Chapter 4 – A nice tall glass of STFU
-Colloquia SR1 Garage
Dear god, why did I say that? Of all the things I could have said… Why did I say THAT?
Her words kept coming back to haunt her. This was supposed to be her legacy, the biggest job of her life, the last thing for the universe to remember Darla "Danger" Vance by before she retired somewhere on Omega to enjoy the rest of her days in blessed debauchery.
She knew that it had been the wrong thing to say the moment it left her lips, but what could she do? How could she have been expected to think straight after plunging thousands of feet out of a building, twice, first with an asari matriarch in her arms, and again with a god awful heavy turian, and having less than a second to get everyone ready for the rover to launch?
Buckle up everyone… especially you, beautiful!
She remembered the scandalized look on the asari's face. It was actually kind of comical, but in retrospect this was one situation where humor wasn't going to save her. It was the most unprofessional thing she could have possibly said under the circumstances, and if the matriarch made a complaint, well that would be it. No honorary heroic medal, no induction into the ranks of the pseudo-alliance, no tales of danger and wonder about the escape against all odds that saved the human pact with the asari.
Buckle up everyone… especially you, beautiful!
What the hell was she thinking, anyway? That matriarch was old enough to be her... ancestor.
Gosh.
Although she has aged rather well, Danger mused, remembering the pattern of her facial markings, being slightly fainter than most and only lightly circling her cheeks. There wasn't a lot of time to study them, but having the woman's face in such close proximity did afford her at least a few moments of close up examination. The markings were distinct, but certainly not dark and harsh like she had seen on some of those scary ass Justicars. She briefly wondered if they covered the entirety of the asari's body, before slapping herself.
No. What the hell is the matter with you? Are you insane?
Insane? Perhaps. It certainly was insane that while she had met literally hundreds of asari in her travels, and even rescued one or two, before now she'd never even given them a second glance. Now here she was, reduced to a blathering idiot by one that's already seen more lifetimes than her and Jane's living generations combined.
Buckle up everyone… especially you, beautiful!
Leaning her head back against the headrest, she replayed the events in her mind…
-Earth, Last Corsair Compound
"According to the intel, that's the compound." Commander Jane Shepard was studying a datapad intently, matching up the landmarks with the information Alliance operatives had provided.
"There's not a whole lot of breathing room on that mountain, Jane."
"No, there isn't."
"I don't suppose they will just let us in. Maybe we can deliver a pizza?"
The commander looked at Danger, then back at the compound. "It's probably got just as much chance of success as any other plan we can come up with."
Danger hoisted herself onto the hood of the rover, and rested her chin thoughtfully in her hands. "No way there's enough room for a proper drop, not without being seen well beforehand. They would have too much time to prepare. They picked a perfect spot to hole up, that's for sure."
"Well, we need answers, not more commentary. You're the extractions expert; how are we getting in?"
"I'm working on it."
"Work faster. The ambassador can only delay the ransom for so much longer, and you know the second the creds are transferred, the matriarch is dead. The asari are pushing for the council to pay, but they don't understand how human mercenaries work."
The corner of Danger's lip twitched at the thinly veiled insult, but she let it slide. She knew her friend didn't mean to hurt her by it, and it was true that human mercenaries as a rule were generally ruthless. "I know. Listen, this is a little risky, but I've been working on something that might just get us up that mountain…"
The commander shut off the datapad and turned to the extraction specialist. "Something about your tone tells me I'm really not going to like this, but I don't have any other options. This is your field of expertise. Get us onto that mountain. The intel indicates that they are holding her in that central building; the one that's right next to that explosives warehouse. I'm guessing they have a contingency plan in case of trouble, so whatever you do it had better get us right on top of that structure. We won't have much time before they realize what's going on and deal with the evidence."
"Well, it should get us close enough, anyway. It's a little biotics trick I have been working on with..."
The commander groaned. Danger's ability with biotics was notoriously bad, almost as bad as Jane's own nonexistent driving skills. If this plan involved biotics, they were all in trouble.
"No listen, I'm really making progress! You see, I found a way to…"
The commander held up a hand. "No, I don't want to hear about it, Danger. It's better if I don't. This is the only shot we are going to get, and we need to get on it now. We are running out of time."
"All right Jane. Get in and buckle up. This ain't no merry-go-round"
The commander strapped herself into the passenger seat, and drew her assault rifle. She looked at Danger and nodded her readiness, and the extraction specialist started backing the rover up.
