Chapter 29: Endure

As a rule Miranda Lawson never lost her composure. But sometimes she did raise her voice.

"What in the hell are you doing here?"

Jack's smile was positively vicious as she crossed her arms and leaned against the bulkhead.

"Nobody told me it was a private party, ice princess. Shepard's the one that asked me to come along."

The Natarius's briefing room wasn't quite as spacious as the one aboard the Normandy and it was definitely at capacity. Miranda was flanked by Vega and the captain of the Natarius, a female turian named Krosia Centus; while Ashley, Liara, and Javik had taken up seats around the room. Sings-Fury occupied one corner of the room, looking cramped between the table and wall.

The former Cerberus agent tried to prepare for every eventuality. Her dedication to that level of preparedness had saved her life and the lives of others. It wasn't a perfect skill, though. She hadn't been prepared for the pair that stood at the opposite end of the room. The smug look on Jack's face only made it worse.

"Ah, don't get yer knickers in a goddam twist," Zaeed said, kicking his feet up on the table.

Centus snapped her talons against one another and hissed.

"Mr. Massani, I would request that you do not burn your foul smelling intoxicant on my ship."

Zaeed pulled the smoldering cigar from his mouth and looked at it as if not comprehending the problem. The turian's icy gaze finally made him relent, however, and he snubbed the end out on his hand with a grunt.

"I don't think she's happy to see us, old man," Jack chuckled.

"You are a violent, reckless, unstable criminal. Why would I be happy to see you?" Miranda asked in exasperation. "At least Zaeed has a reputation for reliability."

Whatever sarcastic reply Jack was preparing was cut off by another loud hiss from Captain Centus, accompanied by something akin to a high pitched chirp that drew all eyes to the turian. Centus regained her composure quickly and jabbed a talon at the conference table. Sitting in the middle of it was a rachni worker.

"Praetor Shepard informed me that we would be taking on a rachni brood warrior. I was not made aware of… additional passengers."

"I wasn't informed either, I realize this is all quite unorthodox, Captain," Miranda apologized, suppressing a small smirk.

Turians were big on order and rules. Most of them were at least. The former Cerberus agent could think of at least one that definitely went against the grain, but in her experience Garrus Vakarian was the exception that proved the rule. Centus must have been a good commander to have taken command of one of the Hierarchy's most advanced frigates, but she was no Garrus.

Do not fear, Predator-Singer , they sing only songs of help and companionship. Brood warriors are the vanguard of the hive, but we do not comprehend the solitude-songs of your kind. We are never alone.

Miranda could see the captain's mandibles twitch when Sings-Fury spoke into the minds of those assembled. Those that had been aboard the Normandy recently had already become used to the rachni's unique method of communication, but it was a shock to most. Some small part of her was pleased when she noticed that Jack had to try and hide her jump of surprise at the mental communication.

"I… see. Then make sure that they do not surprise any of my crew. I wouldn't want to start a diplomatic incident with the rachni because a tech crushed one by accident," Centus replied tightly.

We will keep the singers of work songs close, Fury promised.

The worker skittered across the table, hearing a call no one else could. While the turian captain and Jack both followed the small creature's movement intently Zaeed seemed completely unperturbed, merely arching one weathered brow as it streaked past. It made a single leap to reach the floor and then disappeared beneath the shelter of Fury's large carapace.

"This shit just keeps getting weirder," the convict muttered.

"You have no idea. I heard a rumor that someone actually let you teach children," Miranda replied. "I can only imagine the… quality education you provide."

"I taught those kids how to fight, how to survive. Exactly what they need to know. If you didn't notice we're in the middle of a war, Cheerleader!"

She could feel her teeth grinding as she prepared to respond, but Vega's accented tone interrupted Miranda's train of thought.

"I don't think fighting amongst ourselves is going to help, chicas. But if you're going to insist, at least give me time to get whatever the turian equivalent of jello is before you start!"

It was grating to admit but the young marine's ploy worked perfectly. She caught herself mirroring Jack's baleful stare in Vega's direction, completely losing steam on the diatribe she had been constructing in her head. She took a deep breath and nodded.

"You're right. Jack, if Shepard sent for you; both of you, then it was for a good reason. Did he explain our mission?" Miranda asked.

"Yep. Standard issue Shepard. Invade Omega, kick Cerberus's teeth in. Drag it through the goddamn relay into the galactic core. Nothing special," Zaeed nodded. "I'd have asked for more money if it had been something real hard."

"What the old man said," Jack agreed.

"I'm not old. I'm just experienced. 'Sides, the fuck'n prothean has a few thousand years on me."

The convict snorted loudly and Javik simply stared at the mercenary placidly. Miranda chose to ignore the exchange, instead continuing the initial briefing.

"It's a little more complicated than that, but you're correct. Shepard is focused on locating Leviathan and bringing whatever or whomever it is into the war on our side. That leaves us to secure Omega as the base of operations for the new System's Alliance."

Tapping her omni-tool Miranda summoned up a holo-image of the station. A secondary image showed nearly a dozen cruisers of various design, mostly turian and human. The standout among them was the asari frigate, its sleek lines that looked out of place among the hard edges of the other ships.

