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His first night working for Archangel and Melanis already felt completely useless. When everyone ran off after everything went to shit, Ripper, that one armed human, had taken him to this base deeper in the quieter core of Omega. He didn't need to be coddled, damn it. He should have gone out there, too, not put fresh goddamn sheets on a cot for the injured batarian. He didn't come out here to be a damn maid.

He'd gotten a new gun, at least, a shiny new M-97 sniper rifle. The armor, he was told, would have to wait. But the rifle was screaming to be tried out. He lined up a neat row of empty liquor bottles and instant ramen cups along the far edge of a bridge on one side of the base, then retreated to a quiet vantage point above the bridge's opposite end.

Sidonis, Weaver, and Erash had left to pick up Weaver's medic. Archangel, or rather Garrus as the kid just learned, went to make a few calls of his own in case that didn't pan out.

Melanis jogged up the ramp to the sniping point, pulling a leather loveseat to the edge of the open balcony. He settled the gun against his shoulder and lifted the sight to his eye.

"People walk in that way."

Melanis flinched, letting out a curse before looking to the sound of the voice. A drell lounged in the far dark side of the room, reclined on another of the comfortable leather seats, staring at the ceiling.

"I'd hate to see you accidentally pop a teammate coming back up from a scouting position," he said, head turning to look at him. "Melanis, isn't it?"

Melanis slid into the loveseat, frowning. "Yeah… And no one is going to walk in, they took the Hornet. Everyone else is here. Who are you again?"

"Sensat," replied the man in a soft, low, vibratto tone. He sat up, folding his hands between his knees, gaze fixing on Melanis. "They've gone for medical aid, haven't they?"

The turian nodded slowly. "That batarian got shot in the neck. Sounds bad."

Sensat's lips tightened. "Archangel wants me to go follow, I say. Vortash is impatient, he tells me to go already, he says he can keep an eye out here. I give him the pack of cigarettes and tell him not to get too bored. He smirks and pulls one out of the pack and lights it. He lights it, and I am barely aware of the glowing ember in the darkness as I retreat."

"…What?" Melanis stared at him, dumbfounded. Where did he go just now?

The drell blinked both sets of eyelids, shook himself from the memory, and looked back at the young turian. "The cigarette." He tapped his mouth with a finger. "They saw the light of his cigarette from the base and fired at him."

Melanis was silent a few moments, his sharp little eyes studying the drell. "Is that what happened?"

"It's the only logical conclusion," Sensat murmured, lying on his back again.

The turian grimaced, squirming in the awkward silence. He turned and looked out the scope again. Was the drell feeling guilty? Melanis could speak up tell him that it wasn't his fault. That Vortash shouldn't have been smoking, that it was a stupid and careless thing to do. But he was the rookie here. Best to just keep his mouth shut. "That krogan was pissed," he said finally in a conversational tone in an attempt to change the topic.

"Grundan Krul?"

"Yeah."

"Because Garm lives?"

"I guess so. He was telling Archangel that killing Garm was the only reason he joined the team."

"Because Garm killed a krogan female."

Melanis dropped the scope from his eye and looked back at Sensat in alarm. "You're shitting me." Krogan females were put on friggin' pedestals. An endangered species, relied upon, guarded, and damn near worshipped as the only ones who could save the dwindling krogan population.

"I am not."

"Why did he kill a krogan woman?"

Sensat sighed, his eyes drifting closed. He was exhausted, body and soul. He was sorely tempted to slip out to Afterlife to find someone warm to connect and curl up with. "Because Garm enjoys hurting those weaker than he is. She insulted him. He hurt her. She continued to insult him. He killed her. And then he ran. Krul followed."

"Holy shit."

"Indeed."

A few seconds of silence ticked by, before Melanis asked, "Why are you here?" The drell lifted his head and looked at the turian. "I'm pretty sure I've heard everyone else's story." All the humans, both the batarians, the krogan, and the salarian. Archangel had made a point of making it known that they all had a damn good reason to be on his side. That left the drell and the two turians' histories a mystery.

The drell was silent, his lips twitching as he forced the memory away. "Eclipse killed my friend Dalia."

"You don't want to elaborate on that any?"

"I do not."

"Everybody's lost someone to the mercs," Melanis murmured thoughtfully.

"Yes."

"Payback is long overdue, huh?"

"Yes."

Melanis frowned, and then looked back over the bridge. "Are you always this chatty?"

"Are you always this intrusive?"

The kid flexed his mandibles in irritation. There would be no point in grilling him to learn more about his fellow turians. He glanced back at Sensat, "Can I shoot now? I'll radio Archangel and let him know the shots are coming from me."

Sensat smiled faintly, eyes still closed, "Yes, by all means. Protect us from the dangerous recyclables."