"Danger, that's the wrong way."
"I know."
"Why are we going the wrong way?"
"Just wait."
"Why are we still going the wrong way?"
"You said you didn't want to know."
She had said that.
"You had better close your eyes, Jane."
She wanted to, but she needed to be alert and ready to fire. She knew that Danger was no soldier, and while her driving, climbing, and running skills might have earned her the title of best extraction specialist in the galaxy, they were heading into a camp of fully armed and organized mercenaries. This was not one of Danger's leisurely stealth operations, where she was recovering some object of value or rescuing victims from slavers and had plenty of time to plan, prepare, and get a team in place. This was the team. This was no joke, and it had to happen now.
"Danger, just go."
"All right Jane. Don't piss your pants!"
And with that, Darla "Danger" Vance eased off the clutch and leaned on the gas. The rover lurched forward, and suddenly Commander Shepard understood exactly what her friend had in mind. She said a silent prayer to whatever gods might be listening as the rover plunged straight off the cliff and descended into the valley below.
"Primary charging, Secondary standby…"
The commander didn't have time to wonder what the hell Danger was doing. She secured her rifle with one arm and held onto the side of the rover with the other.
The AI burst to life. Picking up speed, Danger.
"I know that… Primary Charged. Secondary Charging."
Impact in 10.5 seconds.
"Secondary charged. Primary ready."
Impact in 8 seconds
It was only now that Jane looked over at Danger and noticed that a blue glow enveloped her and was surrounding the vehicle, funneling into a point just under the hood.
Impact in 6 seconds.
"Wait for it…"
Impact in 3 seconds
Now the commander was getting nervous. In another split second, their mission would be over, and all the preparation, time, intelligence gathering, and negotiations would be for nothing. She couldn't believe that she was really going to die in a car at the bottom of a valley with this idiot.
Impact in 1.5 seconds
"RELEASE PRIMARY CHARGE, NOW!"
Jane's stomach dropped as the vehicle hit a massive biotic field, and started to propel back up and forward. She saw the compound racing into view, but it wasn't quite enough. They wouldn't make it, they were just short, the rover was falling…
"RELEASE SECONDARY CHARGE, NOW!"
The rover lurched upward again, and Danger flipped a switch to ignite an afterburner that propelled them forward. They hit the ground hard, and she slammed the brakes and turned the wheel to the right, crashing sidelong into the building where Alliance Intelligence had reported the matriarch was being held.
The commander wasted no time. They had the element of surprise, but it wouldn't take long for the Last Corsairs to realize they were being invaded and mobilize. She gathered her thoughts, hopped out of the vehicle and ran to the entrance. A few moments later, she had bypassed the security on the door using a hacking scanner the Alliance had provided, and was running through the hallways searching for the matriarch.
Danger had her own problems. The landing had blown a tire, and the vehicle was currently embedded in the side of the building. Debris rained down on her head, and she tried to brush it out of her hair.
"I guess this is why Jane keeps that stupid military cut. Gosh." She shook her head a couple times, and then secured her long hair once again at the base of her neck.
Slamming the car into reverse, she pumped the gas a few times and forced her way back out. Bringing the vehicle back around and pointing it in the direction they came, she instructed the AI to lock systems to Voice Actuation Mode, and exited the vehicle to help her friend.
"DIDI, eject that tire while you are at it," she called over her shoulder, and the vehicle promptly ejected the broken tire. "Compensate by shifting drive train to front end."
The car dealt with, Danger pulled her pistol and ran to help the commander. Jane was taking heavy fire, but was holding her own. Danger slid in beside her. "How many?"
"Ten, maybe more."
"Pity. I was hoping this would be a challenge."
The commander smiled weakly, and then returned to firing. Her aim was impeccable. One, two, three, they fell so easily. She felt rather than saw Danger flank the group, firing wildly, and one more fell despite the driver's terrible aim.
Well, at least she managed to hit them instead of me. I probably should have taken her guns. She belongs in the car, not in here.
Jane dispatched the rest with a skillfully thrown grenade, and they made their way to the second level, scanning the area for any sign of a prison or a holding area. Nothing.
"Split up?"
"Not a good idea. Not here. We are outnumbered and we don't want them to catch either of us alone. We stick together. Keep moving."
"Yes, Commander."
That was refreshing. For once, the merc didn't argue or have something smart to say, and she was using Jane's rank title to boot. Glancing at her friend, she thought she detected a hint of terror.
