You know, I'm starting to notice a pattern with my updates. First, I go a while without updating, like up to a month. Then, emboldened by all the feedback, I write up another chapter unusually fast and post that. And then I go back to procrastinating, not updating for a month.
Well, see you guys in a month. :P
...
2337 Hours, February 24th, 2683
Presidium Financial District
Citadel
Widow System, Serpent Nebula
...
Barla Banking
The sign was basically a television screen built into the wall that only displayed those two words. No fancy animations to grab the attention of passers-by, just a simple sign to let the potential client know they were in the right place.
Chief had managed to calm himself on the way here. Well, perhaps 'calm' wasn't quite the right word. He still wanted to tear Saren's guts out, but now the anger was more focused. Rather than have it be blind, useless rage, Chief had focused his anger to turn it into motivation. One way or another, Saren was going to pay. With that in mind, he entered, intent on grilling this 'Barla Von' for any kind of information he might have.
The room was surprisingly empty. Nothing in it but a few chairs and a desk with another one of those holographic computers that seemed to be quite popular in this century. Standing behind the desk was an alien the spartan hadn't seen before. He was short, about the height of a grunt. He was also very rotund, his belly sticking farther out than any other part of his body. Finally, he seemed to wear a full-body suit of some kind. Not a single bit of flesh seemed visible. Apparently, his species couldn't survive in the pressure levels outside of his suit. Or he didn't breathe the same air. Likely both. He had no weapons of any kind on him, so the spartan didn't consider him a threat.
"Ah, one of the Earth-Clan." the alien said. Chief then heard an odd, breathing sound emit from the short alien's speakers. "And a very famous one at that." He paused for another breath. "You're the one they call Master Chief."
"Wow." Cortana commented. "Short, fat, restricted to a suit, and apparently, asthmatic. I didn't think it was possible, but I think we've discovered a species sadder than the grunts."
Chief couldn't reply to Cortana's colorful commentary out of risk of coming off as a crazy person who talked to a woman who wasn't really there. So instead, he asked the obvious.
"You know who I am?"
"Oh yes." the alien replied before taking another breath. "My job requires me to keep well-informed. When someone as important as you boards the station, I take notice. That, and the way your image has been all over the media, it's rather hard not to recognize you." He breathed again before continuing. "Though I didn't think a spartan would ever have need of my services."
"I'm not here to start a bank account." Chief said. "I need information on Saren Arterius."
"The spectre?" Barla asked. "I'm just a financier. Why would I hav-"
"Don't be cute." Chief interrupted. "I know you work for the Shadow Broker."
The Shadow Broker. Cortana had filled Chief in on him on the way to Barla's. Apparently, she was listening in on the earlier discussion between Udina, Anderson, Alenko and Williams about what to do next while Chief was still fuming. The Shadow Broker was an information broker, a merchant of secrets, and easily the best in the galaxy. He sold government secrets to other governments in exchange for other secrets. Chief didn't like that, instantly becoming worried that humanity had another enemy to worry about, but the interesting thing about the Shadow Broker was the way that, despite all the trading of secrets that could topple entire empires, the balance of galactic power was still somehow maintained, as if all the secrets evened out. At the end of the day, no one really has an advantage over everyone else. Still, it uneased the spartan, knowing that top secret ONI profiles were likely being sold to an alien government somewhere in the galaxy.
"You're very blunt, Chief." Barla noted. "But you're right. I do work for the Shadow Broker." he breathed again before continuing. "As for Saren, the Broker is very upset with him right now. Saren had been a trusted business associate of the Shadow Broker for many years...*breathe*...up until Saren betrayed them."
"What for?" Chief asked. "Why did Saren betray him?"
"I don't know the details." Barla said. "All I know is, the Shadow Broker hired a mercenary to take care of the problem."
Chief crossed his arms over his chest. "That's it? That's all you know?"
"I'm afraid so." Barla replied.
Chief shook his head in disapproval. "You're an agent working for the Shadow Broker. Don't tell me you don't know any more than that."
"I'm afraid I don't, Chief." Barla confessed. "In fact, calling me an agent is generous. I help people in positions of power move money without leaving a trail. Any useful information I find, I pass along to the Broker. That's all that I do for him." he breathed. "The more you know, the more dangerous the game becomes. I don't like danger. I prefer to leave that to people such as you."
Chief grimaced underneath his helmet. Apparently, Barla Von was able to pick up that the SPARTAN-II was less than satisfied with his services.
"If you want to know more, I suggest talking to the mercenary the Broker hired." Barla began typing away on his computer to bring up the necessary information. "The mercenary is a Krogan by the name of Urdnot Wrex. He's currently being held by C-sec at the C-Sec Academy, being questioned, most likely. He might know more than I do."
An alien mercenary. It wasn't the best lead, but it was the only lead the spartan had. Plus, if Chief suspected correctly, the merc was hired to kill Saren, so at least they would have a common goal.
"Thanks for the intel." Chief said. Without waiting for a 'you're welcome', he turned around and left. He looked off to his right and spotted a rapid transit terminal by some trees. An air car will definitely beat walking, that's for sure.
He walked up to the terminal and punched in where he wanted to go. After a few minutes of waiting, an empty aircar automatically landed in front of him and opened up. The spartan climbed inside. The aircar lifted up and began to make its way out of the presidium and towards C-sec Academy.
...
"Here we are." Ashley began. "Millions of light-years away from Earth in a hub of galactic culture, living the way our ancestors dreamed of living hundreds of years ago and what happens? We walk into a bar with several men drooling over women shaking their asses for money." she said as she took in the sights and sounds of Chora's Den. "I don't know if that's funny or sad."
The aircar ride from the presidium to here was around ten minutes, landing in an alley just a few yards away from the bar. It was like any other strip-club in the galaxy. The air was choked with the scent of booze and cigarette smoke. Half-naked Asari danced on top of the bar itself, entertaining the males of various species. Around the edges of the circle-shaped room were nooks in which high-profile customers enjoyed more...private performances. Standing watch over it all like a vigilant sentry was a Krogan bouncer with a crest as black as coal. He stood by a door that presumably led to the bar's back areas. Staff only.
