MASS EFFECT: ENTANGLED

CHAPTER 6

2185, Omega:

"There's a representative from the Hegemony that wants to speak with Aria," Garka's voice cracked into Bray's earpiece. The disturbing news made him instantly stop his breath. His heart rate amplified. It had been four years since the incident on the human colony with Ararn Balak. There was no way that they would bother at this point to track him down for desertion. The unexpected arrival had to be for something else; just had to be. His lack of response made Garka's voice come back into his comm. "You there?"

"I'll let Aria know. Standby," Bray could feel his voice shake a bit with the response. He dared not to look his employer's way just yet. What would he tell her? Would she turn him in? What would keep her from doing so? He worked for her and was certainly replaceable. A sweat bead formed on his brow.

"What was that about, Bray?" Aria's curt question made him snap back to where he was. They were not alone. Sh'sk was across from him at his post and eyed him in confusion.

"I, uh, I need to speak with you in private," Bray murmured as his feet longed to move away from the private booth and the imminent danger.

This produced a raised eye ridge from the comfortably sitting purple asari. The deterioration of his composure grabbed her curiosity. "My backroom. Now." Bray complied without giving his friend another look.

He paced a bit in the backroom after the door closed. His mind fumbled with how to start up the discussion. With her arms crossed, T'Loak glowered at him in annoyance. "What is it, Bray? And quit pacing like that!"

The batarian halted his steps and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "There's a representative outside from the Hegemony wanting to speak with you…I-there's something I need to tell you."

"Go on."

"I'm a deserter and if they find me, they will skin my hind." He hung his head gravely. "I have damn good reasons why I did it."

Aria held up her hand to pause him. "Is that it?"

Her question was not what he expected. "Huh?"

She chuckled a bit in amusement to herself. "You think I don't know all the dirty secrets of my people? The moment you became on my payroll, information was mined on you. You're one of the best shots that I have and it isn't luck. I knew you had to have training…. Special Forces, wasn't it again?" Her blue eyes glimmered as she divulged what she knew. He stood there wordlessly with his jaw open. Did she know? She knew the whole time? He began to wonder just how thorough her data team went.

"Then you know about my past. Now what?"

"Knowledge is power. It can be deadlier than any weapon. We all have our secrets, Bray. I have to admit, yours was quite fascinating." A thin smile appeared on her lips. "I'm sure it was no easy choice to abandon your kind."

"Killing innocents is not part of any war."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, the whole macho good guy act."

"So, what now? If he's here for me, then you will turn me in?"

"Loyalty goes a long way with me, Bray. I still don't understand why you left, but that's not my concern. You have proven useful over these last four years. I expect it to continue."

"You are not like them, Aria," He pressed as he withheld any instinct to beg for his life.

"Stay here and I will speak with this representative. Sh'sk will remain at my side for protection. I'm sure you can trust him."

"He's a good friend. I don't think he will turn me in."

"We shall see."

Fifteen minutes later, the Hegemony's representative fumed as he stomped up the stairs behind Garka. The wait crossed him. Aria dismissed Garka with a wave of her hand as Sh'sk walked up to him to produce a body scan. Once the scan was complete, he motioned their guest to sit on the other couch next to Aria's. "The wait was longer than expected," The newcomer complained. "You must be busy."

"When one comes unexpected, well it takes time," She taunted back. "The Hegemony reached all the way here. Must be important."

"The name is Grolo Dasrokan," He introduced himself with a gentle head nod to the left; a gesture of respect in their culture. "I am sent here as an emissary of Ararn Balak." He paused.

Aria picked up on this and sat there indifferently. "Go on." She was well aware of Balak but decided not to grant this batarian the upper hand by remarking or commenting on the name.

"Desertion is considered high treason by the Hegemony and the punishment is death," Both sets of his eyes twinkled in delight at the latter of his statement. "Four years ago, two batarians: Crator Dan'naba and Bray Credgarok defected from the Batarian Special Forces. A very thorough investigation was completed and our sources have given us reason to believe that Bray is on this station….and may be employed by you, Aria."

