2/7 2185
Normandy SR-2
Garrus searched high and low for the captain. He wanted his opinion on a new modification he had made for his sniper. Yet, he couldn't find him, he looked in the mess, in the cargo bay, the cockpit and he even knocked several times at his cabin door.
Where the hell is he? Garrus thought as he made several sweeps of the Normandy. He finally decided to ask Kelly where he was. She was the yeoman, she had to know. And Garrus didn't really want to ask Miranda.
"Hey Garrus!" Kelly greeted with her friendly voice.
"Hey Kelly, have you seen the captain?" Garrus asked as he leaned over the table by the interactive map of the galaxy.
"Yeah, he is in the comm room." Kelly replied with a smile.
Of course he was in the one place I hadn't looked...
"Thanks Kelly." Garrus said as he was about to march off to the comm room. Before he could leave however, Kelly took his hand.
"I wouldn't go in there. He hasn't been... well, happy." Kelly advised. Garrus looked at her confused.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"He has been talking to companies he has invested in all morning. He doesn't sound very happy." Kelly explained.
"Please, I have seen the captain angry before." Garrus proclaimed.
"He is really pissed. Be careful." Kelly said. Garrus brushed it off. He went straight for the comm room. Once he was almost at the door, the otherwise sound-proof walls couldn't keep out the angry yelling of the captain. Garrus had to admit, he must have underestimated his own understanding of the captain, because he had never heard anyone yell that loud.
Garrus placed an ear to the door and listed to what was going on inside.
"Please mr. Romanov! Allow me to explain-" A voice pleaded.
"You have a GREAT MANY THINGS to explain! What is this?" Mads pointed to the digital numbers on his datapad, which showed the company's Financial Statements.
"Revenue down by 15%, costs up by 30%. And this? Private spending up by 316%! And not to MENTION the removal of 11% of the equity!" Mads listed all the eye-catching things.
"We had a bad year." The guy tried to defend.
"More like TWO bad years! You think that just because I am gone for a few years, that you can run the company I HAVE INVESTED IN down into the ground?"
"Please! We can-"
"HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN DO! YOU FIX THIS SHIT BEFORE THE NEXT FINANCIAL YEAR, OR I'LL FIND YOU AND DISMEBER YOU, DO YOU UNDERSTAND? I. WANT. MY. MONEY!"
"... Yes, Mr. Romanov. We'll fix it right away."
"You fucking better." Mads said as he ended the call.
"гребаный идиот" Mads muttered as he left the room, he noticed Garrus as soon as he went out of the door. Garrus stood in shock at the words that had been spoken.
"The fuck do you want, Garrus?" Mads asked, he really wasn't in the mood for anything.
"Ehm... Nothing, it can wait."
Mads simply huffed out some air and went to the elevator. He went up to his cabin and locked the door. He quickly decided that he needed a shower, and so he did. He turned on the cold water, he had to cool himself off a bit, otherwise, who knows how angry he would get.
The shower allowed for some thinking. He began to regret his actions today, not his actions towards the company, that was somewhat justified, but more his actions towards the crew. They didn't deserve his wrath. Stepping out of the shower, he decided to trim his beard a bit more. It didn't look half bad, if he had to say so himself. Then, he brushed his teeth, sometimes he wondered why he even bothered, but over the years, it had simply become a routine.
Just as he was finishing up, he had something just outside the doors of his cabin.
Kasumi POV
Kasumi always knew the in- and outs of each place she went. That was why she was so successful in her heists. Knowing every corner could be what mattered. She knew that Cerberus probably wouldn't fuck her over, but she had to make sure she knew every part of the ship, even the Captain's quarters.
The incident earlier this morning was already a hot topic along the crew. While the Captain was taking a shower, she could quickly survey his room before leaving again, with her cloak on, he would never know she was there. Kasumi was a little bit worried, what if he somehow caught her? What would he do? Her reputation wouldn't help smooth it over.
But none of that would matter, if she was there without him ever knowing it. She looked out over the room, it wasn't bad, and especially when you consider that they were on a ship. It could pass for a luxurious small apartment most places in the galaxy. She would know, because she had robbed a fuck ton of them.
While surveying the room, she felt something press against the back of her head. She knew what it was instantly, but the Captain was more than happy to further describe it.
"That's a 44. Caliber double action magnum pressed against your skull. You can uncloak now."
"Okay, how did you know I was there?" Kasumi asked as she uncloaked. No one had ever been able to locate her once she was cloaked.
"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Mads asked back.
