Chapter 1
Target: Eclipse Mercenaries
The local authorities were now looking into the possibility that a rival gang had taken out the Red Sand dealer from Eclipse.
The Blue Suns, Blood Pack, maybe a local gang. They had no clue it was the man who just walked into their precinct.
"A salarian was just murdered this morning. I need all the information you can give me on him and his known associates."
One of the C-Sec officers turned to him.
"Who are you?" the C-Sec Officer asked him.
"Spectre. Classified business." He replied, showing the young officer his badge.
"I see." The young officer said as he grabbed the files.
The young officer handed the files to him.
"So, what's your name?" the young officer asked.
"Ventius Gallus. Thank you for the files." He said as he left the precinct and made his way back to his hideout.
For thirteen months, he had taken up residence on Illium. The authorities there were mostly Asari, but a C-Sec Office was set up, since Illium had come to a truce with the Citadel Council. In exchange for trade, Illium allowed a C-Sec Office to be set up to assist the local Asari authorities quell the criminal organizations set up there. But this truce only made the criminals more brazen, further setting up shop on the Asari colony.
Ventius was going to change that.
He reached his hideout, which was a small flat above the Eternity bar.
Ventius wasn't a fan of the place, because many slave transactions were made there. A criminal operation if any, the slave trade was. The selling and buying of living people, it sickened Ventius but his current mission was to root out the Eclipse mercenaries smuggling and selling red sand on Illium.
Ventius' flat wasn't large by any means, but it was just big enough that it had three rooms. A living room, a bedroom, and a bathroom. It was all he needed. He wouldn't be here much longer if the information he received gave him anything useful.
He opened the first folder, a file on the deceased salarian.
"Name: Manular Versii
Gender: Male
Height: 5'4″
Average Weight: 137 lbs.
Eye Color: Blue
Occupation: Red Sand smuggler
Known Associates:
Pitne For, Volus (imprisoned)
Niftu Cal, Volus
Dakni Kur, Volus (deceased)
Lilandra Coreit, Asari"
There was the name he needed. Lilandra Coreit, an asari matriarch who led a branch of the Eclipse mercenaries on Omega. Now that its former leaders were all deceased, she had taken control of the organization and reentered them into the galactic red sand illegal smuggling trade.
Ventius grabbed his gear and exited the apartment, making his way to the spaceport for transportation to Omega.
"Good morning sir. Looking for a good pilot today? Well then look no further than Andre Mallick, greatest human pilot in the entire Crescent Nebula." A man said as he approached Ventius.
"You'll do. I need to get to Omega." Ventius said to Andre, staring at him.
"Ummm….all right. Not liking the staring, but if it pays, I can take you to Omega. No problem." Andre said as he led Ventius to his ship.
The ship was called the Luna, after the moon in the Sol System, but unlike like the Luna moon, this ship was a dump. A waste of space. A trash heap where you threw all of your unwanted junk. But it was all Ventius had to get to Omega, so he would have to suffer through it at least until he reached Omega. Then he could parts ways with this pilot and his miserable little ship and continue with his mission.
The ship began to lift up into the air, shaking back and forth as it went.
"I need to get off of this thing soon." Ventius muttered to himself as the ship entered space.
"Grab hold of something! We are approaching the Mass Relay now!" Andre shouted over the intercom.
The ship zoomed forward and hit the Mass Relay, sending it to the Omega Nebula.
Omega, a cesspit of criminals and filth. The two went hand in hand, practically being one in the same.
Built in the mined-out husk of a metallic asteroid, Omega has been a haven for criminals, terrorists, and malcontents for thousands of years. At times the station has lain idle and abandoned for centuries, only to be reactivated by a new group of outlaws seeking a fresh start. The space station's original elegant design has given way to haphazard expansion by scrabbling factions of every species. There is no central government or unifying authority on Omega, and nobody can recall a time there ever was one.
