Kara raised her sidearms, about to fire, when the Cerberus Biotic unleashed an assault that threatened to slam her and Rocket into the wall, where they'd suffer the same fate as the Varen.
Jack barely managed to bring up a barrier in time to defend them. She growled from the exertion. "Fuck, this guy's tougher than he looks."
The other five agents leveled their weapons, but Kara and Rocket were faster. The crackling orbs of plasma crossed the room, but just before they impacted their targets, the magnetic fields keeping the plasma stable enough to be used as projectiles was disrupted by the biotic energy swirling around them, dissipating their shots. The Cerberus agents still flinched and ducked however, stopping them from returning fire.
Kara growled in annoyance and quickly holstered her sidearms. Unfortunately for the enemy, she'd have to resort to CQC.
She lunged at them, crossing the room faster than the blink of an eye, and slammed her fist into her target's helmeted skull. She felt the bones in his neck and skull snap as she made contact, and his lifeless corpse spun lazily. She twisted, making use of her momentum, and struck the next man with a spinning backhand with her other fist, caving in his helmet near his temple, his body spasming as he collapsed.
The Cerberus Biotic began to turn, seeming as though he were about to attack Kara, but Jack capitalized on his brief lapse in concentration and launched a counterattack, a series of biotic explosions roaring towards him forced him to throw up his own barrier.
As the other three operatives leveled their rifles at Kara, Rocket launched himself at the nearest shooter, drawing two combat knives. He buried the one in his right hand hilt deep in the woman's throat, and spun in the air around her neck, before landing on her left shoulder.
He plunged the other knife into her neck, and then yanked them both out, a gurgle emanating from the woman's throat as she bled out. He twisted, and lunged for the man who was standing next to his previous target.
The man reacted quickly, and lashed out with an elbow, striking Rocket in the chest, knocking the air out of him. His head smacked against the cold, stone-like floor as he hit the ground, and with his vision swimming, he saw the man standing over him point the barrel of his rifle at his skull.
Rocket, clenched his teeth, and shut his eyes, waiting for the shot, when he suddenly felt something hot and wet splatter on his face, and he slowly opened his eyes to see Kara behind the man. She had shoved her right fist straight through his armored torso like it was tissue paper, and she tossed his corpse aside as she yanked her arm free..
The last remaining Cerberus agent (other than the biotic) having watched his comrades be torn apart, lost control. He screamed, more in anger than fear, and fired point blank into Kara's body.
The protective shields Hunters used projected a barrier just shy of one meter around their body, and the human supremacist was standing two feet away, within the radius. Kara snarled as she felt dozens of hot pieces of metal rip through her body, punching through skin and muscle, and ricocheting off bone.
She spun angrily, and threw one of her sidearms at her attackers head. He staggered backwards, and Kara felt Rocket move behind her. He tossed a knife in his hand expertly, and the blade embedded itself in the man's eye.
Kara turned to Rocket, and after taking a moment to make sure he was alright, she nodded in thanks. The two of them then turned their attention to the last remaining Cerberus operative.
Jack and he had been locked in a stalemate the entire time, neither able to address the other threats present without risking their opponent overpowering and killing them. The situation made Kara scowl as she approached. If she and Rocket hadn't been here, Jack would be dead. That was a troubling indication of Cerberus's capabilities.
Threatened on two fronts, and unable to adequately deal with either, the man was doomed, and he knew it. He launched one last biotic attack at Jack, and in the split second it cost her to defend herself, he turned on Rocket, the only person he could kill.
He charged at Rocket, his biotics launching him at supernatural speeds. Kara reacted just as quickly, and stepped in front of Rocket, absorbing the attack, knocking her to the ground. Jack moved quickly, capitalizing on the opening, and suspended the man in the air with a biotic field, then with a scream of anger, threw him against a wall.
His body splattered as it struck the wall, killing him instantly, painting the formerly faded white a dark crimson.
Rocket pulled out one of his sidearms, readying himself for any further hostilities, before moving to Kara's prone form, trying to get a look at her injuries.
The bullet wounds she'd suffered were already healing rapidly, and she got back on her feet. "Anyone else wounded?" She asked.
"Nah, we're good, I think you got the worst of it. You think that's all of 'em?" He asked, turning to look at Kara.
She thought for a moment. "Maybe. Their uniforms are Blood Pack, they usually only operate with Krogan and Vorcha. It's odd that there'd be Humans in the ranks."
