Chapter 2 – A Different Sort of Volus

"Kadara Port, touching down in 15," Sleeze said.

Zack had never been to Kadara, but by reputation it was something of an uncivilized hellscape. It was inhabited by people who got kicked off the Nexus for any number of reasons. Supposedly it was a good place to party though. Either way, he was here to get the Volus.

This Volus TIUO sent him over was an interesting case. He was locked up in an independently run prison in Kadara. The details on his arrest were vague, but he had killed a lot of Kett beforehand. The thought of that made him chuckle. A Volus killing Kett. How shameful for the Kett!

The instructions on how to make contact weren't particularly helpful. The list was basically ask the barmaid these random questions, tip her far too much money, and then something will happen. Huh, Zack thought. After some stalling, Zack followed the instructions anyway.

A krogan soon approached him and snarled.

"Why are you looking for Killal Nao?" the krogan asked angrily.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Zack replied.

"Killal Nao. A volus who was locked up for killing a Turian security guard."

Interesting. The dossier didn't say anything about a Turian. It just said that this Volus, no name given, was an anti-infantry specialist with experience fighting the Kett. A good pick for a high profile mission.

"Where is Killal Nao?" Zack said.

"In the cells. Where else would he be?" the krogan said harshly.

"Take me to him. I'll pay." Zack said. He tried to sound suave, but wasn't good at it.

The Krogan scoffed, and then began to walk away. Zack followed. The locals were not happy he was here. Nexus folk generally weren't welcome here. It might be best to leave as soon as possible.

A short time later, he was standing front of a series of cells. In a cell at the very end, there was a volus. A very constrained volus. His arms bound to the terrain around him, and he stood there in silence. The silence was only occasionally pierced by a mechanical breath. Whatever he was, he was quiet.

Zack approached the front of the cell. "Are you Killal Nao?"

The volus looked at him briefly, and then looked forward and said nothing.

Zack tried again. "Are you Killal Nao?"

The volus did not respond at all. He simply continued to look forwards, breathing slowly. Zack began to get irritated.

Zack tried a third time. "Are you Killal Nao?"

"Fuck bro, take a damn hint! Yes, I am Killal Nao, and no, I don't want to talk to you. Fuck off now. Thanks. Bye!" Killal Nao said. What an intro.

"I'm here to get you out of here," Zack said.

"What makes you think I want to go anywhere with you?" Killal demanded.

"I don't know, I just thought it was better than prison," Zack responded.

"What makes you think you're better than prison?" Killal shot back.

"Look, I just thought- " Zack started, but Killal cut him off.

"Fuck you and fuck what you thought! These assholes have me locked in here, so the least you can do is give me some quiet!" Killal shouted angrily.

"My mission- " Zack tried to say.

"I don't give a damn about your mission! Give me one reason why I should give a damn about your mission!"

This Volus was being a major league hard ass. Zack began to think. What could he offer this guy to get him to cooperate?

"I know people with a lot of money," Zack said.

The volus chuckled. "It's not about money."

"Then what's it about?" Zack asked.

At this Killal Nao turned and looked at him. It was the first time he made eye contact in the entire conversation. Progress? Zack wondered.

"I want two things. No, make that three things," Killal said.

Progress! Zack thought. Killal had gone from defiance and dismissal to negotiation. A decent start.

"I'm all ears. Let's hear it!" Zack said.

"First, I want out and I want my stuff. It isn't much."

"I can... figure that out," Zack replied calmly. Zack had no idea how to get him out of jail, but at least he was talking.

"Next, there is a group of Kett outside the walls. I want to kill all of them," Killal added.

"I don't have the gear to assault a large group of Kett," Zack said, a bit concerned.

"I do," Killal said. His tone was strangely enthusiastic. The dossier said his skillset was largely tech and combat oriented. Could he really take out a group of Kett?

"Ok, what else?" Zack asked again.

"I want to wipe out the Turian's group who got me locked up."

"Uh... wasn't he Kadara security?" Zack said. Kadara was already a bit unwelcoming. He didn't intend to make it any more so.

"He was. He was also smuggling on the side and trying to steal my shit. If we hit them outside the walls, no one will be the wiser." Killal said.

