"Thinking"
"Talking"
"Impactful word"
Shepard POV
Even since being Anderson's XO, chatting with Joker had been her favourite past-time occupation. That impossible man with his continual wisecracks never failed to charm a smile on her face. But despite this, Joker had always taken his job very seriously and there was never a time when she didn't believe him whenever he claimed to be the best pilot in the entire Systems Alliance.
In her eyes, his confidence was as unmatched as his faith in her leadership, and with the support of the rest of her crew, which she had essentially inherited from Anderson, she had fewer problems filling her mentor's shoes than she had feared.
There were few people Jane could claim to share a good camaraderie with. On the other side of the spectrum, few could count themselves as lucky as Jane to have such a loyal friend as Jeff Moreau. Or a crew that had been as great as the one from the late SSV Normandy SR-1...
Too soon, Jane, way too soon.
Sometimes she wondered if he knew the true extent of their friendship. How much stability his mere appearance brought Jane after her dispute with TIM, how he seemed like the only thing that seemed to have calmed her panic, her fears, her pain. Shepard would never come to underestimate the power of a familiar face in times of isolation.
She doubted if ANY face would have given her the same amount of solidity, but she was glad it was Joker, even if he had seen better days. No wonder with all the shit that had gone south after she had gotten spaced.
It all fell apart without her. The Council, the very same Council she had sacrificed human lives to save, had her team broken up, had her records sealed and did the worst possible thing they could have done to her friend - ground him. And the Alliance, in that matter, had dropped him quicker than a grenade with its pin removed.
She felt anger at the betrayal, to be let down by the very institution she had served all her life. To be discarded as if she hadn't written history under their name, but the only one she should be blaming was herself. Jane shouldn't have put her faith in the System Alliance and expected to be rewarded to begin with, but she also shouldn't be so quick to forget what they had offered her all those years ago.
A fresh start - for a mere broke kid being driven into the arms of criminality in order to survive in a megapolis that couldn't give two shits about her. Of course she had clung to every opportunity that would have taken her off the streets and into a better life, who wouldn't have?
Actually, that one was all on Anderson, but he was still part of the Alliance at that time so her gratitude somewhat extended to them as well.
Up until that point where they had decided to pull all that shit on her, that is.
Yet the highlight of her downright impossible reentrance into existence must have been the way Joker lit up during the reveal of the new Normandy. It was almost as if he had fallen in love with the starship all over again, and Jane was elated to witness hope returning to her friend.
Yes, Cerberus flaunted their design blatantly, but she could see past the colours of their insignia to appreciate how it was modelled after the original SSV Normandy SR-1.
But the interior wasn't what she expected at all.
While the first Normandy had been heavily based on the turian's highly regimented and very organized lifestyle with their embedded instinct to equate the self with the group, and to set aside all personal desires for the good of all, the SR-2 in comparison, seemed to have adhered to crew-oriented comforts by including civilian-grade accommodations and other goodies.
For God's sake, she had a whole DECK to herself. The captain's quarters could easily match the size of a small apartment at the Citadel, and she felt kind of overwhelmed to have this much private space. I mean, she had a full-sized bed and a whole bathroom to herself. Although the furniture might have been a tad too much for her tastes, the fish tank was a nice touch, if not all unexpected.
Was TIM trying to get into her good graces by spoiling her?
If so, he was on the right track for once.
This wasn't the only surprise waiting for her at the ship. Nothing, not even Hackett, could have stopped her from engulfing Dr Chakwas in a hug that was long overdue, but only after the woman let her undergo a mandatory medical exam. Unbudging in her care as always.
Another person that gave her a sense of her past self back. Of the self she felt so estranged to.
Calm down, Jane, there is no time for an existential crisis. You've got a shit ton of work to do.
She was, however, overly cautious with the new faces on board. Cerberus fanatics were what she was expecting to work with for an unforeseeable future, who would spy on her every move and run back to their leader at the earliest signs of inconvenience, somewhat like she imagined Miranda doing in her spare time in that office of hers.
Well, the Illusive Man, she had come to realize, must have changed up his recruitment requirements when it came to her crew.
They seemed like an enthusiastic bunch, regardless of TIM's involvement in their recruitment, if she could trust their intentions. Like the duo of engineers stationed at the fourth deck, where they oversaw the functionality of the always impressive Tantalus drive core together, Gabriella Daniels and Kenneth Donnelly. They certainly struck her as honest folk, their banter was certainly a byproduct of life-long friendship if there was anything to go by.
Mess Sergeant Rupert Gardner was another type altogether, this guy could voice his opinion (only if asked) stronger than anyone she had ever met and he seemed to have no filter whatsoever, which she found absolutely refreshing considering everyone always tried to fall in line at the Alliance. His bluntness preceded that of a club.
It helped a lot to keep things in perspective. And assured that her feet stay on the ground. Even though she now felt like a distant echo of her true self.
Overall, she regarded the new faces with less hostility and mistrust than expected, but it may also be because they intermingled with faces ever welcome to her - like Chakwas and Joker. Shit, Jane realized with a cringe, a move masterfully played TIM. To use her close associates to soften her up. A clever ploy that admittedly worked in his favour.
No matter, there was no use to dwell on it now, they had set course to Omega, as per Lawson's recommendations, and Jane used that time to drift through a series of provoking dreams. At some point, she had gotten so distraught over them that she decided to scroll through the first list of dossiers provided by none other than TIM himself.
Just as she was about to dive into the list, a mail from the man in question conveniently popped up in her inbox.
From: Illusive Man
Shepard:
We've reached an agreement with veteran mercenary Zaeed Massani. You may know the name; Zaeed has been involved in some of the best known (and some utterly unknown) military operations in the Terminus Systems, and is feared as a ruthless and relentless bounty hunter. I felt you might need a man with his skills on your mission, so I arranged to have him join you.
You will find him on Omega, where he's wrapping up his current bounty. Don't worry about his fee; I've taken care of that personally.
Should she be concerned if she didn't know his name at all? Nah, probably not, though Wrex might have set her standards up too high. But considering the man fully vouched for Massani's skill she might want to second guess her urge to write something cheeky back. That would certainly be a most unconvincing reminder of who truly pulled the strings here!
Enough about him, it was time to view the candidates!
Sounded awfully like the beginning of one of those stereotypical competition shows. But hey, at least she was maintaining her sense of humour through all of this... right? She shook her head and narrowed in on the first paragraph of digital text.
Dr. Mordin Solus
- Biological weapons expert
- Light weapons training with Salarian Special Tasks Group
Dr. Mordin Solus is a salarian biological weapons expert whose technology may hold the key to countering Collector attacks. He is currently operating a medical clinic in the slums of Omega.
Okay, so he was definitely a must for the get-go. The seeker swarms Veetor had shown her from the surveillance cameras at Freedom's Progress were sure to give anyone long-term entomophobia, and Shepard had seen some weird shit. A talking plant for one, still went unbeaten on her crazy list. If they had any chance of stopping the Collectors from abducting their people, stopping the swarms from turning them from hunters to prey was the first objective.
A fleeting thought of hers was also occupied with memories of the last Normandy's latest doctor. A certain blue-skinned asari archaeologist that used to have a crush on her, oh, Ashley would never let Liara live this down. She wondered where-
Jane, her heart warned... dangerous territory.
That was her cue to move on to the next one!
