I don't own Mass Effect. Bioware does.
Saren remained up to date over the course of a couple days while Jane took her time to prepare for their potential joint mission. Hearing a knock at the door, Saren walked out to be greeted by a package delivery. Signing a few documents, Saren pulled the package inside and opened up the case with Jane's new set of armor inside.
"Jane, your armor is here!" Saren called over.
This caught Jane's attention, so she set down her holobook and carefully examined the contents inside the case.
"This is…this looks incredible," Jane replied.
It was a simple set of armor with a black, pressurized mesh at the base and gray plates of armor across the arms, chest, legs, and back. Additionally, the suit came with pouches for thermal clips, grenades, and other equipment to bring along.
"Personally, it's a nice set of armor," Saren admired.
Nodding in agreement, Jane tried to lift the case, wanting to carry it to her room.
"Anyways, I had sent a request to the Council earlier to allow me with a single accomplice to pursue this ring you told me of. They accepted, and we now have permission to pursue them," Saren added, "whenever you're ready, we can leave to deal with the trafficking ring."
Jane paused in her tracks upon hearing those words. Feeling a boost of confidence, she closed her bedroom door and slipped into her armor before gathering her weapons. By the time she finished, she sprinted back to the front door.
"Ok," Jane told Saren, "I'm ready!"
"Aren't you excited?" Saren replied, making his way to his room to get his armor, "we'll be heading to the Spectre docks where my shuttle is. You'll have clearance so long as you're with me."
By the time Saren finished gearing up, he led Jane out of the apartment. The Spectres' private docking bay on the Citadel was a much more secluded area of the Citadel, with only Spectres being granted permission to enter and exit. Saren provided his identification at the gate, before telling the security personnel there that Jane was with him for the next mission. Leading her onto the dock, he showed her the shuttle he used.
"It's small, only requires a crew of one, and can go through the most secure systems with minimal chances of detection," Saren explained.
Jane took a short moment to examine the shuttle.
"So you normally work alone?" she asked.
"I did work with Nihlus when he was getting started, but he hasn't worked with that much ever since he graduated from the academy. Even then, he travels on his own shuttle," he answered as the two walked to the cockpit.
With Saren taking control of the steering handles, Jane sat next to him. The turian Spectre quickly initiated the autopilot, setting the ship to takeoff from the Citadel and enter the Mass Relay.
"I should probably show you around first to give you an idea of where things are," he mentioned, rising from his seat.
Saren wasted no time as he brought up the map of the Milky Way Galaxy, allowing Jane to examine it. After that, she stood from her seat and began following Saren through the shuttle.
"The cockpit isn't too big outside of the pilot's seat and the map's for plotting courses. There is a small medical station with bandages and enough medi-gel to go around," Saren explained.
Jane took a moment to examine the medical station and the quarters she remembered resting in when Saren smuggled her out of Earth.
"These are my quarters. I do have a small bathroom in the corner and a change of clothes," Saren continued, "though all of them are turian-made. It's not much, but I usually don't sleep here often anyways."
"And yet you've managed well," Jane commented, "I'm impressed."
Showing her further into the ship past a small kitchen, he showed a medium-sized room full of supply crates.
"This is where I keep spare equipment and rations. There's not much to look at here, otherwise."
Jane nodded before Saren led her further through the shuttle.
"Finally, here's engine maintenance," Saren concluded, "sometimes, being outside of the shuttle isn't very convenient when making repairs."
"I think I can understand that," Jane couldn't help but agree.
With their little tour finished, Saren led Jane back to the cockpit.
"For now, relax. It'll take us a few hours tops to reach our destination," Saren ordered.
Jane nodded before she relaxed into her seat.
"So, Earth. Think you'll be okay retreading familiar territory?" Saren asked.
Jane stiffened as much as she could to hide her signs of nervousness.
"I can imagine others who won't be happy with seeing me," Jane answered, "but yes."
"If you're not willing to divulge, that's fine. I've got my own ghost that I'd rather leave untouched."
The shuttle began to fly parallel to the ancient structure, before catapulting them light years in mere seconds. While warping between Mass Relays, Jane sat patiently, anticipating their arrival.
"Before we go in, do you remember anything about security?" Saren made a few final adjustments on his sidearm as they exited into the Sol System.
