Warning: This chapter is rated A for Awesome. Viewer discretion is advised. I suggest you put Nacho libre end fight when you see Grunt climbing, trust me its epic!

4-1-2184 2043 hours (Citadel standard time)

SSV Normandy

Corvette

War room

"Cap, the Normandy is docked." Joker announced over the radio as the Normandy's airlock docked with an Omega hangar.

"Roger that, Joker," Shepard responded. Speaking from underneath a titan helmet, his voice sounded a bit robotic. The helmet came with an integrated air scrubber/filtration module, communications equipment, a heads up display, a flashlight and retractable antennae on its right side. His face was covered behind a blue polarized visor.

He was wearing a full suit of white titan-class heavy body armor. On his right chest was the signature Alliance logo, a black colored eagle in a predatory stance with a circle around it. On his left chest was his rank and name. He was equipped with the titan standard MX rail gun carbine, which fired the standard Alliance 7.62mm round at high velocities; it came attached with a grenade launcher and scope. On his right thigh was a M5 10mm Beta pistol, and on his back was an M35semi-automatic drum-fed action shotgun, which held 10-gauge shotgun shells. For crowds he packed five M97 frag grenades.

He stood in front of the ground team, most of who were armed and armored in case extra reinforcements were needed. Even though the war room was relatively small, each crew member worked efficiently at his or her own station with hologram interfaces. Situated at the center of the room was an advanced interface, which showed the blueprints of any station or building they came across. "Alright I'm sure all of you have heard of the virus plaguing Omega. Because of that, Mordin will come with me, along with Samara. The virus doesn't seem to be affecting salarians are asari."

Mordin was equipped with his usual attire, but with added sensors, medical supplies, hacking equipment, ballistic vest, and an air filter. Since the virus didn't affect asari or salarian, he didn't need to worry about exposure, however he was prepared just in case. He was equipped with an SU-43 submachine gun with a suppressor, holo-graphic sight, and grip. Unlike conventional weapons, the SU-43 was 26 inches long, yet had a drum with 60-heat sinks in the center of the weapon. For a sidearm he went with the STG trusted SU-12 Scorpion added with a laser sight for added precision. He also had three EMP and five sensor grenades.

Samara wore the black colored asari commando armor on top of her Justicar uniform. She too wore a gas mask for safety. She was armed with the M99 Saber with a fore grip and Acolyte pistol with added heat sinks. She carried three anti-matter grenades and three smoke grenades.

"Shepard, this is Omega. I've been here before and trust me the locals aren't fond of the Alliance. You're going to need me. Unless you happen to know Aria on a personal level." Nyreen said, nominating herself for the mission. She wore the standard Armax arsenal turian armor and carried five frag and flash bang grenades. She was equipped with the Krysae sniper rifle and the trusted Phaeston assault rifle. Aside from her weapons she carried several bags of medi-gel at the cost of extra heat sinks. She also had two remote detonated surveillance drones to tack additional targets.

"Wait, how do you know the pirate queen?" Garrus asked, suspicious of his girlfriend. His load-out was nearly identical to Nyreen's, but he instead carried the black widow sniper rifle.

"I don't like to talk about it." She responded, crossing her arms and avoiding his gaze.

"Nyreen, you do realize the plague affects turians right?" Shepard asked her.

"It affects humans too, but I don't see that stopping you." She countered.

"And there is the Nyreen I know." Even if Garrus was trying to pry information out of someone, he could still do it in a friendly manner. A tribute to his many years as a detective.

Shepard sighed, "Fine. Get yourself ready and make sure you have the appropriate equipment. If any of us get infected with the virus, we can only hope Mordin and Chakwas can create a cure." He warned her.

"Not to worry, Shepard. Once I take samples and collect data on the virus. It should take me no more than a solar day to create one." Mordin was able to say that whole sentence in the span of ten seconds. Already he was going through reports on the virus, its symptoms, duration before death, etc. He didn't seem bothered by memorizing such a large span of information.

"Shepard, I'll go and see if Chakwas needs my help. Just in case…well you know." Liara said as she got up and excused herself. The risk of exposure from the virus was very real for each ground member since it was unknown if the virus was capable of mutating. Aside from Mordin and Chakwas, Liara was the only other person with medical experience in treating multiple species.

"Hold on, Shepard. You aren't counting me out." Zaeed announced, just before Shepard could commence the mission. He wore a ballistic vest enclosing the entire torso, locked on the sides, with additional armored panels on the front, a life support unit on the back, armored plates worn on the legs and a helmet. The helmet was a large, transparent faceplate, with similar features as Shepard's but less advanced. He chose the Alliance standard ARC5 rail gun assault rifle. The ARC5 was built around the new 6.8mm Alliance light rifle round. The 6.8's bullet is slightly heavier than the older 5.56mm and is designed to better penetrate body armor and then tumble inside the target's body. The designers of the ARC5 added a folding stock and a compact, single-shot 25mm airburst grenade launcher. The grenade launcher permits the shooter to launch airburst explosives mere steps from a target hiding behind a corner or other hard cover. In addition he packed the M100A advanced heavy sniper rifle. It used a semi-automatic action to fire a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun slug to great ranges.

"Surely you can't be serious?" Shepard asked the veteran merc.