Archangel
- Small-unit tactical expertise
- Omni-tool expert and noted sniper
Archangel is a mercenary commander whose operations are noted for their technical expertise and strategic brilliance. He is responsible for high-profile attacks on gang leaders on Omega and can likely be found there.
Promising. She would strap herself a true hero into her circus after all! Perhaps it was a good thing to have someone with their moral compass untarnished, yes? Though he seemed like a lot of work to recruit with a whole lot of gangsters hot on his tail, but on the other hand, if he was confident in provoking the most organized circles of the underworld and continued to survive, then it was enough for her to be convinced of his value.
After all, hadn't she been the one humbled on her first days as Spectre by a 5 feet teenager?
Definitely not something she could openly boast about, not that she was such a person to begin with.
Despite the two years, she could still picture the teen fairly good in her mind.
Akane Uchiha, or if one preferred the Japanese way of introducing their full names backwards, then it would be Uchiha Akane. It surprised even Jane, how easily her image popped up in her mind, despite the time that had passed since she had last seen her.
She remembered the hip-long locks that appeared darker than the night, freed of any restraint but not necessarily unkept. Spiky at some ends but overall straight in nature. It hadn't crossed Jane's mind only once, how she could function with such long hair in the way, as it always seemed to obscure most of her vision, but she never bothered to ask her.
There hadn't been many occasions where the girl bared the entirety of her face, but Shepard had caught glimpses of it during some of their talks, especially that one fateful heart-to-heart talk after Shepard's unexpected misstep. She didn't remember most of what went wrong after their debriefing about Zhu's Hope, and the need to never occurred again as, in the end, everything turned out for the better.
She wasn't that far off with her initial guess back at Eden Prime, the girl resembled a doll in more ways than expressions. A baby doll per se. Big, dark eyes contrasted heavily against the niveous skin on her unblemished face. Her lips were small, as was her nose, but all in favour of being proportionally symmetrical in any other facial aspect.
Anyone with good eyesight would find her a promising beauty, however, the residual hanging eyelids and dark circles under her eyes used to vitiate her young face for as long as Jane could remember knowing her. It hadn't been Jane's place to ask what had kept the girl from getting a good night's sleep, but Ashley might have let it slip that it hadn't been a rare occurrence for the teen to wake up breathless.
But as much as Shepard wanted to intervene at that time, as she said moments ago, it wasn't her place to poke.
Another thing to consider, with no small amount of realization, was that Akane should be around seventeen already. One year from full-fledged adulthood and it wasn't difficult to imagine her maturing into a woman of intelligence and conventional beauty-
Oh... right. Virmire. The bomb.
That thought turned quite sour within seconds, so perhaps it was for the best for Jane to read the next file.
Jack (no last name known)
- Exceptional biotic ability
- Note: Criminal background, currently in custody
Jack is rumoured to be the most powerful human biotic ever encountered. Very little additional data regarding Jack is available, except that the subject has a history of violence and should be approached carefully. Currently, Jack is being held on the turian prison ship Purgatory. Cerberus has negotiated for the prisoner's release.
Mercenaries, she could handle, but she had strong trepidation about Jack. Yeoman Chambers better be at her beck and call for this one.
She had gotten enough of a beating from aggressive biotics back on Chohe, where they had used drugged innocent researchers to serve as human shields. She had a proper field day during this mission, and she had made a new friend - the floor. By the amounts of times she had been smashed, pushed and thrown about like a measly rag-doll.
But on the other hand, she HAD managed to bring those fanatical biotics in the Hades Gamma cluster back to reason. After they had kidnapped the chairman of the Parliament Subcommittee for Transhuman Studies. They had been holding him hostage on board for protesting his vote against providing reparations for L2 biotics.
She shuddered thinking what the MOST POWERFUL human biotic would have in store for her if he decided to have enough of her command. On an additional note, she would probably take Miranda with her as well. She would surely do her utmost best to make sure Jane made it through, right? With Jane being her— Cerberus' —precious long-term investment.
With a sigh that clearly showed how bothered she truly was by the previous patch of text.
"Hopefully, this one will be better."
Dr. Okeer
- Millennia of combat and strategic experience
- Rumored familiarity with Collector technology
A brilliant and brutal krogan warlord who fought in the Krogan Rebellions, Dr. Okeer has become obsessed with saving the krogan people from the genophage and is believed to have contacted the Collectors in an attempt to gain technology to that end. He is currently in a Blue Suns camp on Korlus, though the nature of his relationship with the mercenary group is unknown.
This list was getting better by the minute. It was almost as if TIM was trying to one-up the previous attempts by throwing in something even more ridiculous next in line! A krogan though, she had been kind of expecting that one. The only thing that surprised her was that the warlord seemed to also be a doctor - an exceedingly rare find within the scattered krogan population.
Call it a hunch, if TIM was so focused on grabbing onto every possible string of past affections, then let the man think he has her wrapped around his finger.
Kasumi Goto
- Master of stealth and infiltration
- Skilled hacker and information specialist
- Operates completely off the grid
- No criminal record
Kasumi Goto is not the most famous thief in the galaxy - she's the best. Trained in the arts of stealth and infiltration, she has 'acquired' artefacts and information from all over the galaxy and yet maintains a completely clean criminal record. She is awaiting rendezvous with Shepard on the Citadel, in the Zakera Ward.
Ah, what a circus. She wasn't truly impressed with the list TIM had handed her over.
You're a leader, Shepard. You'll get who you need.
She didn't know if he just wanted to blandish her ability, but he certainly held a lot of faith in her leadership. But by God, how did he expect her to reign in such a bunch of misfits if their sole motivation was money? What team was she supposed to build with two mercenaries, two Cerberus lackeys, a convicted biotic, a thief, and two doctors of the two races who shared the most potent bad blood in history?
It wasn't like her crew back in the original SSV Normandy SR-1, where everybody had joined of their own volition. Their reasons may have been their own, some she had never come to find out, but everybody had been devoted to the cause of bringing Saren down. One way or the other.
And this common goal was what had eventually formed into a tight-knit group of friends and family. Shepard reckoned they wouldn't have been half as successful had they been driven by their own motifs and ambitions. It was a key to their collective victory, but now seemed unachievable with the individuals she would eventually, work with.
She wanted her old team back.
The overly reserved, ever-cautious, controlled Kaidan with his dry sense of humour, and tendency to look for the best in others. He was never your typical high-potential officer with that judgemental streak of his. He could shrug about his personal issues and just move on with equanimity, yet grow fascinated or even agitated about matters of galactic politics and leadership that most would consider distant, abstract concerns.
We finally get out here, and the final frontier was already settled. And the residents don't even seem impressed by the view. Or the dangers.
Something she always found funny about Kaidan was, that he had always failed to quite explain why he felt strongly about those. Whether Kaidan was going to overthink something, or be sensible and pragmatic about it, had been difficult to predict. But she loved it when he would end up over-intellectualise things.
Remember that one time when they had visited a strip club with Ashley in tow? Alenko's clumsiness with women was a thing to behold and the Gunnery Chief's reaction was golden to his comical fumbling. Small talk wasn't his forte as he seemed to be always focused on the facts, strategising, and analyzing the situation. But he was smart enough, and enough of a straight shooter for it to be more cute than embarrassing.
