Chapter 3: Bitter Memories
"Let me get this straight. You want permission to distribute Fornax on Cartagena?" Mal inquired while facing a well dressed human businessman with whom he was currently holding a meeting in his office.
They were seated inside the spacious office of one of the many buildings that made up the district known as Hunter's Haven. The area was one of the larger domains in Cartagena Station and was utilized exclusively by the Terminus Wolves. It was where they all lived and conducted business. It was also where their newly constructed headquarters known as the Den was located. Their previous base on Omega was still in use but was no longer acting as their primary nerve center. As their group expanded, they planned to establish Dens in all of the areas where they had a big influence. For the time being, Omega and Cartagena were their main hubs but Illium would soon be included in the list as well.
"Mr. Hunter, uh, your highness, no, your majesty-"
"Cut the crap. Mr. Hunter is fine, now get on with your proposal." Mal irritably demanded.
"Yes, well, as you know, Fornax is the premier publication for satisfying the galaxy's erotic fantasies. Not only do we offer five sensory stimulation but we also provide spreads of the most gorgeous and exotic centerfolds imaginable." the man explained.
"That's debatable." Mal replied nonchalantly. "The asari and quarian issues are always pretty hot and the drell are okay but the stuff you print with volus, batarians and hanar…let's just say that's not my thing. And don't get me started on those special editions that feature elcor and krogan. I mean, I know everybody has their own fetishes but…" he quickly stopped to shudder a little before continuing. "Anyway, you've already got a good distribution flow on Omega and your monthly publishing is pushing a hundred and thirty million. Why do you want to expand here?"
"It's simple Mr. Hunter. This station and the Nemean Abyss itself are both bastions for free willed thinkers and go-getters who aren't bound by the petty laws of Citadel Space and can therefore-"
"Just say it." Mal interrupted in annoyance. "You want to increase your market and peddle your porno mag in my domain."
"Well…yes. You also happen to have a sizeable krogan population here that would no doubt be eager to purchase our Krogasm editions." the man replied earnestly.
"I didn't need that image in my head." Mal muttered. "You're free to sell your smut here as long as you stick to the pleasure districts. Understand?"
"Perfectly! Thank you Mr. Hunter and I'll be sure to send you a few complimentary issues featuring our finest asari models." the businessman cheerfully replied.
"Yeah, whatever. Just…be discreet with how you send them." Mal quietly added. After bidding the man farewell and watching him leave, he released a sigh while easing back in his chair. "I never thought this many people would flock here. Damn, I know we've got room but where are they all coming from?" he pondered.
Cartagena was quickly becoming a hub of activity, a beacon of hope in a vicious void thanks to his efforts. It was as free as Omega without the danger and anarchy. For anyone hoping to find a home that was outside of Citadel Space and the Terminus Systems, Cartagena Station was the perfect safe haven. It was located in the farthest reaches of space and free of pirates and mercenaries other than the Terminus Wolves. The security was unrivaled and better still, the Mercenary King of Cartagena AKA the Terminus Hunter AKA the Ruler of the Abyss AKA the man who just wanted to get some sleep was perfectly content in allowing most entrepreneurs and enterprising merchants establish businesses as long they obeyed a few simple rules. Shopping districts, casinos, arcades, restaurants, bars and more were springing up everywhere and commerce was already starting to flourish despite the recent war.
"Well, at least I don't have any more meetings for the day. I can grab a quick nap and then head home to Tess and the kids." he yawned. Unfortunately, the moment he shut his eyes he received a message from Libra. "Of course I spoke too soon." he grumbled before answering the call. "What's up Libra? Shouldn't you be at home right now? It won't be long before you start swelling up." he joked.
"Mal, we've just received another flood of arrivals from Horizon." she informed him.
"I'm not surprised. Raiders have been hitting that place pretty hard for awhile now. So what's so special about this group? It must be something serious if you're calling me." Mal inquired.
"There's a woman among them…she has a child, a baby. I can't say any more than that at the moment. She wants to meet with you and I think you should grant her an audience. She's quite ill but determined to see you." Libra explained sadly.
"I got it. Bring her and make sure that she and her baby receive the proper medical attention." Mal commanded.
"I already am, Mal. I'll see you soon." Libra quietly replied before ending their call.
"I wonder what this could be about?" he pondered.
Sometime later, he found himself facing a young woman who was holding an infant and being accompanied by Libra, Leo and Virgo. She had long dark hair and a pretty face that was painted with weariness, exhaustion and a great deal of pain.
"Terminus Hunter, thank you for agreeing to see me." she timidly whispered before trembling slightly and clutching her child. "You have no idea what it means to finally meet you."
"I get that a lot." Mal joked in an attempt to ease the mood. "Why don't you explain who you are and why exactly you wanted to meet me. Take your time." he said encouragingly.