"Your sources?" Aria scoffed at this. "I highly doubt that any of this information came from my station."

"Then you deny him being here?"

"Yes. Do you see him?" She held her hand out to gesture toward the club's surroundings. "Sh'sk, have you seen Bray?"

"No. Never heard of him," Her bodyguard commented.

Grolo gritted his teeth and sat straighter on the couch. "I warn you, Aria, do not make an enemy of the Hegemony." His words hissed through clenched razor-sharp teeth.

"I will extend you the same courtesy," Aria didn't flinch at his ominous threat. "This is my station and those here and around the Terminus Systems know not to fuck with me. Should I make you an example?"

"Loyalty is held in high remarks with the Hegemony," Grolo's eyes flickered over to where Sh'sk stood, locking both sets now with his. "Can it be said for the same for your-" A beat. "Lackeys?"

"Careful," She warned. "My people are loyal to me." She then smirked at a hidden thought. "They know better than to cross me."

"I'm sure not all of them," Grolo dismissed her bragging remark as he returned his focus to her.

"Grolo, wasn't it?" Aria stood up from where she sat. "If I ever had someone break my trust with them, I can assure you that it wouldn't take four years to find them out," She emphasized the timeframe purposefully to make a jab at the lengthy search.

Grolo scowled. "Too bad. I will make sure the Hegemony is alerted to your lack of cooperation."

"Please do." She turned her head to where Sh'sk stood. "Sh'sk, make sure Moklan allows our guest safe passage back to his ship. I would hate for something unfortunate to befall him."

"Got it."

After she was certain that Grolo was leaving the club with Moklan, her blue eyes moved back over to Sh'sk. "Not a word to anyone about this. Is that clear?"

"Understood."

"Good. Now, go get Bray. Make sure he knows that he owes me one."

"You think this guy will just leave?"

"Doubt it. Keep everyone on full alert. If he's spotted within ten meters of this place, I want him shot."

Amaranthine:

Alivia shivered in her gear as she sat at the table in the bar called "Bad Hand." It was a merc and smuggler's haven located in the middle of nowhere on the frozen planet. Three days ago, she received a message from Thane to meet her there. There was a Blue Suns encampment five miles from the bar. He was going to collect his payment for his current job and then meet up with her there. He wanted to discuss another contract that he received and asked if she would help out. The request for assistance was unexpected and Alivia felt flattered that a highly skilled assassin like Krios would reach out to a lower freelancer like herself. With the Suns' expansion in the Terminus, the jobs for her services were declining. She had enough creds to make ends meet for about two months.

The bar's atmosphere was a mixture of freelancers like herself and Suns. Their species varied from humans, turians, and batarians. The place's temperature was regulated but the harsh tundra environment still left a chill in the air. An hour after her arrival, Thane walked in the door and quickly made a beeline to where she sat. His obsidian eyes remained transfixed upon her as he approached. "Glad you could make it."

"I was flattered that you asked me to come along." She gestured for him to take a seat with her. She eyed the bar's patrons guardedly. "I thought Omega was rough looking…"

Thane nonchalantly turned his head to look to his right at a group of Suns downing a few shots. "The Suns don't go looking for trouble unless of course you are messing with one of them in a crowd or it's an issue within. Take my previous contract for example, a human member was stealing high-priced mods from various cargoes. He was selling them under the table to collect extra shares. He was caught a few weeks later when one of his buyers turned out to be a Blue Suns' informant. He became careless and greedy. He managed to escape from his brethren, but not far enough it seems."

"What happened to him?"

"He knew if he was returned then he would be killed in a very painful way. I found him on Ilium. He jumped off a skyscraper to take his own life."

Alivia cringed at the reveal, then thought for a moment. "How did the Suns believe that you completed the job?"