"I practically lived here when I served with the Red Hand and there a few friends of mine that might help us. Either way I know this place like the back and hand, which I'll use to slap you if you ever ask that question again."

"Alright you can come too." Shepard and the rest of the team immediately stared at Ramirez, who just stood in the middle of the room encased in the same armor Shepard wore.

"Why is everyone looking at me?" He asked, suspecting the answer, but was hoping he was wrong.

"Because you'll be leading bravo team." Zaeed told him, throwing an MX carbine and a MP12S submachine gun. The MP12S was a sound-suppressed version of the MP12. It came attached with a fore grip, holographic sight, and fired the Alliance 6.8mm round.

"Yeah I was afraid of that." He responded taking the weapons. Per protocol, Ramirez was already equipped the M5 Beta pistol.

"Alright people, listen up. Our mission is to collect data on the virus, eliminate those who manufactured and deployed it, and if possible cure the station. Any questions?" Shepard asked.

"Yeah, how exactly will we know if we're infected?" Ramirez asked.

"Simple, from documented reports on Omega, you'll be aware if you developed a deep rash, severe coughing, vomiting of digestives or blood, and/or severe muscle pain. Luckily symptoms begin after a week of exposure so eradication of said virus from your system should be feasible once I've developed a cure." Mordin answered.

"'Should be'?"

Mordin frowned, "There are no guarantees in medicine."

"Neither are there in war. Now quit complaining and let's get this over with." Zaeed said as he filed out the door. He was followed out by Shepard's team, which was designated Alpha team.

SSV Normandy

Command Deck

Joker, still in his hazmat suit, decided to recline his chair once the Normandy was docked. He pulled down his cap and the uncanny pilot fell asleep almost instantly. His snoring prevented him from hearing Shepard approach behind him.

Seeing Joker in such a calm state, Shepard decided to wake his friend the old fashion way. "FLIGHT LIEUTENANT ARE YOU SLEEPING ON THE JOB!?" Shepard's loud voice echoed throughout the Command Deck.

Joker sprang from his chair, his heart seeming to pump through his chest. "Flight Lieutenant at the…damn it Shepard what are you still doing here?! We've already docked so you can get off the ship. So you know you're free to go and get yourself infected." Joker's sarcasm was prevalent as ever, and he clearly had no reservations about subjecting them onto Shepard. Turning his chair around, he fixed Shepard with a glare.

Shepard just laughed. "Sorry, Joker just wanted to make sure you were alert."

Looking behind him, he saw five members of the crew, three of which caught his attention. "Uh…Shepard didn't Alliance intelligence say the virus affected turians and humans?"

"Of course."

"Then why is Ramirez standing behind your team with Zaeed and Nyreen?"

"Because they both volunteered."

"Both?"

"Yeah and I was conscripted." Ramirez answered.

"Bummer." Joker rubbed his covered goatee, thinking of a clever joke to say. "So if you get infected, does that mean we'll get to throw you in a dungeon or inside a plastic bubble?"

Shepard smacked his friend, behind the head "Joker, don't be an ass."

"What can I say I'm an entertainer." He defended.

"Too bad you've never entertained a woman in your life." Ramirez mocked. The entire command deck erupted into laughter.

"Hah hah, very funny Ramirez. You know, I can have EDI suck you out of the airlock for insulting me on my bridge." Joker turned over to look at her avatar, pulsing gently as if unfazed by the argument before her.

"Actually, that is not one of my functions on the Normandy, Mr. Moreau. I am installed on this ship to navigate, engage in cyber attacks, assist in calibrating weapons, and…"

"Yea I got EDI! It was supposed to be a joke. By the way, Shepard do you sneak up on everyone or is that some weird fetish you have going on?"

Shepard moved closer to the pilot, putting his arm on his shoulder. "Only for you Joker; only for you."

"Geez, and the rest of the crew usually complains about me making sick jokes. Looks like we have a new creep on board."

"Says the guy in a hazmat suit. Have you even bathed since you put that thing on?" Ramirez could swear he was seeing stench lines inside the pilot's suit.

"When you get infected by the virus, we'll see who's laughing then." Offended for the last time, Joker turned the chair back around.

"In any case, make sure the ship stays safe Joker." Shepard said, leading the team out of the airlock.

"Aye Aye captain."

Omega

Docks

Stepping through the airlock, the gang was officially in uncharted territory. Omega, the capital of the Terminus underworld. A station that served as a practical safe haven for criminals, terrorists, and malcontents. Omega had no central government; those who had the biggest gun had the most power. Here if there was a buyer, there was a seller. Narcotics, weapons, and eezo trafficking fueled Omega's economy. It was basically a dark twisted version of the Citadel.

"Omega. You'll never find a more wretched hive of scum, murderers, and thieves anywhere else." Nyreen said with distaste, as she led the way.

"And we're walking straight into this godforsaken hell hole of a station." Zaeed's thoughts mirrored Nyreen's.

As they walked through the hangar, Shepard took a long look at the space around him. A dull red light permeated the massive city-asteroid, tinting everything the color of dried blood. The ground was made up of dull, dirty steel, or what Shepard thought was steel. Centuries of negligence caused several layers of filth to blanket the ground and as a result it was now dyed a blackish-brown color. Rubbish and debris sat in untidy piles in the corners and there was no sky view out to space, just more dirt. Even the air seemed tainted and Shepard felt like he needed to shower once he got back to the Normandy.

