Mass Effect: Entangled
Chapter 7
"Solace
Entangled in
Sorrow
Untangled in
Solace
Entangled in
Sorrow
Untangled in
Solace
If I wait, will you still be there?" – Comaduster (Solace)
A light tap to Alivia's face aroused her from her slumber and her first reaction was to draw out her M-5. "Easy," Thane's tender voice calmly said as her mind processed him standing right in front of her. Blinking her eyes, she apprehensively glimpsed around at her environment. How long did she sleep? When did she doze off? "We are at Omega."
"Sorry," She meekly apologized and tucked away her sidearm.
In the drell's arms was a medium size crate and he handed the box to her. "Here, put this on."
Perplexed, Alivia opened it and saw light armor donned in Eclipse colors. She lifted an eyebrow his way. "Um…"
"If our search comes to it, we will need to separate. I can stay in the shadows, but I may need you to get closer. Eclipse is one of the dominant gangs on Omega. You will fit in."
"How did you acquire this?" She mischievously questioned. "Did you..."
"I didn't kill anyone," He seriously responded. "I have a contact on the station who is a merchant."
"Relax, Thane," Alivia lightly touched his arm with her fingertips. "I was kidding."
His thin eyelids flickered over his obsidian eyes. "Kidding?" A smile spread across his lips. "Ah, yes."
Shyly, Alivia peeked around the ship's layout to see if there was any secluded part for her to go change at. Observing her, Thane cleared his throat. "I will turn around to give you privacy."
Once he had done so, Alivia reddened as her silver eyes gazed upon his back before getting to the task of changing into the newly acquired attire. The armor was much lighter than the kind she wore and most likely it was for those who preferred not to have up-close combat like a heavy or sniper. The purchase fit her perfectly though it felt peculiar for her to have it on. "Done. I'm amazed that you found one that is right on my size."
Thane leisurely turned to look at her. Her comment seemed to have made him uneasy as he shifted a bit in his stance. "Observance is one of the first skills that I learned in my training." He paused in apprehension about the situation. "Shall we go?"
"Sure." She took to his side in the docking tube.
"Remember, you are Eclipse. We met up here and did not travel together. It's for a job and we do not know each other well."
"Gotcha." Alivia kept her voice low as they moved through the crowds of travelers arriving and boarding. A mixture smell of sweat and pheromones filled the air, which made Alivia hold her breath for a bit.
"I have a good one for you today," A batarian speaker's voice came over the area's PA system. "A human colony by the name of Fehl Prime was recently annihilated. No survivors. It is unclear who is responsible. Whoever it is, I say well done."
The news struck Alivia severely as her mind mutated the message into her haunting past on Akuze. "Fehl Prime…is gone…?" She abruptly ceased in her tracks as she tried to replay the announcer's message in her head. Voyagers brushed up against her as they made their trek to and from ships as Thane continued to walk on, oblivious of her current state.
Realizing that she was no longer beside her, Krios halted his steps and turned to look back over the sea of mixed races. "Alivia?" His eyes scanned around until he saw her staring off in the distance at nothing, deeply disturbed by something. He moved bristly back to where she was.
When he took her arm, Alivia snapped back to reality and shook her head as if the motion would just scatter her thoughts away. "Thane?"
"Are you okay?" He motioned with his head for her to follow him once more to exit the busy spaceport.
"Yeah…I'm okay," She hung her head, ashamed for nearly messing up the mission already. Guilt washed over her. Why now?
"Another flashback?" She could hear his heartfelt words clearer as they were out of the crowd and closer to Afterlife.
"Yeah…another trigger. I'll be okay," She assured him as she glanced around a familiar sight. "Where to now?"
"If he's aware of the bounty on his head, he won't exit the club from the front."
"Only two entrance points, right? Front and back?"
"Aria is cunning. I doubt there are only two in existence. I need to speak with my contact again down in the markets. We may need multiple eyes involved." Thane ushered her along with him.