Chief Williams was a soldier's soldier. There was a reason even Anderson recruited her after Eden Prime. She had a strong emotional investment in her competence as a fighting woman, and was a hard and methodical worker. Exactly what the crew needed after the tragic loss of Jenkins, although Shepard had had to repeatedly assure Ashley of her place among the Normandy.
Why is it that whenever someone says 'with all due respect' they really mean 'kiss my ass'?
Her investment into being the archetypal marine Ashley showed in her bluntness (or frankness) and responded aggressively to provocation. She was the polar opposite of a diplomat and never had writing off politicians felt more good than with her - Udina was their all-time favourite. She wanted things to be open, direct and straightforward. And she liked guns – the bigger, the better.
Holding her back from slapping that infuriating Jilani woman, or Ethan Jeong, or anyone who pissed her off for that matter, could make her laugh even now. Conversing with her sister had also been a delight, the teasing that would go on had always left the Chief on the receiving end.
But she would also, as did Alenko, go on and climb the ladder of ranks within the Alliance. Hell, if anyone deserved that promotion, it would be Ashley. They had kept her on groundside garrison posts for far too long. Years of wasted potential.
With Wrex, there had to be some serious coaxing to engage him into light topics, with the end goal to move into heavier topics. He did say that he was only in for the jollies, to rattle these old bones from the boredom of being a hired gun, but Shepard always suspected there to be more.
Anyone who fights us is either stupid or on Saren's payroll. Killing the latter is business. Killing the former is a favour to the universe.
At times there seemed nothing could move the bounty hunter out of his indifferent stance, not even after Virmire, with Akane dangling on the brink of death. Come to think of it, he seemed to be the one most suspicious of the teen than anyone else. Perhaps it was, even with millenium of experience, because he couldn't get a read on the girl as much as the rest of the crew.
In the end, she must have somehow grown on him. Which she didn't expect would ever happen even though it was precisely what she was aiming for at the beginning. She listened with rapture as he told her of his father and the way he grew up during and after the Krogan Rebellions.
Seemed like he decided to give his race another chance. Uniting the krogan clans and all that, and as much as she would feel ten times safer with a friend at her side, it would be egomaniacal of her to hinder him from accomplishing his dream, especially after the amount of encouragement she had given him times and times again.
The news about Garrus, however, left her on edge. He left his position at C-Sec and ventured off into god-knows-where. She was, as any true friend, worried about him and his well-being. There was only ever to be one turian she would break all the possible rules and restrictions with a grin on her face.
Hah, Garrus wasn't one for red tape; he wanted to get things done, no matter what he had to do. He believed in the pursuit of justice and hated it when bad guys slip through the cracks of the bureaucratic justice system. The turian had clear and unbreakable principles, but tended to view things as either good or bad, ignoring the possibility of a middle ground.
Fighting a rogue Spectre with countless lives at stake and no regulations to get in the way? I'd say that beats C-Sec.
Despite Garrus' dour fixation on doling out justice, he wasn't without a sense of humour, and was always one of the first to crack a joke when things got tough. Not even Sovereign had stopped his witty mouth from speaking words of levity. Whatever else he may be, Garrus was a loyal-to-a-fault companion to Jane, and an even better friend she would hate to lose.
If only she could find him and invite him to another jolly suicide mission, but much to her detriment, he remained impossible to locate.
At least she knew where Liara stumbled on about. Illium, huh, the first place she would have wanted to find her was on another dig site, you know, continuing her passion. But working for the Shadow Broker? What the hell had happened there? What would spur such a life-changing decision?
Her new profession seemed uncharacteristic of how she remembered her friend to be. Or have been, apparently. Liara portrayed the one side of the Asari Shepard had never witnessed; shy, naive and horrifically inexperienced. A total calamity in social interactions, on which others would prey upon, like Ashley, although solely because it was simply too adorable watching her squirm during any discussed topic.
That is why I find you so fascinating. You were marked by the beacon on Eden Prime; you were touched by working Prothean technology!
She was fucking done after this one. Although in hindsight, that seemed like the most adequate reason she could think of coming from a person like Liara. All in all, every time she had gone into her lab, it never got boring. There was a certain joy in seeing one talk about their passion so fervently, which in Liara's case, were the Protheans. Pulling her leg had never been so goddam easy.
But inexperience didn't equal immaturity. And as much the asari admitted to her faults, to Jane, she had never been a liability on a mission. She wasn't the best shot with a gun but her proficiency with biotics earned up for it. Her mother's death had been difficult to witness. Accompanied by the truths that were revealed by Benezia herself, pulling the trigger on someone who pleaded for death felt nowhere near as merciful as stories made it out to be.
But Liara's strength of character had shone through, to power to turn a tragic event into positive self-development, and it was admirable how quickly the Matriarch's daughter picked herself up and adopted a solemn, but no less optimistic attitude in spite of what had happened to her mother. This spark hadn't vanished even in the face of Saren or the Geth on Ilos, and she had never been prouder of a friend as in that moment.
The only person that seemed to have given her mind any signs of peace was Tali. Oh, brilliant Tali. The first to have done the impossible by befriending the mopy Akane. And the one person who seemed to have moved on exactly as expected. It was safe to say she had put that copy of the geth data to good use.
The Pilgrimage proves we are willing to give of ourselves for the greater good. What does it say about me if I turn my back on this?
How someone would ever think of Quiarans were mere scavengers was something Shepard thought she would never truly understand. Despite the discrimination she suffered as a Quarian, Tali was easily one of, if not the, most kind-hearted member of Shepard's crew, always showing compassion to those who need it and perhaps that was what drew Akane into her orbit as well.
One couldn't speak about the quarian without mentioning her obsessive nature towards starships. Back in the day, Shepard had her hooked the moment she showed her the old Normandy's Tantalus Drive Core. At least Lieutenant Greg Adams had been there to willfully indulge her, at times when she wasn't tutoring Akane.
Ah, the good old days... now so far gone.
Okay, final dossier.
Terminus Saint
- Note: No available background
- Note: Is suspected to work in a group rather than individually
Boogeyman to any person involved in human trafficking, not much is known about the entity roaming the Terminus Systems other than his single-minded tracking of slavers. Cerberus has been keeping an eye open but has yet to find a way to establish contact. The Terminus Saint gained rising fame within the two years since his appearance on the scene, his moniker has been hailed to such an extent that it even became a religious subject – a hero for many, villain to some - Cerberus suspects that the Saint has set his sight on the Collectors.
Shepard POV
Exiting the SSV Normandy SR-2 for the first time, with Lawson and Taylor at her back, she hadn't gotten further than a few metres when a salarian came trotting towards her, steps speedy as the pace of words that rushed out of his mouth seconds after. The welcoming committee, Jane mused.
"Ah! Welcome to Omega! You're new here, aren't you? I can always tell. Allow me to-"
The salarian word's clucked up in his throat for a moment, his attention flicking to a batarian that he didn't realize had been following him up until now, "Oh... hello, Moklan! I was just-"
There wasn't a tinge of friendliness in the batarian's tone as he ordered his subordinate away, "Leave, Fargut. Now."
"Of course, Moklan!" The salarian's voice trembled behind his nervous smile, spindly arm rising into a salute from enthusiasm inspired by fear, "Whatever she wants!"
One foot of Shepard's was already moving when the batarian raised an armoured arm to threaten his coworker away, but she stopped herself in time as the salarian, light on his feet, escaped the batarian's temper by hair's length. Batarians - always a pleasure to work with.
