The story just surpassed 30.000 views! Thank you so much guys! You are awesome!
I promise to go through most of the chapters and re-write them, in order to get rid of grammar issues and other mishaps.
Kind Regards
KanisRussell
3/7 2185
Normandy SR-2
The decision to take a tank-grown Krogan on board did not sit well with either Miranda or Jacob. They had spent close to 30 minutes discussing what to do with it. They were currently inside the comm room, where they normally would hold these types of meetings.
"We can't trust him! He'll bring death and destruction upon this vessel! I will not stand for that." Taylor proclaimed.
"I think he should be transferred to a Cerberus facility, let them uncover the mysteries of this perfect Krogan."
Mads, who up until this point had stayed quiet and simply smoked his cigarette, jumped in.
"Thank you, for both of your suggestions. I'll decide what to do later tonight."
"But-" Miranda tried to argue.
"No buts. I'm in charge, and I'll take the decision. You are both dismissed" Mads ordered. Jacob saluted and Miranda went out of the room looking pissed as usual. Mads pressed his cigarette into the ashtray and promptly went out of the room.
He headed straight down for the room where the tank with the Krogan inside had been settled. Then, he spent the next 10 minutes walking around the room thinking about his next action.
"A Krogan…. Of what use are you?" Mads asked. He knew that the Krogan inside couldn't hear him, nor that anyone could hear him, but he continued the one-sided conversation anyhow.
"You have been dubbed 'perfect'. But just how perfect are you? What horrors reside within? What did Okeer print unto you?" He looked into the eyes of the non-responsive Krogan.
"Are you an ally? Or a foe?"
For some reason or another, he awaited a response. After a few moments, he realized it wouldn't come.
"No matter. Nothing a 44. Bullet can solve."
"Edi. Prepare to release him." Mads ordered.
"Yes Captain." Edi replied as the process began. Slowly, the tank was drained of water, and then it opened. The Krogan landed on the metal floor with a bang. He soon came to life, coughing up the liquid from the tank. Mads waited patiently for the Krogan to rise up.
And rise up he did. He grabbed Mads and slammed him into the wall like he was nothing. This Krogan was certainly strong, but that was true of most Krogans.
"Name" It demanded.
"What-" Mads faked a grasp for air in order to equip his gun without the Krogan noticing. "-do you mean?"
"I need a name."
"How about... Shitlord?"
"Funny. Okeer didn't print a name." The Krogan stopped to think about it. "Grunt!" He concluded. "A fitting name, strong and short."
"Alright... Grunt. Here is the deal, you work for me and help me take down the collectors, and I can offer you a place in this galaxy." Mads offered.
"Are you strong? I won't follow a weakling." Grunt asked.
"Strong enough to fool you." Mads said as he pressed the gun against the stomach of the Krogan.
"Hah, I like your way of solving problems. What is your name?"
"Captain Mads Romanov."
"If I ever get my own clan, I would be honored to fight against you."
"Good to know, are we clear?" Mads asked. Grunt took his arms off Mads, allowing him free movement once again.
"Don't try and fool me again, Captain." Grunt ordered.
"I'm sorry, was that an order?" Mads asked back.
"Yeah, I won't tolerate it."
Mads fired up his biotics and took down Grunt before he even realized what was going on. "You do as told. Understood?"
"Yeah." The Krogan replied as he got up.
"Good, then we won't have any problems." Mads remarked.
Mads left the room.
Later that night.
"So... What do you think?" Garrus asked. He had spent the last 10 minutes going through each and every upgrade he had made on his sniper rifle.
"Are you okay with constructive criticism?" Mads asked back.
"Yeah! Of course I am. What do you have in mind?"
"It fucking sucks."
"That's not constructive criticism!" Garrus fired back.
"Look... This entire rifle looks like a dildo. Your scope is only set to... what? 150 yards? Your placement for the thermal clip is less than practical. And not to mention your trigger, do you see what is wrong with it?" Mads asked.
"...It's the stock version..." Garrus mumbled defeated.
"Exactly! The only thing this rifle is good for is getting you, or us, killed." Mads concluded.
"Come on! It's not that bad!"
"If you insist on using this thing, then go ahead. But I'm pretty sure you will conclude the same as I."
"You're a real son of a bitch, you know that right?"
"Of course."
"So, what is next recruitment?"
"Someone named Jack. Need to pick 'em up from an intergalactic prison. Cerberus sure knows how to pick them...:"
"We are going to be a real multicultural vessel once we are done."
"Quite so, won't be there until a few days. A Turian prison ship I hear."
"Hmmm, should be interesting, I'll be ready."
"And do something about that dumb rifle."
Garrus just mocked Mads' accent as he left.
5/7 2185
Mads, Garrus and Kasumi stepped onto the Turian prison ship Purgatory. Mads had read about them: Prisons run by people who were not afraid of doing what government couldn't. The took prisoners for money. A terrible shame that it had come to this.
