Tann had been at work. He'd raided the Privateer's Guild Headquarters and arrested many Guild members. Two of the Guild's ships had been impounded. Other than the Vagabond, the Guild only had five full size ships to begin with. Privateering was still legal, but Tann was aggressively targeting the Guild for reasons unknown. Whatever the reason, Tann was looking to fight.
Zack had met with the other captains, and discussed the situation. The conclusion was to quietly evacuate Guild operations from the Nexus. The old Guild Hall was coincidentally taken by Tann and leased out to one of his cronies. Whatever his rationale, Tann had made his point clear: Zack, his crew, and his organization were non grata on the Nexus. If Tann or the Ryders did not trust Zack, that was one thing. A wholesale purge of his organization was something else entirely.
After much discussion, the Guild decided to build their own station off the grid. Technically, all the colonies were politically independent, but were heavily interconnected with the Nexus. So, while Zack and the other captains might were not viewed as criminals on the colonies, it was best not to stick around more than needed. Officially, none of them were criminals on the Nexus, but that did not stop Tann and company from raiding their headquarters and seizing their ships, so…
It was time to build a new normal for the Guild and its operations. After a brief survey, the station was constructed in an asteroid field in an otherwise uninhabited system. The Ryders would find it eventually if they tried to look, but it probably wouldn't matter. Tann wouldn't be able to weasel his way on board.
Zack had pursued the release of the members and the impounded ships through legal means. Most of the members were released, but Tann had apparently appropriated the ships and declared them the first ships of the Nexus Navy. They were gone, there was no way to get them back, and Tann didn't want to compensate the Guild for them. Stingy prick.
It took 6 months to build the station. Zack decided to name their new area Lucre Station. It wasn't much: Ship docks, cargo storage and transfer, barracks and apartments, a few bars, and that was about it. The station had been finished for less than a week before his crew showed him an unwelcome surprise from Tann.
Tann had made a public address to the Nexus. The phrases 'Tann' and 'Public address' typically did not belong in the same sentence, but apparently Tann made an exception. Tann was wearing an oddly ornate outfit, but he'd taken to a lot of oddly ornate items recently. The crew met in the Vagabond's conference room, and were watching his address on a hologram.
"Greetings, Good Members of the Nexus! I am Director Tann! The Initiative have run into challenging times, but I, your brave and noble Director, have the answer!" Tann started. There was some applause, but it sounded generated.
"Some say my incompetence has made you broke and miserable. These people a seditious conspiracy theorists. But not the rest of you. The rest of you are brave settlers to the Heleus Cluster," Tann continued. Nothing like combining pandering with accusations.
"Many of you are aware of the Second Nexus Rebellion. It is a tragedy, but it was a tragedy by design. It was not a coincidence; it was instigated. It was instigated by a traitor. A traitor who the Initiative had given tremendous blessings, but instead chose to use those blessings for themselves," Tann said. Tann was setting up a scapegoat. This would be fun.
"Pathfinder Wolfe was given tremendous support and love from the Nexus. He chose to use these selfishly, and undermined our society. For his actions, I designated him an Enemy of the Initiative, and should be engaged by all Nexus and Colonial forces," Tann went on. At this, Zack's jaw nearly hit the floor. The gall of this statement. Traitor. Tremendous support. What a crock of shit.
"Once this traitor is brought to justice, our society will prosper. Fortunately for us all, I have the two true Pathfinders to bring Zack Wolfe in, or put him down. Scott and Sara Ryder have valiantly accepted the call, and will pursue the Traitor to the edge of Heleus and beyond," Tann continued. More of the applause track played in the background.
"We must destroy the traitor for a better tomorrow! Reporters, any questions?" Tann finished to thunderous applause. The crowd was loving it, whatever it was. How many people would buy what Tann was selling?
One reporter, Keri, stood up.
"Director Tann, according to official Nexus records, Captain Wolfe has been on the Nexus for less than a week in the past year. Is it reasonable to associate him with the Second Nexus Rebellion?" Keri asked.
"Yes, it entirely is. He coordinated the uprising exploiting his position as the Privateer's Guildmaster," Tann said arrogantly. Zack sighed when he heard this. Guild? Coordinated? Tann was giving the Guild far too much credit.
"What about the Kett's withdrawal to the edge of Heleus? Do we know what they are doing or why?" Keri asked.
"Focus on the task at hand, Keri. We must fight the Traitor," Tann said.
"The Kett still have a sizable military fleet, and the Nexus has two refit ships that were taken from the Privateer's Guild. Would we be able to stand up to them if they returned?" Keri asked.