"Blasted scavengers," the man shook his head, two pairs of eyes narrowing on Shepard, "Welcome to Omega... Shepard."
And here she thought she would remain unrecognizable without her trademark N7 armour, "You know who I am?"
"Of course." He drawled and if batarians could roll all four of their eyes, he would have done it by now, "We had you tagged the moment you entered the Terminus Systems. You're not as subtle as you think. Aria wants to know what brings a dead Spectre to Omega. I suggest you go to Afterlife now and present yourself."
Was she really such a notorious troublemaker or was he making a big deal out of it?
"Cut the attitude. I'm not here to cause problems for Omega."
"Things explode around you, Shepard. You can't blame Aria for keeping an eye on you. Afterlife. Now."
The sharpness to his voice brokered no argument but beguiled retaliation. Biting the inside of her cheek, silence was her retort as he turned around and left. She could see Lawson glancing at her from her periphery, but to start a fight now over nothing would prove the batarian right.
And that somehow seemed far worse than him having the last word. She wouldn't want to make a scene only minutes into entering the station.
"I'm receiving quarantine warnings about the slums where Dr Mordin Solus runs the clinic. Anticipate resistance at the transport station." EDI chimed in after the situation settled, her purely synthetic voice left to place for misplaced imaginations about the nature of her being.
EDI was the artificial intelligence of the Quantum Blue Box type that had been conveniently incorporated into the Normandy, serving as a lead defence in electronic warfare. Naturally, Shepard had the nasty suspicion that the AI also served as the Illusive Man's eyes and ears on the Normandy, she definitely wouldn't put it past him.
The AI wouldn't reveal a nickel worth of information about Cerberus, blaming it on the behavioural blocks she was imbued with during her creation. They also prevented her from directly interfacing with the ship's systems, just to be on the safe side. Nobody would want another rouge AI roaming the Milky Way, no, not even Cerberus. For some, the Geth were quite enough trouble.
The way she interacted with Joker, on the other hand, was proving to be a source of endless comic relief for the resurrected Commander. The man hated sharing his helmsmanship, even though EDI wasn't here primarily for that, he had confessed that the thought alone unsettled him. He didn't want someone to babysit him. Though Jane rested assured that the confidence in his abilities (or ego) would survive the blow it had received.
"I have also accessed messages between mercenary groups regarding plans to deal with Archangel. There's a recruiting station at Afterlife that may have information on him."
Say what you want about EDI, but she was beyond useful in providing vital, logistical information and charting optimal solutions to reach objectives. Sorry, Presley, and rest in peace. Tucking away her omni-tool after checking which way to go, she reorganised her messy thoughts and began moving.
First: Afterlife
Second: Recruit Dr Mordin Solus
Third: Recruit Archangel
Fourth- "Ugh... please."
Never mind, then.
A human man was kicking some batarian to the ground, quiet hardly, might she add. The alien's head lolled to the sides as he took notice of her bypassing party, and pleaded pathetically to Shepard for help. The cry for help moved Shepard enough to stop in her tracks.
"No one said you could talk, jackass."
Another kick to the batarian's gut was enough to subdue him. The man's voice bounced off the smudgy walls of her ship's docking corridor, possessing a notable roughness with each syllable spoken.
"You Zaeed Massani?"
The human turned around, and Shepard was taken back by what she saw. Deep scars stood out on the right side of his face, a story behind every one of them while the other spoke volumes about his advanced age. On the top of his head, cropped brown locks were already in the process of greying.
That did, however, not diminish the fact that the rest of his body was cut into fighting shape after years of punishing labour. His arms seemed to be the size of her thigs, and the makeshift yellowish armour, dulled by all sorts of grime, the experience he radiated reminded Shepard of Wrex.
Grumpy, old, not much for a talk, with that kind of thing going of a guy who 'went everywhere, did everything, killed everyone'.
"Yeah. That's me." He looked her up and down, judgemental eyes - left green, right pale grey - swiped over her black tinted armour, "I hear we have a galaxy to save."
"I assume you've been briefed?"
"I've done my homework. Cerberus sent me everything I needed to know."
"What's your relationship with Cerberus?"
He stepped closer with an air of confidence, strong tattooed arms at each side, "Easy. Cerberus is paying me a lot of money to help you on your mission. That's the long and short."
Shepard scoffed with a shake of her head, "Not many mercs would take a suicide mission for the pay."
"Most mercs don't get an offer like the one Cerberus sent me."
Jane sent him a look through her helmet that said everything. It had to be a damn good one for a veteran merc to abolish future retirement, being accomplished as he was, he would have no trouble putting the gun down at any point in time, she figured.
"It doesn't sound like good business, Massani."
"It doesn't," he acknowledged, "But your Illusive Man can move a lot of credits."
No doubt about it. With a resigned sigh, Jane relented, "Not sure you know what you're getting yourself into, old man."
Jane's gaze flicked over to the mercenary's captive, with an underlying question, "My contact told me we're picking up one man. Not two."
"Batarian delinquent. Pissed off someone rich enough to hire me to go after him. And for my 'bring'em alive' rates, even." Zaeed's armoured foot came in time as the batarian acted up again. Begging for a different outcome than the one Zaeed's hirer had in mind for him.
Massani's gaze turned sour as he regarded the beaten-up alien sprawled on the floor. He definitely seemed fed up with him, "Tried to lead my decaying bones on a chase all across the systems. He should have known better, these people always run to Omega."
Jane strode closer, determined despite her initial discouragement, and welcomed him with a firm shake of hands to her crew.
"That's what they tell me. I assume the Illusive Man told you of our arrangement?"
Shepard blanched. He certainly did not, not that she expected him to, being enigmatic and all was his vibe after all. Zaeed seemed to have picked up on the tensing of her muscles.
"Good thing I asked." He chuckled to himself, it sounded like a low rumble in that raspy voice of his that reminded Jane of Hackett's own natural roughness, the way it elicited violent shivers, she could hardly forget.
"Picked up a mission a little while back, just before I signed on with Cerberus. Thought you might be interested. You heard the name Vido Santiago? He's the head of the Blue Suns. Runs the whole organization."
Of course, it wasn't all about the money for him. Service for a favour. Well, no use mulling over it now. She nodded for him to continue, but it lacked any real enthusiasm.
"Seems he recently captured an Eldfell-Ashland refinery on Zorya and is using the workers for slave labour. The company wants it dealt with."
Huh, didn't seem like such a big deal at first glance, at least he made it sound that way. The Alliance had sent her on some serious nut-crack cases in the past before.
But now, she wasn't part of the Alliance.
"I'll make sure we get that done."
That was enough to have appeased the old man, "Good. Get it out of the way so we can concentrate on being goddamn heroes."
She couldn't help but snicker under her helmet exactly when the batarian decided to make a run for it, legs lengthening as if his life depended on it. With no less than a flick of the mercenary's wrist; a bullet was put through the escapee's leg, letting him fall and writhe from pain on the floor. Jane's face cringed, that must hurt like hell.
With a drawn-out sigh, the older man approached his fallen pray, "I better turn this thing in before it starts to stink. I'll be locked and loaded next time you're ready to get some killing done."
One name was stricken out from the list, and only two more to go.
Shepard POV
"That's close enough."