As the group continued walking, Shepard noticed several beggars. He took pity on them, already they were in a bad situation, and then it just got worse for them. He suspected a few warlords used the plague as an excuse to remove the vagrants. Sick or not, a lot of people were carrying some sort of weapon. Many let the heavily armed group advance without disturbance, however a few eyes continue to linger. As they continued walking towards their destination, the streets became more crowded. With so many people walking around, Shepard made sure his weapons were locked onto his armor. The last thing he needed was some pickpocket shooting him with his own weapons. The place set Shepard on edge.

It wasn't just the appearance of the station, but the sound as well. A constant wail of air cars, machinery, music, arguments, fits of coughing and begging from the poor. "I would've thought that this place would seem…I don't know more chaotic. I mean they've must've heard of the Reapers, and with the plague going on…it doesn't seem to be affecting these people a whole lot." Ramirez spoke up.

"You'd be right in that assumption. Suspect Collectors use Omega-4 relay nearby, yet many in the Terminus still dismissed them as legend until recently. For them to believe of ancient machines, which harvest all space faring species in the galaxy, they would have to see them with their own eyes or…" Mordin began, before they came across a batarian preacher.

The batarian preacher locked all four eyes on the group and singled them out. "Blight! Blight! The great harvesters shall see you're kinds flame extinguished. We shall be greeted as their great servants and ascend to greatness…"

"Or mad." Mordin finished his earlier sentence as they passed the preacher.

"Well that was interesting." Shepard said as he continued to follow Nyreen and Zaeed.

"Evil has a strong hand here on this station." Samara said, seeing so much injustice around her. Normally she would have gone on a rampage; however her oath to Shepard prevented that.

"You're not going to go berserk and start killing anyone who liters right?" It would seem Ramirez was spending too much time with Joker.

Samara didn't catch the sarcasm in Ramirez's voice and stared at him passively. "So long as innocents are not endangered I will hold my hand." If she could see behind a polarized visor, she would see Ramirez staring at her wide-eyed.

"So Zaeed where are these friends of yours?" Shepard asked semi-sarcastically, curious to see how he would respond.

"They should be at the entrance to Afterlife." He responded.

"That would be…?"

"Right, you're not from around here. Afterlife is the one of the main clubs here on Omega."

"And it's where Aria resides overlooking the club." Nyreen clarified.

"So we'll be hitting two birds with one stone? Alright." They managed to reach Omega's markets, which was buzzing with activity. Shepard looked at the people, who swarmed from one station to another. They mostly seemed impoverished civilians, yet looked like they'd stab anyone who looked at them the wrong way. It was different rules than Shepard was accustomed to. In the Alliance, he was able to trust the soldier next to him. Here he couldn't go a few seconds without looking for anyone who would start screaming and charge at them with a knife.

'I can't wait to get off this station.' He thought as he kept walking with extreme paranoia.

They didn't need to struggle across the sea of civilians. The armor and weapons they had attracted attention and once people caught a look at the group they would move out of the way. Shepard stared at the lines of what resembled walking skeletons than actual people. They had threadbare clothes, ripped attire, and even pieces of recycled material around their bodies. Very few people had complete functional suits of attire. Even a few mercs who were in the area carefully watched the crowd to see if they would start attacking each other in a mad frenzy. It did not help ease Shepard's anxiety. As Shepard continued to stare at the crowd, they stared back. It sent a shiver down his spine.

Once they made it to Afterlife's entrance without any bullet holes, Shepard was relieved and thanked whatever deity allowed them the good fortune. Shepard noticed a long single file line of various species waiting outside the entrance to the club. As they approached the entrance, a salarian greeter walked towards the group. "Welcome to Omega. All of you are new here aren't ya? I can always tell. Allow..."

Before he could finish, two heavily armed individuals wearing full suits of crimson red armor arrived. "Oh…uh…hello Gallick…I was just..." Before he could finish explaining himself one of the guards, a turian by the appearance of his figure, cut him off.

"Leave Farget now." The turian commanded.

"Of course Gallick." The salarian buzzed off like a bee from the group.

Judging from the color scheme of the armor and the signature red hand painted on the shoulders, Shepard easily realized that these two mercs were Zaeed's contacts.

"Shepard, I like you to meet General Gallick leader of the Red Hand on Omega. The kid here is Jace Reyn." Zaeed introduced Shepard to his fellow mercs.

"Nice to meet you." Shepard said, holding out a hand.

Gallick accepted the handshake. "Sorry about that. There are always scavengers who try to scam people new to the station out of everything they own. We try to keep some order, but…lately things have been a bit tense."

"How tense?"

Gallick motion for Shepard to follow him. Stepping through the doors, Shepard could hear protests of people still standing in line. The doors revealed a long narrow hall, with red tint lights and moving flame vinyl on the walls. Several tables and chairs were lined up on either side of the walkway. "Well about a week ago there was a riot in the markets over food. Twenty died with another thirty-five injured. Every store had to hire a mercenary group just to keep the crowds from breaking in and stealing everything. We had to ration what we had. Things looked good for a while, then that plague hit the apartments in the Gozu district and then…everything went to hell real fast. Every race that wasn't affected began pouring into the apartments looking to 'scavenge' materials.' We lost twelve men trying to hold the crowd back. After that, we just quarantined the place. Nothing can get in or out." He explained as he led the group.