Ashley and Kaidan made their way through the bar. According to Captain Anderson, Harkin was probably somewhere in here getting drunk. He was suspended from C-sec last month for drinking on the job. This was nothing new. Twenty years ago, Harkin was the first Human ever to make it into C-sec, and has been a disgrace to the species ever since. Roughing up suspects, taking bribes, drug and alcohol abuse, he was as dirty as a dirty cop could get. Kaidan and Ashley would rather not associate themselves with such scum, but they didn't have much choice. Master Chief was already investigating Barla Von, so the team would be covering more ground this way.
"There he is." Kaidan said, pointing to a balding man sitting in the corner, having a drink. "Okay Williams, better let me do all the talking."
"Fine by me." Ashley retorted. "I don't wanna give this loser the time of day."
With that, the two walked over to Harkin. Harkin looked up from his drink and scowled at them, less than happy to see a couple of Alliance marines coming to bother him. "Harkin, right?" Kaidan asked. "We're looking for Garrus Vakarian, a C-sec officer. You know where he is?"
With that, Harkin's scowl quickly turned into a devilish grin. "Garrus, huh? You must be part of Captain Anderson's crew."
"Yeah. What of it?" Ashley butted in, much to Kaidan's chagrin.
"Not much." Harkin said with a shrug. "By the way, did the captain ever let you in on his big secret, sweet-cheeks?"
"Sweet-cheeks?" Ashley exclaimed. She moved in closer, but Kaidan put an arm up in front of her, blocking her. He shook his head at her. He turned back to the drunk.
"What secret?" the biotic asked.
"Captain Anderson? Former spectre. Bet ya didn't know that." he snickered at his own joke. It was the kind of snicker that made you wanna punch whoever was doing the snickering in the face. "It was all very hush-hush. The first Human ever given that honor. And then he blew it. Screwed up his mission so bad they kicked him out. He blames Saren. Said the Turian set him up."
"Bullshit." Ashley spat. "If it's so hush-hush, how do you know?"
"Sugar-tits, I spent twenty years working cases here on the Citadel. People on this station love to talk. And hey; secrets are like herpes. If you got 'em, you might as well spread 'em around." he snickered again at his own lewd joke.
Ashley gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She quickly turned to Kaidan, giving him a look that all but BEGGED him to allow her to beat the ever-loving crap out of this pig. Kaidan's face remained stern and stoic though. All he did was turn his gaze to Harkin.
"Do you know where Garrus is, or not?" he asked.
"Garrus was sniffing around Dr. Michel's office." Harkin replied, unable to get that shit-eating grin off his face. "She runs the med clinic on the other side of the wards. Last I heard, he was thinking of going back there."
With that, Kaidan nodded and headed out, Ashley in tow. At least, that was until Harkin said something that pushed Ashley over the edge.
"Oh. And tell that seven-foot freak I said congratulations on making it into the spectres. Oh wait. No he didn't. Never mind."
"That's it." Ashley said as she turned around. Before Kaidan could stop her, she stormed back to Harkin's booth.
"Listen up, asshole. You can sexually harass me all you want, but don't you DARE insult the Master Chief! If it wasn't for him, you, me, and every other human in this whole galaxy would be DEAD."
"You mean you actually buy that whole 'woken up from cryo from the year 2552' story? Wow. And I thought blondes were supposed to be the dumb ones." Harkin said. "It's a scam. The Alliance just took some seven-foot guy off the streets, put him in a suit and taught him how to use a gun. They're so desperate to get a human into the spectres, they're willing to dress some poor dumb bastard up like a dead hero."
Ashley pointed a threatening finger in Harkin's face. "Master Chief is NOT a scam." With that, she walked away. Harkin only shrugged in reply and went back to his drinks.
"You okay Williams?" Kaidan asked once Ashley walked back to him.
"I'm fine." Ashley replied. "We got what we came for, let's get out of here. I think I'm getting a buzz from the fumes alone."
Ash marched out of Chora's Den, the anger on her face still very much apparent. Kaidan just followed her, praying that nothing else would happen to further sour her mood.
...
"Hello, ladies." The Sangheili drolled. "Look at your man, now back to me, now back at your man, now back to me. Sadly, he is not me, but if he used Old Spice - Sangheili Edition body wash instead of the same soap scum brutes use, he could smell like he's me. Look down, back up, where are you? You're on the bridge of a mighty Empire cruiser with the man your man could smell like. What's in your hand? Back to me. I have it. It's an energy sword forged from the finest metal and plasma! Look again. The sword is now made of diamonds! Anything is possible when your man smells like Old Spice and not a brute. I'm driving a ghost."
"Cortana, turn that off." Chief said. "The last thing I want to see on that video monitor is a shirtless elite."
"..."
"Cortana!"
"Hm? Wha?" the AI said as she snapped out of the trance.
"...I'm not even gonna ask." Chief said as he shook his head.
"In my defense, that elite is ripped." Cortana replied as she turned off the video monitor.
Chief and Cortana had been riding in a public transit aircar bound for C-sec Academy for about ten minutes now. It was automatically flying towards the appointed destination, but there was a control panel allowing the user to assume manual control of the vehicle if need be. The upside was that the aircar came with its own extranet terminal, so upon her request, Chief plugged in Cortana's AI chip into the extranet-jack to allow her to comb it for information, hopefully information that will be useful to the mission. The downside was, since it was a public access vehicle, commercials often played on the video monitor, such as that one commercial that the SPARTAN-II will never speak of ever again.
Chief looked outside the window to his left. He had to admit, he was impressed by the Citadel. This place wasn't a station. It was a whole city. And this was just one arm. Chief never thought it would be possible in his lifetime; Humans living amongst so many aliens on such a large structure in relative peace. But then again, technically this wasn't his lifetime.
