QuickNote: Sorry for the long wait, but caught a touch if writer's block with this one... Anyway, it's all sorted out, so here's chapter nineteen, hope you enjoy

Chapter 19:
Hostile Port

Palaven, Nine Years Ago

Callus sat on the most uncomfortable chair he'd ever been in, waiting impatiently for his father to come out of the room. He'd been waiting for nearly an hour, trying not to barge in on his parents, trying to let them talk in peace. As much as he wanted to see her, he knew it was just as important for Dhalon to be able to talk with her.

The bullet had torn through her lung, something even the smartest salarian couldn't fix. She would die, slowly but painlessly thanks to modern medicine. The doctor's rough estimate gave her another three years of life, to be lived out in a white room with a view of the city, and no family unless they visited her. Callus had suggested that they move into the room with her, to which Dhalon had chuckled and said "If only."

In the confusion on Noveria, the would-be batarian assassin escaped custody, and was still running around out there do spirits knew what. Hopefully soon the authorities would catch the would-be assassin soon. I'll find him myself if I have to, he thought.

The door to Madin's room opened and Dhalon exited, looking sadder than when he had gone in. Callus jumped out of his seat to greet him. "Can I see her now?" he demanded eagerly.

Despite his somber mood, Dhalon managed a smile and a nod. "Sure, Callus. Let's go."

Dorin fired another shot at Callus and Shepard's cover, hoping to keep them suppressed. From what he heard, they were a couple of the most formidable fighters in the galaxy, and he knew that if he gave them a moment of reprieve, they'd get away from him. He hadn't tracked them down to this port just to leave empty-handed.

The other human, Riley, tried crawling away, cursing about his wounded leg. He'd used all the medi-gel he'd had on him to patch up his other leg. A rookie mistake. Dorin aimed down his scope at the fleeing human, held his breath, and prepared to fire.

Shepard glanced up at the batarian on his perch, pistol in hand. "Damn it," he muttered. The odds most certainly were against them.

Callus seemed to notice it as well. "We've got to get behind him," he remarked.

Shepard shook his head. "Too risky. He'll see us coming." He snuck another look, and saw the batarian lining up a shot at Riley. Immediately, he rose from cover and flung a piece of scrap metal in the sniper's direction to catch his attention. He still needed Riley alive, after all.

The distraction worked a little too well, as the batarian fired another shot at the trio behind the pipe. "We can't keep this up for much longer," Callus said worriedly.

"I know," Shepard replied. He tried to take another look at the sniper's position, but another crack of his rifle stopped that plan. Then an idea hit him. "You still have that overload module?" he asked. Callus nodded, confused. "I'm going to get his attention again. When I do, hit him with it. That should give him a good scare, maybe even drop his shields. While he's recovering, we'll move for one of the shuttles."

Callus frowned. It was as risky of a plan as he'd ever heard, but time, along with their options, was running short. He nodded his approval and waited for Shepard's signal.

Dorin's rifle beeped, signaling an overheat. Frustrated, he crouched below his cover, waiting for the rifle to cool down. These soldiers were beginning to be more trouble than they were worth. He knew humans were cowards, but experiencing it firsthand was something he hadn't quite been prepared for.

The rifle's overheat ended, and Dorin raised his head to aim for the group, only to see a shower of sparks explode directly in front of him, dropping his shields. As he regained his composure, he saw the group run off, toward the rear of the port. Smart, he thought, impressed. He moved to aim at the group again, before realizing that he dropped the rifle when the overload hit him. Must've fallen off the pillar.

He located the rifle on the ground below and dropped to pick it up. Looking up, he found he could no longer see his targets. Frowning, he set off after them, hoping to end this once and for all.

Joker wasn't use to all this running. With Vrolik's Syndrome, the bones in his legs and hips were extremely brittle, making even taking a few steps a challenge. One wrong step, and he could guarantee a bad fall.

And yet, here he was. Running.

He was surprised not to have broken any bones with the Kennedy's escape pod crash, let alone running from this crazy batarian. Shepard and Orion had done well so far, distracting the would-be assassin to help them make a clean getaway. In front of them, however, was another problem. Two of Omega's gang members were right ahead, already brandishing their weapons. Shepard moved quickly, grabbing one weapon and pointing at the other gangbanger as it went off, the bullet tearing through his skull. Shepard then grabbed the still alive gang member and twisted, snapping his neck. Callus went over to the other dead merc and picked up his gun.

Shepard turned around to check on Joker and Riley. Joker waved him his signal that he was okay. Riley grunted in pain, but didn't say anything else. Internally, Joker wondered why they would keep him around if he was selling them out to Cerberus. Just feed him to the vorcha and get the hell out, he thought. Then again, he wasn't the one running the show. Even if he was, that would be especially cruel. Omega was no place to die.

Shepard nodded briefly before his eyes widened and he sprinted forward, tackling Joker to the ground just in time for a sniper's bullet to zip harmlessly over them. Joker looked over to see the batarian stalking toward them, waiting for his rifle to cool down. Well, fuck, he thought.

Shepard looked down at Joker. "You okay?" he asked.

Joker groaned. "That hurt."

Shepard looked up at the batarian, who was taking aim again. Snarling, he brandished the pistol he took from the merc and starting firing in his direction. Callus quickly joined in, throwing in an overload to start things off. The attacker's shields must have been failing, as he dropped behind cover. Shepard looked to his right and noticed a shuttle. It wasn't in the best of shapes, but it wasn't bad for a shuttle on Omega. "Shuttle to our right!" he called out.

Callus looked over and saw the same thing and nodded, throwing another overload in the batarian's direction to keep him distracted. Shepard made sure Joker could walk before moving over to Riley. "Get up," he ordered, dragging Riley to his feet.

Riley responded with a punch to Shepard's face and grabbing his pistol, aiming it directly at him. Shepard glared at him, waiting for him to finish it. Instead, Riley spoke. "Do me a favor."

"What?" Shepard replied angrily.

"Take that motherfucker down."

Riley then turned and fired at the batarian, catching his attention. Shepard nodded, then turned and ran to the shuttle, which Callus already had Joker powering up.

Dorin frowned at the scene. Shepard was obviously the bigger prize, but he wasn't about to let himself get killed over that. He instead turned his attention on the other human, Riley. His shields once again fully charged, he marched forward, absorbing each shot Riley fired without missing a beat. As he neared the human, he fired another shot with his rifle, catching the Alliance soldier in the abdomen. Stepping on his chest, he aimed his rifle at the stubborn soldier. "My regards to your spirits," he said.

"Fuck you!" Riley wheezed.

Dorin cocked his head to one side, then pulled the trigger, blowing Riley's head clean off his body. He turned to see the shuttle taking off. Knowing full well his sniper didn't have enough shots to stop them, he grabbed the pistol the human had dropped and fired until it overheated, hoping to at least cripple an engine. However, the shuttle appeared to be in good enough order for the bullets to ricochet harmlessly off of it. Dorin glared after the shuttle as it left the port. This wasn't over yet.