ZAEED MASSANI
You are eternal, immortal, and we have a task for you.
Shepard woke with a start, she looked around the cabin that was her quarters, nicknamed The Loft by the crew, a dream, it was just a dream, but even now the images of the dream were fading and yet that voice...so utterly alien and old. She swung her legs out of bed and looked at the clock beside her side. 3am. Getting up she switched the coffee machine on and headed into the shower.
Sitting at her desk she glanced at the picture of Liara that came up and picked it up. "They are lying, they have to be lying. You would never do anything like that and you would never work for the Shadowbroker. Miranda was wrong and so was that chain smoking wanker"
She set it back down and looked at the three dossiers again and EDI's notes on Omeaga. Omeaga was a hive of criminality, murder, drugs, sex all in equal measure and all answering to one woman and one woman only.
Aria T'Loak. Nothing was ever simple with this Aria. Her past for starters was just as clouded as her other business affairs, but one thing was constant, anyone who messed with her, ended up dead. One of the most feared Asari, her reach was long as was her memory. She ran Omeaga like her own enterprise and did not seem to care about the corruption or the lawlessness of it all. The gateway to the Terminus systems was just another Ilium, Omeaga was the central point for pirates slavers and other less desirables.
She shook her head a little, she understood that places like Omeaga needed a firm hand when running it, but this Aria seemed to think she was the Queen of if all, and nothing happened without her knowledge or her say so. Like Miranda had said, a Narcissist to the core.
Zaeed, he was a mercenary warlord, not many of them about, but then the life of a merc was measured in days rather than years. If they got to their mid thirties then they were doing well. She had lost count of the amount of mercs she had killed on her hunt for Saren. His fees were astronomical but then, with the record his dossier listed she could see why. He had rates for bringing them back dead, and rates for bringing them back alive, a bounty hunter with a reputation for getting the job done, no matter how long it takes.
She read one foot note that said one of his contracts evaded him for three years. And although he took other work alongside it, he found his quarry, and collected the bounty. A driven man then, something drove him ruthlessly onward. She shook her head a little, obviously it was his skills that Harper needed, not his personality.
Doctor Mordan Solis, a respected Salarian who came from a senior clan within the Salarian Union. Calen never pretended to understand how Salarian politics worked, except that it was a Matriarchal society. The women ruled Sur'kesh, Dalatrass's with enormous power both politically and family. They organised the mating rituals, checking each family archive to ensure only the best DNA entered their family line. Calen knew that Salarians had a reputation for secrecy that outstripped the Asari by ten to one.
This man, it seemed was no different. A scientist of respect, he was also a medical doctor, and he had been in the STG. She knew that Salarians had short lives, and it looked like Professor Solis was nearing the end of his, in his mid-thirties by the looks of it, Salarians rarely lived past forty and those that did never seemed to reach forty-five. Apparently, from what EDI had said, there was a plague running rampant on Omeaga in one of the districts and Solis was running a clinic at the heart of it all. The Gozo district, they might have to go there first.
If his dossier was right, then he might be one of the few who could come up with a counter-measure against those swarms that showed on Veetors data. She paused for a moment and sipped some coffee. She was glad to have seen Tali again and glad that she could help her, she was not going to let Cerberus get their hands on Veetor, Taylor might have said that he would not be harmed, and she believed that he believed that, but she knew better. Colour them up whatever you like, Veetor would not have been the same had he been handed to Cerberus.
Leopards did not change their spots, but if all he said about the Alliance not helping their colonies was true, then this time she was obliged to work alongside them, the enemy of her enemy and all that.
She picked up the last Dossier. Archangel, as Miranda had said, a bit of a mystery man, a vigilante that had all the major groups on Omeaga running scared. He didn't discriminate it seemed, and in the last two years, the Blue Sons, Eclipse and Blood Pack had all suffered huge financial losses at the hand of this man and his team. He would be an asset, so would his team come to think of it. Shipments disrupted, top ranking officers killed, money siphoned to the poor where and when they could, she smirked a little, Archangel...na more like Robin Hood. There were no images of him, that she could find anyway so she would have to go by guesswork. Unless...