Kara was about to step through the door the deceased operatives came through, when she hesitated. If there were more Biotics like the last one, then her and Rocket's weapons would be useless. She turned, and looked at the scattered weapons of the fallen.
Rocket followed her gaze. "I see what you're thinkin'." He grinned, before holstering his rifle and shouldering the vindicator, eager to try out the native weaponry.
Jack snorted from behind him. "Isn't that a bit big for you?" Rocket didn't say anything, he just held up a middle finger and waved it at Jack, eliciting a snort of amusement from both of the women present.
Kara knelt and plucked an avenger from one of the corpses. In the cramped spaces of this facility, a fully automatic rifle might be more useful than her usually preferred semi-auto. It still felt tiny in her hands though, and light. It didn't feel anything like a proper weapon.
She readied the rifle, and followed Jack and Rocket as they passed through the door the fallen operatives had come through, coming to a stop when they halted.
They were overlooking a flight of stairs, littered with plant matter that had fallen through the holes in the roof.
Kara considered taking point, but decided against it. If there were another Biotic, they could simply throw her backwards, turning her into a massive projectile that would kill both her squadmates.
She looked down at Jack. "You take point, and get ready to throw up a barrier if we encounter any more hostiles."
Jack nodded, and raised her shotgun as she moved down the stairs. Rocket quickly clambered up to Kara's shoulder as she moved to follow, giving him a better firing angle.
Kara stopped when they were halfway down the stairs, and Jack stopped when she noticed. "What?"
"Voices. Sounds like Krogan and Vorcha." Rocket said, his ears swiveling as he listened.
Krogan and Vorcha. That meant there probably weren't Biotics waiting for them, which made things easier for the three of them. "Let's try and see why they're here. Let's not get into another firefight unless we have to."
"Where's the fun in that?" Rocket asked. And Kara felt Jack nod in agreement. Kara let out a stern growl, and the two of them seemed to get the message.
They both grumbled, but relaxed their grip on their weapons. "Fine."
The three proceeded through the door, and came face to face with the Blood Pack. The Krogan scowled as they approached, but didn't take any hostile actions. Instead, he raised a hand to his head, and activated a Comm device. "We've got some uninvited guests here, what do you want us to do with them?"
Kara's finger hovered near the trigger of her scavenged rifle. She felt her two squadmates tense in anticipation.
The Krogan looked up as he received his answer. "The boss wants to talk to you. Come on." He growled, seemingly disappointed they wouldn't be fighting after all. At least not yet.
Jack cast a skeptical gaze at Kara, who simply gestured for her to follow as she obliged the Krogan. They walked past the hissing Vorcha, and followed the Krogan through the facility.
They eventually came to a large open room, sunlight pouring in through a shattered ceiling, and Jack stopped. Kara turned to look at her, Rocket tightening his grip on the fur of her neck as she did. "What is it?" Kara asked. The Krogan leading them realized they'd stopped, and turned to speak. Kara ignored whatever he said as she focused on Jack. "What is it?"
"This is… this is where they made us fight as kids…" Jack muttered, more to herself than Kara or Rocket.
"They made you fight each other?" Rocket growled.
"Yeah. Me and the other kids would be dragged out of our cells, and they'd make us fight each other here, it was one of the only times we were allowed out of our cells. Some kids would try not to at first, then they'd just get a shock for it. And if you attacked the other kid like you were supposed too, they'd pump you full of drugs. I still get warm feelings in a fight"
Kara's fist clenched so tightly, her claws almost pierced the palms of her hands. The objective of this facility was clearly the production of superior Human Biotics, that much was clear, but forcing children to fight in gladiator battles? Conditioning them to become addicted to violence?
That was beyond cruelty, and it only threw gasoline on her already burning desire to destroy Cerberus. Jack shook her head as she refocused on the here and now, and moved to follow.
They passed yet more vacant cells lining the halls, filled with rotting vegetation, and Rocket couldn't help but be reminded of the cramped cages he and other subjects were trapped in back on Half-world. He tightened his grip on Kara's fur. There were enough cells for scores of children to be brought here. The Krogan finally came to a halt, and jerked his head towards an open door. Kara rolled her shoulders, wondering who this "boss" was, before entering.
She spotted a ragged looking Human male sitting on the bed against the wall, his face covered in scars, and his eyes vacant of any sign of life.
He turned and fixed his gaze on Kara for a moment, before there was a sudden spark as he saw Jack enter.
