Chapter 2: Just Another Night Out
Neither David nor Isaac knew what to expect when they arrived in Nos Astra with their family and friends to celebrate their impending nuptials. Mal hadn't contacted either of them since seeing them at Shepard's barbeque and for a brief moment, they both believed that perhaps he'd forgotten about throwing them a bachelor party. That notion was quickly banished when Mal sent them both a message indicating when and where to meet him and his friends several days earlier. Apparently he hadn't forgotten and they were both slightly dreading the spectacle that he and his Wolves had likely thrown together.
"It can't be any worse than what his friends threw for him." Ethan offered while walking alongside his younger brothers through a warehouse district while their entourage trailed behind them.
"Actually, it can be. This time Mal was part of the planning, remember?" Will added.
"Why did I agree to this?" David tiredly pondered.
"To be polite? That's why I'm going along with it. I do owe Mal my life several times over." Isaac replied earnestly.
"This all reminds of that sendoff we had for Shepard way back when." Garrus mused.
"You're kidding, right? The admiral actually had a bachelor party?" Eli asked in amusement.
"Don't tell me you were in on it too, Dad." Bryce inquired while glancing at Jacob.
"It was a team effort and we had to keep it under wraps otherwise Shepard would've never agreed to it. Before it was all said and done, we did finally spill those drinks on the Citadel, a LOT of them." Jacob humorously explained.
"Why are we only hearing about his now?" Will asked incredulously.
"Because I said so." Shepard sternly responded.
"Ignore him, he's still pissed off about waking up naked in that elevator." Wrex chuckled.
"No kidding. So you actually can pull that stick out from time to time, Admiral." Owens quipped.
"Seriously, where do you actually get the balls? I'm kinda impressed at this point." Jackson earnestly stated while glancing at Owens who simply laughed.
"Don't be." Hawkins scolded. "The more riled up the old man gets, the more he'll try to take it out on me and Isaac later."
"I thought you didn't care about butting heads with Shepard?" Grunt mused.
"I don't but Allie does, so I'm making an effort not to cause any friction." Hawkins explained.
"That's big of you Hawkins and it'll earn you a few points with the girls too. Showing off how much more mature you are compared to Loco." Vega replied appreciatively.
"You're all starting to push it." Shepard warned.
"You know with that scowl, you kinda remind me of Javik. Where is he anyway?" Vega curiously inquired.
"He couldn't make it. He mentioned something about tracking someone down when I called him and then just disappeared. He's been doing that a lot lately." Shepard explained.
After a few more minutes of walking, the group finally arrived at their destination, a massive warehouse that had been decorated in all manner of colorful graffiti that congratulated both David and Isaac on their engagements and encouraged them to enjoy the coming event with as much enthusiasm as possible. Some of the wording was cruder, but the gist was still the same. The sounds of music and partying were already echoing from within.
"I really don't have a good feeling about this." David anxiously stated as they all made their way to the front entrance.
"Don't worry David, if things get too out of hand we can always call Mom." Will joked.
"That's not funny." David and Ethan both replied in unison.
"No, it's not. Are you out of your mind?" Shepard asked seriously.
"Whoa, it was just a joke. Relax." Will replied defensively before proceeding forward. "You guys really do need to unwind." he added before opening the door into the warehouse.
The raucous scene that met everyone wasn't unexpected but still slightly overwhelming. Mal and his friends had filled the entire interior of the warehouse with lights, pyrotechnic displays and more strippers than anyone could've imagined. There were also wall-to-wall bars that were being tended by scantily clad asari as a high energy dance track lit up the atmosphere. Mal's synthetic friend was apparently the source as was evidenced by his DJ booth that was suspended high above the festivities near the ceiling of the building. He was also surrounded by several large, transparent bubbles full of semi-nude and unmasked quarian women who were dancing quite exuberantly despite the height.
"Well, we can't accuse him of not going all out." Will quipped after taking in the sight. "I'll never be able to look at Tali the same way again."
"Sure you will because you'll have me to keep that imagination of yours in check." Garrus warned him. "They are flexible though, aren't they?" he mused after glancing up at the women himself.
"It's about time you all got here." Mal announced after making his way through the crowd. "I was starting to think you wouldn't show."
