A/N: So no song lyrics this chapter. Couldn't find any that really fit. But hey, it's a build up to a suspense chapter. Don't really need any do we? Enjoy!

Chapter 21

Laying the Groundwork

May 13th, 2187

Ashley was standing behind Joker in the Normandy's CIC looking out the view port as the ship as the Normandy decelerated into the Sahrabarik system, home of the infamous Omega asteroid station.

She wasn't quite sure how she felt about this, being named commanding officer of the Normandy. The crew didn't seem to mind and Shepard agreed to take a back seat on the day-to-day. Actually, as she thought about it, the more she was sure it should have gone to someone else. She was a grunt who liked being in the thick of a fight, not behind the lines giving orders. Shepard had told her that she was the best choice for the ship since she was not only a Spectre, but still Alliance military.

'Well, it isa stealth ship after all.' She thought to herself.

"You know Commander," Joker said. Ashley had been promoted a rank up to the rank of full Commander. She and many other officers earned after the Battle of the Crucible. "Shepard used to do that on the SR-1."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. You know with you doing it too I'm starting to think there's something wrong with the back of my head. I'm not balding am I?"

She chuckled at the bad joke by her pilot. "Let me know when we're coming in to dock."

"Aye aye Commander. We should be approaching in just under an hour."

With that, she turned and went back to her cabin on Deck One. Shepard and Ashley had traded rooms. It seemed the most logical decision. She did like the room though. The new one. It didn't feel as open as the starboard lounge, but it felt more personal for some reason she couldn't explain. And having her own shower was an extra perk.

She almost pushed the button for Deck Three out of habit. It was almost 0300 hours and she was dead tired. That big queen sized bed looked very inviting.

Shepard had been up with Garrus going over the information they had on Kirby. Garrus and Siliria had been sleeping for the last two and a half Earth-standard days.

"So there's one thing I still don't understand about him." Siliria said. The three had been conversing in the gun battery where the turian Spectres had taken up house. "Why do the reports on him go back and forth on biotic abilities?"

They had also decided to converse there rather than another place in the ship due to the sensitive nature of the mission. Nobody would spill, but Omega had more ears on it than the most interrogation rooms.

"Well that's the funny thing about human biotics, they're a little more unstable. Even with the implants, he doesn't have enough natural nodules in his tissue to use his biotic abilities reliably. You see the locations of the reports?"

"Why, what's special about them?"

"Starships, orbital habitats," He said counting on his fingers. "Asteroid stations and so on."

"You're saying that the charge running through the deck plates is enough to allow him to use his biotics?"

"Bingo, so use of disruptor rounds to take him isn't an option. It'll hurt like hell yes, but it'll boost his abilities."

"And since none of us are biotic I take it you don't think it's a good idea."

Shepard snapped his finger, pointing at Garrus. "Bingo."

Sirilia asked the question that was on their minds but neither man wanted to say out loud. "If he's such a risk to transport, should we even consider taking him alive?"

Garrus looked to his old friend for a lead. "He's one of yours Shepard. What's your call?"

Shepard sighed. He didn't like making decisions like this. "I think... she's right. It's too risky to try and arrest Kirby. It'll also send a message to the rest of the remaining Cerberus cells to keep their noses clean."

Sirilia scoffed at the notion. "They've been dirty since day one."

"With what happened on Akuze, I guess I can't argue that."

"What does Cerberus have to do with Akuze?" Sirilia asked.

"Guess Garrus didn't tell you; Cerberus was responsible for my unit being sent to Akuze for humanity's first encounter with thresher maws. They didn't target me specifically, just unfortunate and acceptable losses." There was a small flame of anger burning in his eyes as he talked about it. He made sure that those responsible were put on trial but what he really wanted was to put a bullet through their heads.

"They jammed our comms to the cruiser we had in orbit thanks to sabotage on the ship itself, and a bribe to one of the men in my unit to sabotage the vehicles' lines. After that, all they had to do was wait for them to attack us." He gave a slight, quick head shake snapping himself out of it. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it Shepard." Garrus understood his friend's tick all too well.

"Shepard," EDI said over the intercom. "We are approaching Omega. ETA is in ten minutes."

"Understood. Williams and I will get armored up."

"Shepard!" Sirilia stood up angry, an emerald blaze burned in her eyes as she spoke to Shepard. "This is our assignment, not yours. Garrus asked for your help on this one because you're good, but by no means does this mean either of us will simply step back."

Shepard replied with a calmness in his voice. "I understand your feeling Spectre Nazados. But Kirby is extremely anti-alien. It'll be difficult enough keeping collateral to a minimum going in with a human team. If he sees a pair of turian Spectres, he'll start killing people left and right to get out."

She waited a moment before speaking again. "Fine, you get lead, but we should be there too."

"Alright, sniper rifles, keep a few dozen meters back as best you can."

"And a side arm." She amended.

"Of course! I'd be disappointed if you didn't bring one."

Ashley ordered the Normandy be parked a few thousand meters off of Omega behind a large asteroid. She thought it'd be best to keep the ship's official presence quiet.

