I really should have thought everything through before meeting up with a notorious gangster to gain the favor of the Batarians and Volus. It just so happened when I was on my way to the Presidium I received information on my omnitool that Aria wanted to speak with me about "mutual back scratching" which lead me to think that somehow even the gangsters of Omega saw my speech.
This was gutsy going on my own but whatever it took, right? Proceeding to the Apollo Café, I walked in. Sure enough two big ass Krogan blocked my path.
"I'm expecting Shepard." Aria's indifferent tone indicated to the bodyguards. I could tell that they were scanning me through my biotic implants, which was illegal since it could kill me, but they checked for weapons. Obviously, I had many all over my own person.
"Take off your weapons Shepard." The bodyguard growled.
Aria just irritably said to knock it off, and I was let through to the table. Sitting across from Aria, I waited then said, "You said you need my help as much as I need yours, what do you want?"
"I know that the Batarians and Volus hate my gangs and the Reapers are much of a threat to me as they are to you. I can help you there if you unite the Blood Pack, Blue Suns, and Eclipse under my rule. I assure you this is beneficial to us both." Aria finished, drinking some Thessian wine.
"All right. Does the gang honor code still apply?" I asked tactfully.
The Asari raised an eyebrow, "What the hell do you care?"
"Well if I need to appoint leaders of each gang that will listen to you, I'm going to have to kill the leader in charge, and the gangs typically don't fight without their leader's orders." I stated bored and slightly pissed off.
"Clearly you have to do that or else I wouldn't have asked you and would have done this myself." Aria bitched.
"You'd only help me if I helped you first only if you were really desperate, Reapers, Batarians, and Volus or not. Is there a hit out on you?" I implicated, waiting for a reaction.
"It's none of your damn business. Just do as you're told Shepard." Aria tensed.
"You need me, whereas I don't need you; in other words I'm not the bitch here you are and I own you."
The Krogan pointed his gun at my head, I knew with my big mouth I could die, but this wasn't Omega this was my turf and as Spectre if there was any rule bending it was on my terms. "It's not going to happen if I'm dead, if he kills me I seriously doubt any mercenary or C-Sec agent will be employed by you to do your bidding. I'm your only option that you're slowly pissing away. Besides, I can snap his hands and kill him, you know it." I boldly said. My sweat of my bluff was unnoticed, and Aria bought it.
"Fine, do your Girl Scout shit, gang honor is in place. But since your beloved Garrus managed to piss off every gang on Omega, they left my rule considering I had no interest in him as a threat. There is a hit out on me for lack of familial bonding. If you can unite them I can also save your Turian bedmate, or that can remain more work for you." Aria propositioned.
"Seems we have an understanding." I said, and brushed off the Krogan. Leaving all I could hear behind me from the Krogan was, "That human female has more guts than any Krogan gang member I've seen." This made me relax only for a second.
Going to the docking bay holding area, I knew where the scumbags of Omega came, it was here. My head was worth a lot to the criminal terrorists of Omega, after all, I had bombed Omega as part of my early missions as a Corsair (Alliance Civilian equivalent with Spectres). Asking around I found an incognito agent for the Blue Suns, "Are you the agent Aria said is in charge of the Blue Suns?"
"Of course, now I see how you are on a short leash. She must be very desperate since Jona Sederis of Eclipse was crazy enough to put a hit on her, for 'abandoning Eclipse after that damn Turian helped Shepard blow up Omega.' Not that anyone is stupid enough to go through with it. Anyways, we can be of service to Aria if we get the weapon's supplies we need." He said smoothly.
"I can get you your weapons, only if you swear the Blue Suns follows my rule." I said, taking a huge gamble.
"I knew Aria made a deal with you; I didn't think you wanted your clean hands dirty. None of the Blue Suns will follow you, they're over there playing poker and if anything happens to me…well you'd better hope you can survive death twice." He threatened me, but I knew the routine.