"Shut up about the Kett, you dumb reporter! We are here to talk about Wolfe," Tann said.
"Ok then, another question about Wolfe. What should we do about him? Many of the colonies have extensive business relationships with him, and he was involved in lifting a Kett siege on Eladeen. Why would he have a change of heart?"
"We believe that he was planning a coup to seize the directorship job for himself," Tann said.
"We do know Wolfe, and most others involved in the Pathfinders, were nearly ruined by the organization's closure. Do you believe that event may have radicalized him?" Keri asked.
"There is no reason to believe anything I've done had any negative impact," Tann said. Truly, Tann was a politician of all time.
"What should the Nexus or Colonial citizens do about Wolfe or his affiliates?" Keri asked.
"They should be apprehended and turned over to Nexus security. No further questions," Tann said.
"But Director-" Keri started.
"No further questions, you dumb bitch!" Tann shouted, and then the video cut out.
Killal turned and looked at Zack.
"Look, I know Tann is a dumbass backstabber, but I'm not going back to jail. Do you understand?" Killal asked.
"I get it. We'll be careful," Zack said.
"I'm not going back to jail either," Fuggla said.
"I could just go back to hiding," Asperiter said.
"We will figure this out," Zack said.
There was some more concerns, but eventually the conference room cleared out. Only Zack was left inside. Zack sat, and took a breather. Tann had made him a Pathfinder, and then made him a criminal. He was safe, and his organization was safe, but that would not last forever. Something would have to be done. But what? Fighting the Nexus would accomplish little. Negotiating with the Nexus would accomplish nothing. Tann had already publicly branded him Enemy of the Initiative. Not even Kadara got that treatment, and they left the Nexus in a fit of violence. Any sort of attempt to negotiate would be a lot of Tann acting like a posturing jackass even more than he already did.
The Guild also had heard Tann's message, and were surprisingly accepting of it. Turns out, arbitrary prison time doesn't build a lot of goodwill. After Tann's string of arrests, most of the Privateer's Guild despised Tann and his administration. Beyond a reasonable doubt, Lucre Station would still be safe and loyal. But Zack would need more allies, other than the Guild captains. He decided to call together a meeting of the Guild Captains to decide a path forward. But that would be later. Now, he had to build up a supply stock for Lucre Station, and that meant more pirating. Zack decided against pirating against Nexus shipping; he couldn't afford to give Tann any rationale for further allegations. So Kett or Roekaar shipping would be the play. Eroshka would throw a fit, but she did that all the time anyway.
Suddenly, there was a blip on his omni-tool. TIUO was calling up again. TIUO had taken his time to show up. Zack transferred the call to the conference room's console.
"Greetings, Agent Wolfe. Or should I say, Enemy of the Initiative Wolfe?" TIUO said with a grin.
"Charming observation. What are you going to do with those looted guns?" Zack asked.
"My operations outside your objectives are not your business," TIUO said.
"You brought me a lot of negative attention. It looks like my business to me," Zack said.
"You do not need to know, and so you won't. What I do have is other missions for you," TIUO said.
"I hope they do not involve travel to the Nexus," Zack said.
"About that, I need you to meet up with some contacts on the Nexus," TIUO said.
"Tann plastered my face all over the news and branded me a menace to society. Tann withdrew my docking rights. I can't go to the Nexus," Zack said.
"You can go to the Nexus. You can go to the area controlled by the Second Nexus Rebellion," TIUO said.
"The Nexus commandeered two of the Guild's ships, and they still have the Ryders after me," Zack said.
"You really should have killed the Ryders, right?" TIUO asked.
"I'm not going to kill the Ryders if I have any say in the matter. Besides, the Tempest is unarmed. It can't do much other than scan me," Zack replied.
"Fine, let them live and chase you until they have a chance to capture or kill you," TIUO said.
"They won't. I'm more worried about the Nexus Navy going after the Guild captains," Zack said.
"Ah yes, you handed Tann a navy. You need to keep better track of your ships," TIUO said.
"He took the ships out of nowhere. I didn't hand him anything. Now, what mission do you have for me?" Zack said angrily.
"I have a recruit for you. They are deeply talented in the field of biotics," said TIUO.
"Are they as crazy as the other recruits?" Zack asked.
"No comment," said TIUO. Fuck, Zack thought.
"Where are they?" Zack asked.
"They are in the area controlled by the Second Nexus Rebellion. I'll send you the dossier now," TIUO said.
"What am I supposed to do about the Nexus navy?" Zack asked.