They were greeted by several armed guards. The situation remained tense, a guard called out to them.
"Welcome to Purgatory, we ask that you surrender your weapons for safe-keeping."
"How about... No!"
The guards raised their weapons; they were ready to take them by force.
"Hold your fire." Their leader came to light from behind their lines. Must be the bloke who runs the place.
"I'm Warden Kuril. It is standard procedure for visitors and buyers to turn over their weapons. They will be returned once we are done." Kuril explained
"No deal. I need insurance, and this here Magnum gives me the best one I can get." Mads replied
Then things became tense again. It was clear that Kuril was thinking about what to do next, Mads kept his hand on his holster. Mads' hand tighten around the grip of the gun as things became more and more tense, finally, the silence was broken.
"Fine, you can keep your guns. Follow me." Kuril ordered. Mads made a gesture for his team to move out.
They moved through the corridors of the vessel. Kuril was eager to tell of his little business. Then, Kuril stopped. "Subject zero, or Jack, is just up ahead. As soon as the money is transferred, you will be free to go with your prisoner."
"Thanks." Mads replied.
They kept on moving, until Mads heard a familiar voice call out. "Captain Romanov! I thought you were dead!" Mads turned around to see the voice came from a cell.
"Conrad Rorke, what a pleasant surprise to find you in here. A lot of things can happen over a period of 2 years" Mads replied.
Conrad Tiberius Rorke, the former commander that lead the attack on Torfan. His brutal actions lead to be him being discharged after a short trial. The effects of his actions were the only thing saving him from a prison sentence. He still looked the same, although a bit rougher. His bald head and the scar across his right eye was always his signature.
"Is that so? Back from the dead, I sure hope hell was comfortable. Where is that back-stabbing nephew of yours?" Conrad asked. Referring to Joseph, who had sealed the deal in kicking Conrad out of the alliance.
"Gone I'm afraid. And don't worry, you'll see hell for yourself soon enough."
"Gone as in dead?"
"As in gone to another fucking galaxy. You won't get your revenge."
"That's too bad. I was looking forward to skinning him."
"You'll have to do with me, if you ever get out of here."
"Ohh I will. I'll be out here soon enough, I got a whole gang working for me. You watch your back, Romanov."
"Yeah. Try not to drop the soap." Mads remarked as a final note before moving on.
They moved through the metal corridors of the ship, the windows showing each and every cell block. Hundreds of prisoners must have been stored there. Whoever these guards were, they took their job seriously, perhaps a bit too much. They took the hammer to the prisoners if need be.
Compassion? There was no room for such a thing in this part of the galaxy. You did something wrong, and you were sure to find yourself on the wrong side of a knife.
As they walked, things began to clear up for Mads. He realized something was off, it was too easy. There was an agenda, he could feel it. "Jack is right down there." A guard told them as they entered a room.
They saw the cell he was referring to, and began to approach it. Then, a gut feeling hit Mads. Don't enter the room. And so he stopped, right in the middle of the room, Garrus and Kasumi looked back at him. "What is it?" Garrus asked.
"It's a set up." Mads replied.
Then the speakers came on. The voice of the Warden called out to them: "It's nothing personal, Mr. Romanov. You are simply way too valuable to let go. Please step into the cell, leave your guns at the door." Kuril ordered.
"You motherless back-stabbing piece of shit. You think I'm going in that easy? Well fuck you!" Mads cried out.
"Please don't make this any harder than it needs to be." Kuril replied.
"трахать тебя!" Mads drew his gun and killed the guard that tried to force them into the cell. "Let's go get Jack!" Mads ordered.
"Righto!" Garrus said as he equipped his sniper.
"Right behind you." Kasumi remarked as she drew her submachine gun.
The guards were nothing special, Blue Suns, nothing they hadn't encountered before. They took the fight to the corridors.
Mads equipped his AA-12. Time for you to shine baby. The tight space provided the perfect work environment for a fully automatic shotgun. All guards dumb enough to face him, got a perfect view of their own guts before death.
It didn't take long before they found the Cryo freeze tank that contained Jack, or subject zero. The controls were easy to work, and soon the tank opened. Mads was surprised to learn, that Jack was in fact a female. Her tattoos even rivaled his. As soon as she was awake, she began to fight her way out of her restrains. Those three giant Mechs? No problem taking them out with only her biotics. And then blowing a big goddamn hole on the wall.
And... her sudden escape had given everyone else in this hell hole the same chance. Now, it was truly a prison riot. They quickly set after her, who knows what kind of damage she could cause to others, and herself.
Kuril knew, and he ordered his guards to suppress the uprising, but wanted Jack alive. She was worth more than a pretty penny. Life support failed in certain areas of the ship, killing everyone in that sector.