Jane shook her head. No matter, the few gangs he had encountered on Earth previously were relatively under-equipped, even so far as to use old combustion-based weapons that barely worked. Still, the two had sufficient protection against whatever the local gangs had. By the time they reached Earth, Saren landed his shuttle in the spaceport before he and Jane disembarked. Before they could leave the spaceport, however, they came across a couple security guards. Jane kept a stoic face even if the guards gave her the stink-eye. Among most humans, Saren had quickly become easily recognizable in the wake of the First Contact War. It was strange to see someone like Jane walking along side him through a heavy traffic spaceport.
"You do still remember where it is, right?" Saren asked.
"I hope so," Jane tried to reassure herself.
From the station, the couple rode into the suburban areas on the metro. While Earth had began to see increasing living standards with the dense population moving off planet and the burst of growth within the economy across the planet, some locations saw slower change than others. Using what was left of her childhood memory, Jane took the time she needed to pinpoint which of these locations held the brothel. After they disembarked the metro, they walked through the busy streets, with Saren uncomfortably looking this way and that. There was a small minority of other species among the crowds, but turians weren't one of them, and the glances the humans shot at him gave him the impression someone, somehow was going to mug him. Luckily, their combined vigilance gave them a small boost of safety for both of them.
The brothel was in a ruinous part of town, and somehow in greater disrepair than she remembered it. Repairs and remodeling had slowly began to spread through Jackson City, but the sector had yet to see the chance of any sort of revisions.
"Charming," Saren commented, looking at the old building.
Jane took a few moments to scan the area to find any activity. She merely took note of a couple impatient customers standing outside the door.
"Any way in that isn't the front door?" Saren muttered.
Jane gestured Saren to follow her through an alley and away from prying eyes, circling the perimeter of the brothel until she found the back door she remembered having to see her mother step through before she went off to school. Following close behind, Saren's eyes scanned the area for security devices. There didn't appear to be much, and those that were present were easily sabotaged, keeping the alarms silent. Once inside the brothel, Jane couldn't help but cringe at the stench yet she kept pressing forward through the hallways, both her and the turian Spectre passing along closed doors. To their disappointment, the doors were locked. Jane and Saren quickly scrambled into an alcove to avoid getting spotted.
"If we're going to free the slaves here," Jane suggested quietly, "we might have to find the pimp and steal the keys from him."
"Forgive my ignorance concerning human jargon, but what does the term 'pimp' mean?" Saren suddenly went silent as a door leading to the basement creaked open.
"A pimp controls prostitutes," Jane explained, "or in the case of a bad pimp…sex slaves."
Saren flared his mandibles in irritation while he and Jane stepped into the basement. They slowly descended the stairs and they tilted their head until they could get a decent view of several human women of various ages, some of them begrudgingly changing into various outfits that are equally degrading. Jane leaned closer to Saren.
"They normally live down here," Jane whispered, "and when they were needed to service clients, they would perform such services in specially decorated rooms upstairs."
Saren continued to remain silent, eyes scanning the room. There were several doors leading out of the locker area where the various women were. Still sticking to the shadows, Saren put his head to the side of one of the doors, beckoning to Jane to follow closely. As she followed him, she remained as quiet as she possibly could.
"Stay low and stick to the shadows," Saren whispered, "pick off the hostiles who have their backs turned and are out of the view of their companions."
They slowly toed into a dimly lit rest area, only occupied by three men. They hadn't heard the door open and were too busy talking to each other to notice them approach. With their guards down, Jane blasted their heads off with her pistol before they could even have a split second to react. Grabbing the head of the third and violently twisting it till the victim's neck released a distinct crack, he put them down on the floor quietly.
"Nicely done. You've learned well," Saren complimented.
Jane nodded to Saren in confidence. Lining up against another door, Saren could hear another couple of gang members talking to each other. Counting to an agreed signal, the two burst into the room, each shooting a guard in the head with their suppressed weapons. The were in a small security room with cameras looking around the nearby block, around the brothel, and in the basement.
"Perfect," Saren hummed, setting the cameras on a loop and hot-wiring an 'all clear' signal to keep the remaining members of the brothel unaware.
Now all they had to do was determine where this brothel was importing sex slaves and free the ones here. Saren took a moment to access the terminal.