"Understood!" Zack said. This guy was getting expensive. He turned to the krogan who led him in. "How much to let him out?"

"There's no bail," the krogan replied.

"Ok, but, how much to let him out?" Zack said. Zack held his hand out and rubbed his thumb against his fingers.

The krogan walked close and stared him down. "Ten thousand credits."

About a half an hour later, Zack and Killal were outside the walls of Kadara Port. Like Killal said, his gear was minimal. A flamethrower, a grenade launcher, and an assortment of small personal items. Zack's Pathfinder equipment did not include ground vehicles, so he had to rent a technical from the port. The vehicle he got was a refurbished Kett ground transport. A lot of the controls and dials had been gutted and replaced with tooling familiar to the Milky Way. A true Frankenstein's monster of a ride. At least the frame would sturdy for whatever Killal wanted to go.

"Ok, they're just over this ridge," Killal said.

"Let's climb up and get a look," Zack replied.

The Pathfinder gear included a handful of overly worn weapons. One of which was a sniper rifle. At least Zack could use the scope to get a look at whatever this Volus was obsessed with killing. Zack got out of the technical, and began to climb the ridge. It wasn't a big ridge, so it only took a few minutes before he got to the top. He peered through the scope.

"Hey pervy pathfinder! Do you see the group I'm talking about, or are you just staring at ladies?" shouted Killal.

"Shut up! You're going to give away our position!" Zack said nervously.

"Once we kill them, our position won't matter!" Killal said, apparently in the mood to fight.

"We're pretty badly outnumbered!" Zack responded. There were about 20 or so Kett down there. They had two technicals and an air transport. "We should approach carefully- "

Grenades flew over his head from behind him. Killal was already attacking. This volus must have had a death wish. A few seconds later, the grenades exploded, destroying some of the barricades the Kett had set up in the position. Some of them shot at him, some of them shot at Killal, but most of them were running for cover.

"Welcome to the slaughterhouse, fuckers!" Killal yelled. One Kett was set ablaze. Killal was enjoying this way too much. He had already closed the distance, and shot a tongue of flame from his flamethrower. Zack was downwind of the Kett, and caught a whiff of the burning Kett. It was not a pleasant smell. This volus was an anti-infantry specialist indeed.

"Hey pansy Pathfinder! Are you going to engage, or am I going to have to do everything myself?" Killal shouted on the radio.

Zack got a Kett in his sights, and squeezed the trigger. Nothing. He lifted his head from the scope and looked at the rifle. A split second later, a panel from the rifle blew off its side with a short burst of flame. Fucking hand me down trash! Zack thought angrily. One of his gloves was scorched, but otherwise he was fine. At least the armor did its job.

"Killal! My sniper rifle's busted! I'll have to head down there!" Zack yelled over the radio.

"Dude, your gear is shit! I thought you said you were Pathfinder!" Killal replied.

"I am, I'm just a recent hire!" Zack replied.

"What is this, amateur hour?" Killal said.

Zack took out his assault rifle. It was just a standard Avenger, nothing special. He held his body away from the rifle, and let out a burst into the distance. It fired. Good. At least his rifle was working. He ran to close the distance, with his rifle in ready carry. He felt the shock force of an explosion, and then blacked out.

When Zack woke up, he saw Killal standing in front of him. The smell around him was rancid and full of smoke. Killal had apparently been rooting through the Kett supplies while he was unconscious. There were numerous containers opened and dumped out. Several Kett bodies were burning in a pile.

"You're awake! You concussed?" Killal asked.

"I'm … fine," Zack replied.

Killal approached Zack and looked into his eyes.

"Fuck off you're fine. You're concussed. I can see it in your eyes," Killal said, laughing.

"I'm … fine," Zack said again. It was a bit hard to speak for him right now.

"You're a delusional fuckwit, Wolfe," Killal said. He turned away, and returned to his looting. "Anyway, I took a look at baby's first sniper rifle. It looks like someone looted some of the internals. Your suppliers are dogshit."

"My suppliers … are… the Pathfinder program," Zack said.