The place was currently run by Aria T'Loak, an asari. The de facto ruler of Omega, the nominal capital of the Terminus Systems. Also known as the "Pirate Queen" of Omega, she is fiercely possessive of the space station and will do anything to protect it and maintain her dominance.
Ventius would have to go to her if he was to find Lilandra Coreit.
"Thank you the transportation. Here is your payment." Ventius said as he handed five hundred credits to Andre.
"May I join you? What if you need my piloting skills once more?" Andre asked Ventius as he began to walk away.
"I won't." And with that Ventius exited the ship and walked out into the spaceport, making his way to the Afterlife Club where Aria frequented.
The Afterlife Club was a nightclub on the mercenary-controlled space station Omega. It was comprised of three floors, with the first floor resembling the layout of Chora's Den on the Citadel, featuring a large circular bar with asari dancers performing atop the center section. Ventius had never been a fan of the Chora's Den back on the Citadel before it was torn down and replaced by the Dark Star Lounge, located in the Zakera Ward.
The second floor featured a large circular opening in the center, above which more asari dancers performed on a large ring suspended from the ceiling and surrounding a large purple holographic cylinder that extended all the way to the ceiling.
Around the outer edge of the floor was an elevated section with holographic images along the wall and booths in which most patrons of the club spend their time.
At the back was a private and well-guarded lounge from which Aria T'Loak, the asari ruler of Omega, observed. That was where Ventius needed to go.
The third floor consisted of a balcony circling the entire edge of the club featuring flaming torches on the outer edge and provided a complete view down to the second floor.
Ventius walked over to the stairs leading up to the private room where Aria sat.
"Excuse me! Stop where you are!" The Batarian in front of him said as he stepped in front of Ventius, blocking his path.
Ventius punched the Batarian in the face, knocking him back, and proceeded up towards Aria.
The other batarians in the room drew their weapons and pointed them at Ventius.
He drew his own weapon and pointed it at Aria.
"Well played Turian. Won't let anything prevent you from doing what you wish. So, why have you come to see Aria? What brings a Turian Spectre here to see me?" Aria said as she stood from the couch she sat on.
"Lilandra Coreit. Where is she?" Ventius asked, wanting the information quickly so that he could continue his mission with no more delays.
"The asari leader of the Eclipse is who you seek. I see. I have a truce with her you know. But I don't want the full force of the Citadel Council on my back and I've dealt with enough Spectres to know when to back off and let them do their job. She is in the Gozu District. Took over the clinic there. Good luck Spectre." Aria said to Ventius.
That was all he needed from her, so he nodded his head and walked out of Aria's private room.
If Aria wasn't as powerful as she was and wasn't an ally of the Citadel Council, he would have taken her out right there and then. But his mission did not concern her, so he just focused on the task at hand.
The Gozu District, just as bad as the rest of Omega, but just as worse. This was where they kept all of those not involved in any sort of criminal activities. The common citizens. The criminals just ran the place. Oppressed the people. The perfect place for him to begin making a difference. Maybe when this contract was completed, he would come back here and clean up the place. But for now, he had to keep his focus on the Eclipse mercenaries and their leader, Lilandra Coreit.
The Eclipse mercenaries, a dangerous bunch. Not as connected as the Blue Suns, but they still had some pull. More than the Blood Pack at least. Can't go anywhere as an organization without some diversity. The Blood Pack lacked that. Stuck with only Krogan and Vorcha.
A man saw Ventius enter the district and ran back into his "home". Home to him was a small apartment, barely big enough to hold a family of mice. But that was what the people here were relegated to. The bottom of the barrel. While the criminals lived in splendor, the people lived in squalor. It was sickening. Just like on the Citadel. Except, it was politicians who lived in splendor. But politicians and criminals lived in the same family tree. Not by blood, but by actions.