She's probably never been under fire this heavy before. Most of her operations are covert, not direct. Damn it, I should have gone over some drills with her or something. I should have known she wouldn't be able to handle a direct confrontation. She should have stayed at the damn car…
But Commander Jane Shepard could teach direct on a university level, and these so-called Last Corsairs could certainly benefit from a few lessons. Taking the lead and hoping that her confidence would steady the mercenary, she moved swiftly from vantage point to vantage point, in and out of cover. Just as Danger danced with her cars, Jane Shepard danced with bullets.
There were only about ten guards in the corridor. Jane grabbed Danger's shirt and threw the woman behind some crates.
"Stay there, I'm going to clear this out."
Danger just nodded, and gripped her pistol, ready to move if Jane told her to.
Jane turned back to the human bandits firing at her, lowered her head slightly, and grinned roguishly.
Oh, this is going to be so much fun.
Jane Shepard lived for battle. She had never told anyone, but secretly, the best day of her life was that day on Elysium, when she had been on shore leave. It was the single most exhilarating day of her entire existence. A band of mercenaries had invaded the human colony, and the civilians were frightened and panicking. Jane gathered the best of them, gave them a crash course in military tactics, and staged them in various tactical positions to cover what was supposed to be her heroic suicide mission. When she was satisfied they knew their parts, she turned around, powered up her assault rifle, and slowly advanced straight into the oncoming pirates. She felt the gunfire around her, but nothing seemed to even graze her skin. Rolling from side to side, she closed her eyes and allowed the sound of battle to guide her. Platinum light seemed to leap out of her weapon, and a translucent silver shield paved her path though the firefight. Afterward, the colonists swore that Jane had turned into some sort of platinum god, but the commander just shook her head and smiled.
I was just doing my duty, sir.
Now, every time she faced down an enemy, she drew from the bloodlust and the rage of that day, and it focused her into a surgical blade of warfare, a magnificent instrument of destruction. She danced in and out of cover, holding her weapon almost as a lover would and gently caressing the trigger as she sighted her opponents down the barrel. Jane had a gift, and she barely had to glance at her target and it seemed that was where the bullet would go. Her honed body knew just how to hold the weapon, just how to roll with the recoil, and just how to angle her hand at the last second to send the projectile directly to where she desired. That very first day the Alliance put a rifle in her hands, she knew she had found her calling. The weapon wasn't just a piece of metal, forged for the destruction of life. It was an extension of her arm, designed to augment her already magnificent form. It was a part of her, and she felt that her body had been designed as much for the gun, as the gun had been designed just for her.
One by one, she took the bandits down. One by one, she cut a path through the hallway, moving forward swiftly and neatly. Danger just watched in rapt fascination. Jane looked like a bolt of lightning, a pristine platinum ray that left nothing but righteous destruction in her wake. It was breathtaking.
Jane motioned to her friend to move up, and Danger scrambled to her feet, trying to gather her wits.
"There's nothing on this floor, Danger. Let's try that staircase." She indicated a doorway across the large room they were in, and her friend nodded. Jane led the way to the door, and used her hacking tool to bypass the security. Clasping her friend on the shoulder in what she hoped was a reassuring grip, she started up the stairs.
"There's no security on this floor," She noted.
"No, there isn't. I wonder why?"
"No idea. Keep moving. There's another stairway over there. We must be getting close."
Once again, Jane produced the scanning tool, and the lock clicked open. "They aren't using very good security here."
"Well, maybe they didn't expect anyone to actually come after this asari."
"It's possible. Let's get to the next level." Jane readied her weapon as they ascended the stairs, fully expecting to come face to face with another batch of mercenaries. She looked to the left and the right, but didn't see anything threatening. There was nothing but some raw materials and discarded weapons on this floor. The commander pulled a datapad out of a pocket. "She's going to be on one of these floors. According to the intel, this building was only five stories high."
"Princess at the top of the tower, huh? How romantic." Danger rolled her eyes, and double checked the action on her gun. "Let's get this over with before I start weeping." she said, with forced cheerfulness.
Commander Shepard nodded, but then held a hand up. "Wait… Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"Shh…" She strained to hear… It was a whisper…. It was a hum… No, more like a drone…
She listened, and waited, and the world came crashing down upon them.
-Earth, Last Corsair Compound, Crumbling Ruin
Breathe.