"My name is Beth Andrews and I'm a survivor from Horizon. I was a colonist living in the capital when Equinox invaded during the war. Everyone suffered after they attacked and the men who led them were…they were horrible." she began while shaking. Mal quickly noticed not only how distraught she appeared to be but also how agonized Libra had become. She appeared to be on the verge of tears while Leo held her. "You see, they were Zodiac Commanders and they were far stronger than ordinary soldiers. Our militias never stood a chance. Even after they wiped out our defenders, they kept killing. They just kept killing. The capital was leveled within a week and the other cities followed soon after. I wanted it to be over, I prayed that it would finally be over once they'd destroyed everything they could…but it wasn't. Oh God it wasn't." she wept.
At that point, Libra began to cry as well and Mal was beginning to understand why. "They started rounding up survivors, any civilians they could find and taking them away. We didn't know where or what for, as far as we knew, Equinox didn't take prisoners. Those of us who were left were gathered at holding centers where they processed us for transport. That was where I met him. He said I caught his eye and that I was too good to waste on experiments, on their experiments. He took me and…"
"Stop, you don't have to go any further." Mal quietly told her after observing how tormenting it was for her to relive the memory.
"Mal, it's my fault. It's all my fault." Libra cried. "I was there. I'd been deployed with Aquarius and Taurus but I stayed in space organizing troop deployments and fleet movements. If I had just gone down with them, I could've stopped…" she sobbed.
"Horizon, how bad was it by the time it was all over?" Mal solemnly inquired.
"I arrived a few weeks later after the bulk of our forces had already departed. The colony, it was a graveyard, Mal." Leo quietly explained. "The few survivors that I managed to come across were beyond terrified of me. A few even attempted suicide after I approached them. Some succeeded." he continued in a somber manner. "Taurus had left a pair of his bootlicking overlords to victimize what was left of the populace. Officially they were there to 'ensure that order was maintained,' in reality they were simply there to cause more suffering, to sow enough fear to prevent any future retaliation or rebellion." he continued with a hint of anger.
As Mal continued to listen, he found himself wondering just how brutal the invasions that Equinox perpetrated were. He had spent most of his early days during the war battling the yahg and ZEN and the colonies that he'd been hired to save had suffered what he'd always considered to be the worst agony imaginable. He was beginning to deeply regret that assumption.
"I quietly disposed of the overlords and reported their demise as the result of an overlooked landmine that was left over from the earlier days of the invasion. Afterwards, I made it clear to every remaining soldier on the planet that they'd share their fate if a single civilian suffered at their hands. I don't know if my threat worked but at the time it was all I felt I could do." Leo continued in a guilty tone.
"It did, it must have." Beth finally remarked after recovering slightly. "At some point, they stopped torturing us, stopped hunting us. I could never figure out why but I suppose now I know."
"Beth, what happened next?" Mal cautiously asked.
"The war started to go badly for them. They left. Later I found out…I couldn't bear it, I just couldn't bear it. But then I thought about all the lives that were lost and…I swore if it was a boy, I'd strangle it. Consequences be damned. But she's a girl, a beautiful baby girl. And she reminds me of my own mother." she explained before doting on her baby. "Carrying her was hard and I was alone until the Alliance arrived with relief workers. I was transported to a hospital on Benning, that's where I gave birth. For awhile, I was happy. Happy to have my little girl and happy to be away from that place, happy to forget. But then I heard the doctors whispering. They were discussing my baby, how she was unusual. How she had biotic potential and how unique her vital signs were. I knew she wouldn't be normal but-They were planning to run tests and I got scared. As soon as I was able to move, I took my baby and fled. I snuck aboard the first transport freighter that I could find that was leaving the planet and begged fate not to force my baby to suffer the way I had." she continued in tears.
"You arrived here with other people from Horizon. How?" Mal gently asked.
"The freighter, that was where it had been headed. Funny isn't it? I barely survive the atrocities and finally manage to escape only to end up back there again." she laughed weakly. "The man who'd been piloting the ship had apparently stolen it. He was eager to get as far away from the Alliance as possible and he figured that the war torn remains of Horizon would be a good place to disappear. He discovered us stowed away in the cargo hold not long after we left. I was afraid he'd kill us or worse but he simply offered me a cup of tea and some blankets. I wasn't really sure what to make of him. He…he looked like he had cybernetic implants of some kind, I could see the circuitry in his face. Pale blue embeddings that somehow made me feel calmer. I ended up owing him a lot, for my life and my baby's. I only hope he can find the peace that he's been seeking." she continued.
"Hold up, nano-circuitry?! That guy, was he-"
"It's not what you're thinking, Mal." Virgo suddenly interrupted. "The man to whom she's referring isn't a product of Equinox or the ZEN. In many ways, he's like you. One of the few, final successes that Cerberus had before their demise, whether they realized it or not."
"What makes you say that?" Mal seriously inquired.
"We've met him." Leo responded for her. "He arrived with the other colonists from Horizon. In fact, he's the only reason they made it here alive. This mystery man wields an immense amount of biotic power and appears to be a skilled soldier and technician. His implants have clearly augmented his abilities to an absurd degree. He's an anomaly the likes of which I've never encountered."