The Clinic was a larger building, bigger than the apartments at least. A sentry stood outside, guarding the entrance. Probably a hired gun. Didn't want to put their own in harm's way, so they got some nobody who needed the money, gave him a gun and stuck him outside to "keep out" anyone who tried to enter.
Ventius didn't need to kill him. Just scare him away so he could just walk in there and start putting some bullets in Eclipse mercenaries.
"You don't belong here! Stay back or I'll shoot!" the guard shouted.
Ventius quickly walked right up to him and put his pistol right to the man's head.
"You don't belong here. They are just using you as bait. They don't care if you live or die. They know you won't live long enough to claim those credits they promised you. Get out of here. Start a new life. Better yet, leave Omega. Here take 500 credits. Now go." Ventius motioned the man to leave as he opened the door to the clinic, drawing his sniper rifle as he entered.
An Eclipse mercenary came walking out from one of the rooms, unaware that someone had just came into the clinic.
Ventius drew his knife and snuck up behind the mercenary, stabbing the mercenary through the back and holding their mouth as not to attract the attention of any other mercenaries that may be inside.
He dragged the body and placed it behind the counter and then proceeded down the hallway towards the examination rooms.
He looked in each room, seeing there were people tied up and cuffed to chairs and beds.
He passed by one room and saw a batarian struggling to break free. From what he could tell, the batarian was wording something to him. He opened the small hatch so he could hear what the batarian was trying to tell him.
"Aria! Tell Aria I am here! Tell her to send someone to help me!"
Ventius quickly closed the hatch and ran to cover as he heard footsteps coming his way.
"Where are we with the shipments?" A voice said.
"They are continuing as scheduled." Another voice replied.
"Good. Have Doctor Samos up the dosage for the patients. Don't want them saying anything they shouldn't. No one is to know about what is going on here." The first voice said.
The footsteps passed by, towards the office at the end of the hall.
Ventius rolled out from behind his cover and followed the voices as they entered the office.
"Hands up!" Ventius shouted as he kicked the door open.
The voices that had spoken were Eclipse mercenaries. The one that had just sat down behind the desk must be Lilandra Coreit.
Ventius turned his gun towards the Eclipse Vanguard and put a bullet in his leg.
The Vanguard collapsed to the ground, holding his leg where he had been shot.
"Lilandra Coreit!" Ventius shouted.
The woman behind the desk stood up and held her hands above her head.
"I am Lilandra Coreit. Who might you be? From the looks of you, you are a Spectre. What would a Spectre want with the likes of me?" The Asari woman asked him.
"The red sand trade. You are involved in it. I am here to bring you in to pay for your crimes." Ventius replied to her.
"You aren't at all concerned about what I going on here? That is puzzling." The asari woman said.
"I will find out what you were doing here. But right now, I am bringing you in to the authorities." Ventius replied, approaching Lilandra.
"What authorities? There are none here on Omega. Aria T'Loak runs things around here. And she lets us do what we please." Lilandra said with a grin.
"Well I don't think Aria would like to hear that you have one of her people locked up in one of your "examination" rooms, would she? So you either face justice at the hands of the law or I bring you to Aria and let her deal with you any way she pleases? What is it going to be Lilandra? Citadel law or Aria law?" Ventius asked as he handcuffed her.
Lilandra dropped her head and nodded to Ventius.
"Ventius to control. Send a detachment to the clinic on Omega. There are "patients" here who need help and extraction. A number of Eclipse mercenaries also need to be brought in. Bringing in suspect named Lilandra Coreit." Ventius said to Citadel control.
"Understood Spectre Ventius. Detachment on the way. Will notify Aria of the situation." The operator replied to Ventius.
Dr. Samos? Who was he? No matter. Ventius would just have to ask Lilandra when they returned to the Citadel. Then he would go investigating. Allowing some psycho surgeon to roam free was something he just could not allow.
Dr. Samos, I am coming for you, Ventius thought to himself as he brought Lilandra on board the Alliance shuttle which would transport her to the Citadel to face justice for her crimes.