"We'll be rendezvousing with a small fleet in approximately sixteen hours. In addition to Hierarchy and Alliance soldiers we will also be meeting with none other than Aria T'Loak."

"Why?" Javik asked. "The asari is a criminal, one that has been deposed from the throne of her criminal empire. She serves no purpose."

Liara beat her to the punch before she could correct the prothean.

"It's not that simple. Aria is more than just a criminal. She has favors from dozens of asari matriarchs, mercenary companies… in addition my sources say that she has intelligence from within Omega . That's information that we need to successfully retake the station."

"It is still a significant risk. Her kind were always the first to turn to the Reapers seeking to forestall their own annihilation."

"I don't like anything I've heard about Aria," Ashley said grimly. "But I don't think she got to where she is by being stupid."

"That is also why this operation cannot wait for weeks. Once we join the rest of the fleet, our assault on Omega will have to commence within twenty four hours. The faster we move, the less chance that any indoctrinated agents can leak information to the Reapers," Miranda explained, gesturing towards the image. "Until we secure the station it's vulnerable. The geth have a small armada waiting just outside the system; once Omega is ours they will jump in and begin the relocation project."

"So we're not just taking over a giant space station and relocating it thousands of light-years. We're doing it on a deadline," Vega summed up for the room.

Miranda sighed and clasped her arms behind her back.

"Needless to say the risk is… extreme. Which is why Shepard told me to inform everyone that this mission is completely voluntary. If you want out then a shuttle will return you to the Citadel, no questions asked."

Jack's immediate response seemed to echo the feelings of the entire room.

"Fuck that."


War was no stranger to Oleg Petrovsky. He had taken orders. Given orders. Killed men. Had others die in his arms. The hypersonic crack of mass accelerator fire and the thundering of explosions no longer quickened his blood as they had in his youth. Many of Cerberus's initial recruits into the Illusive Man's grand army had been eager to experience the thrill of combat. He knew war all too well for that.

Petrovsky tapped the chessboard before him and watched as his holographic bishop disappeared, reappearing on C4. A formulaic opening move, but in the months since establishing control of Omega he had taken to baiting the VI opponent just to create some sort of challenge. A black pawn dematerialized and reappeared exactly where he'd expected. He sighed in frustration.

The crackle of the comm provided a brief respite from the monotony.

"General, citizens are attempting the breach the security field on level eight, sub-section three. Per your orders I am confirming before engaging."

"What are they doing?"

"Attempting to breach the security field," the soldier repeated blankly.

He sighed again and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"And how are they going about this, Lieutenant?"

"They appear to be throwing scrap metal at it, sir."

"And do you believe that pieces of scrap metal are actually capable of disabling or even damaging the security field?"

"No sir," his subordinate responded without hesitation.

"Then you have your answer, Lieutenant. Stand down. If you find something that poses an actual threat then contact me for leave to engage."

He disconnected the transmission without even waiting for the other man's predictable 'yes sir' to come across the line. When the Illusive Man had promised him an actual army, not just a handful of operatives, Petrovsky had been skeptical. Cerberus's leader had delivered as promised, however, providing him with an entire battalion of soldiers in gleaming white and gold armor.

It had only been later that the veteran of the First Contact War had come to realize the problem with Cerberus's ready-made army. The Reaper technology that the Illusive Man had utilized to turn raw recruits into soldiers was nothing short of amazing. It created soldiers that were easily trained, physically resilient, and fanatically loyal, but obedience alone did not a great soldier make.

The 'drones', as Petrovsky had come to think of them, possessed no initiative. Once they had been men, but now there was no fire in the synthetic eyes hidden beneath the Cerberus issued helmets. In fact the only defining traits they seemed to possess after their initiation were their fanatical loyalty and an innate desire for combat. Hence why every so often he would get a call exactly like the one he had just terminated.

It made him wonder at times. The security fields were guarded by Cerberus soldiers, their bodies laced to the bone with cybernetics. On the other side lurked the things that the fields were meant to keep out. Caught in the middle, trapped on one side of the barricade or the other, were Omega's civilians. How many were left alive on the other side of those fields he couldn't be certain.

The general shook his head. He had his orders. Hold Omega at all costs. It was the gatekeeper to the Omega 4 relay and Cerberus' line to the greatest resource of raw materials and unknown technology in the known galaxy. The Illusive Man had made it clear that if they were to stop the Reapers and secure humanity's place in the galaxy, maintaining control of Omega was key.

He keyed in another move and eased back in his chair, eyes distant as he spoke to the empty room, quoting another revolutionary from Earth's history.

"I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy..."


"I'm here to get my station back, Turian, not to follow your protocols."

"You are here because you stated that you had vital information regarding Omega, Ms. T'lok," Captain Centus hissed and leaned across the table. "If it was my decision you would be in a cell where criminals belong!"

The asari smirked wickedly.

"Keep dreaming, bitch. I was granted diplomatic immunity by the Asari Republics."

"We were made aware of that," Victus interjected dryly, his holographic image being projected nearby. "And we don't have time to play politics. What do you know about Cerberus's defenses or weaknesses in the station?"

Aria leaned back in her chair and kicked her feet up, shaking her head.

"Not so fast. I've got terms. Your entire mission objective seems to be to turn my station into a staging ground for your war. I'm not helping you retake Omega just so a bunch of turians with sticks up their asses can occupy it instead."