"To be honest, I almost didn't." David admitted. "Mal, just how much did you-"
"Don't worry about it." Mal instantly cut in. "Just get in there and enjoy yourselves." he cheerfully added before placing an arm around Hawkins and Shepard. "And you two can hang out with me."
Most of David and Isaac's companions had already disappeared into the crowd of partygoers while they stayed behind with Ethan and Will for a moment to give Mal a curious look before being waved off. Afterwards, Mal took his reluctant companions to one of the many bars that were dotting the party and took a seat.
"What the hell are you up to Hunter?" Hawkins demanded.
"You mean aside from making sure David and Isaac enjoy themselves? Nothing." Mal replied.
"And what does that mean?" Shepard asked.
"It means I'm acting as the official babysitter while my boys and yours enjoy themselves. Some of my buddies are gonna be fathers soon and could really use a breather. From the very beginning I wasn't planning on getting too involved in this madness which means I'm free to keep the two wet blankets occupied while everyone else lets loose." Mal explained in a candid manner.
"I'm not sure if I should be insulted or grateful." Shepard mused while taking a seat.
"It doesn't matter to me either way as long as you don't spoil everyone else's fun." Mal replied placidly. "Hawkins, I know you don't drink so I brought a bottle of mineral water we can share. It's from the Hanar's homeworld and really good from what I've heard. It makes sense though, Kahje is practically nothing but water." he casually added after revealing a bottle that he'd been carrying and grabbing three glasses from behind the bar. After filling each one, he slid a drink to his companions before turning around to observe the pandemonium of revelry and amusement that was unfolding all across the area. The guests of honor and their friends were already being dragged into the most raucous areas by Mason and Lance while the other Wolves partied in every direction around them. "Sometimes life really is good."
"You mean when the galaxy's not being torn apart by monsters and lunatics? Yeah, I agree." Hawkins concurred before drinking some of his water. "It is good. And so is this water."
"The fact that you're both still young but able to appreciate that means a lot. More than you realize." Shepard wisely added before taking a drink himself. "I've had this before. The Hanar government sent me a case as a gift during the Reaper War after I stopped a sabotage attempt by one of their diplomats."
"I guess you managed to get on everybody's good side during that war, didn't you?" Mal quipped.
"The salarians would disagree." Shepard seriously replied. "And so would the Leviathans."
A moment of silence passed between the men as they continued to drink and the sounds of merriment got louder in the background. "Why'd you go looking for them Shepard?" Hawkins finally asked.
"We needed every advantage we could get and there was proof that something or someone out there had killed a Reaper before. So I went to investigate." Shepard explained.
"In the end, it wouldn't have really mattered anyway. Those things were there long before Shepard went looking for them and they'd still be threat." Mal surmised. "I'm more curious about what they did after the war."
"Nothing." Shepard replied plainly. "They severed all contact and stayed isolated on 2181 Despoina. During the war, they freed a few remaining Collectors from Reaper control who ended up joining some of the special operations teams, the unofficial N7s who were handling all of our high risk assignments. They also provided devices that allowed them to sever the Reapers' influence over their thralls and transfer control to them. Those were some pretty big gains for our side. But once the war was over, they just disappeared. I kept an ear to the ground and occasionally got word of some overzealous researcher or explorer who went missing after visiting their planet but other than that, nothing. The truth is we have no way of knowing what they're up to. Their entire planet is covered in water and they're an aquatic species capable of surviving and thriving in depths that are colder and deeper than anything documented. I always had a bad feeling about them. They don't see the rest of the galaxy's races as their contemporaries or equals. We're just potential tools to them and now that the Reapers are gone…well, it's something else we'll have to keep an eye on." Shepard explained.
"Man, the shit you manage you dig up Shepard." Mal sighed. "Maybe you would've been better off becoming an explorer."
"Exploring space was actually one of the reasons why I joined the Alliance." Shepard admitted.
"Same here." Hawkins added. "Discover new places, help build new homes and protect them from the galaxy's degenerates. It seemed like a decent enough goal when I was a kid. And serving the Alliance was a good way to return the favor for everything they'd done for me."
"Making a home for yourself…that really takes me back." Mal reminisced while recalling a discussion that he'd had with Zaeed during their first job together many years earlier. "I said it before Hawkins but you're alright. When you're not getting on my nerves that is."