Silence.
Breathe.
She heard a whisper.
Relax.
The whisper got louder.
Breathe. Think. Feel.
Louder still.
Let go. Hear the universe.
The whisper became a hum.
Heed the call. Feel the air.
The hum became a drone.
Where am I?
The drone became insistent.
Embrace Eternity.
And the world dropped out from beneath her.
The matriarch opened her eyes and looked up. Something had happened. Something was different. She was on her back. How did that happen? Rolus was nearby, groaning and trying to pick himself up. Suddenly there were voices and boots stomping.
"She's there! There! Grab her, Danger! I'll get this one!"
"Well I guess we know why there was no security on these floors. They had the place wired up to blow!"
"Just get the asari, Danger!"
Then she was being lifted by a strange human. Instinctively, her arms went around her rescuer's neck. It wasn't muscular, but it was strong. Clearly female, yet there was no hesitation as she was lifted out of the rubble. The human was apparently very strong.
"The stairway is knocked out. Shit. Jane, we have no way out."
The commander looked around for options. The stairs were crumbling; there was no way the elevators were going to work. The ceiling was holding on by a thread. It was pure luck that the floor above them didn't crush them both when the asari and turian came crashing through. Half the floor on this level was missing. The entire place had been blown to bits and fires were rampaging everywhere.
Jane tried dragging the turian, but his leg was broken and he was too heavy. She was the best in a firefight, but she couldn't move a turian his size without help, and Danger was already carrying the matriarch.
"Leave me. Get the matriarch out of here. I'll never forgive myself, if she doesn't make it."
"I'm getting you out too."
"NO." Rolus pushed Shepard away violently and held onto a crumbling column. "Get her out of here, NOW!"
The commander only took another moment to decide, and then started running towards Danger.
"Commander, there's no way down."
"There's one way down, come on!"
Running side by side with Jane, she said, "What are you talking about? There's no way out of here!"
"There's one way out – think rover!" and with that, the commander grabbed Danger by the back of her shirt and flung her out the window. It only took a second to register, and then she heard Danger shout "Primary Charging, Secondary Standby; RELEASE PRIMARY NOW!"
Jane said another silent prayer to any gods that might be listening, and launched herself toward what she hoped would be enough biotic aftershock to cushion her own fall.
-Earth, Last Corsair Compound, outside
It only took a second for Danger to register what the commander meant. She charged, and released, and it wasn't quite as impressive a bounce as it was with the added power of the rover's amps, but it did allow her enough time to twist in midair and land near the vehicle on her back, protecting the matriarch from harm. She lay there a moment, studying the asari diplomat in her arms, and then Jane was crawling up next to her.
"Damn, Jane, how did you know that would work?"
"I didn't. I just hoped there would be enough aftershock. Good job on getting the matriarch out."
"We can't leave a man behind…"
"Danger, we have the package. We have to get moving."
"No, we can't. I have never left a man behind yet, and I don't intend to now." Danger got up and shoved the seemingly unconscious asari onto the commander. "Here, she passed out. Put her in the car, and I'll go back in and get the turian out. There's no one left in there to fire on me. They will all be out here with you now!"
"What am I supposed to do, invite them to tea?" she started to ask, but Danger was already off running.
"This will only take a second!" she shouted over her shoulder, and then she disappeared in the building.
She could do nothing but watch Danger run off, and shake her head. There was no time to worry about her now, though. The Corsairs were mobilizing and the matriarch was vulnerable in the open. Jane pulled open the door to the third segment of the rover and unceremoniously shoved the woman inside. Then she picked up her rifle and began firing at the advancing mercenaries, glancing back at the building every so often.
The matriarch was coming around. She looked outside the vehicle, and saw a human female, but not the one she remembered carrying her. The human was firing at what looked like some very angry mercenaries. She searched for the one she remembered, but saw nothing. Maybe it was a hallucination.
"What is going on?"
"You were kidnapped. We're rescuing you."
"Can you get us out of here?"
"I can't drive this thing. I have no idea what this even is; it's got to be technology from hundreds of years ago."
"Tell the VI to run it then."
"Danger is still in there." The Commander looked at the crumbling building once again for a sign, any sign. Nothing. "Damn. Danger, we can't wait forever. VI, get us out of here!"
"Accessing: Voice verification complete. Commander Shepard, my name is DIDI, not VI. How may I assist?"