"Things seem bad."

"Well it got worse. Seeing as how the Red Hand employs two of the three races affected, the Blue Suns and Eclipse decided to push into our territory."

"What about Blood Pack?" Shepard questioned.

"Now here is where things get ironic. Garm came to us with a deal. Since the virus was affecting krogans as well and since they led the hordes of vorcha, he offered to assist us in exchange for the same favor. It gave us some breathing room, but the Blue Suns and Eclipse have mechs, biotics, and a lot more troops. Plus they already controlled most of the station before they decided to get greedy."

"So you need that plague cured as soon as possible." Shepard guessed.

"I needed it cured last week. But yea if you can do that'll be great. A few of my men are waiting inside Afterlife at the bar. I'll explain the situation there."

Halfway towards the entrance, the doors opened up to reveal a turian dragging an unconscious batarian out of the club. The turian in questioned then equipped his pistol and shot the man in cold blood three times. The turian calmly turned around and walked back inside the club. Shepard and Ramirez were stunned.

"Shepard, you saw that right?" Ramirez asked him.

"Yea. Kinda wish I hadn't." He answered.

Samara's body flared blue as she activated her biotics and headed towards the entrance to the club. Before she could get far, Zaeed seized her arm. "Let me go!" She demanded.

"Listen sweetheart. For all we know, that batarian deserved what he got. You should make sure who you start avenging before you get us all killed."

Samara deactivated her biotics. Seeing her in a calmer state, Zaeed let her go. "This innocent must be avenged." She argued.

"Zaeed's right Samara. We don't know of this man was innocent or not. Here you only end up dead if you screw anyone and he doesn't look like a common citizen." Nyreen tried explaining.

"Very well. Let's just get off this station as quick as we can." Samara seemed to accept the two crew members' reasoning.

"Well that was interesting," Gallick remarked on the situation in front of him. "Let's continue onward before something else happens." As the group stepped into Afterlife, Shepard could see why so many were trying to get in. In the center of the club was a large neon pole with two metal scaffold platforms attached to the sides and around it was a round platform, which had several asari dancing. Music blared loudly with several people dancing. People were getting drunk at the bar, and the rest were either eating or chatting with one another.

'I didn't think asari were capable of being that flexible. If Tali were here, she'd probably be jealous.' Shepard thought.

Omega

Afterlife

Balcony

"This is PATHETIC!"

Aria threw the data pad at the batarian. She didn't come this far to be kicked out of the game now. It didn't matter if the batarian cowering in fear used the info or not. It was the fact that he was stupid enough to hand it out. She stood and planted her fist straight into the guards face. The batarian collapsed with a shout of agony. She walked over and stepped on his open palm, making him scream more.

"I don't know what the hell you were thinking, but I want to know who you gave the information to. Do you understand?"

She twisted his hand under her shoe.

"Y-Yes! Please I have a family!"

"Now tell me, who did you give the information to!?" She demanded.

"T-The…S-Shadow Broker." The batarian whimpered in fear.

In furious rage, her foot collided with his face and he let out a groan. She motioned to the turian beside the entryway. He picked up the batarian clumsily, dragging him across the floor and out of the room. Aria watched from her window as the guard dragged him out of the doors of Afterlife. This is what happened to those who broke the one rule on Omega: Don't fuck with Aria. You're left to die in the slums, wallowing in your own self-pity, or if she felt generous she would just shoot you right then and there ending you suffering. Here there were no second chances, danger lurked in every corner. It's what made Omega so wonderful to Aria. There was no intergalactic law, no regulations, not even politics. Only Aria herself had personal guards and they refused to take orders from anyone else. Omega was a free place where the guilty could rest and where crime didn't matter. Con men, thieves, murderers, even warlords enjoyed Omega's hospitality. You piss off somebody powerful here and you're done for.

And that's exactly why that man was going to die, he gave valuable information to the Broker and that was something unforgivable. Aria never minded Broker cells operating on Omega or other people looking for trouble with the locals, but now things seemed to have changed. The Broker had information on her spouse, who happened to be a high ranking Matriarch in the Asari Republics. Aria and her spouse never sought eye to eye, they were just too different. Aria preferred freedom while her spouse preferred order, but even Aria, no matter how cruel, would make sure her loved ones were protected.

Aria sat on her sofa with her legs crossed, contemplating. 'What does the Broker want with an Asari Matriarch? Leverage? But then why would he want Omega? Power? Probably. Is the Broker behind the plague? Is he weakening Omega in order to strike against it? Is he helping the Collectors?' She motioned to the returning guard. He leaned in and she gave him the orders. Aria needed a plan. A lot of people wanted Aria dead, but most people weren't as resourceful or powerful as the Broker. In the Terminus, life wasn't about protecting others it was about survival. Whoever ended up the wealthiest, with the bigger gun, and the most power won. And now, Aria needed to call in a few favors. It was then, high up from her throne that she saw a large group of heavily armed squad enter her club and headed towards the bar. Normally she would ignore them as mercenary gangs visited Afterlife for entertainment often. But the group stood out for a few reasons. First three people within the group wore Alliance armor and second they had one person in particular that caught her interest. Her ex-lover: Nyreen. The group seemed to be discussing amongst themselves, when a large group of Blue Suns and Eclipse mercs approached them.