"Go to hell, Hunter." Hawkins casually replied.
As the three men continued to talk, the asari who was tending the bar where they were seated quietly reached beneath the counter and sent a signal to her colleagues using her omni-tool before discreetly taking hold of an M-11 Suppressor that was hidden in a compartment beneath the countertop. The next moment was a blur as all three men drew their own weapons and opened fire moments before the asari could do the same.
"What was that about?!" Hawkins asked incredulously.
"I'm guessing Deiyka finally decided to make her move." Mal replied in a cavalier manner while gripping his Paladin. "Nadine already gave me the nod to take her out. She's gonna be thrilled to finally get control of the Eclipse on Illium."
"What?!" Hawkins exclaimed.
"Basically, it's a business dispute. The local Eclipse mercs aren't happy about us moving in and we don't plan on going anywhere. So, it's come to this." Mal calmly explained while scanning the rest of the party. His initial concerns about the safety of his friends were quickly dismissed as he observed the asari assassins who'd been hiding among the strippers and bartenders exchange fire with several of his Shadow Fangs who'd also been concealing themselves in the bash. "I'm gonna owe Tess and Rika but I'm pretty sure they sent them to spy on us." he chuckled.
Before he could savor his amusement further, a string of gunshots tore through a window that was overlooking the area where he and the others were seated. The trio quickly dove behind the bar and took cover as the barrage intensified.
"Why isn't anyone else returning fire?!" Shepard furiously pondered while clutching his Eagle.
"My guys might already be too wasted." Mal admitted before peering over the counter. He quickly noticed TED soaring over the area assisting the Shadow Fangs with a series of precision particle shots before diverting his attention to the window where he promptly fired a rocket at a group of snipers several rooftops away. "That's my boy." Mal humorously stated before opening fire on the remaining Eclipse assassins.
Once the area was secure, he got to his feet and greeted one of the human strippers who was still brandishing a Paladin of her own. "Fox, you look good."
"Don't let your queen hear you say that, your highness." the woman replied coyly.
"So let me guess, my wife sent you to keep tabs on us." Mal joked.
"Our Den Mother sent us to observe and intervene if necessary." Fox replied evasively.
"Right, well I'd better chase down the rest of that hit squad and pay them back for ruining our party." Mal announced seriously. "Do me a favor and keep an eye on the drunks."
"Actually, your guests aren't simply drunk." Fox corrected him. "We didn't pick up on it until it was too late but now we're certain that-"
"Mal, this party is amazing!" Ethan stammered after stumbling over while one of Mal's stripper disguised Shadow Fangs shouldered him. "Have I ever told you how much I love you? I mean it man, I love you. You're the best friend, brother, dancer, card player, cook, cartoonist, movie star-What was I saying again? Oh yeah, I love you man. Seriously." he continued in a daze before tilting his head back and laughing while staring up at the lights in the ceiling.
His behavior was being mimicked by everyone else present with the exception of Mal himself, Hawkins, Shepard and the Shadow Fangs. "Damn it, what the hell happened to them?" Mal anxiously asked while observing his friends and guests stagger around in disoriented stupors and bursting into random outbursts of nonsensical laughter and incoherent gibberish.
"I'm sorry Mal, I should've been more vigilant." TED apologized as he joined the group while slowly descending with his jets. "I'm afraid the refreshments were all contaminated with a narcotic."
"What kind of narcotic?" Shepard seriously inquired after catching a glimpse of David and Ethan pointing at a strobe light on the ceiling and laughing hysterically.
"It appears to be a form of Hallex. It seems the infiltrators spiked all of the drinks with it." TED explained.
"I'm glad I brought my own." Mal sighed while watching the intoxicated crowd. "This will wear off right?"
"I believe so. I've already run a diagnostic on a sample from the compound that I extracted from one of the drinks and confirmed its chemical structure. There shouldn't be any lasting effects but I'm afraid everyone who was exposed will be…less than coherent for the next few hours." TED explained.
"Great party, Hunter. Real bang up job." Hawkins remarked sarcastically. "What's next? A thresher maw in a bikini trying to serve us rabid varren?"