"Looks like they haven't expanded too far yet," Saren informed, looking over the few documented locations of other brothels.
They were all located on Alliance colonies located throughout the former Attican territories. And based off the data he read from the terminal, it seems that one criminal organization was running all of these brothels including the one Jane's mother worked in. Saren quickly copied the data onto an OSD before striding back into the main area in the basement.
"Looks like we've got our work cut out for us," Saren said, "do you still want to continue?"
"Yes," Jane nodded, reading through the list of prostitutes with softness in her eyes, "these victims…they deserve better."
Having cleared out the brothel of criminals, Saren contacted Admiral Kahoku who agreed to send an investigation team to assist the trafficked victims. This gave Saren and Jane a chance continue their mission. With the help of local authorities, Saren and Jane gradually helped the women stumble out from their prison.
"If the police here are as good as they say they are, they'll get the help these people need."
Jane nodded, not paying attention to one of the officers who took notice of her. By the time the brothel emptied, Saren and Jane emerged from it only to come across the officer in question.
"Excuse me, Spectre Arterius?" the officer started, "I just have a few questions for you concerning your accomplice."
"What about her?" Saren returned, raising a concerned brow.
Jane stiffened the instant she recognized the officer.
"It's her criminal record. She has quite a list that'll put her away for a long time," the officer explained.
Saren crossed his arms in a stubborn manner.
"And what if I told you that she was doing her time working by my side?" Saren remarked.
"Excuse me?" the officer paused.
"Being a Spectre is a dangerous line of work and she's untrained," Saren clarified, "I'd say that's a much more productive use of her than keeping her behind bars."
The officer gave both Saren and Jane a puzzled stare. He couldn't help but wonder why a turian Spectre would take interest in a human with such a terrible reputation like Jane herself.
"Well, I suppose it's only a few minor fees anyways," the officer replied, backing off, "do what you will, Spectre. We won't get in the way."
Relieved, Jane followed Saren away from the brothel and down the street, making their way towards the spaceport.
"A bit too close for comfort," Saren mumbled, "want to pay any visits before we leave?"
Jane let out a soft sigh before she shook her head.
"I'd like to pay my respects to my mother," Jane replied, "but since her death, I couldn't find where she was disposed of."
"I'm sure we'll find some other way," Saren reassured.
Without further trouble from the local authorities or the gang they had attacked, the two left Earth as quickly as they had arrived. While the shuttle was flying to the Arcturus Mass Relay, Jane took her time to read the locations on the map of the galaxy.
"Any response from the station?" Saren asked.
As they were passing through the heart of the Alliance military, Saren wanted to make sure they wouldn't have problems going forward when they inevitably landed on a colony and wrecked havoc on the next segment of the trafficking ring. Previously, they had sent the Alliance the information concerning their findings in Jackson City.
"N-Not yet," Jane shook her head.
Saren continued to look over the data they had collected, namely the building layout of their next target, looking for possible weaknesses in the architecture. In the course of a few hours, the shuttle emerged from a Mass Relay and made its way to the system where the next destination resided in.
Benning was a thriving human colony under the watchful eye of the local Alliance naval forces. Unfortunately, in the rush to promote colonization in the Alliance's early years, some crime simply slipped through the cracks and had pooled into sediment in the under-layers of the establishments. When Saren and Jane disembarked the shuttle, they made their way into the community near the spaceport. Unlike a colony like that of Eden Prime, Benning was a more urban location, dedicated more towards ship manufacturing, goods construction, and general trade. Getting out of the shuttle and exiting the transit station, the two found themselves in an environment vastly different from the shabby decay of Jackson City. Almost up to the standards of the Citadel races, the buildings were sleek, new, and pristine.
"I do have to give credit where credit is due. It's a rather lovely colony," Saren complimented.
Jane nodded in agreement.
"I haven't seen anyone I'd consider suspicious yet," she replied.
"I've got the address, but we should probably keep a low profile for now. Doesn't seem there are many non-humans here," Saren proposed, gesturing to one of the back alleys.