A resolute voice with unbridled strength resonated from inside the VIP lounge at the back of the most popular nightclub of Omega. Weapons were drawn, from her team and T'Loak's, waiting for trespass or any sort of reason to shoot. Jane stood still, unbothered and convinced that nothing dangerous would come off of it. It was a simple display of power, of the Pirate Queen's authority. To show whose in charge, although Jane felt kind of smug to be regarded as a threat for the woman to put on a power play like that.
With a small gesture of her head, the purple-skinned asari resolved the room of its tension, calling her men back.
"Stand still." One of her guards fished out his omni-tool and let her undergo a scan.
She didn't know why, but Jane slowly took out her pistol, wringing it before the guard's visage pointedly, establishing her own boundaries for the others to respect, "If you're looking for weapons, you're not doing a very good job."
"Can't be too careful with dead Spectres. That could be anyone wearing your face." The self-proclaimed queen of Omega stood with her back to her party with an air of dominance that Jane knew she could back up in case of a fight.
"I was told by your welcoming committee that you're the person to talk to if I have questions."
"They're clean." The guard stepped away when Shepard took a confident step forward, closer to the asari.
"Depends on the question."
"You run Omega?"
The asari gave her an amused laugh gave Jane the impression that Aria thought her silly for asking, "I am Omega."
"..." Shepard decided, out of politeness, not to say anything to that. It might have been understood wrongly.
"But you need more. Everyone needs more something. And they all come to me." The asari never lost that fiendish spark from her eyes, and the smile that promised bodily harm to anyone who was stupid enough to try. To Shepard, the underlying message was clear: Aria T'Loak was not someone you should fuck with; metaphorically speaking.
"I'm the boss, CEO, queen if you're feeling dramatic. It doesn't matter. Omega has no titled ruler and only one rule: Don't fuck with Aria."
The Commander made sure to keep her eyes on her no matter what, wouldn't want to appear at a disadvantage in front of the asari whose falcon eyes pierced even through her helmet, up until the point when the queen asserted her place at the long-winded leather couch, legs crossed over another.
"I like it, easy to remember." Shepard retorted.
"If you forget, someone will remind you." And took a suggestive glance at the guard that had inspected her a few moments ago as he reaffirmed her statement with a colourful example. Shepard, with a simple smile and nod, waited for the asari's next move. She was directly on her playground and therefore, would abide by her rules.
A movement of hands later, and Shepard was given permission to take a seat and ask her damn questions.
"So, what can I do for you?"
"One scan and we're straight to business? People are usually more concerned about who I am."
"Your death was downplayed, but hardly what I call a secret. I had to make sure it was really you. You could have been anyone. Anything. Whatever you need will come out on its own. I'm curious, but Omega doesn't really care about you."
That was... oddly relieving.
"I am looking for Mordin Solus. Do you know where I can find him?"
"The salarian doctor? Last I heard he was trying to help plague victims in the quarantine zone. I always like Mordin. He's as likely to heal you as he is to shoot you."
"What can you tell me about him?"
The asari turned more to Jane's corner on the couch, to her right, "Used to be part of the Salarian Special Tasks Group. He's brilliant and dangerous. Just don't get him talking. He never shuts up. If you really need to find him, take a shuttle to the quarantine zone. No guarantee they'll let you in, of course."
"Got it. And what of Archangel? I am trying to track him down."
Aria stared ahead, unperturbed by the news, "You, and half of Omega. You want him dead, too?"
"I'm putting a team together; he's on my list."
The twinkle in the asari's starring eyes reappeared, it seemed she liked unexpected turns of events, "Interesting. You're going to make some enemies teaming up with Archangel. That's assuming you can get to him. He's in a bit of trouble right now."
If Aria knew the Commander better, she would know that rarely something stopped Shepard from getting what she wanted. That was as far as the similarities would go between the ruthless Pirate Queen and Jane. With an exasperated sigh, the redhead continued, "Just tell me where to find him."
"The local merc groups are recruiting anyone with a gun to help them take down Archangel."
"Sounds like our ticket in," Shepard interjected not-to-subtly, and Shepard could smell the mirth from the asari at the wicked strategy.
"They're using a private room for recruiting... just over there. I'm sure they will sign you up."
Shepard leant forward, elbows on folded knees, "Can you tell me anything else about Archangel?"
"Not as much as I'd like. He showed up here several months ago and started causing all sorts of problems. If you make your own laws - which everyone here does - he makes life difficult. He's reckless and idealistic. But he seems to know enough to stay clear of me."
"Sounds like a big deal. Which merc groups are after him?"
"Blue Suns. Eclipse. Bloodpack. They're Omega's major players. Unless they're at war, you'll never see them together. But one thing they hate more than each other is Archangel. Perhaps even more than the batarians hate the Terminus Saint."
Jane's ears perked up at the mention of the name, but would limit her questions for the topic at hand lest she invoked the queen's wrath by asking for more than the asari had patience for, "And what of you? Has he stepped on your toes?"
The asari shook her head, dismissing the idea, "I don't have time to hate. But I distrust them all equally. For now, I am happy to just let them kill each other."
Jane debated if she should further pry about the Terminus Saint or leave it at that, but she guessed the queen would grow tired of another question so she decided to slowly vacate her place with a note of thanks to the asari.
"See if you still feel that way when the mercs realize you're here to help him."
"Sounds like I don't have much time to waste."
"You've got all the time in the world. Archangel... not so much."
Shepard POV
They were in.
Shepard had signed them up as freelancers, scared off a kid while she was there as well. That youngster was way too keen on joining the raid and Shepard wouldn't want him to throw his life away just because of a gun he had purchased just for the occasion. The 50-credit M-4 Shuriken and simple civilian vest would have surely protected him. He would have ended up as cannon fodder in no time.
Either way, they had sped their way through the corridor to the front of Afterlife's front entrance, this time without being interrupted by some batarian groupies looking for a fight, and had taken the designated cap waiting for them at a small alcove down the promenade off to the right.
There wasn't much to be discussed on the way to Kima District, with Lawson and Taylor as party members, where the base of operations was located. The silence left Shepard to recollect the short-lived conversations her former crew mates used to share during the numerous elevator rides on the Citadel.
How awkward and polite some of them were - and some weren't. How naive some of them were, their point of view was dominated by their own cultural bias. Jane had third-wheeled her way through all of them.
Listen as 'Uncle Urdnot' gave wisdom to the 'kids'.
Listen to Tali's bouncing during the most unnerving questions. It had been Garrus, especially, who had been a real dick to her.
Listen to Ashley defending women in the military.
Listen to Kaidan talk about either his migraines or biotics.
Listen to Liara explaining Asari culture in but a few well-formed sentences.
Listen to Garrus sounding like a fresh-faced young man.
What she would give to have them fill the empty atmosphere now, in the cab, instead of those two Cerberus' lapdogs in her vicinity. It wasn't like Shepard had time to indulge herself in pleasant memories as the driver slowed down and lowered the skycar, signalling their arrival. Jane did a quick check of her equipment, pistol so she wouldn't have to exchange eyes with anyone, then exited the cab with the others.
Her eyes did a swift round-up of the place, and judging by the terrific amount of mercs all over the place, this might have been the very last day they were recruiting. Meaning - the raid was in its final stages of beginning.
"It's about time they sent me someone who looks like they can actually fight," a batarian, that she had somehow missed spoke up to her, "they tell you what we're up against?"