"It's you. It's really you... Subject Zero."
Jack clenched her fists. "Who the fuck are you?" She growled.
The man sank back into his seat. "Me? I'm one of the other subjects here. One of the other kids. We all knew who you were, Zero. Everything they did to us, they did it so they wouldn't kill you. We were the experiments, and you were the goal."
"Bullshit! I got the worst of it!"
"Maybe." He simply said.
Jack growled, but Rocket spoke before she could. "What're you doing here?"
The man shrugged. "Probably the same thing she's doing." He gestured to Jack. "Looking for answers. All the things they did to us, they must have had some reason for it."
"Fuck their reasons. And I'm not here for answers, I'm here to blow this place to hell. Might as well plant the bomb on your corpse."
Jack leveled her shotgun, and the man flinched, but before Jack could pull the trigger, Kara stepped in the way, blocking her shot. "Jack, don't!" Rocket shouted, clambering down from Kara's shoulder.
"Why the fuck not?" She snarled.
"The guy's just like you, alright? He's been through hell here, and he doesn't need to die. Just let him go."
Jack snarled, then lowered her weapon after a moment of hesitation. "Fuck. Fine, get out of here asshole."
The man nodded numbly, then left the room. Kara heard a brief conversation between the man and the Krogan, then the two left.
Jack sighed, then swept her gaze across the room. "Are you alright?" Kara asked.
"I'm fine, I just wanna set the bomb and get the fuck out of here."
Kara nodded, then planted the bomb they'd brought, then she and Rocket followed Jack back to the dropship. As Kara entered the cockpit, leaving Jack and Rocket alone, Jack rested against the wall, before sliding to the ground to sit as they took off.
Rocket watched her in silence as she pulled out the detonator, and began to flip the safety cap up and down for several minutes, before finally pushing the button.
The facility on Pragia was promptly consumed in a maelstrom of fire as the dropship rocketed through the atmosphere. Jack sighed, and leaned back, feeling as though a crushing weight had been lifted from her.
"Feeling better?" Rocket asked.
"Yeah. Yeah…"
The dropship arrived back in real space next to the Dreadnought, and Kara brought the vessel into a pressurized hangar bay, before rising from her seat, and rejoining Rocket and Jack in the troop bay. "We're going to wait here for the rendezvous with the Normandy. It may be some time, so Jack, feel free to relax in the recreation bay until then."
Rocket shot Kara a surprised glance as Jack nodded, and exited the ship. "You really think she should be on her own?" He asked once Jack was out of earshot.
"Destroying that facility may help her, but she still has a ways to go before she fully recovers from her trauma, Rocket. Being back there probably brought back a lot of bad memories for her .It'd be best for her to get some time to herself to process her feelings, and for you and I to relax for a bit. "
"Oh yeah? And how are you and I supposed to relax?" Rocket leaned back and smiled.
Kara smiled lasciviously. "Oh.. I might have a few-" She cut herself off as Rocket yawned. "...Nevermind. You are getting some sleep."
"What? That was nothing, I'm-" He yawned again.
"Tired, and need sleep."
"Fine." He pouted, as he followed Kara to their shared quarters. "But if you want, you have my permission to do stuff to me while I sleep."
Kara waved a hand dismissively. "I appreciate the offer, but it's more fun when my toy is awake and aware."
Rocket smirked at her and winked as they reached their bedroom. They both undressed, Kara removing her top while Rocket changed into more comfortable clothes for sleep. "Are you sure Jack will be okay by herself?" He asked, his back to her.
"Yes. Serina will be keeping an eye on her, and she'll let us know if anything happens." Kara climbed onto the bed and laid on her back. Once she was comfortable, she began to browse the collection of thousands of books and movies she'd downloaded to her helmet, looking for suitable entertainment while Rocket slept.
The procyonid leapt onto the bed, and he let out another yawn as he joined Kara. She twisted, laying on her side, allowing Rocket to snuggle against her breasts. He let out a sigh of contentment as he scooted as close to her body as he could, basking in her scent and warmth. "Promise not to roll over?" He muttered as he closed his eyes and began to relax.
Kara simply huffed in amusement as she settled on A Farewell to Arms, and began to read, half listening to Rocket's soft, rhythmic breathing.