"Then the Pathfinder program is dogshit. I know some alternatives," Killal said.

"I can get gear… at the Nexus," Zack said, trying to stand his ground.

Killal scoffed. "Get back in the rental, or I'll leave your ass here. This Kett loot is worth decent money."

A few hours later, they were back at Kadara Port. Killal pawned whatever he could from the Kett encampment, and then they went to a doctor. The doctor seemed to know their material, good by Kadara standards. The doctor gave him some pills and told him to take it easy.

"We should get out of here. Go back to the Nexus," Zack said.

"Fuck the Nexus. You still owe me." Killal replied.

"I got you out, and we took out the Kett encampment." Zack said, tiredly.

"The deal was we take out the smugglers too." Killal said.

"Back into the car then."

This ride in the technical was significantly longer. After some time, they reached the smuggler's camp. There were several large cargo containers, and a couple low end landing pads. One Kodiak shuttle was parked on one. Wait-A Kodiak shuttle. A Kodiak shuttle with all four thruster arms. This could potentially be a fine replacement for the Humane Trap.

"Just stay in the car. Your gear sucks and you're busted up. I'll take care of this," Killal said.

"I want the shuttle," Zack said.

"Don't you have a ship?" Killal asked.

"I have a shuttle," Zack said, a bit embarrassed.

"I thought you were a Pathfinder. Pathfinders have ships." Killal's tone was combination of confused and frustrated.

"I'm a Pathfinder and I don't. Sorry to disappoint you."

Killal was silent as he exited the vehicle. Zack observed through the windows Killal fired several grenades into the smuggler's shuttle, blowing it to smithereens. Fuck! Killal was well equipped to kill the smugglers, and the shootout was over quickly. Killal then looked around for a bit, and walked back towards the vehicle.

"What the fuck, Killal! I wanted that shuttle," Zack said angrily.

"I had to make sure the smugglers did not escape. What's wrong with your shuttle, anyway?" Killal replied.

"It's... missing a thruster arm," said Zack.

"First you have a busted sniper rifle and then a busted shuttle! What kind of Pathfinder are you?" Killal asked, a bit surprised.

"The best one in the galaxy," Zack replied, trying to fake confidence.

"The Ryder twins are the best Pathfinders in the galaxy," said Killal, chuckling.

"Not anymore," Zack replied. Killal nearly burst out laughing.

"Right. Now we need to get off this rock," Killal said as he looked around at what remained of the smugglers.

"I'm not letting you in the technical unless you loot the front left thruster arm from the shuttle," Zack ordered.

The drive back to the Kadara port was long and quiet. To Zacks's surprise, the guards simply let Killal in. It didn't matter what they did as long as they could get back to the shuttle without bumping into trouble. Everyone seemed wrapped up in whatever they were doing, which was perfect for leaving unnoticed. Then Zack bumped into someone and fell. The concussion hadn't done any miracles for his balance.

Zack looked up to see who he bumped into. It was not just any someone. It was Sara Ryder. And she was not happy to see him.

"Pathfinder Zack Wolfe! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be surveying low-risk systems!" Sara yelled at Zack.

"I ran out of supplies and had to restock," said Zack. An unabashed lie, but the truth was far too complicated.

"In Kadara?" Sara asked angrily.

"Yes. Why not?" Zack said, doubling down on his fiction.

"You don't even have the license to be on Kadara! Being in Kadara Port requires a license from Tann. What are you really doing?" Sara asked again.

"Can't you just mind your own damn business? Go bother your brother or something," Zack replied dismissively.

"My brother is back on the Nexus on leave. You'll have to deal with me," Sarah barked at Zack.

"That's unfortunate," Zack said. "He was the better of the two of you anyway."

"You deserve a strike on your record for this." Sara looked pissed.

"On my first mission? Is this my welcome? Broken equipment, and then strikes on my record?" Zack asked.

"Look, we all know the equipment you were given- "Sara started.

"The equipment I was given was trash. I came here to replace a sniper rifle that failed catastrophically." Zack showed Sarah the scorch marks on his glove.

"Your mission was a non-combat one," Sara said.

"Does it matter? Defective gear is defective gear," Zack said.

