August 24th2186. Xhenji ward, Omega. Three months after the Reaper war.
The Desert's tears was idling in a dry dock cradle in the Omega shipyards. From the outside there were no signs of life, its engines where dead, its portholes black and its doors sealed. The inside of the ship wasn't much better. The interior was bathed in crimson emergency lighting and the re-circulated air tasted faintly metallic, packing crates littered the corridors and the walls had been stripped back to bare steel plating. From the engine room came the bright strobing light of a welding torch, further evidence of the repairs under way.
In the cockpit the Desert's tears Asari captain Karla D'mel sat in the co-pilot's seat, legs up, arms behind her head crest, eyes closed. Her chest rose and fell rhythmically with her sleeping breath.
A loud harsh buzz jerked her from the rather pleasant dream she had been having. She looked around irritably for the source of the interruption. The external com buzzed again. It was Shrub; Karla could see him hopping from foot to foot in front of the access ramp camera. She stabbed the call button with her middle finger and growled; "What?"
"It's Shrub. Open up." The Salarian wheedled excitedly.
"I know it's you Shrub. What. Do. You. Want?"
"Stop it Karla just let me in and I'll tell you." Shrub's beetle black eyes where frowning now.
"Can't. Kel is flushing the air filters. Come back in half an hour." She leaned back and closed her eyes again.
"I got us a job but I can't tell you about it while I'm out in the open. So let me in." That got Karla's attention. She swiftly manipulated the controls in front of her, opening the access ramp while simultaneously opening a channel to the engine room.
"Sorry Kel you'll have to flush the filters some other time Shrub needs in, something about a job."
There was a flurry of clatters and bangs from the other end, then a muttered "keelah."
Two minutes later Shrub had found his way to the cockpit, having clambered over the clutter in the hallways, and settled down in the chair opposite Karla.
"Okay Shrub, what is this job and why is it so super secret?"
Shrub rubbed his hands together, clearly gearing up for a longwinded and embellished tale. Karla interjected before he could get started. "The short version please."
Shrub scowled but checked himself. "Fine. So I'm sitting in afterlife enjoying a mind fish when an Elcor sidles up to me and says: 'conspiratorially: Might I speak to you in private please.' So right away I know this is going to be good. We move to a side room and they lay out the details: the shadow broker wants to pay us to travel to earth and piece together what happened to the citadel. Pretty awesome right?"
Moving with blinding speed Karla sprang from her chair and punched the shocked Salarian in the side of the head with enough strength to knock him to the floor, she then straddled him and pinned his shoulders to the ground with her forearm.
"Shrub you fuckwit, don't you remember what happened last time you got involved with the broker? I'll refresh your memory, this." She pressed down hard on his chest forcing the air from his lungs.
"Karla what the hell…" He wheezed. "…are you doing?"
"I'm giving you an incentive not to be a gullible moron."
Just as suddenly as it came the fit of violence passed. Karla stood up and pulled Shrub to his feet; he shuffled away from her and gave her a wary sidelong look.
"So how much is this 'shadow broker' offering?" she asked airily.
Shrub made sure to place the navigation console between him and the deranged Asari before answering. "Um, twenty thousand." He flinched, waiting for Karla's explosive reaction.
"Twenty? Goddess Velik you are supposed to be the brains around here. Twenty thousand credits won't even cover the repairs to the ship, and do you really think the mighty shadow broker's best source on this job is a trio of small fry couriers like us? Even if we are surely he can afford to pay us more than twenty grand, my fish tank VI cost more than that."
"So what are you going to do?" Velik asked, gingerly rubbing his bruised face.
"Well I'm pretty sure that that this Elcor doesn't work for the shadow broker and even if they do something isn't right. I'm going to find out what."
Shrub's eyes widened and he stumbled over himself in his haste to reply. "Karla wait! What if they do work for him? You don't want to piss off the broker by harassing one of their agents."
Karla grabbed her jacket off the back of the seat, pulled it on and popped her collar with a flick of her thumbs.
Her ubiquitous grin widened a couple of millimetres. "If you're not careful I might start to think you actually care."
"Not everything is about you! If the broker sends someone after you what do you think they'll see when they look at me? An unwilling accomplice press ganged into helping you? Or just your Salarian sidekick?"