"Please, don't give Randall a hard time. Like your friend said, he's the only reason any of us are alive." Beth pleaded. "After we arrived on Horizon, everything went to hell almost immediately. Batarian raiders were ransacking the colony and the Alliance was diverting their resources to the other fronts. But worst of all, there were a few Equinox operatives scouring the colony's remains and taking advantage of the chaos. They were still abducting people and they had those grotesque ghoul creatures helping them. The Equinox soldiers…they were biotics but they had some kind of machine implants. They almost resembled Randall's but seemed more deformed or less developed, I can't really explain it. They just seemed like animals, mindless beasts with tech upgrades. Despite that, they were no match for Randall and he killed them easily enough along with their ghouls and the raiders who attacked us when we started to search for survivors. After awhile, we started to find others who'd managed to hold out and even face down the raiders and Equinox. We banded together and eventually decided to travel here." she explained.
"Why?" Mal curiously inquired.
"Most wanted to start fresh somewhere that was away from pirates, raiders, politics and the Alliance. This seemed like the perfect place. And you're here. Everyone's heard about the Terminus Hunter. The man who's singlehandedly killed half of the Zodiac Commanders on his own." she continued in admiration.
"That's an exaggeration and a big one. I didn't kill half and I wasn't alone." Mal corrected her.
"You battled them one on one and you put an end to the worst of them. I know you killed Aquarius and Taurus. Thank you, please, just let me thank you." she wept in gratitude.
"Beth, there's no need to thank me. I didn't kill them as a service to the rest of the galaxy. I did it because they pissed me off and threatened the people who are important to me. This false image that a lot of strangers have of me is annoying. I'm not a nice guy and I never will be." Mal sternly informed her.
"I'm sure that the children you saved will disagree someday." Beth quietly replied, stunning him and the others. "We learned a bit more about you during the journey here." she continued. "You see, we had to stop at Omega to get supplies and while Randall was there, he overheard a few tidbits about you in some of the station's darker corners while he was cloaked. You're a superhuman like the Zodiac Commanders were but a far better man despite what you say. You're also a husband and a father not to mention a guardian for the children you rescued. After Randall told me what he discovered, I knew you were the one." she explained before getting on her knees. "Please, I'm begging you. Please take care of my Grace. Raise her with the others, give her a good home and teach her what you know. See to it that she grows up healthy and happy. Please!" she begged in tears as her face got slightly paler.
"Beth, calm down. You're more than welcome to stay here yourself. There's no reason why your little girl can't have you-"
"Mal, she's dying." Libra sadly whispered before shedding a few tears. "A small postpartum hemorrhage." she elaborated after seeing the look of confusion on Mal's face.
"I mentioned it before didn't I?" Beth added while crying herself. "I left Benning as soon as I heard the doctors talking about running tests on Grace. I hadn't fully healed, I was in no condition to travel and there weren't any doctors available to help. Randall did what he could but the IVs and transfusions only delayed the inevitable and we didn't have the resources or specialists to do anything more. So I focused on staying alive long enough to make it here and beg for your help. You're their protector now. These children blessed and cursed by fate, it's in your power to aid them. So please." she pleaded once more.
Mal sat in his chair for several minutes before finally getting to his feet and making his way over to Beth. He carefully held his arms open and accepted the small baby that she was carrying. "That goddamn war." he sighed.
"Hush now, everything's okay. Tonight you can sleep with our kids and tomorrow we'll show you the nursery where you'll get to play with the other babies. How does that sound?" Tess playfully cooed while rocking little Grace in her arms.
Mal smiled a little while watching them before strolling across the enormous living room of their mansion and taking a look outside the window. Millions of lights dotted the scenery outside and he found himself recalling a similar image on the Citadel several years earlier.
"You okay?" Tess whispered after approaching with the now sleeping infant.
"For now I guess." Mal replied honestly. "It's just so much, Tess. All of these kids are gonna be looking to me for protection and guidance. I've got no problem providing the former but the latter might be a problem. I'm no shaman or matriarch, hell, I've fucked up pretty badly on more than one occasion thanks to making a bad decision. And now I'm responsible for raising a new generation of children who are just like me." he seriously explained. "Equinox really left me holding the bag here." he quietly joked afterwards.
"Always assuming you're alone. I thought we talked about this." Tess chastised him. "I'm here too and so is everyone else including Leo, Libra and Virgo. Those three know better than anyone what those children suffered and what the youngest among them managed to avoid. And this little girl is proof that something beautiful can be born from even the worst horrors." she softly added while rocking the sleeping baby.
"What am I gonna tell her when she gets older? That her mother was an amazingly determined woman who survived hell itself to get her to safety and that her father was a fucking scumbag that I wish I'd killed more slowly now." he angrily pondered while clenching his fists.
"More or less." Tess calmly replied. "We'll tell her the truth, Mal. I can promise you, Grace won't be following in his footsteps." she assured him.
After taking a moment to stare down at the sleeping baby girl, Mal placed an arm around Tess and continued to observe his burgeoning city from the window. There's was still a lot of work to do.