He was fitted with a blue armour with white stripes that she had come to affiliate with a particular merc group going by the name of Blue Suns. Aria did mention they were part of this.
"The recruiter was a little vague."
The alien made a face that would pass as friendly but as far as Jane could tell, it sooner might resemble a snark, "We wouldn't get many hires if everyone knew the truth. Archangel's holed up in a building at the end of the boulevard over there. He's got superior position, and the only way in is over a very exposed bridge. It's a killing ground. But he's getting tired, making mistakes. At any rate, we'll have him soon enough."
She subconsciously arched her brow at him, "You guys have a plan?"
"A small team is waiting to infiltrate his hideout, but we need to draw Archangel's fire so they can move in."
The plan sounded solid but anyone with experience would tell how much man-power one would have to sacrifice in order to
"Let me guess, that is where we come in?"
"Exactly."
At least he was honest. Unlike some individuals...
"You'll be on a distraction team. Head straight over the bridge and keep Archangel busy so the infiltration team can sneak in behind him."
"Sounds like a suicide mission to me." Taylor supplied from behind her, looking over to Lawson. As she had seen him do most of the time.
"Pretty much. But you look like you can handle it. Head up to the boulevard and get to the third barricade. Talk to Sergeant Cathka. He will tell you when to go in."
Seeing that he was more approachable than this dunce back at Afterlife, who had burnt a fuse of hers when he had compared to a whore, she figured this might be the best time to ask for some details, "So the bridge is the only way to his hideout?"
"Exactly. Archangel collapsed all the underground passageways and sealed the doors to the lower levels. We've got teams digging, but it's taking too long. If they can get the gunship flying again, that'll help. But I am hoping the infiltration team will finish the job and we can all go home."
By the sound of it, this Archangel was the real deal, "They were using a gunship to take out one guy?"
"Yeah - and Archangel shot it down. He didn't destroy it, but he knew just where to hit it to disable it. It wasn't even a fair fight. At least not for us."
Yeah, absolutely busted the odds. Man vs gunship, who would have guessed the outcome.
"What about the infiltration team? Where would they be now?"
"On the far side of the bridge, near his hideout. But they can't get any closer without being seen."
"How'd they get that close without being seen?"
"More distractions. Tarak used a gunship to keep Archangel busy. We were able to sneak a few men into his hideout before he took it down, but they're stuck there. We need to keep Archangel focused on the bridge so he doesn't find them and wipe them out."
"I am impressed with this Archangel. What can you tell me about this guy?"
"I am the wrong person to ask. I just do logistics. Tarak and the other merc bosses have been dealing with him for quite a while now. But don't be surprised if they're not thrilled about talking to a freelancer."
"I better go find Sergeant Cathka then."
He nodded to this, "Good idea. Watch yourself on the avenue. Archangel's killed dozens out there already."
Shepard decided to lead her team to some secluded corner to discuss what they have found out. Jacob, not surprisingly, was the first to speak up, "Well, we might have a way in, but getting out could be interesting."
"We should find him first, then we'll figure out, but I think there are some things we need to take care of before we throw ourselves in his scope."
And with that in mind, Shepard set out to do some mischief and with EDI dishing out pointers here and there, it had never been easier to renegade her way through the whole base. Jane had also stumbled upon a datapad that Aria would appreciate being given, she imagined.
She had talked to some people on her way too, of course, on one line trying to fit in and keep a low profile, on the other line trying to get as much info about the operation and Archangel as possible. Until she found herself before Sergeant Cathka, batarian in all his glory, and smoking like a chimney.
He approached them but had to shut off his visor so he could take a look at her team through all the smoke that had gathered in his little repair room, "Ah... you must be the group Salkie mentioned. You're just in time."
Excuse me, who?
"Salkie?"
"You met him when you were dropped off. He radioed to say you were coming, though you took your sweet time getting here."
No way. There was simply no way that such a face would have such a cute name attached to it. A batarian names Salkie. Now this man would stay in her memory forever- Jane... focus!
"Ah, yes, Salkie..." Shepard trailed off, totally unimpressed.
"You three kinda stand out from most of the other freelancers. Anyway, the infiltration team is about to give us the signal. Archangel won't know what hit him."
"So where do WE fit in this grand scheme?" Shepard asked off-handedly, rolling up her shoulder in pretence for some action. She someone had to uphold her freelancer status.
He flexed his elbow, thin lips reaching for the cigarette trapped between his fingers, "It's simple enough. You just need to jump the wall and head straight for Archangel's building. And try not to get killed too fast. You're only a distraction as long as you're alive."
The smoke around them grew in density and Shepard, although having been spare of its acrid smell by her helmet's filters, waved her hand before it could form a fog. It was interesting that she would get irked at something menial as this.
Shepard took a second for her eyes to blitz over the armed vehicle the Sergeant was currently attempting to fix, but it was enough for the batarian to predict the course of this conversation. "And what are you planning to do while we keep walking deeper into the lion's den? Perhaps you could provide us with some cover with that gunship?"
His arm reached out for the dirty ashtray, and he flicked the butt litter among the many others before he replied to her question, "Ha. Tarak is the only one who flies her."
Huh, so the leader of the Blue Suns would helm the ship. This spelt trouble should this gunship take flight.
"Besides, she's not quite ready. That bastard Archangel gave her a beating last time she was out there," he turned his head to the machinery, "A few more tweaks, she'll be as good as new."
Not if Shepard could prevent it.
"Why are you coordinating the attack and fixing gunships?"
She watched him reach for another cig, "I'm in the infiltration group. Our team coordinates with the gunship," lightning it up, he continued, "I'm staying back to organize the freelancers and make sure this baby's armed and ready."
"How come you're part of the infiltration team if you're not going with them. Speaking of which, where the hell are they coming in any way?"
He dismissed her with a wave of his hand, "Boss's choice. Tarak doesn't pay me to fight. I just plan the attacks and But my team has two options. Either they trap him in close quarters, and finish the bastard face to face. Or, if they fail, then they'll have explosives. The only thing they need is time to set them up."
Four of his eyes narrowed in on her, mouth moving into a snark, looked like she was starting to push his buttons, "Look, we got a plan. We don't need you trying to come up with any great ideas. Just do your damn job, collect your credits, and go home."
Time to wrap this up then!
"So when do you need us to-"
The sound of an incoming transmission stopped her from finishing her sentence, one batch of freelancers reported in for an update, "Target in sight. We're a go."
Shepard and the Sergeant simultaneously stepped closer, leaving the rest of her team nearby.
"Check," Cathka flitted in, "Bravo team - go, go, go!"
A collective batch of human freelancers responded to his call and moved from their corner to continue their assault. Shepard watched them go, seizing how much trouble they would pose once she turned on them.
Cathka all the while, straightened from his hunched posture, revealing a welder on of the lingering boxes, "Archangel's got quite the surprise waiting for him," and reactivated his visor, "But no more waiting for me."
Dismissing Shepard, he turned on his heels to attend to the gunship he had to put back together and Shepard once more eyed the unsuspectingly dangerous item at arm's length. The last team of freelancers went off on Cathka's commander seconds ago, and there were no lingering eyes in a close radius.
Ignoring the glances she felt on her back from Lawson and Taylor, she silently grabbed the tool in the palm of her hand and approached the occupied Sergeant with measured steps. Her principles rattled at the prospect of what she was about to do.