Shepard leveled her rifle and opened fire on the charging Krogan, followed shortly by Laura and Samantha. Several Krogan were torn to pieces through Laura's sheer volume of fire, but Shepard's target shrugged off her attack. Samantha was able to cripple but not kill her target, the plasma weaponry the Hunters used wasn't as effective against the Krogan's stone like plating.
Samantha growled, and charged at the Krogan barreling down on Shepard, crashing into them before the Commander could react, knocking the Krogan to the ground. With the reptilian creature downed, Samantha raised her leg, and brought her foot crashing down on the Krogan's skull, breaking through the plating atop his head, and covering her leg in orange gore.
Four of the Krogan had been killed, with a fifth wounded. With Laura's targets killed, she switched to suppressing fire, keeping them from charging Shepard's position.
Shepard paused for a moment, allowing her weapon to cool down, then turned to face Samantha. She motioned for Sam to move on the pinned Krogan's left flank, and as the Hunter moved into position, Shepard moved to take the right flank.
She ducked under Laura as she continued to suppress, and slid into cover in the wreckage behind the Krogan's right side. She spotted Samantha in position, and Shepard holstered her rifle, and leveled her grenade launcher. She took a moment to sight in on the cluster of Krogan hiding behind a large sheet of plasma scorched metal, and fired.
The detonation impacted one of the Krogan center mass, blowing him apart, while tossing the other Krogan through the air.
Samantha opened fire, bathing them in plasma fire before they even hit the ground. Laura mopped up the stragglers, then moved to regroup with Shepard.
Shepard watched her shield indicator refill in her head, annoyed that she caught a round without noticing, then advanced, Laura and Sam close behind. They moved further and further into the facility, encountering little resistance. The Blue Suns and the Krogan seemed to take care of each other well enough.
They came to a tall stairway, and Shepard let Samantha take point, and posted Laura on rear guard. Laura quickly switched to a sidearm as they began to ascend the cramped stairwell.
Once they finally reached the top, Shepard gestured for Samantha and Laura to stack up on the door waiting for them. EDI spoke over Shepard's comms. "Commander, my analysis of the enemy's comm chatter indicates Warlord Okeer is through that door."
"Thanks EDI." Shepard muttered, before nodding to Samantha. Samantha stood back, allowing the doors sensors to detect her, and stepped through the threshold, sweeping her weapons across the room, before aiming at the Krogan standing near the rightmost corner of the room, next to a large tube.
Shepard and Laura moved into the room, Laura taking position to cover the rest of the room, while Shepard approached the Krogan. "Warlord Okeer I presume?"
The Krogan barely looked over his shoulder at her as he busied himself with something on his terminal. "You presume correctly Shepard. What brings you to this miserable backwater?"
"You do. We came here hoping you could help us fight the Collectors. They've been targeting human colonies, and we thought you might be able to help us find out why."
Okeer hummed, and was about to respond, when a sudden hiss from the vents cut him off. Okeer growled, and entered commands into his terminal, threatening to break the keys in his frustration. "What is that?" Shepard asked, concerned with Okeer's sudden shift in demeanor.
"Gas. Jedore has evidently decided she has no further use of me. The witch! She risks destroying everything I've accomplished." Okeer turned to face Shepard. "You want my help Commander? Kill Jedore, and shut down the ventilation system." He turned, and gazed intently at the tube. "I can't allow this to go to waste. Those doors will take you to Jedore." He gestured to the other end of the room.
Shepard nodded "Alright. Ladies, let's get to work."
As Laura and Samantha moved to the doors, EDI spoke again. "Commander, the comm chatter indicates the presence of multiple YMIR mechs supported by light mechs between you and Jedore."
Shepard eyed the Hunter's backs as she followed. "Thanks for the heads up EDI."
Shepard passed through the door, and took in her surroundings. There was practically no cover, but there were plenty of mechs. The sound of metal on metal rang through the air as three YMIR heavy mechs turned, detecting the presence of Shepard's team, and Shepard saw that they were supported by a dozen LOKI mechs. Before she could utter a single syllable, Samantha spoke. "I'll handle the heavies, you two take out the rest."
Before Shepard could respond, Samantha broke into a sprint, running in a short curve towards the leftmost YMIR. The three heavy mechs slowly turned to track Samantha, struggling to keep her in their sights. She fired a burst of plasma, targeting the un-armored knee joints of the second and third mech. The metal joints melted and warped under the extreme heat, slowing them down even further.
