N/B: This will be the last chapter featuring our intrepid heroes, at least in this story. The next (and possibly last) chapter will be starring Liara.

The Deserts Tears left the new recruits behind on Tuchanka and enjoyed a trip to Illium that was mostly uneventful. Claire did discover the hard way that she was allergic to a green Asari pulse called brenta and spent most of the journey puffy and throwing up.
They landed in Nos Astra just after sunset and Karla (in an uncharacteristic act of financial generosity) booked the four of them a room in the Matriarch hotel, one of the city's swankier establishments. She clearly had high hopes for her new venture.
After a long lie and a luxuriant breakfast they caught a sky cab to the corporate sponsorship office in the municipal district.

"And as I am sure you are aware ma'am we cannot grant you a valid type b19 charter without a down payment of thirty two thousand credits." Said the jaded Asari behind the glass.

"Shit. I'm gonna have to sell the ship. Mom will kill me when she finds out, she renovated it for my one fiftieth."

"Your mother?" Said the clerk with a confused squint.

"I wasn't talking to you." Karla said. She had donned her smartest clothes for the occasion and was currently looking mildly formidable in an orange trouser suit. Claire stood hunched over a plastic cup of filter water occasionally making queasy noises while Shrub & Kelron sat self-consciously on the waiting area sofa a short distance away. Upon seeing that no one had been in ear shot to hear her lamenting the potential loss of her ship Karla clapped her hands together loudly causing the whole room to look round curiously.

"Come on guys back me up here I have no idea what I'm doing."
The other three reluctantly shuffled up to her. The aliens obviously felt very out of place surrounded by all these Asari. Claire meanwhile was just sick.

"Help me figure out this form." Karla commanded. The others peered over her shoulders. None of them had anything particularly helpful to say until Claire spoke up.

"You told me you already had a company. When Kelron called me to set up the interview he said he was speaking on behalf of D'mel enterprises. Isn't that right?"

"Well yeah but that's just a shipping company."

"Doesn't matter. Asari law allows for a vocational change-" She paused to wipe a hand across her clammy forehead. "-Thing."

Karla turned back to the clerk. "Is that true?"

The thin lipped woman looked annoyed that someone was disrupting the usual order.

"Well yes, technically."

"How much does that cost?"
A few seconds of clacking keys later and the clerk had called up the information on her terminal. "Twelve thousand five hundred credits."

Karla sucked in a breath through her teeth. "I can stretch to it. Bye bye savings."

Once she had given over her account information the clerk printed the form off and slid it under the glass to her.

"Come back to me once you have filled out sections 1a through 40k."

The group adjourned to the couch.
"How did you know that Claire?" Karla asked as she wrote. Claire lifted her head from between her knees to answer.

"A few years back there was this Asari millionaire with some dubious connections who liked to holiday in Australia as a tax dodge. I helped the bring her in and picked up a bit of Asari law at the same time."

Karla paused, staring at the thick sheaves of paper on her lap. A broad grin split her face from ear to eye patch.
"I get to rename the company? Awesome!"

"You are going to pick something professional aren't you?" Kelron said hopefully.

"Screw that. People don't hire the Blue Suns because they sound professional it's 'cause it sounds cool."

"I'm sure their reputation as the most hard hitting merc group going back two decades doesn't hurt." Shrub chipped in.

"What about… the Varen patrol?" She suggested.

"Oh keelah."

"Fine let me think about it." Karla quickly bashed out the remaining paperwork, the thoughtful expression never left her face.

"I've got it: the Kepesh-Ardate."

"Which means?" Asked Shrub.

"It's ancient Sari, Kepesh means blade and Ardat means demon or Ardate plural."

"Blade demons sounds like an adolescent biker gang." Shrub needled.

"Yeah well suck it up, its my decision. What do you think Claire?"

"I feel like I'm going to be sick." She was turning an unpleasant pasty grey colour.

"From the brenta or the name?" There was obvious concern behind Kel's question.

"Name's fine. Let's wrap this up before I make a mess."

When Karla slid the form back to the clerk she gave it only a cursory leaf through. She didn't bat an eyelid at the new name, either she didn't know ancient Sari or it wasn't as silly as Kel and Shrub seemed to think.

"Please scan your palm to authorise the final bank transfer."

Karla pressed her right hand onto a small reader plate next to the booth window. There was a beep and the clerk nodded approvingly.

"Congratulations director D'mel, the funds where accepted."

"Director?"

"Well director is the default term used by most PMCs but you could have it changed to chairwoman or CEO on the official documents for a small fee."

"No thanks. Director D'mel? I like it."

Claire knew she wasn't in the best state to fully analyse her current situation or immediate future (what with a full portion alien beans threatening to make a reappearance at any moment) but she could not shake the feeling that things were looking up. A scant few weeks ago she had been a jobless ex-cop trying to scrape by on a space station under terrorist occupation. Now she was set to become one of the top lieutenants of a mercenary group where her opinion was respected and her skills would be put to good use. They even seemed to like her.
Her new friends were an unusual bunch: Karla was brash and demanding, Shrub was self centred and confrontational while Kelron was so straight laced that he might break his teeth if he sneezed.
Yet despite all this she felt more at ease here with them then she ever had during her time heading the taskforce back on earth. Whatever her new career threw at her she knew that she would never have to worry about manipulative superiors or office politics, for all their faults the founding members of the Kepesh-Ardate where honest.

Claire could see herself doing this for quite some time to come.

Which was lucky because as it turned out she would.