"It's nothing personal." She had said to the crouched-down Sergeant before plunging the electrically charged welder into a weak spot on the batarian's armour.
It wasn't how she would have done things before, but she guessed dying had its way of changing people. Cathka twisted and turned from the shocks, screaming in excruciating pain and none sooner, falling under the gunship, incapacitated. That, hopefully, bought them some time to reach Archangel. And got rid of some dangerous opposition.
Walking back, Taylor's brows drew up as she approached the two Cerberus operatives. He must have witnessed her dirty act and Shepard found herself caring less than she thought. Who was he to judge? She suddenly appreciated Lawson's unresponsive composure more than the darker-skinned man's liveliness.
They approached the bridge, falling back behind every other merc on the bridge when Taylor saw it fit to butt in, "Doesn't look like Archangel's got much time."
"Well, let's not wait around too long." It was the first time Miranda had said anything in hours and Jane hadn't missed her opinion at all.
Swinging over the bridge in one solid swoop, Jane counted the amount of merc left standing on the bridge and set out to work, "Come one, let's give them a surprise of our own."
Hafting her pistol in a firmer grip, she set out to show Archangel that she was no foe and began shooting down the unsuspecting freelancers in the back, while the turian up in his barrack, finished them with a clean shot of his sniper. No bullet had bounced off her kinetic shields ever since she had betrayed the mercs.
They had gotten under the Archangel with only one clip wasted. It was fairly easy to get rid of the last mercs who had gotten this far, and the only thing that now stood between her and the turian was a security door that was conveniently unlocked.
Giving herself a second to gather, Jane entered Archangel's bunker, cautious just in case he wanted to jump her, "Archangel?"
The turian in question didn't immediately reply as he was lying in waiting on the large window's edge, an M-29 Incisor in three-fingered talons. Jane didn't want to disrupt his severe concentration so she waited for him to finish his prey and alas, seconds later, a clear shot reverberated against the walls of the small building.
The turian - Archangel - heaved himself into a standing position and leisurely strutted to a piece of nearby furniture in order to sit down. Jane signalled her team to collapse their weapons as he had given her signs of hostility towards her group. There was something oddly familiar about this turian, fully clad in a turian's standard armour of blue tint.
Archangel must have trusted them more than Jane expected as he proceeded to make himself comfortable, discarding his helmet and-
"You have to be fucking kidding me."
Jane froze as she was met with the face of the one and only Garrus Vakarian, but this time, she didn't even hesitate to remove her helmet, shoulder-length red hair springing forth and spilling all over her face (they would need a cut). No matter how desperate for his confirmation she might have appeared to those Cerberus lap dogs.
"G-Garrus Vakarian?" She was surprised her words made it out of her helmet so feebly were they spoken.
"Shepard," she saw his cat-like eyes widen at her appearance and felt the same heavenly relief flooding her as when Tali had recognized her, "I thought you were dead."
"I thought so too bud," she said impossibly soft and her expression grew bitter as she slightly curved her head towards Lawson, not fully looking at her, "Cerberus had other plans."
The excitement, however, of reuniting with another precious friend swiftly banished the foul expression on her repaired face and made way for a genuine smile she would never let the other two see. There was a spring in her steps as she walked closer to him, "What are you doing here?"
Garrus, although sharing her joy, looked tired beyond measure as he spoke, "Just killing mercs. Nice of you to join me. There's plenty to go around."
"What are you doing here on Omega? Did you get tired of your old man's voice?" Jane asked with a lightness to her tone that felt refreshing to her mind.
"More like fed with all the bureaucratic crap on the Citadel. Figured I could do more good on my own. At least it's not hard to find criminals here. All I have to do is point my gun and shoot."
The grin grew to an uncomfortable length on the redhead's mouth, to be able to joke around with Garrus seemed to have brought her out of her shell despite the dangers lurking at the other end of the boulevard, "But 'Archangel'... really?"
The timbre of his chortle was as welcoming as ever, "Hey, I didn't come up with this name on my own, it's just what the locals use to call me. You know, for all my good deeds."
"You nailed me good a couple times, by the way." Shepard made a show of flexing her neck with an exasperated groan of pain in tow.
He had the gall to look anywhere else than her face as he replied, "Concussive rounds only. No harm done. Didn't want the mercs getting suspicious."
Jane scoffed, "Uh-huh."
He looked back up to her, eyes crackling with amusement, "If I wanted to take your shields down, I'd have done it. Besides, you were taking your sweet time. I needed to get you moving."
That's more like the Garrus she knew and loved. Always armed with a witty comeback.
"Well, we got here, but it's not looking good in the escaping department."
"No, it doesn't. The bridge has saved my life... funnelling all those witless idiots into scope. But it works both ways. They will slaughter us if we try to get out the way you came."
"So we just sit here and wait for them to take us out?"
Shepard audibly tsked at the ebony-haired beauty in white pin-stripe armour, and nothing else came from her two party members, though she did see Lawson's jaw clench.
Taking a look through the magnifying scope of his sniper, Garrus concluded, "It's not all that bad. This place has held them off so far. And with the three of you... I suggest we hold this location, wait for a crack in their defences, and take our chances. It's not a perfect plan, but-"
"Sounds solid." Shepard offered him an easy-going smile before her eye caught sight of approaching LOKI Mechs at the bridge, "Looks like we've got company."
Jogging for his discarded helmet, her turian friend crouched down as the first gunshots reached their bunker, "Hm... looks like they know their infiltration team failed. I'll stay up here. I can do a lot of damage from this vantage point. You..." He glanced at Jane as she put on her own helmet, "... you can do what you do best."
A truly devilish grimace passed over her face, not at the prospect of killing but out of sheer elation to be fighting next to the expert sniper.
"Just like old times, Shepard."
"You better remember to duck, Vakarian."
He threw his head back, a heartful laugh accompanying his animated gesture, "I am afraid turian anatomy might make that impossible."
And then, the fight for survival began, wave after wave of enemies filling in the avenue. But they barely passed the better half of it as they had been quickly taken care of. The pre-programmed YMIR Mech also reinforced their hold over the boulevard until they suddenly stopped advancing, giving their party a chance to catch their breaths.
"You're kicking ass, Shepard. They barely touched me. And we got Jaroth in the process. I've been hunting that bastard for months."
"Why were you after him?"
"He's been shipping tainted eezo all over Citadel Space. Half the goods I seized back at C-Sec came from his team here on Omega. I took out a big shipment a while back and killed his top lieutenant in the process."
"You mean his brother," Shepard remembered from her talk with the Eclipse leader.
"Huh, that was his brother? So it got personal. Not surprised he decided to work with the other mercs after that."
"We've still got Blood Pack and Blue Suns left. Think we can make a break for it?"
"Maybe... let's see what they're up to," Shepard accompanied him to take a look at the other side, "They've reinforced the other side... heavily. But they're not coming over the bridge yet. What are they waiting for?"
A small shockwave rattled the ground under their feet, something exploded nearby. The alarm rattled in intervals. All heads turned in the direction the boom came from, "What the hell was that?"
Miranda asked and Garrus checked his omni-tool, "Dammit, they've breached the lower level. Well, they had to use their brains eventually. You'd better get down there, Shepard. I'll keep the bridge clear."
"Let's split up two and two - keep one of my team here."
"You sure? Who knows what'll find down there."
"Have some faith in me, Garrus, you're making me look bad. Jacob," she acknowledged the man, "stay with Garrus. Keep him alive."