Sensing trouble, Aria's guards withdrew to defensive positions around her. Lead by her Patriarch, the former ruler of Omega, her guards were ready to defend the pirate queen to their last breath. One of her guards moved to defuse the situation before she motioned him to stop. A smirk appeared on her face. "Well things have gotten interesting."

Omega

Afterlife

Bar

Aside from the shocking murder of the batarian at the front door of the club, things went pretty smoothly since then. Once they met up with a few of Gallick's men, he explained how the Gozu district was practically a warzone. He mentioned a few Red Hand and Blood Pack mercs were willing to help, but they would be facing numerous biotics, tech specialists, mechs, and foot soldiers. He also mentioned that a salarian doctor had set up a clinic and was assisting the plague victims, but the way there would be tough. They had a platoon of men stationed there, but contact with them has been lost. If they could get there, then they'll have a forward operating base and probably access to the clinic's medical supplies.

"So you think this salarian doctor has found a way to cure the victims?" Shepard asked.

"Not sure, but he should have the most knowledge on it. I know it's not much, but it's all we got at the moment." Gallick answered.

"No problem. Mordin, what do you think?"

"Treating victims, bold step. Mercs may take it as an insult, retaliation likely. If clinic falls, results would be problematic. Notes may accelerate development of cure." The mercs, who were not accustomed to the rapid pace of the salarian professor's speech, were taken aback.

Gallick looked at Shepard, who replied, "He talks like that all the time."

"Well that has to be…interesting."

"Yea."

"Shepard, heads up. Looks like we have trouble." Zaeed informed him. The veteran merc could recognized the signature uniform of the Blue Suns, not that it was difficult as nearly half the club was tainted with the presence of the mercs.

"Well, look at what we have here. Gallick, are you recruiting posers now? I know we've been cutting down your men, but I didn't know it was this bad." Taunted a bald young man. He had slightly tanned skin, but overall was pale. He didn't look older than 28 years old. Behind him stood a large group of mercs, and many more were staring at them from places all over the club.

'Great just what I needed. A jackass, who wants to play tough,' Shepard thought. He didn't have the time or patience to deal with the idiot.

"What the hell do you want Vosque?" Zaeed demanded. "Can't you see we're too busy to deal with the likes of you?"

"Zaeed Massani, last I heard you were wallowing in self-pity and drowning yourself in alcohol. What changed? Oh I now, you decided to be a dancer. It'll sure give the men something to laugh about." Vosque's insults enraged the merc and judging by Zaeed's face it took all the control he had to avoid getting a bottle of alcohol and smashing it against Vosque's head.

"Zaeed, calm down," Shepard ordered as Ramirez held him back. Facing Vosque, Shepard tried his best to defuse the situation. "Look we don't want any trouble." Shepard tried explaining.

Vosque looked Shepard up and down, scanning him and seemed he was unimpressed with what he saw. "What are you? An Alliance soldier?" His face full of disgust "I think we should teach them how we welcomed Alliance types." He said to his men, who laughed and seemed to be preparing for a confrontation. Shepard saw dozens of mercs getting up and further enlarging Vosque's group. The bartender ducked behind the bar, and several people not wanting to get caught in the fight either took cover behind or underneath tables or scrambled out of the club altogether.

"Please we seek no confrontation, but if you force us we will act." Vosque's attention was redirected to Samara. Vosque appeared as if he was about to howl. He began circling the asari women.

"Well hello there. What is your name?"

"Samara. Asari Justicar."

Not being too intelligent, Vosque didn't understand the meaning behind the word. "Well Samara, I could think of a few uses for your mouth." Samara did not let the insult faze her. Centuries of dealing with arrogant people have left her with a high level of patience.

"I hope your men are good fighters." Gallick whispered in Shepard's ear as Vosque was momentarily distracted. Between Shepard's and Gallick's men, they only had eleven people. Vosque seemed to have twelve times the number.

"Yea, but we may need help," Getting on his comm, he waited a few seconds before Joker responded.

"Normandy here."

"Joker, I need backup on my location right now. Tell EDI to pinpoint our location and send backup right away." Shepard ordered in a hushed whisper.

"Any problems boss?" Joker seemed slightly worried.

"We're about to."

"Roger that, sending back up right away. Whatever pickle you're in I hope you make it out alive.

"We're about to see."

Vosque was still circling Samara and kept his eyes glued to her figure. "So, what do you say baby? How would you like to come home with me?" He proceeded to do the stupidest thing he could; stopping to admire Samara's rear, he gave it a hard slap. The entire Normandy crew stood in silence, shock, and in fear.

"Oh shit, the poor fool is done for." Ramirez said. Shepard agreed with him.

Samara finally lost her patience with the man. She lifted him high into the air and threw him across the room. Vosque screamed as loud as he could, only silenced when his body broke through a table. He groaned in pain as his breath was literally knocked out of him. No one moved and Shepard suddenly realized the music stopped playing and everyone was staring at them.

"Get them!" A burly Blue Sun batarian ordered as he made the first move and lunged at Zaeed with a worn pocket knife. The veteran mercenary easily dodged the amateur blow and grabbed a nearby bottle and smashed it against the batarian's head, knocking him out cold. The brief fight was the catalyst for everyone else to attack.