"Our war, as you call it, is a war to preserve all life in this galaxy. You are not an exception to that," the Primarch growled.

"Wars end. I'm protecting what's mine. I want an agreement signed by you as Primarch of the Hierarchy that once Omega is secured stating that I will be named sole governor of Omega and the station will continue to act with autonomy. I'll let you use my station, but it's still mine… and you'll be just another set of customers."

Miranda had been watching the exchange with interest. She knew all about Aria's history, at least as much as anyone did. The asari's imperious demands were clearly getting under the plates of the heavily turian military presence that was supporting their offensive. Even with their staggering losses the Hierarchy still had over half its fleet functional. Earth could barely claim a third, which meant it fell to the turians to do the heavy lifting.

These were just the sort of conflicts that could tear fledgling alliances apart. Without intelligence from Aria any assault could be costly beyond reason. The Illusive Man would be counting on that to deter an attack. There was no doubt in Miranda's mind that he knew that a concerted attack would inevitably overwhelm any defense Cerberus could muster, but if he made the projected losses for such an attack high enough, that alone would deter any attempt.

"We are not going to be blackmailed by a-"

Cestus's mandibles were twitching in outrage but Miranda cut her off.

"We agree to your terms, Aria."

"We… what?" the female turian stammered.

"At least there's one intelligent person in the room," Aria said triumphantly. "You need me."

Victus remained silent but not everyone had the same self control. The former Cerberus operative could see that the Natarius's captain was practically quivering in anger.

"You can't just hand over a station to this criminal bitch! A station that soldiers of the Hierarchy will die to secure!"

Cestus punctuated her statement by slamming a fist onto the table. Miranda merely crossed her arms over her chest and stared the turian down impassively.

"I can and I will. Those soldiers, turian and human, are part of the New Systems Alliance… and Praetor Shepard has given me his absolute authority in this operation," she replied. "He told me to secure Omega at any cost. That is exactly what I'm doing."

For a moment it looked as if the captain was going to continue to argue but that turian instinct to follow the chain of command reined her in. Cestus might not have been happy but just using Shepard's title had reminded her of her place, especially when her poorly concealed glance at Victus offered no support.

"Are we all aware of the pecking order now?" Aria asked.

"I've agreed to your terms. Now we need that information if we're going to succeed in taking back Omega. We don't have time for gloating anymore than we had for bickering," Miranda responded flatly.

The asari frowned when her bait was left untaken but nodded at last. In a moment her expression and manner changed completely, becoming all business. No more jabs or acidic comments. Just information, observations. Exactly what Miranda wanted.

"Getting information out of Omega wasn't easy, but one of my last contacts provided a final databurst."

Aria activated her omni-tool and sent a stream of information to the main display.

"The key to securing Omega is the main command and control. We take that, we have absolute control of Omega and all her systems. It won't be as easy. To start with there are these…"

"Spirits…"

"Dios mio..." Vega muttered, speaking up for the first time.

"Six heavy thanix turrets tied to a main targeting computer, fast enough to track a frigate. More than enough firepower to core a cruiser with a direct hit."

She watched Aria indulge in another self-satisfied smile.

"And it just gets worse from there."


Despite hours of discussion and review, in the end they settled on a relatively simple plan. The bulk of the fleet would engage the picket line of Cerberus ships blockading Omega while trying to remain at the extreme ranges of the station's defensive cannons. Their goal was simply to tie up Cerberus' mobile space assets.

A second wave would strike from directly 'above' the station. What was left of the asteroid made a nearly impenetrable shield, but it also left a blind spot not covered by the emplaced weapons. This second squadron would be entirely comprised of troop transports, combat shuttles, and a handful of corvettes and fighters.

The smaller, agile ships could navigate the dense asteroid field and hopefully use their close proximity to the station to avoid enemy fire once they were finally forced to enter the threat range of the heavy guns. Fighter cover would make the first attack run, each ship armed with a single disruption torpedo. An initial volley would disable the station's kinetic barriers long enough to facilitate a landing.

"Hold on! We're going in!" the pilot of their shuttle barked.

The already jarring ride through the asteroids became even more frantic as space outside the viewports flooded with sudden light. Miranda felt the harness press into her body like a stone. She caught a brief glimpse of a massive lance of crimson streaking outwards from the station. One of the thanix weapons Cerberus had installed. A much greater danger to their ship, however, was the cloud of rapid-fire mass accelerator fire that filled the space around them.

"Thought you said they just installed those big laser cannon things?" Jack growled at Aria, gripping her own harness with white knuckles.

"Omega was never completely defenseless... they must have upgraded the point defense batteries as well!" the asari shot back. "This is why I'm never the first one through a door!"

As if to emphasize her point fire blossomed from one of the other shuttles nearby as it was raked with accelerator rounds. The vessel struggled to hold together, but an explosion rocked it a second later, sending it spinning away, disintegrating piece by piece. Miranda's comm crackled to life.

"Spearhead, this is Natarius. We've engaged the Cerberus fleet, but your assault wing is taking heavy losses. Twenty-one percent of assault wing vessels are down. Recommend abort boarding run!"