"No. Clearly not." Kasumi replied. She was kind of taken back by the question.
"Then why do you treat me as one?" Mads asked.
Kasumi was about to turn around to ask what the hell he was talking about, but Mads stopped her. "Stay put" He ordered.
"I fail to understand what you mean." Kasumi replied.
"The cloak fools the eye, shifting lighting to create the illusion of nothing being there. The only thing it hides is your appearance. It doesn't account for the footsteps, the breathing nor that French perfume you have applied. I could hear and smell you the moment you entered my cabin." Mads explained.
"No one was ever been able to locate me like that." Kasumi was baffled, how in the world could he draw her location from such small trivial matters?
"That might be because you have been robbing fools. I assure you, Mrs. Goto. I'm no fool, and I won't tolerate you stealing from my cabin. So, before I splatter your grey matter all over my nice furniture. Would you like to explain yourself?"
"Well... I'm not here to-"
"And don't bullshit me, Kasumi. I know when people are bullshiting me." Mads added.
"I didn't come to steal any of your priceless belongings, if that is what you are asking."
"How about you tell me what you came to do, instead of what you didn't come here to do."
"I came here to-" There was no point to trying to lie, so she decided to tell the truth, he deserved as much.
"Survey your room." She stated.
Silence then dominated the room. She could tell that he was thinking about her response. She began to grow tired of the gun pointed at her skull, and hoped the answer was good enough.
"For what?" He finally asked.
"I wanted an overview of the ship, so that I knew every corner, every hiding spot and every escape route."
"Well then... Don't let me keep you." Mads said as he finally took the magnum away from her head.
Kasumi turned around and looked at him with a very confused look. And it was only in this moment, that she noticed he wasn't wearing anything, except for a pair of underwear. "Captain, I didn't know you were so decorated." Kasumi remarked as she studied the tattoos.
"You wanted to study the room? Or do you want to study me?" Mads asked.
"I'll take the room... For now." Kasumi replied as she carefully walked around the room, all while Mads changed into something more acceptable. Mads had only changed into some pants and was putting on his jackboots when Kasumi called out to him.
"It's not a bad place you got here."
"It serves my needs." Mads answered as he placed a cigarette in his mouth. He took out his zippo lighter, and was just about to light the cigarette, when he asked her.
"So, what is this... Heist, you wanted my help on?"
"I thought you didn't want to know about it." Kasumi asked back.
"I wasn't interested in spending any more time on the Citadel than I needed to." Mads replied as he turned on his zippo, giving fire to the cigarette.
"Well, let me boil it down then. A very dangerous man named Donovan Hock killed someone and stole something very dear to me. I plan to break into his vault and steal it back." Kasumi explained
"Donovan Hock? No shit?" Mads asked
"You know him?"
"Rather know of him. One of the biggest weapons dealers in the Traverse and Terminus. Probably one of the few to rival Sergei."
"Sergei the Merchant?"
"Don't tell me you know Sergei."
"I do. I used to do a lot of business with him. I'm sure he would approve of this mission as well."
"Huh, that's interesting. 'The elimination of competition' sure does sound like him. So, anyway, where is this 'mission' going to take place?"
"Bekenstein. He will be hosting a party, which is our chance."
"Okay." Mads said as he huffed out some smoke. "Did you get the information you came here to gather?" Mads asked.
"Yeah, uhhh... Thanks, I guess."
"No problem. Now, get the fuck out."
"With pleasure." Kasumi said as she left the room.
Fucking nutjob.
3/7 2185
Normandy SR-2
On route to Korlus.
Mads stood in the cockpit, right behind Joker as they approached the planet where the next recruitment was to take place. Some Krogan war lord by the name of Okeer, or rather, Dr. Okeer. Mads felt that Wrex would have been a better option, but considering that he was too busy trying to save the Krogan race, he wasn't really available.
Garrus came up behind Mads, he moved with careful steps. Mads didn't notice him until he was by his side.
"Listen, Garrus. I'm... uuhhh... Sorry about yesterday. Didn't mean to sound harsh." Mads apologized,
"It's cool. I'm no corporate shark like yourself, but they must have really fucked up."
"They had. The Manager thought that it was his own piggy bank."
"That's messed up."
"Yeah, it is. Anyhow, it's time to add a Krogan to out crew."
"I saw the dossier, are you sure about this?"
"Not much of a choice, I don't pick them me'self."
"And here I was thinking you were running the operation." Garrus joked.
"Yeah, I fucking wish." Mads muttered to himself.