Karla walked away down the passageway towards the ramp and called over her shoulder:
"This conversation is starting to get boring, if you didn't want to be in danger you shouldn't has accepted the job."
Shrub called after her desperately. "I didn't accept it I just said I would pass it along to my boss."
Karla's reply was muffled; she was already out of sight. "Good boy, now go put some ice on that face."
Afterlife nightclub. Omega market district. 23:16 Station Standard Time.
The strobing lights of Afterlife's dance floor pulsed in time to the pounding music. 'Aria didn't waste any time getting this pit up and running again.' Karla thought to herself. She could feel a headache coming on, it made her nasty.
She had grown up in the D'mel garage in the quiet outskirts of Etheai city on Sanves and she spent most of her time nowadays on her ship; loud noises didn't suit her. Donning a pair of glare shades from her inside pocket she pushed into the crowd. Shouldered her way past a pair of drunken Turians she leaned on the bar and eyed up the Batarian bartender.
"Hey good lookin', have a second to spare?"
The bartender blinked all four of his eyes in bewilderment.
"Are you talking to me?" His tone was more surprised than aggressive. Karla widened her smile a little.
"Who else? I'm looking for someone and I was wondering if you could give me a hand."
"I suppose. It depends." He crinkled his forehead in suspicion.
I'm looking for an Elcor; he was talking to a Salarian a short while ago. They were sitting somewhere over there." She waved a hand in the direction of the private booths. Karla could see the spark of recondition in his eyes.
"Sure, I know him, name's Harrot. He runs a store down in the markets. Is he in trouble? You don't look like you're here for a gentle chat."
Karla's grin took on a sinister glint.
"That depends on him." The bartender just shrugged.
"That's none of my business; all I ask is if you are going to start something take it outside. He's over there." He gestured to one of the furthest booths where a hulking figure was lurking.
"Thanks babe." The bartender grimaced in sympathy for Harrot, he knew trouble when he saw it and this Asari was trouble. 'Poor bastard.'
Karla stalked over to the indicated booth and sat down heavily opposite Harrot. The Elcor gave a surprised trumpet and exhaled a puff of smoke from his cigar.
"Hiding surprise: Do I know you Asari?" Reaching over the table she plucked the cigar from Harrot's gill-like mouth, prompting another whinny of indignation, she took a few puffs before answering.
"I think you know me, but I don't know you and I don't like that. Who really sent you?"
"Guarded response: I'm sure I don't know what you are talking about, if you will excuse me."
Karla decided to cut to the chase. She slammed a fist down on the tabletop and drew back the hem of her jacket, revealing the chunky executioner pistol nestled in its shoulder holster in her armpit.
"I don't think so asshole. I'm going to get the answers I want, one way or the other; all you are in control of is how much it hurts. Tell me who sent you to talk to one of my guys or I'll break your legs."
The quadruped Elcor shook in fear like a dog emerging from the sea.
"With stubborn bravery: I have heard that one before. If you want the job lets deal, if not I must go." The threat had done its job; the pretence of ignorance was slipping. Karla's headache was getting worse, egging her on. She hooked two fingers into Harrot's mouth flaps and pulled. Standing up she set off across the crowded dance floor towards the exit, dragging the squealing Elcor in tow.
Once they where outside Karla turned off into a side ally, away form the neon garishness of the promenade. A few pedestrians cast curious or concerned looks their way but no one moved to interfere.
Drawing her pistol she pressed the muzzle into the hollow behind the Elcor's front right knee.
"Last chance, do you really work for the shadow broker?"
Harrot was so scared that he didn't qualify his speech.
"Yes! Yes I do. It's the truth I swear."
"Good boy. Don't you feel better getting that off your chest? Second question: how do you contact him?"
"I input a code into a public extranet terminal not far from here; I can show you the way." Karla knew there was only one bank of terminals on this level. He was playing for time, probably waiting for his muscle to show up.
"No need just give me the code."
"With weary resignation: very well the code is DS29-F2L6-IOK1-J25G. Please just let me go." Having recorded the code on her Omni tool Karla holstered her gun and stamped the cigar butt under her boot heel.