"EDI, are you awake?"
"I am always awake Shepard" EDI's voice came over from the holographic panel by her door and she turned to face it.
"Would you be able to monitor communications channels on Omeaga? Let us know what is happening with Solis and Archangel?"
"Of course Shepard"
"EDI"
"Yes?"
"You can call me Calen"
"That would be disrespectful to your rank Commander"
"I am giving you permission if that's what you want. You are not listed as part of any military rank so if you wish to call me by my name then you may do so."
"Thank you, I would prefer at the moment to do so in private."
Calen nodded and smiled a little, she liked EDI, or maybe it was that voice, whatever it was, EDI seemed to be the most honest soul aboard the new Normandy. She could count on Karin and Joker to be straight with her and it was nice to think that the Normandy would be as well.
"So what else do we know about Omeaga?" Calen asked fixing herself another coffee.
"It has been around for thousands of years...Calen. The Protheans tried to mine the Eezo core but abandoned it, due to at the time it having a thick almost impenetrable crust. Eventually, as always happens, nature took a hand and a collision with an asteroid revealed the station as we know it now."
"So it was built before the Protheans got to it? Interesting"
"There are some that refer to it as the Terminus Systems darker version of the Citadel, but unlike the Citadel there are no governing bodies or co-operation"
"I gathered that, and to be truthful EDI I think its more like the Citadel then people give it credit for." Calen sat back down "Omeaga just seems to be more honest about it then the Citadel."
EDI contemplated the Commanders words "You maybe right. The territory is controlled by whomever is the strongest faction and the gangs seem to have carved out their own territories, controlling it by fear, extortion, murder whatever is needed to keep their organisations on top. With a population of about 7.8 million people Omega is home to Turians, Krogan, Asari, Salarians, Humans, Vorcha, Batarians and Salarians, as well as an offshoot of the Salarians known as the Lysethni Salarians and some exiled Quarians as well."
"The what Salarians?"
"They are an offshoot of the Salarians, not much is known about them Calen but I suspect as do many Xenoarcheologists and Xenohistorians that they are part of an exiled clan ruled by the same family for thousands of years. Other than that everything else is conjecture."
"Liara would know" Calen muttered, more to herself then to EDI.
"Omeaga is the Human name for it. The Asari translates it as "The heart of evil" the Turians call it "The world without Law" the Salarians call it "The place of secrets" and the Krogan call it "The land of opportunity" and most of Omegas wealth not only comes from its smuggling operations but the fact that it is the biggest exporter of Element Zero anywhere in the known galaxy."
"Commander, coming into dock at Omeaga" Jokers voice came over the comms.
"Thanks Joker, EDI have Taylor and Lawson meet me at the airlock in twenty minuets"
"Very well Commander"
Shepard finished her coffee and went to get changed.
Shepard, with Taylor on her left and Lawson on her right exited the airlock and began to walk towards the exit from Omegas smaller space port. They were met by a Salarian, one who seemed more to be down on his luck and over friendly.
"Hi welcome to Omeaga, allow me to show you our wonderful...oh hello Fargut"
The Salarian flinched as a broadly built muscular Batarian shoved him to one side "What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"Just-just showing the new arrivals around."
"Sarnash, get the hell out of here...now"
"Sure, sure whatever she orders."
Fargut watched the Salarian scurry away and shook his head "Damn scavengers...now, Commander Shepard"
"You know who I am then?"
Shepards voice was cold and indifferent, Miranda didn't blame her for that, Calen Shepard hated Batarians, not for the reasons that some people had, but for – in her opinion – very reasonable reasons. It was Batarians who had attacked Mindoir, killed her parents and family and took her friends into slavery. The images of that night had never left Shepards memory, and try as she might she could never find it in her heart to forgive the bastards that had caused so much pain and misery.
"Oh perlease we had you tagged the moment you entered the Terminus Systems. Not was subtle as you want to think you are. Aria wants to know what brings a dead Spectre to Omeaga, Afterlife now"
Calen looked him up and down "You tell your boss lady that I will go see her when I damn well choose to."