With the two damaged mechs unable to respond quickly enough, Samantha charged her primary target. She ducked and wrapped her arms around its right leg, and slammed her shoulder into the mech, throwing it to the ground. She spun, whilst simultaneously firing the SMG in her left hand directly into the YMIR's "head" turning it into molten slag, and faced the remaining two heavy mechs. The second mech was standing in the line of fire of the third, preventing it from firing on Samantha, allowing her to deal with them one at a time.
She raised her leg, and brought her foot crashing down on the second YMIR's knee, bringing it down. She then wrapped her hand around the mech's head, and began to pull back, hard. Servos and wiring began to shriek as she strained them to their limits, before with one final tug, she tore the mech's head from its housing.
With the second disposed of, she moved on to the third and final mech. While she had dealt with its two comrades, it finally turned to face her, the heavy machine gun on its right arm aimed squarely at her. She lunged forward, attempting to seize its arm and wrench it away, but it began to fire before she could, and she felt dozens of rounds striking her head, ripping through the flesh and muscle on her face, and richoteting off her reinforced skull.
She fought to keep her mouth closed as she felt her face being torn apart, lest it rip apart the inside of her mouth as well, and used the pain and anger to strengthen her grip on the mech's arm, and the weapon let out a metallic shriek as she crushed it in her fist. She seized the damaged arm's elbow with her right hand, and twisted her body, placing the limb atop her right shoulder, pulling the mech into a shoulder throw. The YMIR landed with a heavy crash, and Samantha quickly and forcefully brought her foot down on its head, finishing it off with a growl.
As her face began to repair itself, she turned, and saw that Shepard and Laura had dealt with the light mechs.
Before she could regroup, a door opened, and a small cadre of heavily armed Blue Suns mercenaries stepped through, a middle aged Human woman at the center of their formation, Jedore. And she was Furious.
Laura turned to Shepard. "You think we could talk this out?" Laura's answer came in the form of a grenade launched from Jedore's weapon. "Ah, I guess we can't be friends." Laura smirked as she hopped to the side, the grenade sailing harmlessly past her and Shepard. Shepard and her team returned fire, bathing Jedore's team in metal and superheated plasma, killing all of them.
"Well that was anticlimactic." Laura huffed, as Shepard moved to Jedore's corpse. She stifled a gag as her nostrils were assaulted by the smell of burnt human flesh. She plucked a device from Jedore's smoldering remains, and deactivated the gas pouring into the lab.
Shepard released the breath she'd been holding as she stepped away from the remains. "Come on, let's get back to the lab and pick up Okeer. Samantha moved to regroup with Shepard and Laura as they re-entered the laboratory, only to find Okeer's corpse on the ground beside the tank.
Shepard scowled, and turned her attention to a screen mounted on the wall, playing a video on loop. "Shepard, I am sorry, I would help you if I could, but I cannot help you against the Collectors, but this… grunt, he is… perfect." Shepard turned, and gazed intently at the tank's occupant, a particularly threatening looking Krogan.
She turned to her Hunter companions. "Can you load this onto the Normandy?"
Samantha nodded. "Right away Commander."
Shepard cast one final glance at the tank. At least this mission wouldn't be a total waste.
Machiko roared as the umbilical's doors opened, a deafening thunder that stunned the would-be boarders before they could react to her charge. She lashed out with her right arm, the plasma blade extending from her Ancilla cleaved the man's skull in two, and she twisted, swinging the weapon diagonally, cutting another assailant on her left in half.
The men panicked, and began to fire. Machiko ignored the shield display in her HUD dwindling, and continued with her attack, lunging at another pirate. She lashed out with her left fist, and she felt his sternum shatter as she struck his chest.
The surviving pirates retreated, and Machiko growled as they fled. She cast a brief glance back down the umbilical, making sure it was clear, before she moved to the door the pirates had fled through. She raised her hands, and shoved her claws into the door's seam. The curved digits pierced the small opening, and Machiko began to pry the door open. The door strained against her, the sound of metal gears struggling filled the air as she saw more of the ship's crew.
They raised their weapons and began to fire, rounds began shattering as they struck her shields. She snarled as she watched her shields drain under the assault. With one final effort, Machiko wrenched the doors open, and as soon as she did, another door behind the ship's crew opened, and Nora stepped through. There were six crewmen left, clustered in groups of three on either side of the room. Machiko angled towards the group on the right, while Nora took the group on the left.
None of the crew had noticed Nora enter, so she was able to easily dispatch her targets, a single slash from her plasma blade burned through all three members of the clustered enemies.