As they moved further away from Omega's main attraction, Alivia noticed a pair of salarians standing off to the side nearby and in their route. One of them was very distraught about something while the other seemed to be irked by the trouble. "You there!" One salarian called out to them as they neared. "You seem to be looking for something or someone. May I be of assistance?"
"No, thank you," Thane voiced speedily.
The salarian pushed on and stepped out to block their path with a large wide leer on his face. Alivia didn't know that the salarians could smile so big. She edgily looked at Krios to see how he would respond. "The name is Ish. I know it's uncommon to see a drell on Omega…but an Eclipse merc with one?" His large oval eyes panned to Alivia. "Bringing him to Archangel?"
Seeing that Thane was not commenting on the name of the mysterious person, Alivia grasped that they may give away their ruse. She looked over to Ish's troubled companion in hopes of skirting around the subject. "You looked like you were upset. Is everything okay?"
"It's my brother, Sirgik. He works for Nassana Dantius on Ilium. She recently increased their work hours and has locked the doors. She's insane and won't let anyone leave. Those that are protesting are disappearing. She doesn't trust anyone and brought in mechs for security."
The news shocked Alivia and her mouth dropped open. "How is that possible? She shouldn't be allowed to lock them in."
"She is paranoid. My brother signed a contract years ago to pay off a debt. If he tries to leave, then she could go after his family for compensation. I told him not to sign anything…at least not there…I lost contact with him last night. His mate has a clutch of eggs that is incubating. I…don't know what to do…"
"Calm down, Sel," Ish hushed him as he continued to show off a feigned smile to Thane and Alivia. "You don't want to upset our new friends. Do you?"
Alivia chewed her lip and watched Thane. He was placid throughout the whole ordeal. Finally, he broke his silence and signaled her to follow him. "We should be going if we are to get to Archangel with the others."
"Um, yes." She scurried after him and fought the urge to glance back at the salarians. When they were finally more than an earshot away, she inquired, "Who is Archangel?"
"I'm not sure. Must be someone new on the station."
She thought back to Sel's dilemma. "I feel sorry for Sel. Poor guy…I've never been to Ilium, but isn't that an asari world?"
"Yes, but it is just as dangerous as here. On Omega, trouble is easy to detect. Ilium is intertwined with the background. As for the asari, no species is absent of evil."
"Why didn't you ask Ish for any information on Bray's whereabouts?"
"If someone is eager to assist you, then they can't be trustworthy. They are looking for something in return." They rounded the corner to the steps that led to the lower markets. "I'd prefer those further away from Aria."
Alivia felt her heart jump as she noticed that their path was leading them into a group of vorcha. The bat-liked ominous bipedal race eyed the oncoming pair with mistrust and hisses echoed from their razor-sharp teeth. As if he could sense her reaction, Thane whispered, "Do not make eye contact nor show fear." Swallowing hard, Alivia nodded her head and kept her unsteady eyes on their unknown destination. As they passed them, she could hear the vorchas' hisses of resentment close to her ears as their foul breath barely touched her skin sending shivers up her spine.
"Drell…" One of them intimidatingly spoke out to Thane, but the assassin was unmoved and continued.
Ahead was a dead end and a small merchant shop, a stained-clothed curled up batarian was on the ground nearby. His body was covered with filth and bruises. He held his knees tightly to his chest and rocked himself back and forth. Thane delayed briefly at the batarian's feet. When the beaten resident saw this, he scrambled to press himself further against the wall as if he was expecting more torment. Unexpectedly, Thane took out a cred chit and placed it at the batarian's feet without saying anything before moving on.
Alivia strained her head to look on as best as she could while she followed him. The action was touching and the batarian blinked at the chit for several minutes as if he expected a trap. Then he happily scooped up the chit and kissed it several times. Smiling at him, Alivia returned her focus to the task at hand, and tears formed in her eyes as the kind gesture by the drell moved her greatly. She was in simply awe of him.