"Get us out of here, NOW!" She didn't take time to ponder why the VI seemed to know her voice.
"I'm sorry Commander, but I do not have control over all systems. I am programmed to assist in navigation, repair, and special operations as designed by Operative Danger, but she currently has locked systems to only her commands. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"No. Damn it. Figures. Danger probably did it as a precaution so the Corsairs didn't steal or sabotage it."
Well, it was good planning. I can't be mad at her for protecting our way out. Still, I should have made her program me into that stupid computer.
"Who is this 'Operative Danger'?"
"The one who is in there trying to save your buddy's ass like an idiot."
So it wasn't a hallucination. Interesting.
Just then, Jane saw an opportunity and grabbed it. The blast had weakened the structure of a nearby water tower and with a few skillful shots from her sniper rifle, the water held inside came crashing down, flooding the compound. It swept most of the mercenaries off their feet, but she knew it wouldn't be long before they regrouped.
"Matriarch, I need to leave you here for a minute. Keep your head down, and just wait for us."
Terriana didn't particularly like being ordered around, especially by humans, but she didn't get a chance to retort. The soldier was already gone.
Jane threw down her sniper rifle and drew her pistol. This was just like Danger, getting herself into an impossible situation, trying to save the world, and fucking everything up in the process. She ran back to the building, and noticed out of the corner of her eye a few muddy Corsairs picking themselves up from the ground. She pumped her legs harder, running up a small hill of debris and praying that her ankle held. She vaulted herself off the apex, twisting in midair, and fired at the three men now advancing on her position. One by one they fell, and Jane grunted and shut her eyes as she hit the ground and slid inside the door to the building.
She picked herself up, checked the action her pistol, and looked around. "Danger! Are you in here?"
"Jane! I'm up here! He's too heavy for me to run with. I think I can move him a little with biotics."
How did she manage to climb up there? She must have a death wish...
"Can you drag him to the opening here? Fall off the edge and use the biotics to cushion you! We can both carry him out to the car then!"
"I… I think so Jane."
"Danger, we don't have time to think! Just do it! The matriarch is out in the open!"
"Right!"
Suddenly, the air was electric with the force of a biotic field, and Jane jumped back as Danger and Rolus rolled over the edge and bounced off the cushion. The turian grunted, but didn't cry out. Jane was impressed. His right leg was swollen and bent at an impossible angle. Falling out of the fourth floor of a building probably wasn't the most pleasurable thing that could have happened to him.
"Get him up, Danger." She ran to the turian's side and put his arm around her shoulder, lifting him from the ground. Danger was a few ticks behind, but she did the same to his other. "Come on, we need to get out of here!"
Danger just nodded, and the two women half carried, half dragged, the injured turian out to the vehicle. Danger lifted him over the side, with a little biotic help, and strapped him in as Jane leveled her assault rifle at a small group of advancing mercenaries. Danger marveled at Jane's composure under pressure, and shook her head as she watched the helpless bandits fall to the commander's focused aim. Danger wished she was so graceful with weapons, but the truth was, she was just a mechanic who happened to have a lot of really good luck. Jane was tough, fast, and smart. She didn't rely on luck. She made luck.
"Jane, how do you manage to wipe out entire compounds of mercenaries with a hand gun? I mean, really. Tell me. It's unbelievable."
"Danger, as much as I'd love to discuss my techniques with you, we need to get the hell out of here! This stupid computer of yours wouldn't budge."
"That's my DIDI. Programmed her myself. It's not exactly legal stuff, but it's not exactly illegal either. I call her Darla's Intelligent and Dangerous Interface. Do you like it?"
"Charming. Danger, we need to move." Jane vaulted herself over the passenger's side door and strapped into the seat.
"All right Commander. Point taken! Buckle up everyone… especially you, beautiful!" Danger said, glancing at the matriarch who subsequently looked scandalized. "Hold on!"
"DIDI, Voice Actuation Off!"
Danger slammed the car into gear and gunned the gas. The small rover jerked forward and shot straight off the edge of the mountain. They gained speed at an alarming rate, plunging into the depths below.
"Primary charging, Secondary standby…"
DIDI once again burst to life. Picking up speed again, Danger.
"Primary Charged. Secondary Charging."
Impact in 10.5 seconds.
"Secondary charged. Primary ready."
Impact in 8 seconds
The glow was fainter this time, but it was still there. Jane hoped that Danger hadn't lost too much strength getting that turian out of the building.