"Dafuq is wrong with you? I know that's supposed to be your pathetic attempt at sarcasm but still…that's what you came up with? That's one twisted imagination you've got there, buddy. I'm a little worried about Allie now." Mal countered.
"That's enough out of both of you." Shepard sternly interjected. "Mal, I suggest you hurry and track down this 'Deiyka' and settle your differences before she makes another attempt at killing you and the rest of us."
"You do realize I'm gonna kill her, right? You probably shouldn't be encouraging me Admiral, it might look bad on your resume." Mal quipped.
"Mal, I'm in no mood." Shepard irritably replied while taking hold of Ethan.
"Fine, I'm going. TED, you hit one of the snipers with a tracer, right?" Mal asked after turning to his synthetic friend.
"Of course, I'm tracking her movements as we speak." TED confirmed.
"Then let's head out." Mal ordered.
"Mal, wait!" a voice suddenly shouted. A moment later Leo made his way over with a slight stagger before coming to a stop and facing Mal. "I'll join you. This is a matter that we should handle together."
"Leo, I appreciate the thought but you're obviously messed up right now. Really messed up." Mal cautioned.
"Don't be ridiculous. Remember we have res-res-resistances to most drugs. I can still do battle. Do…Do-do." Leo laughed before collapsing into Mal's arms.
"Goddammit, this would actually be funny if the situation wasn't so serious." Mal grumbled. "Fox, take care of Leo and the others, I'll be back soon." he ordered while handing Leo to his subordinate.
"We have backup positioned across the city if you happen to need it." she informed him.
"Thanks but I won't." Mal replied before quickly departing with TED.
Several minutes later, Mal found himself closing in on another warehouse several blocks away as TED flew them both closer and descended on the outer perimeter with his jets. "Well, I guess this one is on me, at least partly anyway. I was planning to blame it all on Mason for not checking the girls properly, AGAIN. But I was the one who picked the venue so I'm at least partially at fault here. Man, can't anything ever go right?" he lamented.
"We do seem to have a poor track record when it comes to throwing bachelor parties." TED replied honestly. "Though I must admit, despite everything that's happened, I really enjoyed performing the music."
"You were pretty good too. You should consider doing some more. You've got a real talent. Once we get home, I can build you a studio and you can experiment and compose at your leisure without anyone bothering you. But only if you want to pursue this." Mal offered.
"Thank you, Mal. I believe I'll accept your generosity. I believe music is a remarkable medium." TED replied appreciatively.
Mal smiled briefly before leading the way into the grounds of the seemingly vacant warehouse. As he and TED approached the eerie building, a trio of large mechs that were being piloted by Eclipse troopers began approaching from the entrance and were quickly joined by several enemy engineers and even more troopers.
"Wonderful." Mal sarcastically remarked. "Eclipse modified Gaia mechs and their usual foot soldiers. I'm seriously considering murdering the guy who sold the designs for Cerberus' Atlas mechs to Hahne-Kedar." he irritably added while drawing his Paladin. "TED, I'm not packing much firepower, so I'm gonna need you to handle those Gaias."
"Affirmative." TED concurred before firing a rocket at one of the colossal machines.
As he engaged the mechs, Mal opened fire on the hostile engineers and promptly executed them before they could deploy their combat drones while toppling the troopers with a shockwave. After clearing a path forward, he bolted towards the front of the warehouse and was nearly blindsided by another Gaia mech that blasted its way through a side entrance.
"I'm really not in the mood for this." he grumbled after taking cover behind a dumpster near the rear of the building.
Before he could lament the situation any further, the mech was suddenly bombarded by a cluster of miniature missiles from an M-560 Hydra. The machine exploded soon afterwards and Mal chanced a peek from his cover position to discover a somewhat annoying addition to the battlefield. He decided to ignore the man for now and make a beeline for the warehouse while TED had the remaining enemy forces occupied.
"Hey! Aren't you gonna thank me?!" Hawkins demanded while rushing ahead and joining Mal's assault.
"Nope. I had it covered and considering how many times I saved your ass, I'd say lending a hand was the least you could do." Mal replied nonchalantly.
"You really, REALLY piss me off, you know that?" Hawkins raged.
"Same here." Mal agreed in agitation. "So where'd you get the heavy artillery?"
"One of your stripper body guards. You've got some really dangerous helpers, Hunter." Hawkins replied seriously.