"Will you look at that. Seems like we will be dropping right into a war zone! Who would have known?" Joker commented.
Mads brought Garrus and Zaeed with him on the shuttle. True to Joker's words, it was in fact a war zone. Whatever had been on the planet before was now only a shell of its former self. They jumped out of the shuttle and straight into cover.
"Let's go find this Krogan warlord." Mads said as he jumped over the cover. Garrus and Zaeed followed suit. A female voice over the speakers kept referring to a perfect army.
"That's low." Garrus commented at the use of radio.
"Yeah, let's hope we don't run into too many hostiles." Mads replied as he readied his AK-15. As they moved forward, it didn't take a long time before spotting some enemies. Blue Suns, it seems the mystery voice had been busy recruiting good-for-nothing mercenaries for her 'perfect' army.
The team took cover, and exchanged shots with the group of hostiles. It felt good to have a proper weapon in his hands again. Say what you want about Russian engineering, but they understand what it means to deliver a product that can kill.
The 7.62×39mm bullets shredded the puny armor that the mercenaries had chosen. It almost felt like cheating, the raw power cut through their shields like it was butter. A glorious sight to behold, if you liked that sort of thing. Blood was smeared on the walls, limbs separated from their hosts and the screaming of those unlucky enough not to have been killed by the bullet.
As the moved forward, they noticed a survivor that had taken minimal damage, yet still used the wall for support.
"Who the fuck... AAAAHHHHH... Shit... Are you?" He was hurting.
"He came here to recruit a Krogan warlord, you wouldn't happen to know anything about that?" Mads asked.
"I don't know shit."
Mads let out a sigh. He looked over the Merc and noticed that a bullet had hit his thigh. Alright, let's do this the hard way. Mads thought as he grabbed his leg and pushed his thumb into the open wound. The Merc screamed in pain.
"Did that brighten up your memory?"
"Fuck! Shit, alright! All I know is that some crazy warlord is trying to create some sort of Krogan army. They are all batshit crazy though. All his clones have become target practice for all the new recruits."
"And that's all you know?"
"Yeah."
Mads pushed his thumb into the wound once again.
"I SWEAR IT'S ALL I KNOW!"
"Thank you for your cooperation." The Merc dropped to the ground. Mads walked a few feet away and dropped some medi-gel on the ground. "Come on man!" The merc cried out.
"That was cold!" Garrus remarked as they pushed on.
"Don't tell me he didn't deserve it. I showed him more mercy than most pirate-hunters would." Mads replied.
"I suppose you are right:" Garrus said.
Just around the corner, there were more mercs there to greet them. Garrus landed several headshots with his sniper; Zaeed provided cover fire with his rifle. They made short work of them, and they didn't have much time to waste. As they pressed on, they saw several dead Krogan on the ground; it seemed that Dr. Okeer really was trying to build some sort of army.
This location seemed to be a ship graveyard, what a fitting place to bury some mercs. Whoever was on the speakers, seemed to have the money to create her own grand armee. The team was at a slight disadvantage, the mercs had the high ground. Yet, they stood victorious with each encounter.
As they moved on, they finally found some live Krogans. It seemed that the old saying: 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend' was alive and well with this Krogan. While the Krogan soaked up the damage, Garrus, Zaeed and Mads laid down heavy fire on the mercs. It was a match made in heaven; the Blue suns were quickly overwhelmed and defeated.
They had a chance to speak with the Krogan once the blue suns were cleared. After a short conversation, it was easy to conclude that it was indeed a tank-grown Krogan. No more than a few days old. All its memories were printed into its brain, and it knew only to kill. It was kind of sad to be honest; it had no other purpose in life.
At least it was kind, to some degree. It cleared the debris stopping them from proceeding. And so, they were on their way. As they moved on, it would appear that, he was in fact the only friendly Krogan clone to have been made. The others? Not so much.
An almost never-ending fight was underway. Okeer kept pumping out Krogan, and Jedore(That was apparently her name) kept finding new meatheads to fill the gaps. She would never keep her own perfect army if she kept up this strategy.
Many bullets later, they found themselves almost at Okeer's doorstep, but they had to pass through a small lab first. And then, an Asari popped out from behind the desk. Look and behold, it was none other than that Asari bitch from Virmire, the one Mads' let go.
Should have known she would have survived and taken up her practice somewhere else...
"Captain Romanov? Never thought I would be glad to see you again." She greeted.
"You actual piece of garbage, I should kill you for wasting the second chance I gave you." Mads replied with a harsh voice as he pointed his finger at her. He stepped forward, forcing her backwards.