As they crept through the labyrinth back alleys, Saren continued to remark how every cranny and nook was clean and free of litter. By anyone's guess, no one would suspect that something sinister was going on behind closed doors. There were plenty of nooks and crannies in the city, but there was a distinct elevator at the base of an indistinguishable warehouse that led into a basement of horrors and misery. When Saren found the elevator, he turned on his omni-tool and hacked the control panel, forcing the elevator door open before he led Jane inside.
"All aboard the elevator to hell, going straight down," Saren hummed with amusement as he watched the doors close.
While the elevator began to descend, Jane took a moment to rest her back against the wall. The Benning branch of the slaver ring was bigger than that of the ring on Earth, as the gang wished to move away from controlled space. Now that the Earth governments were cracking down harder on their trade with each passing month, they were forced to move slightly away from the heartland, but still wished to keep some tangents to allow continuous trade with other markets. The elevator stopped at the base floor and the door opened, prompting Saren and Jane to emerge and venture through the corridor.
The dark, clean concrete corridors echoed with work being done in the distance. Carefully crouching behind a pile of crates, Saren and Jane watched as two gang members dressed as British as their pale skin pushed a couple of covered cages through the open to meet a trio of heavily armed guards.
"Here's the recent shipments, sirs. They're still in good condition."
"That doesn't excuse you being late. Now drop them off at storage and check in with the boss. He's been on the horn with scouts around the colony figuring out if you've been compromised," the leader of the guards chastised.
"Y-Yes sir," one of the gang members nodded while he bowed submissively.
As the members with the cages continued onward, Saren gestured to Jane, having her follow him behind the three guards. Taking the two farthest back first, they proceeded to stab the two subordinates, before Saren pulled his blade back out and threw it into the exposed back part of the squad leader's head. Dragging the remains aside, they continued onward into the dark corridors. Along the way, they would scope ahead for any guards on patrol.
For most of their time wandering the dark, they would mostly stalk the guards on their own, careful not to make any noise. For the guards who were among their companions, they regrouped to take the group down simultaneously to reduce risk of confrontation. Continuing their subtle infiltration, they saw the two henchmen from earlier enter a brightly lit office.
"You two seem awfully calm. Care to explain what took you two so long?"
"Message from Earth sir. Details are sketchy, but word is that someone busted the remaining unit in Mississippi. Also, intercepted coms from the authorities suggest they're making their move on the other places too," one of the smugglers answered, "my guess would be that they had finally inserted a mole, and ratted the others out."
The man in a suit that sat at a desk chair groaned in frustration and clenched his fists.
"If they are cracking down as hard as you say they are, start rounding up the team," he commanded, "newer members are questioned first, older ones last. None of them leave planetside until we're sure this unit doesn't have any saboteurs lingering about. I'll be contacting the other posts to see if we need to relocate. Get moving."
The smugglers saluted before they left the office.
"Shit. What a mess. It's a nice place, too," one mumbled as he walked out of the office.
"Oh, come on. I thought you hated this place," the other retorted, following close behind.
"Yeah, but it's mostly the vibe that old hyena gives. I don't understand why the slimy fuck had to be assigned this place."
"He's just a businessman. Take away the suit and he- GAK!"
"Wha- HURK!"
Jane and Saren quickly got to work taking down the two once they reached a safe distance from the office to remain unheard. They both wasted no time as they dragged the henchmen out of sight.
"You want to do the honors, or should I?" Saren asked as he reloaded his weapon.
"I'll do it," Jane nodded.
Stacking up on the office door, Jane took point as she caught the manager by surprise, shooting him multiple times in the chest before finishing him off with a shot to the head. With the coast now clear, Jane scoured the office for any useful information and Saren stepped inside to aide with her task. Picking through everything they could, Saren got to work at the terminal, unlocking the doors to the cells where the various victims were being held.
"There. I've also found a few more files we can send to Arcturus Station before we return to the Citadel. Also, I must admit you're doing very well."
Saren gave Jane a good view of the files he found.
"Thank you, Saren," Jane smiled.
Checking on the inmates, Saren repeated what they had done last time, and informed the colonial militia of their presence and their discovery. With marines combing the area for other contraband and hidden passages while medics tended to the mistreated captives, Saren and Jane walked out happily.
"I think a break is in order once we return to the Citadel. Did you have anything in mind?"
He did still feel discomfort towards humans, with the now single exception of Jane. He didn't see her so much as an investment as much as he did now see her as a companion.