Here this will work." He snatched a wrench, forgotten behind the gun cleaning table. "Sorry, uh, I don't have any clothes."
"I really don't care. I just want to go home." She sobbed clutching at the chain.
"I promise. I'll bring you home. Now, scoot back." Once the lock lay broken at his feet, he wiped down the wrench and offered it up to the woman. "I just need you to grab this."
She simply gave him a puzzled yet wary look.
"In case they investigate, I need it to look like you escaped on your own."
Immediately after disembarking the Yu'Char, Garrus was greeted by wanton destruction. Metal beams criss-crossed where they fell, flaming garbage circled overhead as the vents blew them every which way. It looked like a storm had torn through the docking bay. He quickly checked the perimeter for the captain or any of his men. Seeing that the coast was clear he pulled the woman along behind him, hoping against all hope his team hadn't been discovered. Perhaps the blast was a clever diversion on their part. It had certainly been convenient.
Months of scaling buildings and swinging from rafter to rafter had left Garrus with impeccable climbing skills. Within seconds, he wrapped one arm around the woman's waist and hauled her to their perch using the ascension cable and grappling hook he'd come to know so well.
"About time." Krul growled as Garrus landed.
"Had to wait out the captain as he yelled at half the damn Hegemony. Was that blast you guys?"
"Nah not us but we're all good here. I.. wait, what's with the naked chick?" Ripper turned his attention to the woman Garrus suddenly realized was not only bare as the day she was born but his arm was still around her. Fast as lightening he withdrew the offending appendage.
"Uh...this is… Miss I apologize… I uhh.. What's you're name?"
"Olivia. Not that it matters. Who the hell are you guys?" She crossed her arms, shivering.
Ripper shimmied out of his leather jacket and covered the woman's bare shoulders. "The Archangel squad. We're cleaning up Omega one dickwad at a time."
"I heard rumors about a crazy vigilante. That's…. y-you?"
Garrus chuckled to himself. "Yeah. That's me. And this is my team. Now, Miss Olivia you should be seen by a doctor..."
"No. I'm fine. I just want to go home."
"You should really..."
"Home please. I can go to the doctor tomorrow if I need. But I should be fine. They only had me a few hours."
Ripper sidled over with an omnitool full of medigel. "Here, this'll help. How'd they get ya anyhow?"
"I was walking home from work, took a stupid shortcut I guess. Thought it'd be safer to avoid the vorcha shootout happening on the main street." She pulled the coat around her tightly and visibly relaxed as the medigel set in, soothing her wounds. "Thank you…. That feels much better."
"We're going to do something about the pathetic state of this station." Garrus growled.
Once Olivia was safely behind her apartment door, Garrus and his team patrolled the area around the home. Ripper had given the young woman his omni-number and offered to walk her to and from work, which she eagerly accepted. Once satisfied that no undesirables were lurking near her apartment, they began the trek back to base. Garrus was keen to test out Krul's listening device. At the very least, he'd be capable of acquiring some information on their operations and stop these slave grabs before they had the opportunity to torture their victims.
However, when they turned the market's corner, Garrus abruptly motioned for his men to halt. This whole area was making his plates itch. The feeling that something was off crept along his spine. They were being followed. He was sure of it. A shadow moved on the very edge of his vision, and he leaped in front of his squad protectively. "Show yourself." Garrus ordered into the darkness.
"Don't shoot! My intentions are friendly." A high pitched voice answered.
"I'll be the judge of that. Come out with your hands up."
The owner of the voice, a green salarian with a striking yellow face pattern, strode confidently out of the alleyway hands above his head.
"Why are you following us?"
"Wanted to speak with you. Can see Archangel is impervious to sneaking. Good."
"Odd way to request a conversation." Unwilling to take a chance with his men's lives, Garrus kept his pistol trained on the salarian's heart.
"Well my opener was that little show in the docking bay."
"That was you?"
"Looked like you could use a hand." The salarian's grin spread from one enormous eye to the other. His entire demeanor was practically jovial. "I'd like to join up. This seemed better than sending a resume."
Garrus chuckled and holstered his pistol. "Alright then. You've got my attention. Ripper?"
"Yeah?"
"Head back to base. Looks like this salarian and I need to have a talk."
A couple hours and a new salarian squad mate later, Garrus was sitting in the kitchen watching Krul fiddle with a decrepit looking, VI-powered radio.
"You sure that thing is going to work? It looks ancient."
Krul released a harsh, bitter laugh. "The Hegemony doesn't bother with new tech. We're so outdated it's ludicrous."
"That's not what I've heard."
"It's all bull Castor. The Hegemony is made up of a bunch of criminals as far as I'm concerned. Fucking pieces of shit are fucking over my people."
"Focus Krul."
"I am focused." He hissed. "So who's the new guy?"
"Sensat. He's an explosives expert."
"You don't say." The comment was practically dripping with sarcasm.
"He seems to be fitting in well enough." Garrus glanced over to the living area where both Ripper and Butler were completely enraptured by some elaborate tale the salarian was weaving.
"It's done." With a single button press, the device sprung to life. At least a dozen voices were speaking simultaneously. "Every time someone makes a call from the Yu'Char, the transponder will infect the receiver's device with my virus. That captain's pretty chatty. We're already eavesdropping on fourteen different ships. This VI will then filter through the chatter and signal us of any mentions of 1182. If she's out there, this will find her."
"Krul… I… thank you." Garrus could scarcely believe this plan was coming together. Before meeting Grundan, he never thought it'd be possible to complete Shepard's mission and give the commander a proper send off. But here they were, on what felt like the cusp of victory.
"Yeah, well, see if you feel that way when we find her. How long has she been a slave anyhow?"
"Spirits, nearly fourteen years now."
"Are you fucking with me?"
"No. Why?"
"You realize the chipping procedure is degenerative? So, even if she responded well to chipping, the chance she's not some mindless, gibbering lunatic is virtually nil. I'll never understand why you're bothering with this."
Garrus sighed. "That bad huh? Well, I can contact a friend, find her a psych hospital or something. Like I said, this more about honoring my friend anyhow. I don't like the thought of him dying for nothing."
"Well, you're not gonna find whomever she used to be. That person is gone."