Then all hell broke loose…

The entire club erupted into an orgy of violence. Hordes of mercs charged at the group, who fought back. Bodies collided with each other, bottles and chairs were used as weapons, and pieces of furniture were flung across the room. The scene matched the profile of Omega; chaotic and disordered.

Nyreen, using her biotics, threw some of the heavy pieces of furniture towards a close cluster of enemies trying to flank the group from the right. Most of them dove out of the way, but a slow vorcha was caught in the impact. He was left against the wall, his head bent at an unnatural angle. "Shepard, whatever you do don't use your weapons!" She warned.

"Why the hell not?" He asked as he ducked a punch from a merc and managed to punch her in the gut. He then kneed her in the face, knocking her out cold.

"Just trust me." She said as her entire figure was a bathed in glowing blue light, her teeth clenched and her eyes narrowed. Her every muscle was wound tight, straining against her bones. One arm was raised upwards holding up a couple of enemies, who struggled feebly in the zero-G. Her other arm held a large glowing ball of biotic energy, which was expanding. Suddenly the blue glow rippled like a wave as she shot her arm forward and sent the warp hurdling towards a large group of enemies. As if shot by a cannon, the group of enemies sky rocketed in every direction. She then threw the enemies, still held in the air, at the large pole in the center of the club. As the fire extinguished from her body, she once again looked for suitable targets, but Shepard could plainly see the dullness in her movements and the glazed look of fatigue in her eyes.

"Alright, Nyreen." He trusted her judgment. He then charged at the nearest merc, punching him in the face. A Krogan tried to throw a punch, but Shepard delivered a kick to the ribs followed by a strike to the face, which caused the krogan to slightly bend over. Shepard quickly punched the krogan in the stomach and then an uppercut. Dazed, the krogan couldn't keep up with Shepard's speed. He spun his body around and delivered a roundhouse kick, knocking the krogan out cold.

Samara stood circled by thugs unsure as to how they could approach the curved asari in front of them, Samara on the other hand had no qualms as she delivered several reave and wrap attacks. She used her biotics to threw clusters of enemies back, but more seemed to take their place. Seeing Nyreen vulnerable, Samara created a protective shield around them. Several large mercs banged on the barrier. Samara then rechanneled the barrier into a large shockwave at the horde, sending half a dozen of the group flying towards tables and poles. The ground shook as if a nearby earthquake had occurred. Only three managed to get back up again.

Zaeed seemed to be in his element as he flung himself into the fight and used dirty handed tactics with so much zeal that even the heartless scum of Omega balked at him. Such pauses proved deadly as Zaeed lashed a fist into a man's crotch resulting in a high pitched shriek before a chop the neck silenced the man. He then turned around and kicked an asari in the ribs followed by a DDT. A salarian tried kicking him; however he grabbed a hold of it and kicked the salarian in the groin followed by a jab to the face, knocking him onto the ground unconscious. He then took a glass of whiskey from the bar's counter and started drinking. He dodged just in time to avoid a punch from a woman. He grabbed a hold of her head and slammed it hard on the counter. "Alright who's next?" He said challenging anyone to take him on, still holding the bottle of whiskey in his hands. Luckily for him there was no shortage of volunteers. Gallick and his men seemed to follow Zaeed's style, bobbing and weaving then throwing a dirty punch or kick. A few of them used chairs and plates as weapons.

Ramirez stood ready as three enemies charged at him. Ramirez immediately threw a punch at the one in the middle, who did the same. Ramirez was able to deliver the blow first aimed at the man's chest knocking him back. He then jumped back as a turian on the right tried to kick him. Quickly he brought his knee up to a batarian's face on the left, knocking him over the side of a table. Ramirez repeated his first strike on the turian. Again Ramirez's reach allowed him to deliver the blow first, with the turian's fist only inches from his face. He sidestepped the punch and jumped as his brought his left fist down. It connected with the back stunned turian's head. The turian, refusing to go down, arched his hips as he tried to throw another punch. Ramirez sidestepped again and punched the exposed turian's ribcage and quickly followed up with a strike to the face. He could not believe the turian could absorb so much punishment. Using all his force, the turian tried again to deliver a strong blow. Ramirez, instinctively, crossed his arms. The Blue Suns merc managed to deliver the blow, however its intended target was blocked by Ramirez's forearms. The turian followed up with an uppercut to Ramirez's face. Thinking he got the best of the human, the turian tried to deliver a left hook. Ramirez rapidly recovered and used the turian's own momentum against him. Crouching, Ramirez ducked the blow and grabbed a hold of his arms and legs in a fireman's carry. He then threw the turian over his head and as he came down, Ramirez delivered a straight kick and sent the turian flying in the direction of the batarian, who was just recovering. He didn't have time to rest as the man he had struck first charged at him and tried to kick him. Ramirez quickly blocked the kick and both men threw a punch; each fist made contact with the other. Ramirez threw a right hook, which was blocked, but followed up with a punch to the man's stomach. He then arched his body counterclockwise and elbowed the guy in the face and brought the same arm around in a powerful hook and punched the man in the face again.