"Fortunately, when he fell, he went through skycar traffic and was hit. The impact severed his body into multiple parts. I…brought back what I could."

Feeling her stomach turning sour from the vile imagery in her head from the description, Alivia ran her fingers through the hair strands on the top of her head in repulsion. "Ugh…please tell me this next job is not that gory."

"I hope not. The client is what concerns me the most; the Batarian Hegemony."

"Why?"

"The Hegemony is the government body for Khar'Shaan. Their propaganda embodies paranoia and isolation from other races and cultures. If there's trouble within, then they handle the matter quietly and internally. Reaching out to outside mercs or assassins like myself is not their MO. Having a human accomplice may throw off my contact a bit during the meeting due to past relations between the batarians and the humans."

"Meeting? You mean he's coming here?"

Krios nodded. "Yes, I told him I had to come here and he agreed for this place to be the meeting point. I am expecting him within the hour."

"Great. I was hoping for another job...why not an angry batarian?" A silly grin spread across Alivia's face at him.

This sparked a chuckle of amusement from the drell. "Hoping?"

"I seemed to pick up all the easy ones earlier on. Lately, they have been more complex and beyond my skill level. My last query wanted me to infiltrate the new colony of Zhu's Hope on Feros to see if there was any more dirt on Exogeni that was still out on the servers."

"Sounds intriguing."

"Not when you are tasked with going up against the Alliance. After the geth attacks, the Alliance stationed a fully manned garrison to help out Colonial Affairs. Without it, potential colonists would not stay." She shook her head stubbornly. "No way I'm going up against my own like that."

"Ah, but you are not with the Alliance anymore, are you not?" He pointed out.

"True, but I'm still loyal to them."

"Why?" Krios compelled.

Alivia fidgeted some in her chair as her silver eyes moved away from his in guilt. She rubbed her fingertips as her mind raced to find some kind of words to throw out at him that would satisfy his curiosity. "I know what happened on Akuze years ago. I will never forget it and those lost to me. Down in my heart, I realize that I'm no good to them anymore as a soldier, but that doesn't mean that I turn my back on the Alliance." Her body started to shake as the hellish images of the attack on Akuze infiltrated her mind. She tightly shut her eyes as she felt her chest tightening. Before she could react to the panic attack, she felt cold smooth hands holding onto hers. The sensation made her open her eyes and she saw Krios looking right at her.

"Breathe, Alivia. Easy," He glanced around to make sure no one was taking notice of what was happening. "Let it go."

Nodding her head, Alivia took slow deep breaths until she was finally able to lower her heart rate. "Sorry…"

"Do not apologize. Your memory reminds me of my eidetic memory. I am constantly haunted by my past missions and other…. events."

"Sounds like torture." Alivia squeezed his hand gently to assure him that she was fine now and then quickly retracted her hands back to her side of the table.

"Yes, well my contact should be here shortly. Are you sure you are up to this? I will do my best to protect you."

"Of course. I need some excitement," She laughed off her nervousness.

Thane tensed as his eyes moved to the entrance of the bar. "He's here."

Grolo grudgingly walked in and spotted Thane near the corner of the bar. Alivia could feel herself holding her breath as her throat squeezed. Here we go. The batarian's upper lip curled bearing his sharp incisors as his eyes noticed Alivia sitting next to Thane. She could feel the hatred oozing from him like radioactive poison. "You Krios?" He growled.

"I am," Thane nodded his head.

"I'm here for the job. I need to speak…" Grolo glared at Alivia once more. "Privately."

"She stays," Thane flatly stated. "She's my new partner. We worked together on the past several jobs. If the contract is on a human, do not worry. She will not hesitate to go up against her kind."

The batarian silently stood there as he contemplated the predicament that he was in. A few uncomfortable seconds later, he grumbled, "Fine" and took another chair at the table.