"Penny for your thoughts, Chief?" Cortana asked as her three-dimensional holographic form rose up out of the control panel display.
"Still having trouble getting over that aliens are no longer considered the enemy." Chief said.
"Yeah. Not only that, but Humans are now an active part of a greater galactic community that we had no idea even existed." Cortana replied.
"Yeah. Active part." Chief replied. He shook his head. "The more I think about it, the less sense it makes. Why would the council outlaw slipspace? A new species with a new technology that's vastly superior to their old forms of FTL. You'd think that once peace talks were through, they'd be jumping up and down begging for the original schematics to the Shaw-Fujikawa drive."
"Like I said before; they don't like it when the boat gets rocked." Cortana said. "Can't say I blame them. All these alien cultures and technologies interacting with each other. It must be an incredibly complex social and political system. Having nine new races getting added to their bestiary AND a new form of FTL suddenly drop into their laps with little to no warning might've thrown a monkey wrench into those systems. Plus, I'd imagine slipspace was a tough sell to them."
"What do you mean?"
"Well think about it. On one hand, you've got eezo, the tried and true method of FTL which has served the council for millennia. On the other hand, you've got slipspace, which involves literally breaking the laws of physics to open a hole in the space-time continuum and if the drive ever malfunctions, you end up with ships literally disappearing from existence or creating a mini-black hole. Now which one sounds safer and more reliable to you?"
"Don't tell me you're agreeing with them." Chief said.
"I'm not. I'm just saying, I can understand their hesitance." Cortana replied. "But that doesn't matter much now. Once Humans get a seat on the council, we could probably take steps to legalize slipspace. Maybe even improve it."
Master Chief paused. "What's this about the council now?"
Cortana raised a holographic eyebrow. "You mean you didn't figure it out?" she asked. Chief shrugged. Cortana sighed. "You know, sometimes I really do think you're just a mindless barbarian. Humans want a seat on the council, right along side the Turians, Salarians and Asari. That was the whole point of making YOU a spectre! Once one of your own gets into the spectres, a council seat isn't too far off."
Chief was genuinely surprised at this. He knew that his induction into the spectres would increase Humanity's standing in council space, but he had no idea that a council seat was on the line. Humans could become a council race, one of the races that called all the shots. "Are you absolutely sure about this?"
"I've been searching through various political forums. The rest of the galaxy was really impressed with the way we whooped the supposed big boys on the block, the Turians, at Shanxi. Granted, the covenant races backed us up, but we were the ones who were really leading the charge in that campaign. Every species in citadel space agrees; Humans WILL join the council. It's not a matter of if, but when." Cortana replied with a smile.
Chief smiled a little to himself. This was probably the Alliance's plan all along. Wake him from cryo, make him into a spectre, virtually guaranteeing the Human race a place of galactic power. Kaidan was right. Humans joined the Citadel races not just because they were afraid of another war, but because they saw an opportunity to join a galactic community...and ultimately have power over it. The Alliance wants to show the rest of the galaxy what Humans could do. Their plan; beat the council at their own game.
Humanity really was at war. It just wasn't the kind of war you fight with bullets and bombs.
Chief wasn't blind though. He was essentially a political bargaining chip, a tool, and he knew it. But since it was in service of Humanity, of Earth and all her colonies, he didn't really mind that much. If becoming a spectre would get Humans a seat on the council, if it would get his species the respect it deserves, he'll do it. He wasn't too keen on the idea of working for aliens, but he'd do it. With a new resolve, his mind went back to his current assignment. He couldn't make spectre if he couldn't prove Saren was a traitor. It probably wouldn't help his odds of getting in, but it certainly couldn't hurt them.
"Did you find anything on Saren?" Chief asked.
"Sure did." Cortana said, glad to see that the Chief had found new drive, not just to Saren's apprehension, but Humanity's cause as a whole. "The official files were classified. I was tempted to hack them, but decided not to. I'd rather not risk exposing myself. So I turned to the extranet once again. Mostly rumors, but all of them nasty."
"Go on." Chief said as he looked into the rear-view mirror.
"Torture, bribing, killing anyone standing between him and his goals, Saren is as ruthless as they come." Cortana said.
"And the council ignores it?" Chief asked.
"Saren's a spectre Chief, the highest known authority in council space, second only to the council itself. Spectres are essentially above the law. They can break any law they want, bypass any rule or protocol if it accomplishes their mission." Cortana explained.
Chief furrowed his brow in thought. While it will be nice to complete missions without having to worry too much about red tape, it didn't strike him as a smart move, giving a single operative that much power. "They ARE just rumors, but they're not hard to believe. The council probably looks the other way because regardless of his methods, Saren gets results."
Chief looked into the rear-view mirror again. "I don't suppose you found anything to suggest that he worked with the Geth."
"None." the AI said. "Looks like all our hopes rest with our merc."
"Yeah, about him." Chief said. "What can you tell me about him?"
"I've been looking up his files in addition to Saren's. His were in the C-sec database. I hacked it. It's way easier to fool than a spectre database." Cortana said. "This 'Wrex' guy has a rap sheet that goes on for miles."
"That bad, huh?" Chief asked.
"Oh yeah. This guy has done it all. Kidnappings, assassinations, raids, sabotage, you name it, he's killed it." Cortana said. "Oh...and one more thing you should know about him, I think."
"That is?" Chief asked, his eyes darted to the rear-view mirror and then back to Cortana.
"You know how the UNSC considered the elites, the brutes and the hunters to be the only three sapient species in the galaxy capable of going toe-to-toe with a SPARTAN-II and live to tell about it?"
"Yes." Chief said, his interest peaked.
"Well, in this day and age, a fourth species has been added to that list, the species in question being the Krogan. And, lucky us, Wrex is a Krogan merc." Cortana snapped her fingers and various charts detailing Krogan biology appeared on the video screen. "Tough hides, extreme tolerance to radiation and other toxins, and here's the interesting part; they have back-up organs for if any of their major organs get badly damaged. They even have back-ups for some of their back-ups. Combine all of that with an infamously short temper, and you get one of the most dangerous sentient species in the galaxy, rivaled only by the brutes."