"If Blue Suns follows Aria's rule I can get you your weapons. Agreed?" I said, waiting so patiently.
"Agreed." The male human said utterly un-thrilled. Faster than anything before, I shot him in the head, and the Blue Suns at the nearby poker table got up and came over, guns raised but not firing. Quickly realizing that I had killed the leader, they knew I was now in charge. A Vorcha came and hissed, "The Blue Suns now recognizes you as leader."
"Just let all Blue Suns know that Shepard is in control now, and make no mistake I will kill all of you if you don't do as I say. Trust me I am more relentless than any of you." I ordered. All the Vorcha left as told, like obedient attack dogs. By my dominance I now gained the Vorcha/human mercenary gang for my war. To my luck, Vorcha good and bad were loyal until death so they aren't crazy enough to kill me, but I was prepared anyways.
Resuming my mission, I walked over to the opposite side of the holding area. Scanning the crowd for the Salarian/Krogan gang of Eclipse, I eventually found them. Again, I asked around and found the second-in-command of Eclipse since Sedaris was in jail. The Salarian I found named Sayn agreed to talk to me. "What does the Reaper-killer want with Eclipse?" Sayn blinked.
"Aria needs control of Eclipse in order to help me stop Reapers. It's mutual I trust." I got to the point quickly, because each second wasted was another life lost.
"Aria may take Eclipse if I lead it. In order to do that, Sedaris needs to be dead, how can you help with that?" Sayn inquired with a million blinks.
"If I have a Spectre order to capitally punish the criminal Sedaris, will that satisfy you?" I said with conviction. Sayn nodded eagerly, "Seems like you don't mind blood on your hands, if Aria leaves you in charge, Eclipse will follow, and you have my word." Pulling out my omnitool I left a message to Commander Bailey, "Sir, this is Commander Jane Shepard. Push through to the Council that I have ordered the capital punishment on the criminal Jona Sedaris. If anyone feels morally raw about it, the blood's on my hands. I doubt it though."
Finishing the message Commander Bailey said, "The Council has authorized that order, it's being scheduled." Hanging up, Sayn looked gleefully at me, "We have an accord Shepard."
Leaving the sin city, I took a long breath. With each renegade action I took I knew that this would kill what little I have of my humanity and morality. I supposed that when I met my maker, I would take my punishment with humility.
Aria left a message on my omnitool that Gryll of the Blood Pack (the Batarian/Vorcha gang) pledged himself to Aria if I just took out another prisoner named Kreete the current leader of the Blood Pack. Additionally, Gryll's second was a Batarian who promised to leave the civilian Batarians and Volus alone and in fact aid them with black-market weapons. Walking back to the Presidium, I did what I did before and ordered the capital punishment of Kreete, which the Council authorized, and again no one care nor missed Kreete. Yet the blood remains on me.
Now with Blue Suns directly pledged to me, Eclipse/Blood Pack pledged to Aria since I took out their trash, I was able to gain many allies at the cost of my clean hands.
Coming back over to the café, I looked at Aria, "All of them are in check, now we will fight Reapers, is that understood?" She gave me a look of disgust and impressed relief, "You think you're in charge now?"
"As a matter of fact, I am with the Blue Suns." I simply put. There was more than I was willing to let on. The Krogan weren't even paying attention to me because they didn't consider me a threat and from a moment ago I was here and provided no reason of caution. Their mistake. Quicker than a bolt of lightning, I shot both the Krogan and stabbed Aria before she could reach for the gun I had purposefully placed across the table. My omnitool was soaked in green blood, and Aria could only utter, "I'm proud of you Shepard, seems you take after me. Have a good life; I know I sure as hell did."
Knowing this might bother me, she died on the table. People looked at me wondering what the hell was going on. Getting on my omnitool I called for C-Sec to clean up the bodies at the café. When they arrived they looked impressed, one even asked, "How the hell did you kill the most infamous crime boss in the galaxy?"
