Finding the asari that Fuggla mentioned was not hard. Functional outposts are easy to find in the middle of a desert. What would be hard was actually performing the shakedown. The amount of money that Fuggla requested was a bit on the extortionate side – not even Killal's crush was that expensive – but nonetheless, TIUO had requested her. So, it was time to meet Fuggla's demands.

The downside is the asari was well-guarded. Nexintel stated that she was a freelance pirate. Zack sighed at this. The Privateer's Guild hated freelance pirates, but didn't really do anything about them. Chasing freighters was a lot easier than chasing pirates. Besides, it wasn't that long ago when Zack was technically a freelancer himself. There was also the fact that Fuggla was volunteering to land with them, so Zack called a meeting between himself, Killal, and Fuggla in the conference room.

"What combat skills do you have, Fuggla?" Zack asked.

"Are you trying to say you're better than me 'cause I'm batarian?" Fuggla shot back harshly.

"No, I just really don't know- " Zack started.

"Fine. I'm a sniper. I always know how to hit the spot, Zack," Fuggla said. She winked at him with two of her eyes.

"But I usually snipe. I don't need another sniper," Zack replied.

"Do something else then, you whiney little brat!" Fuggla retorted.

"Uh…" Zack was clueless.

"You really should try something else, Wolfe. I'm tired of charging in by myself," Killal added.

"Fine, I'll try something else," Zack said.

Zack left the conference room, and headed down to the armory. What weapon should he use? He'd bring an assault rifle, and had a variety of kett weaponry. Pistols weren't great, submachine guns weren't his cup of tea, and Fuggla was apparently offended by the idea of him bring a sniper rifle. He sighed and grabbed a shotgun. It would have to do. He headed back to the captain's cabin to armor up.

About half an hour later, Zack headed over to hanger to board the Humane Trap. He bumped into Fuggla in the hallway. Was that her armor, or something else? She was wearing boots, but they had a bit of a heel. The overall outfit was mostly purple with pink and lime green hearts on it. Only one arm was covered. The other was exposed, revealing a sleeve tattoo. Her midriff was exposed. Her midsection was kinda hot, even if she had a bit of a muffin top… and did she have a tramp stamp? Not that Zack was looking, of course.

"Is that armor, or something else? We're supposed to embark in 10 minutes, Fuggla," Zack said, confused.

"Fuck off Zack! I want to look sexy when I'm slayin' the enemy!" Fuggla yelled.

"Alright…" Zack said. He probably should have protested, but it was probably pointless. This Fuggla woman did not lack for volume. They both turned and continued to walk into the hangar. Sleeze already had the Humane Trap warmed up and ready. Killal was already inside. Time to go.

About half an hour later, Zack, Killal, and Fuggla landed on the surface. They were only about two kilometers away from the asari who they code named Daddy. The asari got that code name simply because that's what Fuggla called her. Zack took out his rifle. A simple Mattock, but it would do. A sniper rifle would have worked much better, but Fuggla simply had to have her way. The three of them began to walk towards Daddy's location.

"See anything, Fuggla?" Killal said over the radio.

"Nothing yet, Killal. We got a little ways to walk," Fuggla responded.

The three of them walked on top of a sand dune. In the distance, a small base was visible. The term 'base' might have been a misnomer; it was a handful of ships and cargo containers. A standard sight in Andromeda. A handful of persons were around, mostly council race species. No Krogan, at least. Charging against Krogan with a shotgun was not a great idea, but Fuggla had to be special with her rifle. Zack sighed, and continued walking forward. No need for a spinal replacement from charging Krogan today.

There was a sudden gust of wind, and Zack got a face full of sand. He spit out what sand he could, and looked forward to see a lot panic. The base had seen them, and they were flipping out. There was the sound of fire in the distance, and Zack was trapped on the side of a dune with a shotgun. He had to go another 500 meters or so before he was in range. He turned to his squad.

"What are we going to do now? We're a bit far away from the base," Zack said.

"Fucking pay me, Daddy!" Fuggla yelled. She fired a round from her rifle, and hit a salarian in the base in the arm. Not a particularly good shot, but at least it was some cover.

"Shut it and close in Wolfe!" Killal said. He began to charge straight towards the base.

"Got you now.." Fuggla said, barely whispering over the radio. Another shot rang out, and a turian downrange got hit in the back the neck. The turian collapsed immediately. Maybe Fuggla wasn't a bad shot after all. Zack saw Killal significantly ahead of him, and began to charge towards the base as well.

Killal was in range of the base a short time later. He fired his flamethrower, igniting the previously injured salarian. Zack got a good whiff of the smell, and nearly gasped.

"Killal, we need to capture Daddy alive!" Zack struggled to say over the radio.

"We need to kill these pricks first, Wolfe!" Killal yelled back. He fired his flamethrower again. A human's arm was burning, and they were running in panic. Another shot rang out in the background, and the human collapsed. The shot appeared to hit them in the chest. Fuggla was going to town.