"Negative, Natarius. We won't get another chance at this," Miranda said. "Keep those ships engaged!"

One of the corvettes returned fire with a matched pair of light naval mass accelerators. Fighters streaked by and launched a volley of torpedoes. Unable to determine their success or failure all Miranda could do was wait, strapped into a tiny metal box in a sea of fire and hoping that they would make it to their target. It was not a feeling that she relished.

"Entry point, two klicks! We're going to be coming in fast!"

The only one in the shuttle that didn't seem particularly fazed was Zaeed. He held a battered looking rifle in his hands, turning it over in his hands and actually smiling even while the shuttle felt as if it would shake apart around them. The incongruity of it apparently too much for Jack to leave alone in her agitated state.

"What the fuck is it with you and that rifle, old man? We're about to get blown up and you're not evening paying attention!"

"It's not just any goddamn rifle, this is Jessie. Show some respect!"

"That piece of shit that was always sitting on your workbench on the Normandy? You brought a gun that doesn't even work on a mission?"

"Mr. Massani is a professional; I'm certain that he wouldn't bring a non-functional rifle into combat…" Miranda said, continuing after a moment of silence from the mercenary. "You… wouldn't, correct?"

"Of course not! Got an offer from Shepard to join up on this mission... best damn deal I ever made. Get to blow the hell out of a bunch of Cerberus bastards and that magical goddamn quarian of his sent the last part I needed to fix Jessie. Custom job. Now the old girl is easier than a two credit slag!"

Aria looked more than a little incredulous.

"You took a suicide mission because Shepard's suit rat fixed your gun ? I expected more from the infamous Zaeed Massani."

"Hey, keep your trap shut about the fishbowl. She's alright," Jack snapped at T'lok.

"Aye, goddamn saint that girl is," Zaeed agreed, fixing the asari with a glare from his good eye.

Aria merely rolled her eyes, but Miranda noticed that she didn't make any attempts to argue. It was an interesting exchange to watch, almost enough to take her mind off the way that her jaw clenched with every vibration that ran through the shuttle. When the Illusive Man had first given her the dossiers for Shepard's team there had been a spirited argument over the inclusion of Jack. Zaeed had been easy: his reputation was impeccable. But the biotic convict had been too much of a loose cannon. She had insisted that her psychotic tendencies and hatred of Cerberus would end in disaster.

A year later and Miranda was listening to that same convict defend a quarian girl's honor against an asari crimelord, backed up by a grizzled mercenary. All while they were barreling headlong into an assault against the very organization that had brought them all together and protected her for years on end.

"Shit!"

The sound of panic and tearing metal ended any contemplation. In an instant the ship was filled with smoke and the blare of system warnings. Their pilot sounded as if he couldn't decide whether to curse or pray. A second later the ship stopped with bone jarring abruptness, driving the harness into Miranda's shoulders.

"Status?" she asked, coughing.

"Nobody's dead, Ice Princess," Jack replied immediately. "That the best landing you could manage, jackass?"

"Carmichael…"

"Huh?"

The pilot pulled himself free of his harness and stuck his head into the passenger compartment.

"Lieutenant Carmichael. You know... the one that landed this busted ship without killing anyone? That's me. If you don't like it then you can give it a try next time."

"Ha… well at least there's someone in the Alliance other than my bunch of kids that still has a pair. You're alright, Carmichael."

"Enough with the goddamn bonding, where the fuck are we?" Zaeed demanded.

Rather than answer his question immediately Aria punched the door controls. There was a labored hiss and then a low groan, but the door finally slid open. The asari exited the ship with a small push of biotic power and touched down a few feet away, drawing her pistol as she looked around.

"About seven decks off course," Aria said at last, a sour look on her face. "These are the old mining bays… barely ever used anymore. This whole area used to be crawling with vorcha."

The rest of the team clambered out of the damaged shuttle and took up a rough defensive position. It was certainly Omega. The only real illumination came from the dull orange glow of ancient overhead backup lights. The air itself was thick and dank. Clearly either there had been damage during the assault… or more likely Aria had simply seen no reason to maintain the atmosphere scrubbers on this level considering it was infested with vorcha.

"This is Spearhead to all units. Does anyone copy?" Miranda asked over the taskforce's frequency.

Long moments passed. Finally a response came, static filled but still intelligible.

"Spear Three, copy. Getting major interference on comms."

"Cerberus," Aria interjected. "Disrupt short range comms to keep anyone from organizing a resistance movement. Most tech on Omega would be completely useless if military hardware is getting this much interference."

Miranda nodded at the asari and turned her attention back to her comm.

"Understood, Spear Three. What is your status? Have you made contact with any of the other teams?"

"We are securing our LZ," the soldier replied. "Shuttle is damaged but space-worthy. One injured but still mobile: broken wrist. Made brief contact with Spear Four but lost them in all the static. They were on level 19."

Not good. Nineteen was another five decks below them. Miranda silently cursed. Her attempt at minimizing casualties had left them scattered and woefully under-strength. Maybe she had tried to think too much like Shepard, too involved. Too personal. The Miranda Lawson that had put Commander Shepard back together for Cerberus wouldn't have made the same mistake. She would have chosen the method that was most likely to succeed, regardless of the potential casualties.