"Lucky us." Chief quipped before taking yet another look at the rear-view mirror.
"Okay, you've been looking into that thing every other sentence. Might I ask what's so interesting?" Cortana asked.
"The black airvan that's been following us for the last five minutes." Chief replied matter-of-factly.
Cortana's face went from puzzled to startled. She tapped into the aircar's aft camera. Sure enough, a rather suspicious-looking airvan was following them. "Well, that's ominous." she commented. "Think their intentions are less than noble?"
"I don't know." Chief said. "But I know a way to find out." The spartan pushed a button and a lever and a small keyboard appeared. Chief assumed manual control of the craft. The lever was actually a joystick, used to maneuver the aircar while the keyboard adjusted things like speed, how level it was and so forth. Overall, the set-up wasn't too hard to learn. SPARTAN-II's were trained to be quick studies when it came to using new weapons and piloting new vehicles.
Chief decided to take a detour, turning out of the main airway and into a lower, seedier airway in the shadows of the various buildings. Sure enough, the black airvan followed. Chief's instincts were telling him that a fight was going to break out soon.
The next few minutes was spent by the Chief looking for a spot where an altercation could theoretically take place where collateral damage and civilian casualties can be kept to a minimum. They eventually came to a slummy part of the wards. Hardly an aircar around. They stopped at a traffic light as Chief rolled the window down. The black airvan pulled up next to them. Chief took out a grenade and kept his thumb on the primer, in case his suspicions were correct. The side-door of the van opened up. Chief counted three. Two jackals, armed with the arm-shield that was common for their race and what looked like an updated version of a plasma pistol. The third was a Turian with an assault rifle of some sort.
The spartan's suspicions were correct.
Before they could even raise their weapons, Chief primed the grenade and tossed it, zooming away a nano-second later.
"SHIT!" the Turian yelled.
*BOOM!*
Chief looked into his review mirror to see the van explode, the flaming wreckage then dropping out of the sky onto the street below.
Chief's first assumption was that the covenant was hostile again. That conclusion was quickly ruled out however, considering the approach. If that had been truly Covenant, they would've damn well let the Chief know. Black vans, stalking and taking out a specific target in what looked to be an intended drive-by shooting, it wasn't their style. It was more appropriate for street gangs, merc bands, hired thugs in general. Chief had an idea who hired them.
"Looks like Saren doesn't want us poking our noses where they don't belong." Cortana said, drawing the same conclusion as Chief. "Well, looks like we foiled THAT dastardly plan." It was then that the sound of bullets bouncing off metal began emanating from the back of the car.
"Not yet we haven't." Chief replied as he saw three more aircars behind him. A gunner from each car; a Turian, a Kig-Yar, and a Krogan were all taking pot shots at the car with pistols and submachine guns. Chief whipped out his own pistol and returned with some pot-shots of his own. However it was difficult, driving the car and shooting back at the same time. What he wouldn't give for a co-pilot right about now.
That moment was another in a long line of moments in which Cortana demonstrated an uncanny ability to know exactly what the Chief was thinking.
"I can hack the aircar and take control of it." Cortana said. "I can drive while you shoot."
"Do it." Chief replied before taking another few shots before taking his head and shooting arm back into the window.
"Alright. I've got full control."
"Good, pop the top." Chief said as he put away his pistol and took out his assault rifle. Cortana smiled devilishly at her spartan.
"Ever the subtle one." she noted.
The top window of an aircar can be 'busted' off, similar to the opening of an ODST drop pod, in case of an emergency. Given the fact that thugs were trying to kill them, Chief and Cortana thought this qualified as an emergency. With a hiss, the top didn't open, but FLEW off, hitting the Krogan gunner. The reptilian alien shook his head to shake away the pain and just kept shooting, though his driver was a little disoriented by the impact and almost lost control.
Without the top window to hamper him, Chief was free to stand up in the aircar and let loose a hail of gun fire. He got the driver of the car the Turian was shooting from, the Turian in question had to move the corpse aside in order to keep the aircar from crashing. The thug struggled to drive and shoot at the same time.
"Bet Kaidan and Ashley aren't putting up with anything like this." Cortana stated as she tried to lose the hit squad.
...
"Bet Master Chief isn't putting up with anything like this." Kaidan said as he ducked back into cover after taking a few shots. He and Ashley hadn't walked a dozen feet outside of Chora's Den when they were suddenly ambushed by a mixed hit squad of Turians, Kig-Yar and Salarians. Ashley didn't respond to Kaidan's remark as she was too busy keeping the group at bay with her assault rifle. They were fighting on opposite sides of a gorge with rushing air traffic below. A bridge to the two marines' left united the two sides. Kaidan peeked around the corner, thinking that the bridge could be used to flank them. Only to find one of the Kig-Yar had the same idea, using its arm shield as mobile cover.
"Dammit!" Kaidan swore as he pulled his head back, narrowly avoiding a face full of green plasma. The Kig-Yar arm-shield was circularly-shaped during the Human-Covenant war, looking almost like a symbol. These days though, the arm-shield was in a much more practical shape; a stark rectangle that covered more of the wielders body, with only a small slot on the right side just big enough for the muzzle of a gun to squeeze through, similar to riot shields Human law enforcement officials use. If that Kig-Yar reached them, things would be a whole lot harder for the marines.
Kaidan Alenko was no ordinary marine; he was a biotic and decided to put those abilities to good use. The first thing he did was give himself a biotic barrier. Emboldened by the extra protection, he popped around the corner and fired a biotic warp at the Kig-Yar's shield, which was enough to short it out. Kaidan let loose with his assault rifle, and the bird-like alien breathed its last before collapsing onto the ground in a lifeless heap.