Impact in 6 seconds.
"Wait for it…"
Impact in 3 seconds
"Not yet…"
Impact in 1.5 seconds
"RELEASE PRIMARY CHARGE, NOW!"
"RELEASE SECONDARY CHARGE, NOW!"
This time, she didn't need the afterburner. The vehicle piggybacked off the charges, spun slightly in the air, and landed on the ridge they originally observed the compound from with plenty of clearance. She brought the vehicle around to view the chaos left in their wake and grinning idiotically, looked back at her charge and said, "All right! Well, that was fun, huh? Better get you back to alliance safety! Get us out of here DIDI!" The car's AI took over, and the vehicle spun itself back around as the extraction specialist reclined in her seat, mission accomplished.
The matriarch's dark blue skin had gone white.
-Colloquia, Garage
DIDI skillfully navigated the rover into the shuttle, and soon they were back aboard the Colloquia and en route to the Citadel. The captain had come to escort the matriarch to her quarters, and Rolus had been moved to sickbay for medical treatment of his leg. Commander Shepard had gone to make her report, and that just left Danger alone with her thoughts.
She kept replaying the day over and over in her head, starting with picking up the asari and ending with that scandalized expression on the matriarch's face. No, maybe not so much scandalized as disgusted at the human's comments.
Well shit, did you really want a suit and tie type coming in there, or did you want me and Jane?
Danger's lack of professionalism had always been attributed to her informal training and absence from military structure, but the military sure hadn't taught her how to scale a crumbling wall to save a turian. The military wouldn't have let her experiment with biotics and AI the way she did with the CamMech 3.
No, the military wouldn't have really taught her much at all.
Except how to not sound like an idiot.
Exactly. How to not sound like an idiot. She shook her head and replayed the scene again. Yep, she still sounded like an idiot. She wondered how her friend always seemed so together. Commander Jane Shepard always controlled the room. Her dark eyes and hair contrasted her light skin and carved features, and for a moment Danger wished she was more like the soldier. Jane Shepard always said the right thing. Jane Shepard never embarrassed herself. Jane Shepard was always in command.
Just then, the commander strode up and interrupted Danger's scattered thoughts.
"So how bad is it, Jane?"
"The matriarch? She's chewing the ambassador out now over how unprofessional and absolutely abhorrent humans are, but she's alive and that means we did our jobs. The brass is happy."
Danger leaned forward and put her head in her hands. "Abhorrent, huh?"
Shepard leaned on the car and said, "Yep, she thinks we are all slugs of the galaxy, especially you. I've got to hand it to you though, Danger. You are the only one in the universe that would actually hit on an asari matriarch while falling out of a building. I've never seen anything like it."
Danger groaned. Dear god, so it wasn't going unnoticed.
"What possessed you to say that, anyway? I thought for sure that you were in no way, shape or form interested in anything with a blue skin tone."
"I have no idea. I keep replaying the whole thing in my head, and none of it makes sense. Well, the important thing is we got her back to the Alliance, and hopefully she will step up security now. I'm sure she never wants to be rescued by me again. Come to think of it, I actually get that reaction a lot, even when I don't make a pass at the mark." Danger cocked her head to the side thoughtfully.
The commander chuckled.
"Eh, don't worry about it. She will shout for a few hours at the ambassador, and then he will have her smoothed back over again. You know how these diplomats work, they like to piss and moan until someone kisses their ass for a few hours. Like I said, the brass is happy, and they've already transferred your fee plus a bonus for extracting her injury free. No clue how you managed to fall twice without causing injuries to anyone, biotics or no."
Danger just stretched her aching back. "Yea, well I should probably visit the doctor myself and make sure I didn't damage anything permanently. What's next for you?"
"I've been called to the Normandy. No rest for the weary. They aren't telling me much about what's going on, but it looks like it might be big. I'll come visit you on Omega if I have some time. For now, looks like duty calls. I'm sure that you will forget this in no time, with all that money to blow on whores."
"Yea. Come visit me on Omega. Maybe you will be able to find me under the pile of bottles I plan to bury myself in."
"Don't let it get to you Danger. It's not like you move in the same circles. You'll never have to see her again. Besides, I thought you were retiring, anyway. You sure as hell could with the amount of creds I saw them transferring. I had no idea that an idiot like you could be worth that sum of money!"
And with that, the commander left the garage and a weary Darla "Danger" Vance leaned her head back and fell asleep.