"You'll have to figure that out yourself. TIUO out," TIUO said, and closed the line.
Zack took another deep breath. The crew had just located a Roekaar freighter, so it was after that and then back to Lucre Station. Then he would meet with the Guild captains, and then figure out how to get on board the Nexus.
The pirate job went pretty standard: the freighter didn't see them coming until it was too late, Eroshka lost her shit, and the loot was actually pretty good. This freighter was mostly filled with foodstuffs. Lucre couldn't generate its own foodstuffs, so it was a useful haul. The trip back to Lucre would be short.
Docking with Lucre station just wasn't the same as the Nexus: just a walk through a narrow airlock corridor. Zack would have to get used to it. Lucre Station was technically new, station. It was also improvised, rushed, and cheaply made, and it showed. Mismatched pieces of metal were on the floor and walls; the floor plan a bizzarre, haphazard layout; the lighting was inconsistent, and so forth. Regardless, the cargo was offloading and it had a place to eat, so it'd have to do. It was soon time to go to the captain's meeting.
Zack walked in the new Guild Hall conference room to see the three other Guild Captains. There were a total of six Guild Captains, including Zack himself. Some of them were good, some of them were not, and two of them were technically not captains as Tann had appropriated their ships. Still, now was not the time for such technicalities.
"Hello, fellow Captains," Zack said.
"Hello, Guildmaster Wolfe," Lilianus said. Lilianus was a female Turian, and Barbaros's niece. She was just as much of an ass as Barbaros was, but was generally much better at what she did. She had only become a captain recently, and she was usually the second best captain in the Guild.
"What are we going to do about the ships the Nexus took? Are they going to try to engage us or the station?" Drumo asked. Drumo was a Volus who basically bought his way into the captain position. He also had his ship taken by the Nexus. He was known for being very vocal with his crew, so much that his nickname became 'Drummer Boy.'
"Too soon to say. It looks like Tann has them near the Nexus to try to blockade the Second Nexus Rebellion," Zack said.
"I got no love lost for Tann, but what he's doing is bad for business, Wolfe. How are we going to stay afloat?" Lilianus said.
"I've managed to persuade a few colonial merchants to sell our goods. It will be more time consuming, but we'll have market access," Zack said.
"Ok, what about Tann and the Ryders?" Shay'mal asked. Shay'mal was a quarian who insisted on hiring lots of other quarians. He was also a half decent captain, so Zack let it slide. Most importantly, he still had his ship.
"Last I've heard, Tann has the Ryders involved trying to suppress the Second Nexus Rebellion. The SNR hasn't gone anywhere, so at least one of them will likely be tied to the Nexus with that," Zack said.
"What good does that do us?" Drumo asked.
"If they are on the Nexus, they aren't looking for our ships or Lucre Station," Zack said.
"What happens when they start looking for us?" Shay'mal asked.
"The Tempest is a purpose built scout ship. It's more advanced than anything we got. They'll find us eventually, but they probably won't be able to do anything about it," Zack said.
"We need to get our ships back," Drumo said.
"Tann has other ideas for our ships. I can't promise we'll be able to recover them intact, if at all," Zack said.
"I'll pay any captain who helps me get my ship back," Drumo said.
"Easy there, moneybags. Getting your ship back is on the priority list. Though how much are you paying exactly?" Zack asked.
"Hey! Let me take care of it," Lilianus said.
"The Guild will take care of it," Zack said.
"What about new recruits? A lot of crew ran off when Tann's crackdown started. Some are still imprisoned on the Nexus." Shay'mal said.
"If crew want to leave, I say let them leave. We don't need any disloyal crew in our situation. In the meantime, we recruit from Kadara or the SNR," Zack said.
"What about Nexus shipping? Seeing as how we aren't Nexus anymore, I think it should be fair game now," Lilianus said.
"We will not pirate Nexus shipping. Our best bet is to wait out Tann, and hope he hangs himself politically," Zack said.
"What about the SNR?" Drumo said.
"I have a client who is interested in making contact with them. I don't know what their situation is, but I do know it's interesting," Zack said.
"Why should we care about your clients?" Shay'mal asked.
"Because we will get Drumo's ship back, and get more recruits," Zack said.
Drumo nodded, but Lilianus scoffed.
"We have our ships and some ramshackle station. We need to get back to pirating," Lilianus said.
"We are. Just, let's do this damn contract. Drumo will pay you all for recovering his ship," Zack said.
Drumo grew angry, but said nothing.
"Works for me," Lilianus said.
"Ok, let's head out," Zack said.