"The target's name?" Krios inquired.

"Bray Credgarok. Ex-Batarian Special Forces," He over-emphasized the title. "He deserted the Hegemony in 2181 following a mission on Freedom's Progress. He and another officer, Crator Dan'naba, were filed missing. Crator disappeared during the mission and Bray left after arriving back in Khar'Shaan. We have not been able to locate Crator, but our sources tell us that Bray left prior to his next assignment and booked passage to Omega. He works for Aria T'Loak now, and she's not cooperating with us."

"Omega…" Alivia muttered under her breath.

"What about it?" Grolo turned to her as he picked up on her solo comment.

She froze and could feel herself grow hot in the face. Her private joke grasped his attention. She swallowed hard. "I know the place. Picked up a few sorties there. It's a pisshole." She cleared her throat as she tried her best to sound cold and ruthless.

"I see," Thane returned to the subject at hand. "This information was recently disclosed to you?"

"Yes," Grolo stretched back into his seat as he became more comfortable. A twisted smirk appeared on his face. "We have ways of finding out. Started by questioning everyone on his squad then worked down to transit and dock workers. Let's just say…the freight merchant that gave him passage to the station paid a price for collusion. Ararn will not stand for treason."

"Infiltrating Omega should be an easy task," Thane contemplated out loud. "A drell may stand out. Though, my accomplice should be able to get into Aria's nightclub."

"I went there myself to confront the bitch. I didn't see him," Grolo heatedly griped. "She's hiding him. We have one of our own there to seek him out, but Ararn wants this matter handled quickly."

"Why quickly?" Alivia asked. "You think this guy may flee again?"

"Maybe. The coward may stay locked up in the club if Aria is protecting him. Though, he will have to come out sometime. Ararn is leaving for a high-priority mission in a week. He wants all loose ends tied up before he departs."

"My fee will be expensive given the requirements of the job," Thane reminded him.

"Don't insult me, drell!" Grolo gave an invective snap. "I will pay you now."

Thane held up his hand gently to stop him. "Half now and half when the job is finished."

Grolo executed the transfer, then stood up from the table. "Glad we could make a deal. The Hegemony will be pleased."

"We won't let them down," Alivia flashed a smile as she stood up and extended her hand. Grolo narrowed his eyes at the gesture before leaving the bar without another word. She frowned at his rude exit and looked worriedly at Thane who remained still in his chair. "Well, I guess he doesn't like me."

"Don't take offense to it. Most batarians despise the human race," Thane pointed out.

"Wait..." Alivia chewed her lip as she thought back to the conversation and their target. "Bray? The smoker on Omega?"

Krios nodded his head. "The same."

She sat back down next to him. "You said he had a dark past…now we know what it is. Is Ararn the one that tried to ram the asteroid on Terra Nova?"

"That was his older brother, Ka'hairal. Both are deadly. Strange that he still wants this cleared up four years later."

"Where is Ararn going?"

"That disturbs me. Maybe, we will find out more once get to Omega."

Alivia bit her lip. "I don't like the idea of directly working for the Hegemony."

Thane smiled at her. "Correction, you are directly working for me."

She felt her cheeks grow warm by his sweet smile tossed her way and she shyly broke his gaze. "Makes sense." She thought back to their last trip together on Omega and the batarian that exited the club. "Something about this doesn't make sense." She lifted her eyes to him once more. "Are you going to kill Bray?"

"My body is a vessel; an instrument to be used. I go after the wicked; though I'm in agreement with you on this. I think I need to speak with him first to know all the angles. I never agreed with the Hegemony's intentions."

"You think Aria will let us?"

"No. It would be foolish to ask. We may speak with him discreetly. If Grolo was already at Omega, then Bray knows he's got a target on his back."

"He also mentioned another batarian there to search him out. What if we run into that guy?"

"We will need to be careful and move fast."

Alivia nodded her head at the plan. "Then Omega it is."