"You will go now, Aria doesn't like to be kept waiting"
"If Aria wants to come and see me, she can come and find me. You tell her that"
"How about I toss you out the airlock" Fargut snarled, his four eyes narrowing.
"How about I remove your limbs one by one then toss them out myself" Shepard moved her head to within inches of his, her gun placed at his crotch area. "I will go see your boss when I am good and ready, I am not one of her lackeys that play to her tune and dance to her words when she snaps her fingers and says so, are we clear on that Batarian?"
Fargut moved back, his intimidation tactics did not work on this human, and to be honest he liked his nuts where they were, so did his girlfriend.
"Aria doesn't like it when people say no to her" he warned.
"Shame" Miranda sighed. She had dealings with Aria many a time and it was good to see someone put her holier than thou attitude to its test.
"I'm scared Fargut" Shepard sarcastically responded "Now, take that message back like a good whipping boy"
Shepard watched the Batarian walk away and continued her walk to the main entrance. Jacob cleared his throat "May not be a good idea to upset the natives Commander."
"Weakness is not something that is shown on Omeaga Jacob, the Commander did what was necessary to ensure that we are left alone." Miranda countered.
"Even so, we will need their help to find Archangel and the Professor" Jacob continued "We will, at some point need Aria's help"
"You leave Aria to me" Shepard muttered "Lets just say I did some reading last night, I can deal with her."
"Shepard, Doctor Solis is running a plague clinic, the neighbourhood is shut down because it affects every species except Vorcha and Human. As a result human alien relations are at an all time low." EDI informed them "and I am getting reports that Archangel is fighting a combined force of Eclipse, Blue Sons and Blood Pack. There is a mercenary recruiter at Afterlife who would know how to find him,"
"One thing at a time EDI and thanks" Calen held her hand up and walked to where a tall human male was kicking the hell out of a Batarian. The Batarian looked up at Shepard and begged for her help, Calen ignored him for the moment "You Zaeed Massani?" She asked.
The man turned, he had a horrific scar around his left eye, at first glance it looked like a horseshoe, but as Shepard looked closer she realised it was the shape of a muzzle, this guy had a gun put to his face and lived, not just that but his left eye was glazed over, blinded permanently, however judging by the file she read, it didn't change his ability as a marksman any.
"Shepard right?" His English accent gruff and to the point "heard you need me for some shit hot mission."
"Apparently so" Shepard muttered.
"Well someone wanted this guy bad" He motioned with his gun to the Batarian still reeling from the beating Massani had given him. "He thought that if he disappeared on Omeaga I'd never find him, he was wrong and whomever paid me, paid my bring them back alive rates."
"Please, help me" the Batarian pleaded.
Shepard ignored him, Massani turned round and hit him in the face with the butt of his gun. "No one told you to speak" he returned his attention to Shepard "I don't much care for how Cerberus does things, but they paid my rates so they must want me. You do my job with me and..."
"Whoa" Shepard held her hands up "What job?"
"You mean they didn't tell you?"
Shepard glared in Miranda and Jacobs direction and shook her head "No"
"Figures. Look I picked up an assignment a month or so back, been an ongoing thing of mine, so sooner we get that done, the soon we can be big god damned heroes"
He watched as the Batarian made a break for it and shot him. Shepard shook her head "If I have the time then I'll take a look at it."
"Understood, but don't be too long about it" He holstered his Phalanx, "I'll focus better on the mission with that out the way. Better get this cleaned up before it stinks up the whole dock"
"Settle in and meet me at the entrance to the Gozu district in twenty minuets"
"You got it."
Calen refocused her attention on Miranda "A favour for a favour?"
"I had no idea about that Shepard" Miranda folded her arms across her chest "I do not know everything that the Illusive Man organises."
Calen looked at them both and shook her head "EDI What was it that Daniels and Donnelly asked me for?"
"FBA Couplings" EDI replied dutifully "They can be found in the lower market Commander."
"Right" She sighed and with a last lingering cold stare at both the Cerberus agents, she made her way through the doors and out into Omeaga itself.