Zack ran forward and fired his shotgun. No effect on the target. He was still too far away. The target appeared to mock him, and then their head blew off. Fuggla had dropped them.

"Keep getting them out of cover, and I'll take them out!" Fuggla shouted over the radio. Zack swore under his breath. He was never bringing a shotgun again.

"Site looks clear! No sign of Daddy!" Killal yelled. He folded his flamethrower, and holstered it. Zack looked around. Hadn't they just seen Daddy?

"Check the containers, Killal!" Fuggla yelled over the radio. Killal nodded, and moved to open up a container. It looked like there were three sealed containers. Killal opened up the first one.

"Looks like a whole lot of nothing in this one! Maybe some sleeping spaces, but not much else. I wonder if any of them left any credits around," Killal said.

"Priorities, Killal! We are here to find Daddy!" Zack yelled over the radio.

"Screw you Wolfe! I need a little pay on the side!" Killal retorted. Zack heard a bunch of noise. Killal was searching the empty container for loot.

"Killal seems a bit preoccupied, Fuggla!" Zack said.

"Then open up the damn containers yourself, Wolfe! I can't carry your ass everywhere!" Fuggla said. She was clearly irritated. Zack sighed, and walked towards the controls for the second container. The door opened when he was only a few feet away. An asari was inside, armed with a shotgun. It was Daddy.

"I don't want to fight! We can talk this out," Daddy said, pointing her shotgun at Zack. Zack hesitated for a moment, and then walked towards her slowly. He left his arms casually at his sides.

"We are here to collect a debt. Pay up, and we'll leave," Zack said.

"You killed all my crew to convince me to pay a debt? How am I supposed to operate without a crew?" Daddy replied sarcastically.

"Sounds like that's your problem, bitch!" Fuggla yelled. She was only about 30 yards behind them both, and had her rifle on target. There was something more to this than a simple shakedown.

"Fuggla…" Daddy started. Fuggla fired a round near Daddy's feet, and Daddy jumped.

"Pay me my money, you bitch!" Fuggla said, enraged.

"I don't owe you any money, Fuggla. We both know you don't deserve it-" Daddy started, and Fuggla fired at her feet again.

Zack turned and faced Fuggla for a moment. The angst was visible. Her four eyes were glaring in a way he did not know was possible. He turned back to Daddy.

"Who are you and what is going on?" Zack asked Daddy.

"I don't owe her a single credit. She's an entitled little idiot," Daddy said arrogantly.

"You dirty bitch-" Fuggla started.

"Tell me what is going on," Zack said to Daddy. Daddy placed her hands on her hips, and grew a smug grin.

"I didn't have to pay Fuggla anything, and she knows it. I took her in when she was abandoned by her compatriots. She knew exactly what she was getting into. She was just a lost puppy, and she practically begged for my crew to pass her around like a bong," Daddy said. For having weapons pointed at her, Daddy was weirdly self-satisfied.

"Fuggla? Care to confirm or deny?" Zack said, turning towards her.

"She still owes me! She owes for everything I did!" Fuggla protested.

"I don't owe you shit, Fuggla. I made you. You would have died alone without me," Daddy said, lifting her chin.

"Can you just pay us, so we can get the fuck out of here?" Zack said.

"I ain't paying shit to anyone," Daddy replied, smugly.

"All I needed to hear," Killal said. Killal took out a pistol, and shot Daddy through the skull. Daddy collapsed and died almost immediately. Fuggla screamed, and started crying.

"Hey Wolfe, I found 500 credits in the sleeping area! Fuck yeah! That'll get me a nice lady," Killal said to Zack.

"What the fuck was that, Killal? We aren't going to get any money out of her now. How are we supposed to complete the mission now?" Zack said. This was not a welcome surprise.

"Zack, you need to let me enjoy coming to this barren hellscape to hunt down some random asari whack job. We shouldn't really be here anyway, I got 500 credits, and it's time to leave. I think that's a win for me."

"This mission wasn't about you, Killal," Fuggla said, holding back tears. "This was about getting justice for me."

"And you got justice! She's all gone. So now, let's go back to the ship, and get off of this place. I'm tired, I just got some free money, and I need to rinse this damn sand off of my suit," Killal said, his voice flat.

"You always were a selfish little shit," Fuggla said, sniffing. She turned to Zack. "I don't have a ship to go back to. I'm alone."

"Uh… we have a cabin for you on board the ship. Welcome to the team," Zack said. He stretched his arm out for handshake. Fuggla didn't reciprocate the gesture. She leaned her head towards him.

"How do I know you'll be loyal to me?" Fuggla said.

"We just ran across a damn desert to settle your personal bullshit?" Killal said.

"Shut up Killal! Fuggla, please just move into the cabin on the ship, and we'll be happy to answer any questions you have then," Zack said.

"I don't trust you, Wolfe," Fuggla said. She crossed her arms.

"Just try out being crew, and see if you like it, and if anyone give you trouble, let me know," Zack said.

"I still don't trust you, Wolfe," Fuggla said back, arms still crossed.