A nod from the man and Shepard ran down to the basement with Miranda following closely behind. It seemed to have been the better option as they synchronized their biotics, closing off one shutter after the other. But the battle had become tight at the last shutter. The number of Vorcha and varren closing in on the two of them felt overwhelming even with her handy biotics.
The Blood Pack in itself wasn't made of capable fighters, but their numbers were something to be wary of. The krogan guarding the controls complicated matter significantly as they had been bled dry of ammo. A good thing was that they were together, sharing the same crate as cover. The Vorcha had done an exemplary job of separating the two.
"Do you have a spare clip by any chance?" Shepard asked into space, peeking over the crate to assess the Blood Pack's positions.
"I am on my last clip, Shepard."
"Shit."
Hmm, this was looking bad. They would barely graze the krogan with one magazine of a sidearm, and they NEEDED to set the shut down for the last shutter. Looking around Jane, noticed an explosive canister near the entrance and a plan began to form inside her mind.
"Lawson, I have an idea." The woman in question halted her actions to lend her Commander an ear, "I gonna make a run for the console. The krogan will be unto me but there is an explosive near the entrance, if you hit that just at the right time it should give enough time to get out of there."
"But Shepard, wouldn't the explosion get you as well?" Miranda retorted, sceptical.
"My biotics will shield me. Trust me."
With a tentative nod, Jane set out on a count of three, beelining for the console without regard for her surroundings. The krogan caught on quickly and ran with massive steps towards her, shotgun pointed and all her alarm bells rattled in panic at her vulnerable position before a small explosion blind-sided her for a quarter of a second.
She felt no searing pain from being hit in its radius, her barriers held as promised, but her senses were overwhelmed to a point where she felt it impossible to move.
"Shepard! Move away!" But the redhead couldn't hear her and so Jane came to the frightening realization that the krogan was still charging away at her frozen figure. The krogan was now a few feet away from her, and Shepard regained most of her bearing to attempt to roll away, but it seemed like her efforts came too late.
Until the massive alien was sent hurling just in time before the gates closed, leaving Shepard to gulp down the near-death experience. Goddamn, for a second she thought she was a goner. Miranda rushed over to her, talking to her and reaffirming that no lasting damage had been done to her Commander.
Shepard looked up to her, still shaken but calm, "Nice shot, Miranda."
Come to think of it, it was the first time the Commander had called her by her given name. The woman seemed mostly unfazed by her compliment, but a small upturn of lips did escape her notice, "Don't mention it, Shepard."
"Get back here, Shepard. They're coming in through the doors!"
Shaking the situation off, Shepard picked herself up and ran back to their bunker. Her long-time friend sounded distressed and she hurried to get to him. And as they arrived half a minute later, the lower levels were already swarmed with Blood Packs. This had to be the other half of them that Garm - the Blood Pack's leader - was in charge of.
The krogan had mentioned his 'scuffle' with Archangel during Shepard's short time as a freelancer, that much she had coaxed out of the warlord before he shoed her away with his M-300 Claymore. It had also slipped his mouth that the Battlemaster held a personal grudge against her friend, and let me tell you one thing: what was more terrifying than a Krogan Battlemaster?
A Krogan Battlemaster with a personal grudge, and biotics, and a M-300 Claymore heavy shotgun. With that in mind, Shepard raced through the basement, snatching as many clips on her way as her situation allowed. They would need it. Every last bullet.
"Garm's got me pinned down!"
Shepard got to him immediately, shooting bullet after bullet from her trusty M-3 Predator until they eventually struck true and stopped bouncing off his numerous shields. Pain rattled through the krogan's body, but it only served to engage him more into a frenzied state where he rushed towards anyone in close range like a raging bull.
It was four against one.
And Garrus, as the primary target of his vicious aggression had taken brunt after brunt of his attacks. But there was one thing the krogan did not consider, Archangel's ally was the one and only Human Spectre. And for a second, Jane reacquainted herself with the strength before her doubts ate away of her and went absolutely ballistic with her biotics.
Anything to protect the one she considered family.
The redhead blinked and found the massive figure of the krogan lying lifelessly on the floor, devoid of danger. That was it for the Blood Pack. Only the Blues Suns remained.
Yet before she could discuss their next move with Garrus, probably considering finally making a run for it, the merc band arrived in an untimely fashion. With Tarak and the gunship tearing down the large window at the right of their bunker. By now, everyone in the squad was roughed up after fighting through the hoards of two merc gangs, and they were offloading soldiers from two different flanks.
"Dammit! I thought I took that thing out already!"
"Jacob, Miranda, cover our six!"
"On it, Commander," Jacob shouted from somewhere as Jane slid next in cover to the turian.
The battle was brutal, enemies of blue and white kept flooding the bunker and Garrus wasn't kidding about them being the most troublesome out of the two. These soldiers were no mere cannon fodder like the Vorcha. They had some decent shots that had already punished Shepard for not keeping her body longer behind cover.
But Shepard did not survive fighting geth, thorian creepers, rachni, spectres and lastly Sovereign to bite the bullet at some bullshit gang. They were going to walk out of this place alive, all of them!
Indeed, they struggled but managed to get the upper hand after a while of tedious back-and-forth pushing. The place got real quiet as the last merc fell, and Garrus went out of cover to check if there was someone still alive at the enemy's end.
"Archangel!"
The gunship came out of nowhere as its flashlight illuminated the battle-torn bunker Garrus ended up right in the middle of - WITHOUT COVER. Shepard couldn't even get his name out of her mouth until the turian was barraged with hails of gunfire impossible to evade.
Shepard watched helplessly as he ended up on the ground from the force but to her relief managed to crawl into safety. The Commander advanced closer to her fallen comrade, panic rising in her voice, "Garrus! Are you alright?!"
The turian head rocked in her direction, hands clutching his side, Jane could spy hints of blue liquid shining against his equally blue armour, "Shepard, I'm- Argh!"
The body of her friend was hurled upwards from the rocket that had exploded on impact next to him.
"GARRUS!"
Shepard saw red as his unmoving form lay a few feet away from her. That was it, they were going down! Fuck Tarak! Fuck Sergeant Cathka! Fuck the Blue Suns! Fuck everything!
Unfathomable rage filled her system and abolished any sense of control Shepard had possessed up until this point. Her biotics pulsed under her skin and she felt she might explode if she didn't part with them in a second. Shepard balled-up fist, focusing it at one point in her palm and threw a ball of condensed biotics at the gunship.
She didn't know what to expect when she threw the attack at Tarak but topped all of her expectations as it obliterated the armed vehicle. Ripping into shreds before pummeling downwards and out of sight. But Shepard had only eyes for the turian from whom there was no response even after having his name shouted at him a few too many times.
The rest of the team also gathered to his side, omni-tools scanning the damage. She couldn't check for a pulse as his hide was too thick to feel it but her voice seemed to have miraculously reached him as his eyes flickered open, "We're getting you out of here, Garrus. Just hold on."
The only response she had gotten from him was a gut-wrenching gurgling sound that could never resemble the usual rumble which accompanied his voice. There was a pool of navy blue blood pooling at his side and Jane grew increasingly alarmed as it became larger by the second.
"Radio Joker. Make sure they're ready for us."
The universe would be so cruel to take him from her now that they had found each other. Shepard wouldn't allow it.