Kaidan turned away from the bridge and popped up from behind the fence, turning his assault rifle on the thugs on the other side, making use of the time he had left before his barrier went away. Sure enough, it did in a few seconds, and Kaidan dipped back into cover. Ashley kept on firing, taking cover only when her rifle overheated, needing a second to cool. Then, her shields suddenly flickered and then blue sparks danced around her suit. Knowing that her kinetic barriers had just depleted, she ducked back behind the fence, poking her rifle out, hoping blind fire will dissuade the enemy from closing in.
"They've got us pinned!" Ashley yelled. "We need to punch a hole in their defenses!"
"I think I've got a way!" Kaidan yelled back. Ashley gave the LT her full attention as her shields recharged. "Get a grenade ready! When I say now, throw it at the Turian on the right! I've got the one on the left!" Ashley nodded as she fished a grenade out of her belt. "NOW!"
With that, Ashley popped out of cover to toss a grenade at the Turian on the right. He had enough common sense to see the projectile coming and duck, but wasn't fast enough to avoid the explosion that came a nano-second after it whizzed by his head. He and several other thugs fell. At the same time, Kaidan hit the Turian on the right with a biotic warp, which was powerful enough to take out the Turian's shields. He followed it up with a biotic lift, the Turian floating up into the air. Once he was high enough, and without his shields, he was easy prey for the two marines' rifles. His corpse drifted through the air and eventually fell back down to the ground right next to them.
"That grenade explosion might've disoriented them enough to break their ranks." Kaidan noted. "You keep them busy, I'll flank them."
Ashley nodded as she resumed her assault. Kaidan switched to his shotgun as he made his way across the bridge, making sure to keep his head down, lest the enemy see him coming. He reached the end of the bridge and peeked around the corner. The thug closest to him was a Turian. The rest were Kig-Yar and Salarians. Perfect.
He came out of cover and hit the Turian with a biotic push. Salarians and Kig-Yar were among the most physically frail species in the galaxy. So a heavier, tougher species, like say, a Turian, barreling towards them out of control would usually take them out of commission. Sure enough the Salarians and Kig-Yar who lined up next to him were knocked over by the flying Turian, the only warnings they got being his startled yelps.
"Williams! Get over here!" Kaidan yelled as he opened fire with his shotgun on a Kig-Yar who hadn't been knocked down. The first shot took out his shields, the second knocked the avian to the ground with a fist-sized hole in his chest. Ashley immediately ran over and took up a position right next to Kaidan. Two Salarians had started shooting at them, but they fell quickly enough. The Turian who had been flying earlier tried to climb out of the heap of moaning bodies to reach for his rifle, only to have it biotically pulled from him. He looked up to see two Alliance marines pointing their guns at him.
"This is the part where we tell you to stand down." Ashley said.
...
It's easy to feel like a helpless victim when you're being pursued by enemy forces in a high-speed vehicle chase. However, no matter how much manpower or firepower the pursuing force is boasting, it was always the quarry who was in control of the situation. The quarry is the one who decides where to take the chase and the pursuers are must follow if they want their objective. Cortana knew about this fundamental tactic and employed it, keeping the chase restricted to the slums of the wards. There wasn't much traffic here, so there was little worry of accidentally hitting civilians in all the shooting. And the airways were relatively narrow, allowing Chief a clear of line of sight at the enemy. However, the narrowness works both ways; the enemy has an equally good line of sight on the Chief. A stalemate.
When tacticians find themselves in a stalemate, they have two choices. Either acquire a new advantage, or use what they have in new ways. The key to breaking a stalemate is to deviate from the formula, mix things up in a way that will catch your enemy off-guard, which will hopefully create a window just big enough to hit through. Master Chief was in a high-speed chase in a narrow airway and was exchanging fire with his pursuers. What can he do to deviate from this formula?
Answer: Stop running.
Chief settled back into his seat. "Cortana, I'm yanking you out." he said.
"Why?" Cortana asked.
"Because you do NOT wanna be in this thing's control panel in about ten seconds." Chief answered.
The AI didn't argue and disappeared from the console. Chief pulled her AI chip out of the console and examined it. Satisfied that she was safe inside, he slipped it back into his helmet and reassumed manual control of the craft. He then did the last thing any pursuer expects his quarry to do in the middle of a chase.
He hit the brakes. Hard.
Two cars zoomed past, but the third was not so lucky. It collided with the aircar full stop, the front half crunching and merging with the target's back half. Having sustained too much damage to stay aloft, both cars plummeted thirty feet to the ground. Chief braced himself for impact.
With a crash, both vehicles hit the ground right in the middle of the street. The other two cars zoomed away, only turning around after realizing what happened. Chief climbed out of the wreckage, but he was not alone.
The Krogan gunner climbed out of his own aircar, or rather what was left of it. His driver was dead, but the Krogan was still itching for a fight. He then held up what the Chief could only describe as the single biggest shotgun he had ever seen. It was black and was almost as long as the spartan's arm. The Krogan aimed and fired, hitting only the metal ground however, as the Chief had already begun moving. He wasn't as fast as Kelly-087, but he was definitely faster than this overgrown toad. The hit man didn't even have time to pump his shotgun after the first blast before the Chief hit the Krogan across the eye with a good punch. The Krogan staggered a bit but, aside from a newly-swollen eye, he didn't seem all that perturbed and charged back at his armored foe.
Not many species can keep going after a solid punch from a SPARTAN-II. Chief briefly wondered what it would take to kill a Krogan as he noticed the other two cars approaching fast. Rather than leap out of the way of the Krogan's tackle, he grappled with the alien and positioned him between himself and the guys with the guns. Sure enough, the Krogan made a good meat shield as rounds from the other two gunners dug into his back. The Krogan however, snarled and headbutted the Chief with enough force to make him stagger back a few steps. The Chief quickly composed himself though as he fled into an alley.
He navigated the maze of alleyways, looking for a place to set up a good ambush. He could hear the thugs yelling and arguing with each other, likely about the crash and where their mark went. Chief then found a dumpster.