"It was easy I just used my omnitool. Just inform the people that a notorious criminal was neutralized. There is no need to fret over the atrocities I've committed in that last couple of hours." I added, leaving the crew to clean up the actual mess I made. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind; maybe Aria wanted death from my hand. Why else have so few and easy kills for guards? Maybe she wanted to meet her maker and be done with it all. It's not the first I've heard of a criminal wanting to have a fresh start. Her words didn't even faze me; there was no way in hell I would give a corpse power over me.
Leaving the scene and heading towards the Normandy docking area I had informed all three mercenary gangs of Blood Pack, Blue Suns, and Eclipse that they were under my rule and they would aid anyone against Reapers. My other message I left to the Volus and Batarian Ambassadors were that they were safe from the harm. Almost immediately, I received a message from both stating eternal gratitude and help for Earth on their behalf.
I was tired as can be, so when everyone boarded the ship I went straight to my cabin. Falling onto the bed, I fell fast asleep thinking of my brother, Kaidan, the war, everything. EDI woke me saying that the Salarian Councilor, Dalatrass, Urdnot Wrex, Urdnot Wreav, and Grunt boarded along with some Quarian Admiral that wasn't Tali. Informed of this, I knew that there was a lot of work to be done. "EDI set course for Menae, if Wrex wants to start a fight; I want all parties present before I join in the action." My sarcastic wit seemed perplexing to EDI, "Shepard I thought we were to gain allies from all three species, not to continue their cultural wars in the midst of the Reaper extermination."
"That's true. The joke is that if there's going to be a fight the more the merrier." I muttered groggily.
"I see. Your sarcasm about another fight to deal with during this war is something you want to avoid yet you seem eager for it. I get the joke now." EDI concluded. I audibly sighed at the dissection of my joke. Nothing kills a joke more than explaining it. Yet EDI and Joker spend lots of time together…ugh I'd rather not think about that. Clearly she doesn't get his jokes or EDI thinks I don't joke often and so take me more seriously.
Now that we were headed to Menae, I went back to sleep for the upcoming flight. Only after a few hours I got up and quickly dressed. Heading to the CIC and War Room, I needed to give orders to the proper folks.
Next on my list was to select my squad for when I go to Menae and extract the new Primarch. The shuttle bay was hot and little ac was blowing over the people's work benches. Fortunately, they helped out mainly in Engineering where the ac is better. Going over to Cortez I asked, "Is everything ready to go for when we touch down on Menae?"
"Yes ma'am. All you have to do is sign-off and notify your squad. Everything is already prepared on the shuttle, weapons and all. Ma'am if I may say so," he paused before continuing, "James is working out, if you pick that meat head, you might have to pull him away from his weights to fight." I laughed, "When isn't he working out?"
"Hey don't pretend that you don't like watching Shepard." James winked. I winked back, "I guess my dirty secret is a now known guilty pleasure." Everyone laughed. That was a good feeling to laugh in a stressful time. Kaidan even came up behind me, "That makes me feel left out."
"Don't be jealous, you've got me. Meanwhile James is married to his weights." I added.
"Oooooh, Commander just burned you James!" Cortez called out. James could only laugh.
Moments later, Garrus came in his armor with weapons and all. "Did I miss the party?"
"The fun's about to begin, by the way I bet I can get more Husks than you both." I challenged. James and Cortez wanted in on the bet with Garrus and Kaidan, "How much we talking?"
"How about a few rounds at Purgatory?" I said. Cheers went all around. Garrus, Kaidan, Cortez, and I boarded the shuttle, while James remained to perform the launch controls sequence to allow the shuttle to safely leave the Normandy. Launching ourselves towards Menae, we mentally prepared for our possibly last few moments. Physically, we were waiting for war.
With a thud, we landed on Menae. When the doors opened, all we saw was all hell breaking loose.