They held position for another ten minutes, trying to contact other elements of the strike force. Their own shuttle had been one of the newest Kodiak class shuttles, smaller and more agile than the assault shuttles being used by the other teams. Even with that agility they had still been nearly killed. Two more teams finally checked in.

Spear One and Spear Seven had both made it with minimal casualties but suffered from the same problem. Seven was mostly on target, only one deck below the main docking ring. Spear One, on the other hand, was only a deck away from where Four had set down. In the end, she ordered One to locate Four and secure the lower levels. If all else failed they would at least have somewhere to fall back to.

"So what's the plan?" Zaeed asked, hefting his rifle.

"A dozen strike teams and we've been able to contact three of them and confirm that Spear Four at least made it onto the station. The others could have been shot down or were far enough off course that we can't raise them on comms," she replied. "Even if we link up with Spears Seven and Three… we're looking at maybe a single platoon to go up against whatever forces Cerberus has on station."

Jack cracked her knuckles and grinned wolfishly.

"Well, I'm game."

"I'm not," Aria countered. "I didn't come here to reclaim Omega only to get shot. I know Omega better than anyone. Oleg and the command center is the key. We make it there and we can end this."

"What are you suggesting?" Miranda asked.

"Omega is a maze. Petrovsky can't have covered every single passageway. Even if he did, it would mean spreading himself thin. I get us through and we cut the head off the snake."

"It's the best we can do…" she agreed, contacting the other strike force elements. "Spear Seven, Spear Three, this is Spearhead. Operation has changed. You need to locate Cerberus strong points and engage them. I need you to keep Cerberus's attention."

"Aye aye, ma'am."

"Spear Seven, copy that."

"Three birds and a flyboy… I've seen worse. Course I've seen better too," Zaeed said with a grunt.

"Three biotics of our power should be a considerable force multiplier," she assured the man.

"Bloody well hope so. What about the kid?"

Aria looked at the pilot and gave a sultry laugh.

"Everyone has to pop their cherry some time. Wouldn't be the first time someone did it on Omega."

"I can handle myself," Carmichael promised, studiously not looking at Aria as he pulled on the combat armor that he had retrieved from the shuttle.

The aged mercenary jabbed a finger at the younger man.

"We'll see about that. You've got my six, boy. Need someone to keep their shit together while the biotic bitches do their thing. Remember all that crap they taught you in basic training and keep your damn head down, clear?"

Carmichael pulled on his helmet and hefted a standard issue assault rifle, nodding.

"Yes, sir."

"Let's move," Miranda ordered.

Omega didn't improve as they continued through the tunnels and corridors. It was only after they had been advancing carefully for nearly fifteen minutes without encountering resistance that she began to worry. The station was massive but everything they knew about Cerberus strength and disposition suggested they should have encountered initial resistance only minutes after landing.

She actually knew Oleg Petrovsky by reputation. While the two had never met in person, her position as the Illusive Man's right hand for so long gave her a much broader picture of Cerberus's operations than most. Before joining Cerberus he had been a candidate for the admiralty, acknowledged as an excellent tactician and strategist. He had objected stridently to the Council's inaction during the Eden Prime War and had eventually resigned his commission. The paperwork had barely been processed before Cerberus had made contact.

So she knew about this personal beliefs, his tactical acumen, his nearly obsessive need to plan for even wildly unlikely variables. Which made their current undisturbed advance all the more worrying. A man with Petrovsky's experience did not simply forget to send soldiers to contain a security breach. Clearly she wasn't alone in her concerns either.

"Too damned easy," Zaeed muttered.

"Isn't that a good thing?" the pilot asked.

Jack snorted loudly.

"Fuck no. Easy just means someone is setting you up to get boned."

"Goddamn right. Life ain't supposed to be easy, Kid. If it's easy you're doing something wrong. Especially when you're trying to kill a bunch of other bastards," Zaeed explained. "They're not fighting tooth and bloody nail to keep you out means they're not afraid of you. That means they know something you don't."

"Aria?" Miranda asked.

They came to a heavy door that gave a mournful tone and shuddered once rather than opening. The asari cursed and shrugged.

"They're both right. Petrovsky played the game perfectly before. He'll have a plan. Come on, there's an access shaft over here. We can bypass this corridor by going through the maintenance area."

"Clear the top with a gun in your hand, Kid, and then cover the approach," Zaeed ordered, shoving the pilot towards the nearby ladder.

In spite of the mercenary's justified paranoia there was no ambush waiting at the top of the ladder. They found themselves moving through a dimly lit area filled with the rarely seen guts of Omega: oxygen scrubbers, cooling units, and power converters. Most were humming along well enough, though a few popped and sputtered fitfully.

This steady drone of background noise made her dismiss the first time she heard the sound: a low, vibrating groan. It could easily have been a piece of machinery surrendering to years of poor maintenance. Then the sound came again, from a different direction and accompanied by the sound of a heavy impact on the metal floor. Almost simultaneously, the three biotics were wreathed in an azure glow, while Zaeed's rifle was already trained in the direction of the sound.