"Not the most original hiding place, but it'll work." Cortana commented. The spartan leapt into the dumpster. He waited a few minutes as he slowly took out his shotgun. His eyes darted to the motion tracker on the bottom-right corner of his HUD. Four subjects, designated as hostiles by Cortana. He saw one approach his dumpster. He readied himself. The lid cracked open ever so slightly as a grunt's face looked in.
*BLAM!*
Only to receive a face full of buckshot for his curiosity. Chief leapt out of the dumpster and rushed to his would-be assassins, trusting his shields to absorb the impact. There were three left; the Krogan, flanked by a Kig-Yar and a Turian on either side. He wanted these thugs alive. He already knew who hired them, but he'd like a chance to hear it himself.
While one wouldn't think that a super-soldier wouldn't have any need for skills in non-lethal combat, SPARTAN-II's were trained to take on just about any kind of mission, to succeed in any kind of scenario. And though they were rare, there were times that required targets to be taken alive. When such a need arises, many spartans employ a strategy used by martial arts experts when they fought without the intention to kill or seriously injure; striking with an open palm as opposed to a closed fist. Master Chief dropped his shotgun and struck the jackal first, hitting him with an open palm strike right to the chest, sending him to the ground. He effortlessly dodged the Krogan's attempted swing at him and delivered a series of strikes to the Turian, knocking the weapon out of his hands and knocking him to the ground. Finally, there was the Krogan. Chief switched to closed fists. The Krogan proved he could take it.
The three thugs were on the ground, moaning in pain. The Krogan reached for his shotgun, but it was quickly snatched up by the Chief. "Get up." he ordered. The three thugs shakily got up and faced the spartan. "Why were you trying to kill me?"
"We were being paid to." the jackal answered. Chief raised an eyebrow at him. It was the first time he had ever heard a jackal speak his language. His distinct accent was very odd, sounding like a fusion between Russian and Spanish. The Krogan gave the avian a dirty 'keep your beak shut' look before turning back to the spartan.
"Alright. Who was paying you to try to kill me?" Chief asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know." the Krogan spat.
"Yeah, I would." Chief said. He pumped the shotgun. "Give me a name and I might not pull the trigger. That's more than I give most people."
The Krogan snorted. "You're bluffing. That's an M-250 Claymore Shotgun you're waving around. Humans can't handle the kick." He smiled. "You'll break your arm if you shoot one of us. Doubt you'd be in much position to be making demands then."
Then, the Kig-Yar quickly took out a concealed weapon as did the Turian. Chief reacted. He fired a blast at the jackal, sending him flying five yards easy. He pumped the shotgun as his shields absorbed three shots from a pistol and not a shot more as the Turian joined the jackal in death. He turned the gun towards the Krogan and pumped.
"That's funny. My arm feels fine." Chief said, much to the Krogan's shock. The old UNSC weapons had a kick to them alright, but this shotgun took the cake in terms of recoil. Chief probably really would have broken his arm if his augmentations didn't include carbide ceramic ossification that made his bones virtually unbreakable. The Krogan didn't know this though, and was surprised to have found out the hard way. The fact that his two associates fell in under two seconds didn't help.
"What the hell are you..." he hissed after getting over his initial shock, glaring at the Chief.
"I'm a spartan." Chief replied. "Your employer's name. Now."
"Go to hell!" the reptilian alien spat.
Chief weighed his options. The Krogan had no other weapons, none that could be seen anyway. Chief could kill him right here and now if he wanted to. But in all honesty, he didn't really want to. Hostile alien or not, he was now an unarmed prisoner. Ruthlessly executing him under these circumstances would be unethical. On the other hand, he couldn't very well allow the Krogan to walk away.
"You know Chief, we WERE on our way to C-Sec..." Cortana inputed. Chief smiled at that.
With once again unnatural speed, Chief rushed up to the Krogan and cracked the butt of the shotgun over his head, knocking him out cold.
...
"I don't know about this sting, Tallis." the Asari C-Sec officer nervously said. "When Fist finds out the deal was a setup, he's gonna be pissed."
"That's the idea, M'lani." Tallis, M'lani's Turian partner and mentor said. "If he gets pissed off, he makes mistakes."
"Well...you'll have my back, right?"
"You know it, kid." Tallis said with a teasing punch to the shoulder.
Officer Varn Tallis and Rookie Officer Toria M'lani were on a landing pad outside the C-Sec Academy, which was considered by many to be C-sec's primary base of operations. The two officers were planning a sting operation later that evening for drug dealers working for Fist, a notorious crime lord on the Citadel who owned a sleazy strip club in the lower wards. It was then that the two officers turned and noticed a public transit aircar landing on the pad, and an abnormally tall, armored Human climbed out. He walked over to the two.
"You two with C-sec?" he asked.
"Indeed we are." Tallis replied. "Anything we can help you with?"
"Follow me." The Human instructed. Tallis followed, M'lani close behind. The Human opened the hatch of the aircar to reveal the passenger; a tied up Krogan with a claymore shotgun on the floor of the car.
"He tried to assassinate me. I retaliated in self-defense." the Human explained to the two stunned C-sec officers.
"You retaliated by tying him up?" M'lani exclaimed.
"Yup." the Human replied.
"And the shotgun?" Tallis asked.
"Evidence. I figured that, more likely than not, it was illegally obtained, so I'm handing it over to you guys." the Human then walked to the entrance of C-Sec Academy. "He's all yours."
M'lani just watched the Human enter the building, her jaw still agape. She turned back to her partner. "That...was weird."
"Welcome to law enforcement, kid." Tallis said.
...
The elevator ride down finally ended at what looked like a lobby of some kind. Chief stepped out after the door opened, and took a look around. About twenty feet in front of him was yet another elevator...which made Chief question why there was another elevator twenty feet in front of him. He decided to write it up to strange alien architecture and leave it at that, deciding there were more important things to think about. He noticed that C-Sec didn't discriminate when it came to species. Turians, Asari and Salarians were in no short supply, no surprise there. But he also saw several Covenant species in C-Sec garb. Elites, jackals, even grunts. The latter still seemed to follow the 'stay with the big guy' philosophy of combat, evident in how a Turian was seen leading four grunts from one location to another. He also noticed, to his pleasant surprise, that there were several humans working in C-sec as well. They were hardly the majority, but their presence was still noticeable. He also noticed the armaments of the various officers. Assault rifles, sniper rifles, shotguns, it seemed like C-sec was more military than law enforcement. Then again, on a station where all manner of sentient life forms coexisted, complicated problems were all but inevitable and a little extra firepower might be necessary to keep everyone in line.