"I don't trust you either. Now move into the damn cabin on the damn ship so we can move on and get off this rock," Zack said. Zack's patience was running out.

"He's gonna leave you in the desert if you don't board the ship," Killal added unhelpfully.

"Fine, I'm your crew now. I'm gonna watch you, Wolfe," Fuggla said begrudgingly.

Zack nodded, and then walked over to Daddy's corpse. He scanned it. Apparently, the guild was offering a bounty for Daddy for pirating Nexus ships. Excellent. As long as Killal or Fuggla didn't find out about it, the budget would be covered.

"Call up Sleeze, it's time to get out here," Zack said.

Several hours later, everyone was back on board the Vagabond. Fuggla didn't have much in the way of stuff, so moving her in was pretty quick. She was still weirdly suspicious, but it would have to do for now.

Zack opened the door to the captain's cabin, and sat down for a moment. Eladeen had a way of taking energy out of you. He'd need a very thorough shower after that experience. He took off his armor and inspected it. It would need a rinse too, but other than that no major issue. Zack walked over to his personal console, and checked his messages. Nothing particularly interesting, and Flat Eared Bimbos were still spamming the daylights out of his account. Nexintel was still messing around with whatever he found in that Kett ship. The Ryder Twins kept sending weird selfies.

Zack hopped in the shower and rinsed up. After about half an hour or so, he was probably sand free. Zack threw on some casual wear, and sat down in his chair again. He started to review Fuggla's file again. It didn't mention Daddy at all. This TIUO person's intel was getting less and less thorough as he continued. There were a handful of intel services on the Nexus, some cheap and some pricey. Why such a shortfall of intel? Zack thought for a moment. He still hadn't seen the Lady since the ship auction. Why did TIUO want with the Vagabond anyway?

He didn't have much time to stew on the thought. A knock on the door. Who was visiting at his cabin? Zack rubbed his eyes, stood, and walked over to the door. He took a deep breath, and opened it up. It was Fuggla, and she was dressed… provocatively.

"Fuggla, what are you doing here?" Zack asked. His voice sounded more tired than he thought it would.

Fuggla pushed him backwards, and walked into his room. She sat in his chair, put one of her feet on his desk with her leg arched, and leaned back.

"Why did you come for me, Wolfe?" Fuggla asked. "You owe me that much."

"I don't see why that's important right now," Zack said. He was confused.

"You're hiding something and I know it," Fuggla said.

"Can't we discuss this some other time?" Zack said.

"No, we can't. I want to know everything there is to know," Fuggla said. She was starting to pout.

"I really don't know where you are going with this," Zack said.

"Who was that Ryder woman? And who is she to you?" Fuggla said in a confrontational tone. Zack nearly sighed in relief. At least she wasn't asking about TIUO.

"She's a former colleague. I used to work with her when the Pathfinders were still active," Zack said.

"Yes, but who is she to you?" Fuggla said, with annoyance in her voice.

"I'm not sure what you mean, Fuggla," Zack said calmly.

"You're screwing her. Admit it. Admit it now," Fuggla accused.

"No, I'm not, I never have, and I have no intention to do so," Zack said. "She was awful to work with, so I was never really interested." Boy was that the truth. Zack had few fond memories of the Pathfinders. The Ryders were mostly a pair of brats that he had to tolerate. The idea of being romantically involved with Sara nearly made him vomit. Some people only look good in the rearview mirror, and even that can be questionable.

"She embraced you with a sense of familiarity," Fuggla replied.

"I guess she has a misplaced sense of nostalgia of our time in the Pathfinders," Zack said. "And there was that whole surviving a shootout thing. Regardless, I think you are making a mountain out of a molehill, and I really don't see how it has anything to do with you and your place in the team."

"My place on the team? What do you mean by my place on the team?" Fuggla asked angrily.

"This is a privateer ship, I'm captain, and you and Killal officers. That's all there is to it." Zack said. Zack was starting to get concerned. This was not looking good.

"That's all I am to you?" Fuggla said.

"Fuggla, you seem great and all, but I just met you," Zack said, struggling to sound calm. "Some things take time."

"I don't feel like waiting, Wolfe. I need to know I can trust you," Fuggla said.

"I don't think this is a healthy or functional way of securing trust, Fuggla," Zack said. He was starting to get spooked by Fuggla. Killal was already a handful at times. What was TIUO doing to him?

"We'll find out about that, Wolfe," Fuggla said. She grinned.

About a half hour later, Fuggla was standing next to his bed, putting on a robe.

"I own you, Wolfe. You just don't know it yet," Fuggla said. She winked with one of her eyes, and walked out the door into the hallway. A few seconds later, the door shut behind her.

Zack remained in bed for a few minutes. After that, Zack stood up, and walked into the bathroom of the captain's cabin. He started to look into the mirror, completely nude. His mind was a swirl of emotions: self-disgust and satisfaction. However, there was something else. What was it? Existential horror. He had just stuck it in a loony batarian. A hyper-possessive, insecure, and temperamental batarian. What would Fuggla do now? What had he done?