"What do you mean? I'm trying to do some good here! Okeer's methods may be... Radical. But it is for the greater good!"
"The nerve of you." Mads had now completely forced her into a corner. She grew even more nervous.
Mads thought long and hard about his next action. In the end, he decided: "Get the fuck out of here." He ordered. She mumbled something under her breath as she left. Mads didn't care. At least she had unlocked the way forward.
"That will bite you in the ass someday." Zaeed commented as they went up the stairs.
"Yeah, so much for trying to do the right thing." Mads replied.
The way towards the final lab was not filled with hostiles. So it was some, much deserved, breathing room for them. They saw Okeer as soon as they entered the lab. Okeer was standing by a cloning-tank, which was currently occupied by his newest creation of horror.
As the came closer, Okeer was the one to speak up. "Took you long enough! These batteries won't last forever, and you endless struggle with the mercs are eating up precious time I can't afford!"
"Take it easy... Shitface. I assume you are 'Dr.' Okeer?" Mads asked.
"You should take it easy. You aren't here to help; you are probably here to do the same thing you did on Virmire."
"That little bitch." Mads muttered to himself. Of course Rena had gone and told this big meatloaf about Virmire.
"I did what I had to do. You won't get any apology from me." Mads defended himself.
"Such a tale. Right out of a novel: A brave newly appointed Spectre stops a ruthless rouge Spectre from unleashing a horde of Krogan upon the galaxy. In the nick of time, you stop the whole program with nuclear fire, I like that part."
"And I approve of your actions; the Krogan would have been mindless slaves to Saren. A fate I wouldn't like for my people. Numbers count for nothing, when the enemy has more bullets than you have troops. The simple-minded mercs couldn't understand that. It's high time to get out of here."
"We don't care too much about that. We are going after the collectors." Garrus jumped in and said.
"Ahhh, the collectors. I have noticed their increase in attacks, not really my concern. I have dealt with them in the past. I have created the perfect soldier, one that ignore the effects of the genophage." Okeer explained
"Yeah yeah, look, will you join us or not?" Mads asked.
"I can give you vital information, but my subject is mine, and mine alone. No one shall touch it."
Then, just as the pleasant exchange seemed to be going ever so well. Jedore jumped in and ordered the chambers to be filled with gas. And so, time became even more precious.
"Romanov. You want information? You go kill her and turn off the gas."
"Understood."
"Let's go get the uhhh... Motivational speaker and shut her up." Mads ordered. His two team mates were right behind him.
Then, it was a fight once more. She and her entire krogan force were after them. The team almost didn't need orders; they need their way around a battlefield. If the army she already had wasn't enough, a mech was brought in to cheer up the day.
"Garrus, Zaeed! Unload on that mech! I'll deal with the bitch." Mads ordered.
"Right away!" Garrus replied as he began to unload on the massive Mech. This brought some time for Mads, hopefully enough to take down Jedore. She was damn good at hiding behind cover. She only popped out once she really needed to. Krogan that kept coming out of the tanks weren't much of a stress reliever either.
Mads loaded a new magazine into his AK. He made sure not to throw away the old one, they were quite costly after all. Then came his opportunity, Jedore made a run for some cover that was located better. In her sprint, Mads landed a shot in her left shoulder; she fell to the ground, and then began crawling her way into cover.
Got ya.
The mech finally came down. And so Garrus and Zaeed went to work on the remaining Krogan. Mads used this opportunity to finish off Jedore. He saw the blood trail on the ground and decided equip his 44. Magnum.
She tried desperately to load a new clip into her rifle, but with only one arm operational, it was not the easiest thing to do. As he approached her, she called out.
"Wait! I can offer you a job! A huge paycheck!"
"You should save that for your funeral." Mads replied as he shot her in the head. Clean, one shot. She was dead.
And so, things went quiet. They hurried back into the lab, only to find Dr. Okeer dead. The gas must have gotten to him, he was kind enough to leave a message. He told them, that they needed to take care of his legacy. The Grunt, as he called it. He didn't really have any information to share about the collectors.
"It seems this Krogan just got a lucky spot on the Normandy." Mads said as he studied the subject.
"Are you sure?" Garrus asked concerned.
"We'll decide what to do with it, once we are back on the Normandy."
And so, they called for the Normandy. The day had been, well... colorful to say the least.
Translation time!
"гребаный идиот"= "Fucking idiot"
That's all for now folks! See y'all next time!