"Damn straight." Mal cheerfully stated as they continued their run into the warehouse. After shooting their way through an unsurprisingly fierce resistance, they quickly found themselves face to face with the leader of Illium's branch of the Eclipse mercenaries and two of her commandos.
"Mal, so nice of you to tear yourself away from your party to join us." she softly greeted.
"Deiyka, it didn't have to come to this. Nadine warned me about you but I actually thought you were smarter. You've pretty much handed her control of everything. Once I kill you, she'll be completely unopposed. Normally I'm not one for doing other people's dirty work but I can't have you interfering with my operations in Nos Astra." Mal calmly responded.
"Mercs and their damn arguments." Hawkins quietly scoffed.
"I'm afraid you're quite mistaken." Deiyka stated. "I'm well aware of your rather prolific combat abilities and I've prepared accordingly, though I must admit, I was hoping you'd simply succumb to my more subtle attempts at subduing you." she continued before summoning her omni-tool and calling a trio of Gaia mechs and Eclipse heavies who promptly opened fire with their missile launchers.
Mal and Hawkins both dove behind a stack of cargo crates with only moments to spare as their former positions were bombarded by explosions. "This is what I get. This is exactly what I get for agreeing to hang out with you." Hawkins angrily remarked while pulling out his Eagle.
"I thought you loved a good brawl?" Mal joked while modifying his Paladin to fire warp rounds. "And trust me, this will be a good one."
"What's the plan, Hunter?" Hawkins sighed.
"Do me a favor and handle those heavies. We can't afford to stay pinned down here while the mechs close in. I'll deal with Deiyka and her commandos." Mal replied while readying his pistol. "By the way Hawkins, thanks." he added appreciatively.
Hawkins quickly nodded before disappearing in a blur after initiating a biotic charge. After flooring one of the Eclipse Heavies, he immediately executed the woman with his Eagle and grabbed her missile launcher. Afterwards, he opened fire on one of the mechs and continued his assault until the heavy weapon was empty. Once the machine exploded and the pilot inside met his demise, Hawkins darted towards the next heavy to repeat the maneuver while Mal fought his way towards Deiyka and her commandos.
After killing one with a string of headshots, he destroyed the barrier of her cohort with a warp before sending the woman sailing with a pull and finishing her off with a biotic slam and finally turning his attention to Deiyka. "I suppose we both knew it would come to this." she announced coolly before erecting a barrier and opening fire with a barrage of warp rounds from her assault rifle. Mal responded by erecting his own barrier and returning fire. Eventually, both biotics unleashed simultaneous warps, destroying what was left of each other's barriers and creating openings in their respective opponent's defenses at the same time. Before his enemy could exploit hers, Mal pulled out his signature knife and tossed it into Deiyka's neck before closing in and disarming her. After dislocating her shoulder, he threw her to the ground and fired one final shot from his Paladin into her head. He then retrieved his knife and put it away before turning his attention back to the battlefield where Hawkins had already destroyed the remaining resistance.
"Do you plan on settling all of your business disputes like this?" Hawkins joked after approaching Mal.
"It depends." Mal replied honestly. "Eclipse isn't the only mercenary group who has ties on Illium. They're just the most dominant one or at least they were."
"I really don't envy you. This crap is way too complicated for me." Hawkins stated plainly while surveying the carnage they'd caused.
"I guess being a SPECTRE is nice and simple, huh?" Mal countered.
"You got me there." Hawkins conceded.
"You ready to head back to the party? Shepard probably has his hands full with Ethan and the others and my Fangs are busy looking after the Wolves." Mal inquired.
Hawkins took a moment to think it over before finally responding. "You know any good places to eat around here? The old man can sweat it out for a little longer."
"I don't but TED might." Mal replied while smiling. "So…pancakes?"
"You know what? To hell with it. Let's go get some damn pancakes." Hawkins announced.
"Good man." Mal laughed before slapping Hawkins across the back.
Afterwards both men left the warehouse and rejoined TED before making their way to a restaurant that wasn't far from the district. They may have had a tendency to annoy each other and they would always share a rivalry but at the end of the day, they both enjoyed a good fight a good flapjack and ignoring a certain admiral whenever the mood struck them.