"Thanks Harrot, you've been a doll."
None of the extranet terminals where in use, not this late into the night cycle. Everyone was either at home or out clubbing. Stepping up to the closest Karla punched in the code. The spinning holographic image changed form the familiar heraldry of Aria T'loak to a symbol she had never seen before. A voice emanated from the speaker, heavily distorted by an id disguiser.
"Agent Harrot you are early. Have you completed your assignment?" A chill passed down her spine. The shadow broker. Clamping her hands to the terminal sides until they creaked she snarled through gritted teeth.
No it isn't Harrot you fucking piece of shit! Just thought you'd send one of your lackeys to offer me a job after what happened on Maitrum? You know what? Fuck you! If you ever think of contacting me again I'll find you. I don't care if it takes five hundred years. I. Will. Find. You. And in case you're thinking of sending your goons after me tell them that Karla D'mel is waiting for them aboard the Deserts Tears and she will kill them all. Go Fuck yourself!"
With that she put her fist through the panel, causing a shower of sparks and a nasty electric charge that luckily was dissipated by her hardsuit's systems.
She doubled over sucking in deep calming breaths, that outburst had been building up for two hundred and forty years.
"Hey! Over there!" raising her head Karla saw two figures running full pelt towards her. Harrot's muscle had finally arrived. The first was a bulky Turian in a segmented green hardsuit wielding a claymore shotgun. The second was a rapier thin Asari with white facial markings and a bandolier full of throwing knifes. The Asari was probably the most dangerous so Karla decided to get rid of the Turian first so as to give her her full attention. Throwing out her arm, palm first, Karla generated a stasis field in front of the charging Asari. She ran straight into it, covering her body in white particles and locking her in place. As this was happening the Turian leveled his massive weapon and pulled the trigger. The shotgun boomed just as Karla turned to face him. The blast caught her full in the chest; there was a purple flare as her biotic barrier struggled to absorb the kinetic energy. It held, just. Karla grinned evilly.
"Out of time bitch." The Turian scrambled to reload but he was too slow. Balling her hands into fists Karla marshaled her biotics and flung herself forwards. Without her feet touching the ground she crossed the space between them and punched the hit man with all the force she could muster. His chest plate didn't give but caved in so severely that Karla's fist was inside the unfortunate man's chest cavity. Dropping her arm she dumped his lifeless body onto the deck with a crunch. Her energy reserves almost spent she turned her attention to the frozen Asari. 'It won't last much longer.' No sooner had she thought the words than the stasis effect wore off.
The woman fell to one knee and snatched two knives from her bandolier then biotically impelled them at Karla with bone crushing force. The first blade glanced off her barrier and shorted it out. 'Oh shit' was all she had time to think before the second knife slammed into the meat of her thigh. With a strangled cry Karla sprawled to the ground, spread eagled. The assassin chuckled.
"You're over confident." Without warning she fired off another knife that 'thunked' into the metal deck plates just where Karla's head had been, she had barely rolled aside in time. 'She's good.'
Grabbing her executioner she squeezed off a round at her opponent. She didn't even try to sidestep; her barrier easily ate the bullet. Three more knives whizzed her way in rapid succession. Playing for time Karla used a biotic tug to wrench the dead Turian's body into the path of the projectiles. The noise they made on impact was sickening. Throwing the corpse at her assailant gave her time to reload. 'Come on you cocky bitch get in nice and close.' The Asari assassin was only too happy to comply; she drew her final two knives and moved in for the kill.
Clenching her fists again to trigger her physical mnemonics Karla planted her feet then jumped into the air. For a second she hung there unsupported, fist aglow with blue energy, she had just enough time to process the assassin's surprised expression before she came thudding down again detonating her recharged barrier and triggering a deadly nova blast. The other Asari's defenses held briefly then failed bearing her aloft like a leaf in a storm. She flew over fifteen meters then impacted a parked skycar and fell in a broken heap, still.
Karla took one wobbly step then collapsed against the shattered extranet terminal.
The throwing knife was still sticking out of her thigh and dark purple blood coursed steadily down her leg. A laugh bubbled in her gut then exploded out of her mouth. She felt alive.