The male quarian shopkeeper spotted the newcomers and moved away from his work to greet them at the kiosk counter. "Welcome back to Kenn's Salvage. Glad to see that the armor worked."
"It's flawless," Alivia smiled at him.
"Do any of Aria's bodyguards come through here during shift changes?" Thane moved to the business of their presence.
Kenn shook his head. "No. I think they are too high class for that. I mostly see vorcha down here."
"What about batarian mercs?" Alivia chimed in.
Kenn wrung his hands as he nervously glanced around. "A fully armed batarian passed by here yesterday. Didn't stop or say anything. I'm glad he didn't."
Thane turned to Alivia. "Sounds like the merc we are looking for."
"Who is he?" Kenn asked.
Thane took out another chit and swiped the kiosk. "A few more creds to help you on your pilgrimage. Thank you for your assistance."
"Thank you so much…" His voice was tearful as he turned away to return to his work.
Alivia frowned as she followed Krios. "Looks like the bounty hunter is here too."
"Yes, this will be a deadly game. If we manage to get Bray out of the club, it could put him in danger. We will need to split up to cover more ground."
"What if I run into him or the merc?"
"Do not engage them. Surveillance only. Everyone has a pattern."
"Understood. What's the plan?"
"I will watch the front of the club and you can watch the back. Mercs prefer to hang out at the rear. You will be able to blend in there."
"I thought you said Aria most likely has other ways to get into the club."
"The hunter will not know them. We may need to get him first."
"Sounds good. I'm off."
"Remember to check in." Thane reached out to grab her hand before she had a chance to part ways. His cool touch sent a tremor throughout her body. "This is dangerous, Alivia…please be careful."
"You too," She affectionately beamed.
Three hours passed and Alivia yawned as she brought up her omni tool. There was no other merc group in sight; not even the Eclipse. The only ones around the back were supply runners and a few freelancers in idle chatter. Pulling up the extranet, she searched for Archangel since the name was bounced around a few times. Several articles were hit. "A vigilante turian?" She shook her head at the unbelievable finds. "How the heck is one guy taking on three merc groups?" Tapping her comm, she decided to reach out to Thane to check in since they were silent for hours. "Anything yet?"
"No shift changes here as expected and no one matches the hunter's description. I may need to move to another location. I doubt Bray will be at this location."
"I looked up Archangel. Looks like it's a turian that is battling out with the Suns, Blood Pack, and Eclipse in the Gozu District. The guy must have a death wish."
"Stay on target," Thane scolded her gently.
Alivia went to apologize, but movement grabbed her attention. She turned her head to see a batarian in medium armor with two shotguns collapsed on his back walking past her to the club's entrance. "Hold," She whispered to Thane as she held her breath. The batarian didn't even look her way as he moved to where a few workers were outside the club. He spoke with one of his kind before scowling and heading on. Once she was in the clear, Alivia finally breathed once more and closed her omni. "Thane…the bounty hunter came here."
"What did he do? Did he spot you?" His voice was anxious about the latter.
"No. He seemed to ask one of Aria's workers a question before leaving. He appeared disappointed."
"Looks like the Hegemony has a foot in the door more than Aria believes."
"Do you think Aria would care to hide Bray from all this?"
"Not like her. The hunter must come by that spot often if he has a contact there. Head back to me."
"On my way," Alivia journeyed back down the zig-zagging alleyways towards the front of the club once more. After one street, a familiar blur caught her right peripheral vision. Stopping, she noticed a batarian that greatly favored Bray step inside a small convenience shop. "Thane," Her voice spiked with anticipation. "I found our target. I'm verifying now." Picking up her pace, she cut across the street and kept her eyes straight on the shop. When she entered, there was no sign of him, and the only one there was the volus dealer. The small rotunda enviro-suit-wearing being peeked up at her from behind the counter.
"Hello, there," He rasped through the suit's respirator. "Is there something I can help you find?"