Such is life on a vessel. Mads could only hope that Conrad was along the dead. The trail lead them to a big courtyard, where fighting between guards and prisoners was on-going. It made it a little easier for the team, considering it was almost a free-for-all. Besides having a private army, Kuril sported several YMIR Mechs. It made it a little harder to proceed.
The guards showed no mercy in taking care of their prisoners. A quick death was all the prisoners could hope for, not that Mads really cared, they all had done terrible shit to get themselves in there in the first place.
Then, they finally came face-to-face with the Warden himself, once again. He had some fancy junk that gave his shield a powerful boost. It was powered by generators. "Damn you Romanov! The money I could have made on you was enough to keep me going for a long time! Now look at what you have done!"
"Fuck you! Your little pirate operation ends here you cunt!" Mads yelled back.
"No matter, your death will put me on the map for years to come! I'll just have to make back the money on Jack."
Mads had enough of that prick. He ordered his team to cover him as he shot down the power source for his shields. They were ill-protected, a single shot from the AK and they were history. Slowly, the warden became less and less powerful, and he realized that.
In a last attempt to kill Mads, he stormed him. But just as Kuril peaked around the corner, he stared directly into the barrel of Mads' gun. "Oh shi-" Was all Kuril managed to say before the bullet entered his skull and killed him. His dead body dropped onto the floor. "Prick" Mads commented as he got back on his feet.
"Let's go get Jack." Mads ordered.
Jack was already well on her way out of there. She managed to finish the last guards, before noticing the Cerberus vessel parked right outside. She began to grow furious. She went around in circle, vocalizing her anger. She didn't realize a guard was sneaking up on her, until a loud shot killed the guard.
She turned her attention to the source, and made eye contact with Mads. "What the fuck do you want?" She asked.
"I'm Captain Romanov, this is my team members Garrus Vakarian and Kasumi Goto. We are here with a very special offer for you" Mads explained.
"To hell with you! I'm not joining Cerberus." She replied.
"And why is that?"
"They have cost me a lot in the past, I'm not about to forgive."
"That's too bad; you are welcome to stay here, with no way out." Mads offered.
"Fuck you!"
"Fuck me? Fuck you! I come here, get your ass out of Cryo and offer you salvation. Yet you spit in my face!"
"If I am to join your crew, I need all the information Cerberus got on me AND a huge sum of money."
"How about this: You play along, be a nice girl and follow orders and don't pick fights, then I'll give you whatever data you want, and a nice paycheck. Sound fair?"
"I can live with that."
"Good, now let's get the hell out of here."
A little while later
"Welcome to the Normandy, Jack. I'm Miranda, Romanov's second in command. On this ship we follow orders." Miranda explained. Mads, Miranda and Jack were currently standing in the comm room.
"I'm here for my data. Romanov, tell her to back off." Jack replied.
"Remember our deal, Jack?" Mads asked while taking a drag from his cigarette.
"Yeah." She mumbled.
"You play along, and I'll give you the data soon enough." Mads remarked.
"I'll be in the bottom, I don't like foot traffic." Jack said as she left the room.
"Nice job, Romanov. Not a lot of people can put someone like her in order."
"Only time will tell if she honors the deal. For now, keep a close eye on her. I don't want any trouble." Mads ordered.
"Understood, Captain." Miranda replied.
"If you need me, I'll be in my quarters." Mads said as he left the room.
"Yes sir."
Precision
That can be the difference between failure and success. One tiny detail can mean everything, that's why one must always proceed with caution and be vigilant. Always keep one's eye open; otherwise, one might be left with a broken product.
Building model ships had been a great hobby in the past for Mads. Chakwas had suggested a small hobby to keep his anger down, so he had brought a couple of models on the Citadel during their last visit there.
There it was, the final product, all put together. Mads leaned back into his office chair and looked at the thing he had created with satisfaction. Marvelous! He thought as he studied the model of the old Normandy.
But, just then did he notice a small error. A piece was sitting slightly wrong, the normal eye wouldn't have seen it, but he knew the Normandy in and out. He had fucked it up.
"GOD DAMN IT!" Mads yelled as he rose from his chair. "FUCK!" He took a moment to calm down. He breathed, making him relax a bit. "Edi." Mads called out.
"Yes Captain?" The AI asked.
"Update my to-do list: Kill the cocksucker who designed this piece of shit model." Mads ordered.
"Priority?" Edi asked back.
"Highest."
"Certainly."
Mads sat back down in the chair. Now he began disassembling the model in order to fix his mistake. It took him at least another 20 minutes, but in the end. It was perfect. He placed the model with caution in his glass display. Excellent.
Edi had actually updated the to-do list, the Yeoman and some of the team couldn't stop laughing at the absurd mission the captain had placed there. They knew he wouldn't go through with it, but that didn't make it any less amusing.
Translation time!
"трахать тебя!"= "Fuck you!"