The mercenary flicked his omni-tool's directed illumination feature, sending a beam of light into the darkness. Now alerted, Miranda could hear the thump of heavy footsteps. A second later something lumbered into view, a faint glow emanating from the creature's face and other parts of its body. It was as tall as a man, but hunched over with a bulbous head and swaying gait. Rather than a mouth it seemed to have a mass of cords or tentacles that reached to its chest.

"What the fuck is that?" Jack asked.

The thing began to advance towards them steadily, letting Miranda see more details. Her eyes widened. She had seen this before or at least something like it. The blue lines that ran beneath its skin, the glow of its eyes. Reaper technology, just like the experiments they had carried out on the first husks they had found.

"Open fire!" Aria yelled even before Miranda could issue the same order.

Zaeed didn't hesitate for a second, unleashing a long burst from his favorite rifle that caught the creature directly in its center of mass. It staggered under the impact and dark, purplish ichor oozed from the wounds… but it didn't fall. Instead it lashed out with one clawed hand to send a burst of raw biotic force streaking towards them. The combined efforts of the three biotics stopped the blast cold as they instinctively poured power into a barrier in front of them.

"Shoot the goddamn thing!" the mercenary roared at Carmichael.

They dropped the barrier and both men opened up this time, accelerator rounds hitting the creature with meaty thumps. It attempted to take another step forward but finally collapsed under the weight of fire directed towards it, slumping forward into a pool of its own blood.

"We need to get out of here now!" Aria hissed.

"You knew what that thing was!" the former Cerberus operative snapped, whirling on Aria with flashing eyes. "Reaper technology. It looked like some kind of husk… and you didn't think to mention it before we landed on Omega?"

"Petrovsky called them 'adjutants', said they were some experiment of yours that got out of control. A swarm of the things attacked Omega during the initial invasion… which is how Petrovsky got his foothold. By the time I realized that Cerberus had engineered the whole thing it was too late!"

The groaning sound filled their ears again, ending any further discussion. Carmichael spun in the direction it had come from, but even as he did more echoed around them. There were more, either laying in wait the entire time or having been drawn by the sound of weapons fire.

"These things might look unwieldy by they get up to speed fast!" the asari said. "We need to move!"

As much as she wanted to extract more information about the threat from Aria, along with a valid reason to have withheld that information, Miranda knew the woman was right. The amount of fire one adjutant had absorbed meant that multiple in close quarters would be disastrous. They turned to the most basic defense of all: they ran.

"We need to find somewhere open where they can't surprise us!" Aria explained as they ran.

"Might not have been surprised if some bitch hadn't forgotten to mention them," Jack said acidly.

For once she was in agreement with the convict. By the time they made it to the end of the maintenance corridor she could see at least half a dozen of the creatures running after them. Aria had been right about that too . They weren't slow, in fact they were gaining. Letting the asari lead the way, they took a sharp right and vaulted over a number of waist high barriers that had been left blocking the way.

"We've got forty-five seconds at best before they make up the distance, Aria!" Miranda yelled.

"I know! This way leads to one of the main thoroughfares! We can use the stairs leading to it as a choke point."

As promised, the oppressiveness of Omega's tunnels widened into a more expansive area of two levels that were open air in the middle. It looked as if it was meant to be a residential area where small stands and shops could have been set up in the middle. Aria turned the final corner towards the stairs only to slide to a halt with a curse in her fluid native tongue.

"Come on, why are we stopping? Those things are coming!" Carmichael blurted.

The reason was obvious, though, as the stairs that they had hoped to use to their advantaged were blocked. A shimmering field of red energy covered the archway at the base of the stairs. From the way it popped and sizzled in the air Miranda suspected that any contact with the field would be ill-advised. There was no time to experiment.

"Take up defensive positions. Carmichael, left flank. Zaeed, cover the right! I'm going to assume that teaching children hasn't dulled your biotic abilities, Jack?"

"Fuck you, Princess."

There wasn't long to wait for the attack. The adjutants came around the same corner in long, loping strides that ate up the ground. To his credit, Carmichael didn't hesitate this time, opening up at the same moment as Zaeed. At first she thought the old mercenary was losing his touch as his rounds seem to track low. Then she watched him stitch a line of fire up the creature's leg and send it tumbling to the ground as the limb gave out.

Weapons fire wasn't enough to stop the rush, but thankfully they had a great deal more than guns. The closest two adjutants ran directly into the path of Jack's biotic shockwave, the gravity distortions leaving them dangling in mid air for a brief second. It was brief because Aria followed up with an assault of her own, a concentrated blast of biotic force that struck the same enemy. As the two biotic fields touched they reacted violently, the ensuing detonation shredding the adjutant's pallid gray flesh from their bones.

Miranda caught the next in her own biotic field, hurtling the creature upwards towards the ceiling before yanking it to the floor with the same force as a falling boulder. The two soldiers did their best to slow the remaining creatures down, but the adjutants were simply too quick and resilient to be downed before reaching their defensive line.

One of the adjutants swiped a taloned hand over the barricade Zaeed was using for cover just as the mercenary's rifle clicked empty. With a loud curse he yanked the heavy pistol from his hip and pounded six shots straight into the creature's head, causing it to collapse over the barrier with a final gurgle.