"No, it doesn't matter," Sara sighed angrily. "I'll let you off this time, but I better not hear about anything like this again." At that, Sara turned and walked away.

"I heard she was a hard ass, but didn't think she was like that," Killal said.

"Just get back to the shuttle. And make sure the thruster arm makes it there," Zack said.

A few days later, the Humane Trap arrived at the Nexus. Zack put in the work order to have the thruster arm installed. It was still busted up salvage, but at least it would have four thruster arms like a decent shuttle. Small victories, right?

Also, Killal was almost immediately arrested and put into custody. Apparently Killal spent a lot of money on weapons research and then had an altercation with the Nexus loan sharks. After that, Killal had already been banished from the Nexus. That was an interesting conversation with Tann. But Tann technically wasn't his boss anymore, so tough cookies for him.

After some more paperwork, Zack was able to secure what Tann called a 'temporary martial pardon,' basically Killal's criminal history would be overlooked on the Nexus as long as Killal served under him and didn't cause any more trouble. A tall ask-Killal was an impulsive knucklehead- but it would have to do.

Zack returned to his preferred bar. It had been a while. He ordered a drink, and took a seat. Someone sat next to him. A man. Zack turned his head to see who it was. It was Scott Ryder. Fuck.

"Hey, I just wanted to check in and see how everything is going," Scott said.

"It's going great, actually, but my drink is keeping me awfully busy and I don't have time to talk," Zack replied. Zack was in no mood for a lecture.

"Cut the shit, Wolfe." At this Zack raised his head. He rarely heard Scott swear, at least in public. "What are you really doing?" Scott continued.

"I'm waiting for that busted ass shuttle you gave me to get fixed up," Zack said. This was only partially true – he was here to heal his injuries as well – but it was good enough for now.

"Why did you recruit Killal Nao? A pathfinder does need a team, but why did you recruit an individual with such a questionable background?" Scott demanded. Scott was clearly irritated with the new hire.

"He's good at his job," Zack replied. Zack wasn't prepared for Scott's question, but he wasn't about to let Scott know that. Zack looked forward and took a sip from his drink.

"There are lots of people who are good at their jobs who aren't banished from the Nexus," Scott said, his voice part concern and part confusion. Scott was pressing his stance on this one.

"He's really good at his job." Zack took another sip from his drink.

"And my sister told me she spotted you on Kadara. You had no reason to be on Kadara," Scott said.

"Yes, I did, and I explained my reasons to her," Zack replied calmly.

"We don't know why the sniper rifle you were issued had problems," Scott admitted.

"I guess you got your work cut out for you then," Zack said calmly. Zack was angry about the equipment, but was more concerned about not giving away his true motives. He took another sip.

"Damn it, Wolfe. You just started this job. Your actions aren't making sense. What are you doing out there?" Scott asked.

"My mission will be complete, and complete on schedule. The rest is my business," Zack stated.

Scott stared at him angrily for a moment and then got up and started to walk away. He stopped and turn back for a moment.

"You need to tread lightly, Wolfe," Scott warned. Scott then walked away.

After a few hours, Zack returned to his apartment. His omni-tool lit up. Another message. TIUO had some of the worst timing. Zack turned the message on.

"Greetings, Pathfinder Wolfe! I hear you've secured the first squad mate we've assigned. We are forwarding funds to a tertiary account for Pathfinder expenses. Along with a personal bonus."

"The other Pathfinders are up my ass. I thought you were going to cover for me," Zack said.

"We are, but we cannot cover everything," TIUO replied calmly.

At this Zack sighed. At least the shuttle was in better shape.

"What else do you have for me?" Zack continued.

"Your primary goals at this time are to secure a full-size ship and secure the loyalty of Killal Nao. We know a simple shuttle is not good enough and we are concerned that Killal Nao may cut and run."

"I'll get to it. Anything I else should I know?" Zack said.

"Not at this time. Rest up while you can. There's work to be done when your shuttle is ready. And we have a present for you outside," TIUO said in a provacative tone.

The hologram ended. Zack opened up the door and looked outside. The same lady as last time. Zack sighed, and let her in the apartment.