prompt: Self Defense
"Some part of 'don't start a brawl on Omega' not clear to you, Masani?" Shepard asked tiredly.
"Self-defense," the mercenary grunted.
Chakwas didn't say anything at all. She just kept tending the merc; swabbing out the cut over his temple, seeing rather tenderly to the lacerated knuckles.
"So the security vid Aria so kindly forwarded to me that clearly shows you insulting the Batarian's mother before you punched him in the face was doctored, is that it?"
"Oh, no, that was real enough. An insult like that, a man's gotta be goddamn proud of it."
Shepard scrubbed her hand over his eyes. "And you're pleading self defense how, exactly?"
"Well," the grizzled merc shifted on his seat, "Old 'friend'of mine showed up - big guy, eight-footer, quad of steel. Went up against 'im during a job once. Killed his whole bloody krant. He and I? Only ones made it out alive." Zaeed grinned. "Stole a lot of his property, too, since I found out half-way through the job that the goddamn client goddamn welched. Anyway, bastard has it in for me, and here he comes with his five biggest friends. I goddamn killed his closest. And these friends are covering the doors."
"...is this going to be relevant?"
Zaeed rolled his good eye at the interruption. "So I figured out the least bloody way of getting outta there, and I damn well took it."
Shepard looked at him blankly.
"Pick a fight with a random batarian and get the bouncers to throw me safely out of the bar. It's goddamn obvious!"
They really should have warned her about this kind of thing in the dossier.