Seeing his enemies unconscious he took a moment to savior the victory. "Like a boss." His momentary victory was snuffed out as he was lifted into the air. "What the hell!?" It was then that he noticed an asari glowing blue. Suddenly, before she could fling him around the room, she let out a pained cry and collapsed onto the floor in a withering moaning mess. Ramirez was then dropped onto the floor. Mordin smiled at his handy-work and loaded his Omni-tool for another neural shock. A group of four tried to engage him, but they were too slow. Lighting quick, Mordin hit each thug in several pressure points around their bodies. They became momentarily paralyzed and fainted when Mordin delivered a large neural shock. He then continued walking across the chaos either neural shocking or injecting people with a strange fluid, which caused loss of awareness.

"You alright?" Shepard asked Ramirez, who was panting heavily.

"There is too many!" He gasped as he stuck a closing vorcha.

It was true, already most of Gallicks men were beat up pretty bad and Nyreen and Samara were using starting to tire through the heavy use of there biotics. Zaeed was doing the best by far, but he was starting to become overwhelmed. Mordin had to improvise, using makeshift weapons to even the odds. Sensing the groups were tiring the horde picked up their pace and began to press the advantage. Suddenly a human shriek was heard, but was cut short. Eyes snapped towards the scene as they saw the body of a man, his head twisted at a crooked angle, slumped on the ground. Behind the corpse stood Garrus, his eyes scanning the chaos. "What in the spirits is going on in here?"

"Garrus!" Shepard was never so happy to see the turian, though the happiness quickly left him when he only saw the turian standing in the door way. In less than a second, everyone went back to beating each other up.

Several Eclipse and Blue Suns mercs responded by charging at him. Two batarians, three raloi, and three salarians figured they could take the turian on. They were sadly mistaken. A batarian struck first, Garrus simply caught the punch and twisted the hand. He closed the distance with the batarian, kneeing several him times while simultaneously using his body as a shield. He threw the body at the group of mercs, throwing them back. A salarian recovered first and threw a right hook, but Garrus wrapped his arm around it. He punched the exposed salarian's torso. Simultaneously, he swept the mercs legs and punched him in the face. Garrus felt a kick connect with his gut and looked to his right to see a batarian female smirking.

"I don't normally punch women, but I'll make an exception just this once." He said coyly.

The batarian women became enraged and again kicked him. Garrus simply caught it and with immense force raised his leg and stepped on it. A loud crack, followed by a scream of agony was heard. Garrus then kicked a salarian in the thigh and threw her towards a raloi. She caught the female salarian, but was surprised when Garrus charged then jumped. In midair he delivered a drop kick sending the two falling down the steps towards the cold hard floor. In the chaos he failed to realize that a raloi, armed with a knife, was approaching from behind. The raloi lunged the blade towards Garrus' neck. The raloi was shocked when the blade was stopped mere inches from its target by a large four fingered orange hand. The raloi was then thrown across the cub hitting the upper balconies.

Garrus casually turned around to see Grunt standing in the doorway, eating several bags of chips. "Grunt, it's about time you got here."

Seeing that the fight was suddenly less one sided, a few mercs tried backing away. Vosque, who had at this point recovered, saw the massive figure of muscle approaching. "Tartarus, if you help us we'll pay you a hundred thousand credits!" Once he had finished the sentence, he found himself lifted up into the air by his collar and belt, turned upside down, and slammed onto the ground by Grunt.

It was then Shepard realized that a large cloaked figure, who up until this point was sitting in a corner, began to rise. It kept rising and rising until it was standing ten feet tall. Abandoning, the cloak, the shock on Shepard's face would have been almost comical had the situation been different. The huge mountain of muscle stomped towards the center of the bar calmly, cracking its fists.

Omega

Afterlife

Balcony

"Aria do you want us to step in?" The Patriarch asked her.

"Not yet, I want to see who wins." She replied.

Several of her guards stared at her as if she had grown a second head. Their expression was something that would've put a smile on her face if it was fear.

The Patriarch simply laughed. "You have a quad, Aria."

"Who do you think is going to win?" She asked passively. To her this was nothing more than a show. It was like an empress seeing her gladiators fighting for her favor.

"Ten thousand creds on the large group."

"I'll take those odds."

The Patriarch laughed again. "Be prepared to pay up."

"We'll see." She responded with a small smirk on her lips.

Omega

Afterlife

Ground floor

"A YAHG! SHEPARD THEY HAVE A FUCKING YAHG!" Ramirez cursed stepping back.

"FINALLY A CHALLENGE!" Ramirez couldn't believe his ears as the tank-bred krogan charged headlong like a force of nature into the fight roaring. Several combatants wisely sprang out of the way although a merc, a lightly dimmer than the rest, attempted to bring a shotgun to bear. The shot simply recoiled off Grunt's armor and the poor merc was simply run over; Grunt's weight crushing his body and causing his insides to squeeze out of the man.

Tartarus seeing the young krogan rushing towards him and turned to meet the threat.

"C'mon runt!" Tartarus growled, pounding his fists together.

Both mountains of muscles were surprised as they clashed: Tartarus because the smaller krogan had actually moved him and Grunt because his opponent was not sent sprawling. As the shock subsided the two giants did what they did best; hammer each other with their colossus sized fists until either their enemy was dead or they were. Tartarus clubbed Grunt's back and then kneed him in the face. Dazed, Grunt was unable to counter the yahg's, powerful punch. The force would have been enough to kill most krogan. Tartarus tried to punch Grunt again, but his time the young krogan was ready. Ducking, Grunt delivered an uppercut, a head butt, and a strike to the torso in rapid order.