"I looked up Wrex's mug-shot." Cortana said. "He has a red crest with some nasty scars running down the right side of his face. So at least he won't be hard to miss."
Chief looked off to the right, and saw a Krogan matching Cortana's description having a 'friendly chat' with a Sangheili C-Sec officer and two Kig-Yar officers, likely not of his own choice. "There's our guy." the spartan said as he walked over to the group. As he drew closer, he was able to overhear the conversation more clearly.
"Witnesses saw you at Chora's Den yesterday making threats towards Fist." the elite said. "I have little love for scum like him, but I am under orders to make sure you don't break any laws during your stay. Stay away from that place."
"I don't take orders from you." Wrex replied. His voice was deep, same as that other Krogan's voice, but nowhere near as obnoxious.
"You'll have to." the elite said. "I know you're a bounty hunter, Krogan. C-Sec is currently building a case against Fist. Soon, he will no longer be a problem to whoever hired you. Do not interfere. This is your first and last warning."
Wrex snorted. "Wow. You really love the sound of your own voice, don't you?" he chortled. "You should warn Fist. I will kill him."
"Of course you realize, I can arrest you for saying that." the elite cop pointed out.
"You can try." Wrex stated as though it were a challenge.
"Tempting." the Sangheili replied. "Unfortunately, I can not. You haven't done anything illegal. Yet. You're free to go, but know that my eyes are upon you, Krogan." With that, the Sangheili and his Kig-Yar entourage walked away.
"I'm flattered, but I prefer females." Wrex cracked. If the elite heard, he chose to ignore it. The Krogan then turned to what looked like an unusually tall Human wearing armor. He also noticed he was looking right at him. "Something you want, Human?" he asked in that deep, rumbling voice.
"Urdnot Wrex?" Chief asked. The Krogan nodded. "Barla Von told me that you might have information that has something to do with the spectre Saren Arterius."
"Barla Von's a wise man." Wrex replied. The Krogan smiled. "Now why would a spartan want information on Saren?"
"You know who I am?" Chief asked.
"Who doesn't? Ever since they woke you up outta that freezer, you're all the Humans ever talk about on this station." Wrex elaborated. Chief suddenly found himself hoping that Admiral Hackett DOES eventually find out whoever leaked Chief's existence to the media and stick them with a desk job.
"Saren attacked a Human colony. I plan on making him pay for it." Chief said. "You have evidence that Saren's a traitor?"
"No. But I know someone who does." Wrex said. "A few days ago, a Quarian arrived on the Citadel. She wanted to trade information for a safe place to hide. So she went to Fist, a crime boss in the lower wards, who she knew worked for the Shadow Broker."
"How does this involve Saren?" the spartan asked.
"He's the one she's hiding from." the Krogan answered. "She has evidence connecting Saren to the Geth. Naturally, Saren doesn't want anyone to see it."
Chief's eyes widened underneath his helmet. He was hoping this mercenary could provide him with another clue, but he did more than that. He all but pointed the way with a neon arrow. "Jackpot!" Cortana exclaimed. "If I had a body, I'd kissthis Krogan!"
"Where's the Quarian now?" Chief asked.
"Last I heard, Fist still had her." Wrex answered. "Probably somewhere inside his club, Chora's Den, in the lower wards. You help me kill Fist, she's all yours."
Chief thought about it for a second. He had fought against mercenaries before during the outer colony rebellions. They were thugs, guns for hire that only sided with whoever was paying the most. He had also fought with mercenaries before. And having them as allies didn't do much to change his opinions of them. Still, in war, you can't be too picky about who your friends are. Chief didn't trust this Krogan as far as he could throw him, but he'll work with him if it accomplishes the mission.
"Fair enough." Chief replied. "Come on. We're heading out."
Chief and Wrex made their way to the elevator. "Chief, I'm getting a transmission from Kaidan." Cortana said as the elevator door closed on the spartan and the mercenary.
"Chief, this is Kaidan. Where are you?"
"C-Sec Academy." Chief replied. "I think I have a lead on Saren."
"So do we." Kaidan said. "Can you meet us at the Med Clinic on Kithoi Ward level 21?"
"Wrex, where's Chora's Den?" Chief asked the merc.
"Kithoi Ward level 20." the alien replied. Chief nodded. Good. The rendezvous point is just one level above the target area.
"Kithoi Ward level 21 sounds good. Meet you there." Chief said.
"Roger that Chief. Over and out." Kaidan said.
"I take it we'll be meeting up with the rest of your squad?" Wrex asked.
"Yup." Chief replied.
"Good. I've got a feeling Fist will know we're coming. The more guns we've got, the better." the merc said.
Chief wasn't worried. If he could board scarabs and then blow them up, he was fairly sure he could handle a strip club.
...
The aircar ride was smooth. Course at that point, the spartan's definition of 'smooth' meant 'devoid of any firefights.' After about fifteen minutes or so, they arrived on level 21 of the Tayseri wards. Ashley and Kaidan were rather surprised by the presence of the Krogan bounty hunter.
"Chief. What is - "
"Williams and Alenko, Wrex. Wrex, Williams and Alenko." Chief interrupted Ashley and got the introductions out of the way. "Wrex knows someone who has evidence proving Saren's guilt."
"Really?" Kaidan asked.
"A Quarian being held by Fist." Wrex elaborated. "If you wanna prove Saren's a traitor, she's your best chance."
"Fist..." Ashley said. She turned to Kaidan. "Isn't he the guy those other guys were working for?"
"What other guys?" Chief asked.