Shepard was in the cockpit running the preflight. The mission was deemed 'Spectre only' to avoid any trouble from the Omega docks. "This is former-Admiral Shepard. I wish to thank you for flying Spectre Stellar Shuttles. Please keep all arms and legs inside until the vessel has come to a full, complete stop and the doors have opened revealing a habitable atmosphere. Please secured all weapons and explosives as this vessel does travel through a vacuum and a breach would suck, quite literally. Our in-flight entertainment will be awkward silence followed by bad attempts at small talk. Should anyone require anything to eat, drink or to use the restroom, you should have done so already. Estimated time to arrival is twenty-five to thirty-six minutes."

Garrus and Ashley grinned through the whole little speech while Sirilia just rolled her eyes at his humorous imitation of the airline pilots from Earth's 20th and early 21st century.

When the UT-47 Kodiak shuttle came into one of Omega's smaller docking bays. A batarian tried to have them register the shuttle in the docking bay but was silenced by four Spectre badges being shown to him with four pistols being pointed at his head, chest and two at his legs.

Garrus and Sirilia waited just on the inside of the habitat section of Omega. Five red armored Talon mercenaries approached the Spectre squad less than thirty seconds. The Talons there consisted of two turians, a human and a batarians Shepard recognized after a second.

"Commander Shepard." The Batarian said. "Guess I'm still unlucky; left my autograph book in my apartment."

The two shook hands heartily. "Hello again Bray. Still running crap guard assignments?"

"Something like that. Aria is going to want to talk with you."

"Shepard, how do you know this guy? He's a merc." Ashley said.

"You remember the couple of days I took off doing a solo investigation on the Lazarus cell?"

"Of course. Hackett put us on the front lines during that time."

"Aria wanted me to spearhead the recapture of Omega." He turned back to Bray and continued."Bray here was one of her top men, though I do believe she intended to kill you at one point. I take it she changed her mind."

"Not entirely. She still threatens to kill me at least once a solar day. And if I don't get you to her quickly she probably will this time."

"Then by all means, lead the way."

As the group made their way to Aria, Garrus could clearly see that Omega was just about as seedy as it ever was, homeless passed out or possibly laying dead in the streets, drunken bar patrons pissing in corners thinking they're being discrete, drug deals going on in plain sight and an asari blowing a guy in the shadows (at least he assumed it was a man). It was still full of people kicking the shit out of each other. As much as he wanted to come back permanently, the thought of another incident like the one with Sidonis came to the front of his mind: another squad hoping to do the right thing dead, a coward sacrificing his friends to save his own life and him lying in a pool of his own blood only centimeters from death.

No. As much as he wanted he couldn't go through it again.

When the group reached Afterlife it looked as if nothing had changed, and if any of them could hear anything accurately over the booming music, it would almost certainly sound the exact same. Aria herself was still in her 'throne room' just under the VIP section.

"Shepard, what an unexpected pleasure. What the hell do you want?" Aria said. When the group stopped on the landing below her.

"Charming as ever Aria. I can't believe you haven't gotten yourself a hubby yet." Shepard replied, smirking when he finished.

If anyone else had said that an impromptu execution would have taken place for breaking the first and only rule of Omega: don't fuck with Aria. But Shepard got a little leeway thanks to his work reclaiming Omega for her.

"I'll say this again, what do you want? And make it quick. I'm having a bad day."

"Very well then." Shepard keyed up his omni-tool and pulled up a file image of Kirby.

"I need information on this man here, his name is Arjen Kirby. Alliance has him currently at the top of their shit-list. According to intel, he came here after blowing up his previous compound."

"Give me one reason why I should care."

"How the guy is an anti-alien xenophobe, member of Cerberus and in an unnatural love with using IEDs. You really want this guy running around here? He's an infiltrations specialist. I'd lay odds that he's already put something around here within fifty meters."

"Son of a bitch." She cursed. He'd already started causing trouble here.

"I take it he's made a few waves since coming here."

"That's one way to put it. This bad mood I'm in, he's the reason for it. Nearly two hundred were killed over the last three days in a string of explosions. One of the bodies was Patriarch. Until now, I thought someone was just wanting to send a message."

"So how about we work together and get this bastard off your station quick before it gets higher."

"Fine. What do you need from me?"

"Just an order to the mercs 'round here to follow our orders. Don't worry, we won't use them as cannon fodder."

"So what exactly is you plan?"

"I don't feel like discussing the specifics openly. But let's just say it's the same reason for your paranoia in Purgatory. Oh, and I'll be borrowing your command center on E deck." She shot Shepard a rather nasty look at the thought of handing something over to him.

"Don't worry, it'll be temporary and you'll have it back without any new scratches on it." He reassured her.

"Fine. I'll have the leaders of the Blue Suns, Eclipse and the Talons meet you there. The Blood Pack was pushed out by the Suns and the Talons two months ago so they won't be of use."

"Thank you Aria." Shepard said walking away. He signaled the others to follow him.

Tali had been pacing in the cockpit since Shepard's Spectre squad left the Normandy over five hours ago. He promised her he'd be careful, but there was a knot in her gut that told her this mission wouldn't end well.