It seemed the entire fight revolved around the pair and people on both sides disengaged to avoid coming into contact with the whirling fists and shifting mountains of colliding muscle. As the pair flew into the area Shepard was fighting he had to disengage from his opponents. His chest heaved heavily in an attempt to get enough oxygen for the fighting ahead. Tartarus managed to pick up the young krogan and threw him over the bar. Shepard, in a desperate attempt to assist Grunt, grabbed a nearby metal chair and swung it with all his strength.

Baam! The sound of the hit echoed through the club, but was suppressed in the endless fighting.

The impact didn't even faze the yagh, who turned his attention towards Shepard.

"I thought that would've worked." He said with a sheepish smile.

"Shepard, I got your back!" Ramirez charged and jumped high into the air. He grabbed onto the Yagh's back, who tried desperately to throw him off.

"Shit, shit, shit! This was a bad idea!" He yelled as he was flung around in the air. Finally the yagh grabbed a hold of Ramirez and flung him over his shoulders and straight onto the bar's counter. Under the immense force it collapsed revealing a shocked and frighten bar tender, who ran for the nearest exit. Ramirez however groaned in pain. "I knew I should've stayed on the ship."

The yahg once again focused his attention on Shepard, who began backing away from the large mountain of enraged muscle.

Before Tartarus could kill Shepard with his human head sized fists, a loud roar was heard. "I AM KROGAN!" Grunt screamed as he was taken over by the infamous blood rage.

Tartarus cranked his head to the left to see a mad krogan super soldier charging headlong. "Let's end this runt!" Tartarus challenged.

Expecting any normal krogan already taken by the blood rage to blindly charge head-on, Tartarus was ill prepared when Grunt rolled to the side and delivered a hammer blow to his knee. The sharp crack sounded as the joint snapped from the engineered krogan's fist. Most people would have given into the pain the krogan had just dealt out, however the impressive strength of the yahg allowed Tartarus to keep fighting. He tried targeting Grunt's waist, however Grunt easily managed to evade the attack. Grunt waited for the broken limb to cause the larger adversary to collapse and when it did, the ground shook as a deep resounding bang echoed through the place knocking over a few still standing bottles.

Shepard expected Grunt to finish his opponent off and Grunt would, just not the way Shepard had thought or considered possible. Grunt seeing the metal platforms attached to the large pole in the center of the club, ran over to it. Shepard was confused and wondered by Grunt was running away from a fight, but his question was soon answered as Grunt began climbing the 20 foot tall platform.

"Oh no." Shepard cursed.

"Oh no." Ramirez groaned.

Once Grunt reached the top of the platform, he looked around the bar and the massive chaos which engulfed it.

"TODAY IS A SPECIAL DAY!" The shout caught everyone's attention and no one could take their eyes off the krogan, nor could anyone believe what he was about to do.

Grunt looked down at his target, who stared back in fear. The yahg desperately got up and tried stumbling away, pushing people and tables out of his way.

"TODAY GRUNT FLYS!" He roared. Following his epic declaration, from twenty feet in the air, the courageous krogan leaped of the scaffold with his arms spread out in a T-like formation. Everyone's mouths were hanged opened as they witnessed a once in a lifetime event. Grunt soared through the air like a majestic eagle. Time seemed to slow down in that epic moment as Grunt descended upon Tartarus. Unable to get far enough away, Grunt was able to reach the fleeing yahg. As soon as the young krogan, amplified by gravity, collided with the yahg's body every organ inside came spilling out as the floor literally broke under the massive weight and force. The patrons underneath, much like the ones above, were shocked to see a bloodied krogan standing over a mesh pile of yahg. It was a climatic end to a climactic battle.

"I AM KROGAN!" Grunt roared in victory.

Following his statement, silenced reined in. No spoke and no one knew what to say. The loud noises of fighting that once engulfed the room were a distinct opposite to the atmosphere that now enveloped the bar. Everyone was frozen in place.

"That was the greatest thing I have ever seen in my entire life." Ramirez whispered next to Shepard, who was still stunned.

Suddenly the noise of clapping echoed throughout the bar. Shepard turned in the direction of the noise to see an asari standing on a balcony. "That was a most impressive show, Shepard," Looking around she saw the state of her club. Everything was either broken or shattered in the brutal fighting. "But now I see I have a new problem and you were the cause of it."

'Is she fucking kidding me!? I didn't start the fight.' Shepard hollered in his head.

Aria motioned to her guards. They circled around Shepard's squad, weapons aimed. Before Shepard could equip his own weapon and talon stopped him.

"Shepard its okay, she just wants to talk to you." Nyreen gasped out, breathing heavily from the overexertion of using her biotics for such a long duration. Garrus walked over and kneeled beside her.

A push from the barrel of a gun caused Shepard to turn around. He saw a krogan smaller than Grunt standing behind him. "Aria wants to talk to you now! Move it all of you!" He growled.

Escorted upstairs by several armed guards, Shepard was about to meet the Pirate Queen of the Terminus, Aria T'Loak.