"While we were waiting for you, some guys showed up. They mentioned their boss's name, Fist." Ashley said. "They went into the clinic about seven minutes ago."
It was then that distressed screaming was heard from the clinic. Chief sprung into action. He ran up to the side of the door, drawing out his assault rifle. Wrex wasn't far behind as he took the other side of the door. With his acute hearing, Chief listened in.
"I didn't tell anyone! I swear!" a distressed female voice pleaded.
"That was smart, Doc." a menacing male voice replied. "Now, if Garrus comes around, you stay smart. Keep your mouth shut, or - "
At this point, Chief knew enough about the situation. Fist's men were intimidating a woman inside into silence. This may or may not be relevant to the spartan's mission, but either way, he wasn't about to let a bunch of lowly criminals prey on some hapless civvie. The door opened as he swung around, rifle at the ready. One of the goons noticed the spartan and grabbed the woman. Using her as a human shield, he pointed his pistol at the spartan. "BACK OFF!" he yelled.
"Drop your weapon!" Chief yelled back. It was then that he noticed a Turian sneaking around, crouching behind the half-wall that stood between the spartan and the thug. Chief instantly recognized him as Garrus Vakarian, the C-Sec officer who was in charge of the investigation into Saren. The Turian swung around with his pistol and pulled the trigger. With a bang and a spurt of blood, the thug slumped to the ground. The woman ducked behind her desk as Garrus engaged the thugs in a firefight.
"Move in!" Chief yelled. He, Kaidan, Wrex and Ashley lined up behind the half-wall and opened fire on the remaining thugs with their assault rifles. Between those and Garrus's pistol, they didn't last long. Chief leapt over the half-wall to inspect the damage.
"Perfect timing, Chief." Garrus complimented, earning the spartan's attention. "You distracted that bastard long enough to give me a clear shot at him."
"Clear shot?" Chief said as he looked down at the corpse in question. "A few more centimeters to the right and the hostage would be the one on the ground."
"Er...well, there wasn't time to think. I just reacted. I..." Garrus turned to the woman as she came out from the desk. "Dr. Michel? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Thanks to you. All of you." the woman said. She apparently worked in the clinic since she was addressed as 'Dr.'
"Who were those guys?" Kaidan asked.
"They work for Fist." she replied in what sounded like a Russian accent. "They wanted to shut me up. Keep me from telling Garrus about the Quarian."
"The one I told you about, Chief." Wrex added.
"What do you know about the Quarian?" Chief asked the doctor.
"She came by my office a few days ago. She was hurt, probably on the run. She asked me about the Shadow Broker, wanting to trade information for a place to hide." Michel explained.
"So you put her in contact with Fist." Chief said.
"Yes. He works for the Shadow Broker." Michel replied.
"Not anymore." Garrus corrected. "Now he works for Saren. He must've paid Fist a small fortune for her, so he'll be giving her and the information to Saren instead of the Broker. And the Broker isn't too happy about that."
"That's why he hired me to kill Fist in the first place." Wrex added.
Chief turned to the Krogan, not happy about just finding out Fist worked for Saren. "Why didn't you mention that before?"
"You never asked." Wrex replied with a shrug.
"This isn't good." Cortana said, unheard by all but the Chief. "Chief, if the Quarian went to Fist, and Fist is working for Saren..."
"The Quarian's being led into a trap." Chief concluded, stating it not just to Cortana but to everyone else. "We have less time than we thought. We need to hit Chora's Den. Now."
"Wait, I don't get it. Why's the Quarian so important?" Garrus asked.
"She has evidence linking Saren to the Geth." Chief answered.
Garrus's eyes widened. "You're kidding." His gaze and tone then turned to steel with determination. "If that's the case, I'm coming with you. I want to take Saren down as much as you do."
"Didn't think a Turian would be so eager to take down another Turian." Ashley commented.
Garrus shot the marine a dirty look. "I couldn't find the proof I needed!" he snapped. "But I know what's really going on. Saren's a traitor to the council and a disgrace to my people!"
So that was Garrus's main motivation. To uphold the good name of his species. Chief honestly couldn't blame him. Hell, the spartan would probably be just as pissed if a Human attacked an alien colony unprovoked. "I'll take all the guns I can get." the SPARTAN-II said. "Now let's move."
With that, the spartan was off, his two Human companions and his two new alien companions followed. Chief was on a warpath now that he had a good, clear lead. He was going to Chora's Den, march into Fist's office, and demand the Quarian, at gunpoint if need be. And he would feel damn sorry for anyone who got in his way.
...
Codex Entry (Aliens - Non-Council Races): KIG-YAR
Kig-Yar are a ruthless, mercantile race that once was a part of the Covenant. They were one of the few species that showed little commitment to Covenant religion, most Kig-Yar soldiers being mercenaries who were only fighting because they were being paid to. When the Covenant splintered at the end of the Human-Covenant war, the surviving Kig-Yar population retreated to their tropical home world of Eayn, where they remained until they rebuilt their government, the Kig-Yar Confederacy, in 2564.
When the Kig-Yar Confederacy re-established contact with the UNSC and the Sangheili Empire in 2566, the other two governments did not trust the avians, but the Kig-Yar had claimed that they had reformed their society into a peaceful merchant culture. While 'merchant' is accurate, 'peaceful' is relative. Kig-Yar mercenaries are still among the most common merc races in the galaxy, and most merchants are shrewd at best, cut-throat at worst.
After being granted an embassy on the Citadel in 2665, the Kig-Yar quickly made clear their intentions to become a commercial powerhouse in Citadel space, establishing various trade routes, founding many businesses and offering their financial services to other species. This has put the Kig-Yar in something of a rivalry with the Volus, who were the principal trading race prior to the Kig-Yars' induction.
Kig-Yar were, and still are, infamous for their cunning, persistence, and overall ruthlessness. In 2552, those traits allowed them to be excellent scouts, snipers, and pirates. In 2683, those very same traits allow them to be excellent financiers, politicians, and lawyers