"A batarian just came in here. Where did he go?" Alivia looked around. Was this guy cloaked? Did he spot her coming?
"Batarian?" The merchant fumbled. "I don't know what you mean, Eclipse."
"Crap. I'm going to lose him!" She huffed. They were so close! The denying volus was irritating her.
"Alivia, stay there. I'm on my way." Thane's voice crackled in her ear.
Removing her M-5, Alivia held it at the volus. It was now or never. "I know what I saw. Where did he go?"
Terrorized, the volus stepped back a few paces to put more distance between himself and her. A few rasps poured through his respirator. "Please! Don't hurt me. I'll-I'll show you. Just put the gun away!"
Alivia complied. He opened his omni and tapped at the screen. Within seconds, a secret door opened in the wall behind him. Racing ahead, she entered the passage, ignoring Thane's words of discretion. She had to do this. If she didn't, they may lose him for several hours and the volus would certainly alert him of his tail. Seeing a figure ahead, she yelled out, "Bray stop!"
With pure reaction, the batarian rapidly turned on his heel and aimed his sidearm directly at her! Skidding to a halt, Alivia held up her hands quickly to show that she was disarmed and in hopes that he wouldn't be trigger-happy. "I'm not part of the Eclipse! You have to listen! I'm here to help you!"
"Who the hell are you then?!" He kept his arm poised.
"I'm here with Thane Krios. He needs to speak with you. You have a hitman tracking you down from the Hegemony."
He glared at her hard in vexation. "Who the hell is Thane Krios?!"
"He was hired by Ararn Balak, but he doesn't want to hurt you. He knows of your past."
"Fuck off," Bray snapped. "I'm no fool. The Hegemony wouldn't hire anyone outside our kind. Even if they did, I wouldn't just walk myself into a trap."
Alivia shook her head frantically. "I wouldn't deceive you, Bray! You have to trust us!"
"Oh, I get it," He gibed. "You want to talk to me and then shoot? Is that it?"
Hearing footsteps closing in from behind, Alivia turned slightly to see Thane running up to them. She smiled, "Wow, you're fast."
"Fuck, a drell," Bray swore under his breath but continued to keep his guard up with his pistol still drawn on them.
"My friend here speaks the truth," Krios assured him. "You have my word that no harm will come to you at this time."
"I'm not putting my gun down, "Bray snarled through his teeth. "Just talk fast."
"You are marked for desertion by the Hegemony."
"No shit."
"Ararn Balak hired my associate and I to kill you just in case their assassin failed. He paid a sizable price; more than what we both know would be for desertion."
"I guess he already told you I was part of the Special Forces. We were sent years ago to an undisclosed human colony. Our orders were not given to us until our arrival. Pegged it to be another mission against the Alliance. Turned out that we were dispatched there to annihilate every human including children. I have no issue killing if it makes sense…killing unharmed people like that?" He shook his head. "No."
"Ararn said they were two deserters. Did someone else help you?" Alivia listened in.
Bray shook his head lamentably and finally lowered his weapon. "No. I killed Crator when he tried to hurt a child and rape a woman. I burned his body so they wouldn't find him." His almond eyes glanced her way. "You humans may be annoying, but I don't hate you and wouldn't kill just for sport." Raising his weapon once more at them, he growled, "Now, leave me alone! I got this. I don't need help."
Thane broke his silence. "I take contracts mostly on the wicked. I won't kill you. Though, the hired gun will eventually get to you. He has spoken to Aria's workers."
"Shit," Bray sighed hard. "I have dodged him this long and avoided all the known entrances."
"You and I both know that Aria won't like all this attention nor use of her secret passages. How long do you think she will hide you?"
"Heh, till she's had enough," Bray mumbled. "Hopefully, he will be desperate and come into the club."
"I will kill him for you."
Alivia blinked at the news but said nothing. Things were still getting riveting! Bray lifted an eye ridge at the offer in disbelief. "Why? You want a lot of creds to save my ass?"