Machiko lashed out with her hand, grabbing the head of one of the pirates, and crushed his skull against the wall, a sickening crunch filling the air as she did.
As she and Nora rounded on the remaining pirates, the two men panicked and threw down their arms. "Wait! We- we surrender!" one shouted.
Nora halted her advance, her blade still burning angrily. Machiko huffed. She wondered if the luxury cruiser had anything like a brig. But then she had a different idea. "Serina?"
"Yes?"
"Can we disable the engines on this ship? Make sure they can't go anywhere until somebody can pick them up?"
"Yes. I'll direct you towards the engine so you can break some stuff. The closest authorities are only 24 hours away, so these guys won't have to wait too long for their "rescue"."
While Machiko clipped the ships wings, Nora gave the prisoners a thorough once over, making sure they didn't have any more weapons or explosives they could use, then, satisfied they wouldn't be a threat, she locked them in one of the crippled ships rooms. Nora huffed as they moved through the umbilical, donning their robes. "I'm surprised there were so few of them."
"This ship isn't outfitted with any weapons, and security is supposed to deal with a drunk passenger or two, not pirates. Besides, if you take a few hostages, most people wouldn't engage."
Nora shrugged. This whole situation put the stark contrast between cultures into focus. Every vessel her species built, regardless of civilian status, was outfitted with enough weaponry to defend itself to a reasonable degree if such a situation were to arise.
With the pirate threat taken care of, Nora and Machiko returned to their quarters for the rest of the journey, and thanks to Serina guiding their ships crew and passengers out of the way, there weren't any witnesses to their little misadventure, which allowed the rest of the journey to Palaven to proceed without any further hassle.
When they finally arrived, the two of them stepped onto solid ground. Machiko stretched and sighed, grateful to feel a star's warmth without glass in the way. Nora didn't seem intent on relaxing, however. "We should head straight for the data center, the sooner we get that intel, the better." She whispered in Machiko's helmet.
"If we make a beeline straight for a military database, we'll just draw attention to ourselves. We're supposed to be tourists, remember?"
Nora shifted uneasily. "So, what?"
"So we tour!"
"Are you serious?"
"Yes. Besides, it's better to wait until sundown to sneak in."
"Fine." Nora grumbled.
The two of them spent practically the entire day seeing the sites on Palaven, touring museums and art galleries as the sun reached its apex, then slowly descended, the sky growing a dull orange before finally fading to black, when Machiko finally agreed to get oscar mike. The two made their way to the military installation that housed the lead on Cerberus they needed, then came face to face with a four meter tall wall. "Hang on." Serina's voice echoed. "I'm going to try to guide you two straight to the file, otherwise there'd be a lot of digging for a needle in a very large haystack. I'll also have to disable their security measures. I'll let you know when you can move."
"Won't they know something's up when their security goes offline?" Nora asked.
"They'll be more alert, sure, but we can avoid security guards a lot easier than thermal sensors."
"Fair enough."
They remained motionless for nearly a minute before Serina gave them the go ahead. They waited for several more seconds, waiting for the trio of guards they could feel moving on the other side of the wall to reach a safe distance before they hopped over the wall.
They landed with a deathly silence that logic dictated should have been impossible given their mass, then followed Serina's waypoints on their HUD. Avoiding, and hiding from the guards patrolling the base was easy enough, they could easily spot the flashlights emanating from the guards helmets from a mile off, and they could feel the movements of the guards they couldn't see long before they became a problem. And to make things even easier, most of the guards moved to where they thought potential infiltrators and saboteurs would focus most of their attention, the vehicle and munitions bays.
Which meant that Artemis's true target was left unguarded.
They reached the building that Serina highlighted, and after taking a moment to make sure it was clear, opened the door. Serina quickly told them which room and cabinet their intel was in, and they quickly and quietly made their way to the small storage room. Nora opened the filing cabinet, and thumbed through its contents before pulling out the indicated file, and gave it a cursory reading to make sure it was what they were looking for. "Got it?" Machiko asked.
"Got it. Now let's get out of here." Nora shut the cabinet, and the two of them snuck out of the building, and leapt over the wall. They continued to run for a few minutes, making distance between them and the base, before they relaxed, and made their way calmly to the exfil point, where an impatient Salarian smuggler was waiting.
"That went more smoothly than I expected." Nora remarked.
Machiko huffed, and shook her head as she settled in for the ride back.