Carmichael didn't have the same training or luck. His burst of rifle fire tore into the approaching adjutant's side, but in a single fluid motion it leapt, clearing half a dozen meters in the space of a heartbeat. Jack tried to knock the thing back with her biotics but another adjutant was almost on top of her, forcing the biotic to slam her assailant back with a sudden blast.

"Shit!" the pilot screamed as the adjutant landed on the barricade.

Miranda knew she'd be too slow even as she drew her pistol and focused her biotics. The creatures were deceptively fast and the adjutant had momentum on its side, its bulky form and sharp claws falling towards the soldier even as Carmichael fell backwards, trying to scramble away.

A pair of thunderous booms drowned out all other sound. The adjutant jerked in mid-strike, lurching violently to the side with an enormous chunk of its chest simply missing while the last remaining creature stopped abruptly a few feet from their lines. It took a single step forward before collapsing to the ground with an equally large cavity where its face should have been.

The former Cerberus operative spun, scanning the area around them. Perched above them were two forms on the second floor, both with massive rifles braced against the railing. A turian and either a human or a batarian from the design of their red and white armor.

"Good damn timing there!" Zaeed said with a guffaw, tossing the pair a casual salute.

"I… what?" Carmichael stammered, still seated on the ground and staring at the dead adjutant incredulously.

"Omega is no place for tourists," a flanged voice said.

A turian, female if Miranda judged correctly based on the slimmer build, stepped out of the shadows to their right. Half a dozen more armored men and women followed behind her. None of their gear looked state of the art, but most of it was military grade.

"Nyreen?" Aria asked.

It actually sounded like surprise in the asari's voice when the turian pulled back her hood, revealing a narrow face and prominent mandibles. The red paint of her facial markings matched the armor of the soldiers that now surrounded them.

"Aria T'lok… Omega's self-appointed queen returns," Nyreen replied sardonically. "Not quite the triumphant welcome you were expecting? Being saved by my pair of wannabe Archangels?"

Above them, one of the two snipers made a rude gesture as he was collapsing the bi-pod on his rifle.

"I thought you left Omega?" Aria inquired, ignoring the turian's verbal jab.

Nyreen shook her head.

"No, I only told you I left Omega. After that I made it a point to disappear. Ironic that I'm the one still here. Come on. Spirits know what your plan was for coming here but staying on the streets is a death sentence."

"How do we know we can trust you?" Miranda interjected .

Not that they had a great deal of choice in the matter but she couldn't help but automatically question the sudden aid. Omega didn't have much of a reputation for altruism. It wouldn't do them any good if they were saved from one threat only to end up in a worse situation.

"You don't… but if I'd wanted you dead you would be. And if you stay here it will only be a matter of time before more adjutants find you. Come with us or see how long it takes before one of these things kills you," the turian said, kicking at one of the fallen creatures. "Your choice."

"Point taken."

"Talons, let's move!" Nyreen ordered.

They followed Nyreen and her soldiers into one of the abandoned shops. The turian led them to a concealed doorway that led into tunnels that ran within the walls of Omega, the entrance itself would have been almost completely indistinguishable if Miranda hadn't been shown where it was. Beside her Carmichael was shaking his head.

"Problem, soldier?" Miranda asked.

"No ma'am, no problem at all. I just crashed here, ran through a busted, foul smelling space station and almost got my guts ripped out by some kind of Reaper zombie monster. Now I'm surrounded by half a dozen women that are all capable of killing me without effort. I'm just fucking fine."

The pilot jerked when Jack slapped him on the back, laughing.

"Sarcasm, that's how real men cope! You're alright kid. Just remember that last part and you'll go far."

Miranda shook her head, letting a faint smile cross her lips, and followed Nyreen and the others into the darkness below Omega.


Petrovsky examined the readouts and pursed his lips. There was no question that Aria had made it to Omega but there was nothing to be done for it. In the end this 'invasion' could actually work to his advantage. With their initial assault blunted the Alliance didn't possess the manpower to stage a frontal assault. Isolated into smaller pockets they were being forced to fortify their positions against the rogue adjutants that roamed a significant portion of the station.

It provided an opportunity. The fresh Alliance forces could help reduce the adjutants' numbers with their superior firepower, leaving him free to allocate troops to deal with the Talons. Nyreen Kandros's gang turned resistance movement didn't possess the same level of technology and training as the Alliance forces but they had a far more dangerous weapon: familiarity. The only way to deal with a well-equipped and elusive resistance movement was either to appease it or to destroy it with overwhelming force.

He had offered amnesty to any Talons that laid down their arms and had made good on his promise, attempting to take the former path to victory. Kandros was a mostly rational individual. In time he believed that he could have convinced her that Omega under Cerberus control was preferable to the mercurial dictatorship of Aria. With the resources at his disposal he could have turned the station into a true mirror of the Citadel instead of a festering hive of crime and filth.

The adjutants had ruined any chance he had of a peaceful path. His mistake had been not ensuring that every inch of the station had been purged of the creatures. An inexcusable oversight, one he regretted every moment. One of the things had escaped into the bowels of Omega only to emerge days later. Within hours there were dozens. Within the day, hundreds. By the time he realized what had occurred it was far too late.

Faced with overwhelming numbers of the horrific creations Petrovsky had made the decision to salvage what he could. Sending his troops to key points around the station he had spent nearly two days straight commanding engineering teams to set up another piece of technology from beyond the Omega 4 relay: thermal conductive fields sealing off every access point in a complicated web that spanned three decks.