"No," Thane shook his head. "No charge. Though, I may need you to draw him out into the open."
"No fucking way. I still don't fully trust you both. I go out and I'm dead."
"Come on, Bray," Alivia pleaded softly. "We are not your enemy. Thane is a man er drell of his word. I'm sure your boss doesn't like you revealing all of her secrets."
Defeated, Bray lowered his sidearm once again. "Fine. May be better to get this over with. What do I need to do?"
"Alivia will accompany you to Afterlife and stay until the end of your shift. When you leave, exit the back entrance and stay in the open. I will take a position there and wait for the hunter to show himself. I will make sure that he's not stationed for any ambushes. By now, he is aware of your shift hours. He will be waiting."
"This is crazy, but it's better than Aria's wrath. I'm in."
Around 23:00 standard galactic time, Alivia reached the meetup point first in the lower section of the club. Her heart raced wildly in her chest. This was it! While she waited, she checked her pistol and her clips; enough rounds to do some damage if it came down to a firefight. She paced near the door that he would come out of to the area she was at. Feeling her body tensing, she paused and took a few long slow deep breaths. "Calm, Alivia…you got this." The door opened and a large plain clothed krogan bounded out.
"You itching for a fight?" The elder krogan asked with suspicion.
"Can't be too careful around here," She cracked a grin. "You?"
"Ha! I miss the old days." He pounded one fist into the palm of his other hand. "You remind me of my youth. You heading out to fight the elusive Archangel, huh?"
She held her pistol up proudly and smirked. "He couldn't handle me."
The doors opened again and Bray walked out. He appeared as edgy as she did. Both sets of his eyes fell upon the old krogan. "Did you finally come out of your hole, Patriarch?"
The krogan didn't flinch at his comment. "I go where I please."
"Sure, you do," Bray rolled his eyes as he lit up a cigarette.
"I better go check on Aria. She may need protecting since you are not around," Patriarch sneered as he went to head back into the upper club. He added, "Good luck with Archangel, merc. Come back to tell me a find battle tale!"
Bray nearly choked on his cigarette at the krogan's lingering words. "The old krogan is hallucinating. I don't know why Aria keeps him around."
"I had to tell him something until you got here," Alivia shrugged as she looked his way. "You think he's out there?"
The batarian tossed the cigarette onto the ground and snuffed it out with the toe of his boot. "I hope so. Let's go."
Alivia led the way and tapped her communicator earpiece. "Thane. Are we all clear?"
"I'm in position. No sign of him yet."
"You think he gave up?"
Bray interjected, "Doubt it. The bastard is out there."
Alivia breathed slowly as she was the first to exit the back of the club. She tried to look casual as she maintained several feet in front of Bray. "I see you both…wait, I think I see movement." Thane's voice filled her ear. "Alivia! There's 2- "A chill grew in the air as static replaced the once clear reception.
She froze as she looked around to see where he was poised. "Thane? Talk to me. What was that about two?!" There was distortion in the reply and she could not make out anything he was saying.
"It's a scrambler! The bastard is here," Bray took to her side as he held his M-6.
The same familiar hunter stepped out from where he was with a victorious grin on his face. "The traitor picked up some protection?" He taunted Alivia's appearance.
"Don't mess with the Eclipse," Alivia tried her best to play her part as she held her M-5 his way.
"I knew that bitch Aria was in on it."
"So, this is where deserters go?" Another male batarian entered the discord. However, he was clothed in military armor. His eyes glared hard at Bray with hatred.
Bray blinked at the newcomer in disbelief as he quickly recognized him. "Kerag?"
"I served with you on several missions. Never thought you would desert our kind and the hegemony over a few lousy humans."
Alivia chewed her lip as she listened to the reunion unfold. "Where are you, Thane?" She asked herself.
Bray moved his pistol over to where Kerag was as he bared his sharp incisors. The other didn't flinch at the threatening posture and spat down at his boots. "You want to do this, traitor?"
"I'm fucked either way."