And then he withdrew his troops. Every soldier that fell was another adjutant to add to the growing horde. It was a battle of attrition he could not engage in. Those inside the fields were protected; those without were left to fend for themselves. It was not a decision made lightly but it was the correct one.

"Display: Nyreen Kandros," the Cerberus general said, activating the console's voice controls.

In truth the general had been impressed at how well Nyreen had organized the former street gang into an effective force. Her turian military record scrolled across his screen. High marks in battlefield awareness and command, proficiency far beyond the standard weapons training for a typical soldier. And finally biotic abilities that had tested at impressive levels for a turian. Her file noted that she would have been in line for command of a cabal if she hadn't resigned.

It made the failure of his original plan leave an even more bitter taste in his mouth. Unlike many of his colleagues he had no direct animosity towards the alien species that populated the galaxy. The human species needed an advocate and Cerberus was that advocate. It did not mean that there could not be relationships built with the other species. An asset like Kandros on his side would have provided him a powerful edge.

"Close file."

Instead the Illusive Man's science experiments had left him in control of barely a fifth of the populated areas of the station. He had agreed to their use to facilitate the takeover of Omega, but he had been uneasy nonetheless. They were an uncontrolled variable, an imperfect technology salvaged from a derelict starship beyond the relay. How long the techno-organic creatures had been waiting there in stasis was almost impossible to tell.

The Illusive Man had insisted that they would be the key to securing humanity's place in the galaxy and defeating the Reapers. And under Cerberus's absolute control Petrovsky could not argue their effectiveness. There appeared to be no limit to the adjutants' ability to corrupt organic and even synthetic tissue. The few experiments that had been recorded using husks had shown that, if anything, the Reapers' foot soldiers were even more easily converted than typical organics. It was as if they had simply opened a box and found the silver bullet with which to dispatch their greatest threat.

That should have been a warning. Technology that could so easily override the commands of the Reapers? How exactly did they expect to control such power when they couldn't even take control of a single husk with their own experiments. Now what should have been a bastion of Cerberus's ascendant power was a station plagued with chaos.

Every time he asked for more men, more material to secure the station the answer he received was the same: Cerberus was stretched too thin. His own task force had been the most significant investment since the Lazarus Project. He would have to 'make do' with what he had.

Oleg stood and walked over to the small bar in what had been Aria's office, pulling a bottle from the bottom shelf and brushing away the dust. He grunted in appreciation. At least she had had good taste. He poured the liquor and returned to his seat, taking a slow sip.

He would make do. Cerberus had opened Pandora's Box, but it would survive. The Alliance had given him the means. Now he merely had to use the pieces in play.


"This is my bunker!"

"Oh? I didn't notice," Nyreen said to Aria dryly.

"I never told you about this!" the asari hissed.

"No, but you did tell me about the tunnels. And once you left Omega I used those tunnels to stay alive. The adjutants aren't mindless, but they seem to be more animal cunning and rote memory than truly intelligent. Thankfully they haven't figured out how to access them," the turian explained, gesturing to the massive doors that were slowly opening. "Then I started thinking like you. Why have this unfettered access to most of the station but set up your base of operations in a club? Not secure at all…"

"Impressive, but how did you get in?" Miranda asked. "I can't imagine Aria left it unlocked."

"Omega is home to some of the best techs and hackers in the Terminus systems. The same kind of people Aria paid to build it originally and then likely had killed . It took time, but we had plenty of that."

Zaeed grunted in approval.

"This is a proper goddamn hardpoint… automatic turret defenses, looks like mark nineteen Elkoss autoguns. Good model, that. Not fancy but it works until the barrels melt."

"I'm glad you approve, Mr. Massani. Your reputation precedes you," Nyreen replied over her shoulder.

The massive doors finally opened and they stepped inside. Miranda saw yet more members of Nyreen's Talons. More than just turians, though they seemed to be the majority, she saw humans and salarians, even a handful of krogans, vorcha, and asari. Most of them, even the krogans, were wearing warpaint that mirrored Nyreen's own markings.

Inside was an entire command and control center bathed in red emergency lighting, supplemented by the glow of consoles and readouts against every wall. Yet more Talons were within, sitting at most of the terminals, monitoring camera feeds and various streams of data from life support to external sensors. Two guards gave Nyreen a rather crisp salute that she returned before stopping and turning back to their small team.

"Welcome to the home of the Talons. Whatever plan you had when you got here the spirits took and dragged it straight into the abyss. You came here expecting a sprint? I'm afraid you've walked into a marathon, one we've been running for the past six months."

The turian's gaze drifted across all of them but seemed to pointedly directed at Aria.

"You want to retake Omega? Then you better start catching up."


I'm back! Visual issues are hopefully solved and in even more good news: all of the original Razor's Edge is now available on my website at wulversden dot com! Mr chassan1 gave it a final review with excellent results. And as I mentioned last time, feel free to stop by the forums to ask any questions or make any general comments!

I hope you continue to enjoy as all the plots start coming to a head in Requiem. We've entered the final stretch I'd say... until next time, thanks for reading as sorry once again for the delay!