"Balak will gut you slowly before skinning you," Kerag viciously pointed out as if he was almost salivating at the thought.
Suddenly, there was loud whizz went past them and then microseconds later, the hunter's forehead ruptured in the center like a melon from a precise disruptor round. Blood and brain matter splattered everywhere as his body fell back lifeless. Kerag reacted and drew his weapon on Bray, but before he could pull the trigger, his body was struck by a biotic throw attack and was tossed hard into a wall. Kerag groggily stood up, but before he could regain his composure, Alivia hit him with a singularity attack that hoisted him several feet helplessly in the air. "All yours, Bray!"
"Gladly," Bray aimed his pistol and struck Kerag with several rounds straight into his head and chest cavity. His body was contorted by the ammo and a faint moan came out of his mouth followed by his last breath. His dead body fell back onto the ground.
Market-goers scrambled for safety from the sudden violent scene. Thane ran to where they were and looked at the two batarians. Bray walked to each and shot both in the head another time to make sure they were dead. The drell fearfully looked Alivia's way. "I had no idea that there were two of them."
Bray holstered his gun. "Balak is a deceitful bastard. I should have known something was up."
"You think this is it? Or will he try again?" Alivia cringed and looked away from the dead bodies. Her body shook from the pure adrenaline shock. Things could have been more tragic for her. She was collateral damage to the two hired guns.
"Balak was in haste to dispose of Bray. Sounds like he's going on another mission?" Thane recalled their conversation with the Hegemony contact.
"As long as he stays clear of here," Bray glowered at Kerag's dead body. "Never knew he would have one of them come after me."
"A friend of yours?" Alivia looked on.
"Friend?" Bray mocked the question. "No friends out here or with the Hegemony." He then looked over where Thane was and then back to Alivia. "You two saved my life. Thank you," He tapped his omni. "I will put some creds in your account. We will get the bodies moved to the varren pits. Aria will be glad this is over with. See you around." With a wave, he went back into the club to divulge the good news to his employer leaving Thane and Alivia alone once more.
"This mission was far too dangerous to bring you along," Thane shook his head as he hid his gaze away from her. Regret consumed him. "I should have been more wary! You could have been killed back there."
"Thane…" Alivia moved to his side and put her arms around him to embrace the best that she could. "It's okay. I'm still here." The drell maneuvered to where he could hold her to him more. "I enjoyed working with you on this mission."
"And I you," he said as he lowered his head and gently captured her lips with his. After a few seconds, he recoiled hastily and distanced himself more. "I apologize, I should have not done that."
She lightly squeezed his hand. "It's okay…I didn't mind it. Where do you want to go now?"
"I'm heading back to speak more with Sel about his brother."
"Mind if I come along?"
He shook his head. "I cannot risk it. Years ago, I lost my wife from being reckless. I…I care for you and I do not want to lose you as well."
"You won't lose me," She pressed gently as the idea of going alone again scared her more than anything. "Please, Thane."
"Alivia…" His voice quaked as an internal conflict rattled him. "I should not have feelings for you…I'm dying."
"Dying?" Her lips trembled.
"I have Kepral Syndrome. It affects the oxygen supply in my body. There's no cure and eventually, it will consume me. I don't have much time left and I want to take the dark out of this world before I die. Helping the workers against Nassana is a fitting end to a good life."
Alivia could not control the tears that poured down her face. "Thane…you won't die! I know it. We can find a cure."
He simpered. "You sound so sanguine. Perhaps, I'm a fatalist. Alivia, you are much stronger now. If I survive against Nassana then I will come and find you."
She looked around and smiled, "Omega?"
This stirred a chuckle from him. "You are staying here?"
"Bray owes us, remember? Maybe, I can sign on with Aria. Could be safer than roaming the galaxy for contracts."
"Aria could be just as dangerous." His voice grew shadowy.
She took his hands into hers. "I'll stay here Thane and wait for you. Promise me that you will return."
"I will return to you."
